Eleanor sat on the sofa, checking on Simone Langley''s condition.


    "Professor Langley can be discharged tomorrow. Her post-op recovery is going very well."


    Reading the message, Eleanor felt a wave of relief. She would go visit Simone once she was back home.


    The next morning, Eleanor went to theb first. Since she now had to divide her time with Dr. Smith''s experiment, the Neural Interface Project would have to slow down, but there were some tests Callie could handle independently. Joel''s own Neural Interface Project had entered its initial trial phase, and she called him on the internal line to arrange a meeting in the cafeteria at noon.


    Just as she put down her files to get a drink of water, Gwenda knocked and entered. "Eleanor, someone''s here to see you. They''ve stopped by a few times in thest couple of days."


    "Who is it?" Eleanor asked, surprised.


    "They said they''re your patients." As Gwenda spoke, a couple walked in behind her, carrying gift boxes and bags of fruit. Eleanor immediately recognized the woman—it was Marilyn, the leukemia patient.


    "Dr. Sutton, we finally found you! We''vee by several times," Marilyn said, her voice choked with emotion as she looked at Eleanor with gratitude. "My husband and I came specifically to thank you for saving my life."


    Her husband nodded eagerly, cing the gifts on the sofa. "Dr. Sutton, if it weren''t for the drug you developed, my Marilyn might have... This is just a small token of our appreciation. Please don''t refuse."


    "Marilyn, thank you," Eleanor said quickly. "Seeing you so well is all the thanks I need. You really don''t have to bring me gifts."


    "We insist," Marilyn said, tightly gripping Eleanor''s hand, her voice trembling. "Dr. Sutton, you have no idea... our whole world was falling apart. My children are so young; they can''t lose their mother. You gave our family hope and let me be a normal person again. You''re our family''s savior."


    Seeing Marilyn''s healthyplexion and the gratitude in her eyes, Eleanor, a mother herself, was deeply moved. She stopped protesting. "Thank you. Seeing you recover is the greatest affirmation of my work."


    "You''re truly incredible. Marilyn''s case was soplex, but you cured her."


    Marilyn and her husband thanked her repeatedly, sharing updates about their family, their faces filled with the relief of having weathered a storm and deep respect for Eleanor. After Gwenda saw them out Eleanor was left with a profound sense of fulfillment This was why she had dedicated her life to scientific research-this was her


    responsibility.


    Returning to her desk, Eleanor looked from theplex protocols on herputer screen to the picture of her daughter''s radiant smile beside it. Her resolve hardened. She would make sure


    Evelyn, just like Marilyn, had


    ve


    healthy and bright future


    At noon in the cafeteria, Eleanor sat with Joel, Callie, and Gwenda. When she announced she would be assisting with Dr. Smith''s experiment, Joel looked up in shock. "Didn ask you to?"


    Eleanor nodded. "And I wanted to."


    Seeing her conviction, Joel didn''t press the matter.


    "The initial trials for the neural interface are going smoothly," Eleanor exined. "Callie can handle the subsequent tests."


    "Alright, as long as you have it all nned out," Joel agreed.


    A few tables away, Faye Yeaton watched them, her eyes filled with jealousy. Even after the holidays, Eleanor was still the center of attention. Faye had been feeling the pressuretely; the new researchers hired for the civilian projects division all spoke of Eleanor as a genius and were desperate to meet her. Meanwhile, Faye had fought tooth and nail only to end up as an assistantb technician in the data management department, unable to even get into the core R&D division.


    "So that''s Eleanor! She''s even younger than I imagined," a new researcher whispered in admiration. "I heard she''s led several cutting-edge projects, all with great sess."


    "Yeah, just the development of the new leukemia drug alone is incredible. A rtive of mine was diagnosed early, and now she''s inplete remission."


    "That''s amazing," another colleague added.


    The hushed praise was like needles pricking at Faye''s nerves.


    Eleanor didn''t even need to be at the center to earn everyone''s admiration. Faye, meanwhile, had given everything she had and still remained on the outside.


    She had also been the subject of gossip recently. After bragging to her colleagues about getting into the core civilian projects team and potentially leading her own research, her current position felt like a public humiliation.