At that moment, the conference room doors swung open. Ian strode in with Gavin at his side, dressed in a charcoal suit that made the sharp intelligence in his eyes impossible to miss—especially today, with his sses left behind.


    He paused just inside, sweeping his gaze across the room until it settled on Eleanor for a brief but unmistakable two seconds. Then, without another word, he took his ce at the head of the table.


    "Everyone''s here. Let''s begin."


    Gavin sat down nearby, cleared his throat, and addressed the room. "Mr. Goodwin has called this meeting to announce the restructuring of the R&D team for our civilian product initiative-"


    Just then, two assistants entered, distributing thick folders to everyone at the table.


    Faye felt her pulse race as she gripped her hands tightly under the table. She could sense the eyes of several colleaguesnding on her, full of thinly veiled envy.


    Rumor among the staff had it that Faye was in line to take over the civilian project, that she''d be named lead researcher.


    She took a deep breath and straightened her back, ready for the moment her name would be called.


    Gavin continued, "After a joint evaluation by the executive board and the technicalmittee—” He paused, scanning the room. “We''ve decided to appoint Dr. Joel Kingsley as Chief Scientific Officer for Goodwin Biotech''s Civilian R&D Division. He will have full responsibility for the development of our three gship medical technology products."


    The room was stunned into silence.


    Faye''s mind went utterly nk, a dull roar in her ears. She stared at Gavin in disbelief, then whipped her head towardn, her lips parting in shock, but no sound came out.


    Joel? He''s leading all three civilian products?


    Then what about her? Where would she fit in? Faye bit her lower lip, telling herself that Joel might just be heading the teams, but each product would surely need its own lead researcher.


    Eleanor, too, looked surprised, but she''d half expected this aftern''s private meeting with Joel the night before. In hindsight, it all made sense.


    Joel rose to his feet, calm and collected. "Thank you for your trust. I''ll do everything I can to push these projects forward."


    Faye''s head was spinning again. The core team was still being formed? Did this mean she hadn''t even made it into the core civilian team?


    She stole a nce atn. He was leafing through his folder, his profile cold and unreadable under the harsh ceiling lights. A wave of frustration and disappointment washed over her, catching her off guard.


    Joel went on to announce his own selection criteria for the new team-strict requirements that would serve as a finely tuned filter for candidates.


    Eleanor scribbled something into her notebook, her expression detached, as if the proceedings barely concerned her.


    In truth, Eleanor had already worked it out in her mindn''s move was a smart one. By bringing Joel onboard, he guaranteed technical excellence, silenced the board''s objections, and protected future profits.


    Meanwhile, Faye ducked her head and quickly sent a message to her older sister, Vanessa. "They just announced it. Joel''s the chief lead. My position isn''t settled yet."


    A few secondster, Vanessa replied, "Tell me which role you want. I''ll get it for you."


    Faye considered carefully, then typed her answer. It wasn''t the top spot, but it was still a good fit.


    "I want the lead researcher position for the Smart Sleep Project."


    "Done," came Vanessa''s brief reply, as if securing that spot was no more than a quick word withn.