Joel paused for a few seconds, recalling the details. "Yes, that''s right," he answered seriously. "You suspectedn was keeping your mother''s sample for Vanessa''s stem cell donation, so I ran apatibility test. It was a sessful match."
"Thank you! Thank you, Joel!" Eleanor eximed, so overwhelmed with emotion she was on the verge of tears.
"What''s wrong, Ellie? Did something happen?" Joel asked, his voice full of
concern.
"No, nothing''s wrong. This is just... it''s incredibly important. I''m so d you did that for me. Otherwise, I would never have known how vital my mother''s sample is," Eleanor said, her voice trembling as she clutched the phone, as if holding onto another lifeline for her daughter.
Joel sounded confused. "Ellie, are you sure you''re okay?"
"It''s not for me. It''s for a research project I''m working on. Joel, I won''t keep you."
"I''ll send you thepatibility report."
"Okay. Thanks, Joel."
Eleanor hung up, her heart flooded with joy and hope. The rare neutralizing antibody that Dr. Smith had found in Vanessa''s blood-could it also be present in her mother''s sample?
If so, Vanessa would no longer be the only person who could save her daughter.
Tears of relief welled in her eyes. Her father could never have known this when he preserved the sample, but he might have inadvertently provided the key to curing his own granddaughter. This discovery was monumental. It meant another option, anotheryer of security.
Within ten minutes, Joel sent the report. Eleanor opened it immediately. The conclusion read: *Highpatibility, suitable for transnt*. A sob of pure joy escaped her as she covered her mouth with her hand.
Her mother''s blood sample was stored at Dr. Smith''sb. Without a second''s hesitation, Eleanor dialed his number.
When she finished exining, Dr. Smith''s voice was filled with incredulous delight. "El, is this true? This is... it''s like divine intervention! This is wonderful! It gives us the most reliable backup n we could have asked for."
"Yes, Doctor. I''ll begin analyzing my mother''s blood sample tomorrow," Eleanor confirmed.
"Of course! This is fantastic. I have to tell Mr. Goodwin immediately," he said excitedly.
Eleanor''s heart skipped a beat. Her daughter''s fate was now intertwined with the Goodwin family''s. To develop the perfect treatment, both Gina and Serena would be test subjects. She had to set aside personal feelings and focus solely on the breakthrough.
"Alright," she said. "Please, go ahead and tell him."
Then, Dr. Smith let out a sigh of admiration. "El, your father... he was a true visionary and a great man."
Eleanor''s eyes grew hot with a fresh wave of love and gratitude for her father. Though she still didn''t know z his exact reason for preserving the sample, he had once again given her the support she needed most.
***
At Goodwin & Co.,n was workingte, having just finished a video conference
with his team at Yarnton about the Yeaton Holdings crisis.
He rubbed his temples, then picked up his phone and opened WhatsApp. A new update from the preschool was pinned to the top of his chat. He tapped it immediately. It was a video from the teacher.
He scanned the group of children as the camera panned, searching for his little
girl.
There she was, in her school uniform, standing cute and small among her ssmates, seriously following the motions of a choreographed dance.
A gentle smile touchedn''s lips. His eyes remained fixed on her tiny, earnest figure, not wanting to miss a single second. The fatigue from? work and the cold ruthlessness of the business world melted away,
reced by pure adulterated
fatherly love. A deep sense of pride filled him. Even if it was just a simple dance, to him, she was magnificent.
He watched it once, then scrolled back and watched it all over again. He was
about to y it a third time when a call from Dr. Smith came through.
A call at this hour made his stomach clench. He answered immediately. "Doctor, what is it?"