With that,n naturally opened the passenger door of Eleanor''s car and said, "We should get going."


    "We''ll head out, then," Eleanor said to Xavier, before getting into the driver''s seat.


    Xavier stood frozen in ce as Eleanor''s car pulled away, the morning sun casting a long, lonely shadow behind him. The calm expression he had maintained finally crumbled, reced by a bitter sorrow. It felt as if an invisible hand had mped around his heart, extinguishing thest flicker of hope. He was grateful for his best friend''s help, but that gratitude was now tainted with an unspeakable anguish.


    Some boundaries had suddenly be crystal clear. Some people were destined to be admired only from a distance.


    He turned and walked back to his car, his deste figure carrying the weight of a reality he was forced to ept. Once inside, he gripped the steering wheel, unable to bring himself to drive away.


    After the second traffic light, a wave of irritation washed over Eleanor. She shot a cold nce at the man in the passenger seat, only to find thatn had fallen asleep. He was leaning against the window, the dark circles under his eyes and the deep-seated exhaustion in his features inly visible.


    Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel. She pressed her lips together, swallowing her annoyance.


    Half an hourter, Eleanor pulled into the underground parking garage of the research facility. She parked the car and shut off the engine, deliberately making enough noise to wake the man beside her.


    "Are we here?"n asked, his eyes still hazy with sleep as he looked around.


    "Get out," Eleanormanded coolly.


    Though brief, the nap seemed to have restored some of his energy.


    The elevator ascended quietly to the third floor, where theb''s cafeteria was located. Eleanor picked up a tray and began selecting her breakfastn followed a few steps behind. She chose a corner table and sat down. Just then, Smith arrived, andn joined him at a different table.


    After breakfast, Eleanor returned to her office, opened herptop, and began writing up a report on her experiments from the previous night. She was scheduled to present hertest findings at a meetingter that morning.  s?novels


    At the ten o''clock meeting, Dr. Smith and his team filed in, followed shortly byn. "El, please walk us through your discovery from yesterday," Dr. Smith said to Eleanor.


    Eleanor nodded and stood before the projection screen. She clicked a few keys on herptop, bringing up a series of data charts. Using aser pointer, she indicated a specific image.


    "As you can all see, this specific antibody, which we isted from the donor sample, has a powerful inhibitory effect on malignant blood cells. In vitro experiments show that it can effectively reverse oveneighty percent of the diseased cells within seventy-two hours."


    This wasn''t new information to Dr. Smith orn, but it was clear Eleanor had more


    to say.


    Her gaze swept across the room. "Through my recent experiments, I''ve discovered that this antibody acts more like a ''key.'' It can precisely unlock the patient''s own dormant or suppressed immune response mechanisms."


    "What?" Dr. Smith shot to his feet, his voice filled with excitement.


    Eleanor''s eyes metn''s, which were shining with an intense, hopeful light.