Serena shook her head, her eyes bright. "I''m fine,n. Really good, actually." She then asked eagerly, "Does this mean I''m okay? Can we help Mom now?"


    "Promising," Eleanor said calmly. "Your sister''s tolerance for the drug is even better than I anticipated. Her key indicators have improved significantly."


    "At least another forty-eight hours of close observation," Eleanor replied, all business.


    "I''ll have Dr. Smith take over tonight. You should go home and rest,"n said, a clear note of concern in his voice.


    "That won''t be necessary," she countered. "You take care of Evelyn. I''ll stay here."


    "Ellie, you should listen to my brother and get some sleep," Serena chimed in, feeling guilty about how exhausted Eleanor looked.


    "And why should I listen to your brother?" Eleanor retorted tly.


    Serena was speechless. A flicker of emotion crossedn''s face before


    disappearing into the depths of his dark eyes. "Serena, get some rest," he told his sister. "We''lle see youter." Then, to Eleanor, he said, "The doctor has called a meeting."


    In the conference room, the


    atmosphere was serious.n sat at the head of the long table with Dr. Smith and Eleanor on either side. Dr. Smith began by reporting the key data and evaluations from the second phase of the experiment, while Eleanor projected charts and graphs onto the screen.


    She picked up where he left off, her analysis crisp and clear. "As you can see, the patient''s tolerance to the new form is excellent, with no unexpected adverse reactions."


    e


    scientific data. Half an hourter, it concluded, andn closed his report and left the room. Dr. Smith ga Eleanor a Curious look but said


    nothing. He wasn''t one to meddle. As long as the experiment progressed smoothly, that was all that mattered.


    As Eleanor walked out with herptop, she sawn standing in an open lounge area down the hall, talking on the phone. In the quiet space, his voice was clear.


    "Proceed with the acquisition as nned. Ignore their petty maneuvers... I want to see theirtest financial report by morning." His tone was as sharp and decisive


    as ever.


    Hearing her footsteps, he turned, his phone still to his ear. His eyes met hers for a fleeting moment before he turned away and continued giving orders.


    That evening, Eleanor video-chatted with her daughter. Evelyn was walking around on the balcony withn''s phone. "Mommy, don''t worry about me! Daddy''s taking good care of me." She flipped the camera around. "Look, he''s ying with Princess!"


    On the screen,n was crouched down while their dog, Princess, happily danced around his feet.


    "Okay, sweetie. Eat your dinner and get to bed early."


    "I will! Bye, Mommy!"


    Eleanor ended the call with a sigh. This was a critical time for Serena''s treatment, and her sense of duty required her to be there. Once Serena and Gina were cured, she wouldn''t have to worry about her own daughter''s future.