On the other end of the line, Dr. Smith''s voice trembled with excitement. "That''s incredible, El! This is andmark breakthrough. It means we''repletely free from our dependency on a single donor."


    "Exactly. And the effect is even better," Eleanor added, her voiceced with relief


    and joy.


    Dr. Smith was ecstatic. He had poured his life''s work into building thisb, and now Eleanor had borne the most magnificent fruit. The answer had been there all along, but he hadcked the genius to uncover it. Eleanor had finally found it.


    "I''ll organize the data immediately and report to Mr. Goodwin," he said, his voice eager.


    Eleanor thought ofn''s exhausted face and bloodshot eyes when he had left earlier. If Smith told him now, it would disrupt his rest and likely keep him up all night with excitement.


    "Doctor, let''s wait. You can tell him tomorrow," she suggested.


    Smith immediately understood. "You''re right, you''re right. He pulled an all-nighter with youst night; he must be exhausted. If I tell him now, he''ll be too excited to sleep. Let him get a good night''s rest. He''s earned it."


    After a brief chat, Eleanor hung up and savored the warmth of being home. She walked into the yroom to see her daughter on the floor, assembling a simple Lego set. The sight of her, so lovely under the soft light, warmed Eleanor''s heart. It felt like just yesterday that the little girl in her arms was learning to babble, and now she was so independent and thoughtful.


    In Vanessa''s vi, she had been on edge for the past two days. She couldn''t eat, she couldn''t sleep, and the physical fatigue from the blood donation left her with no patience for anything.


    She tossed her iPad aside in


    frustration. Not even the fawningments from her fans, hailing her as a goddess could lift her spirits She walked to the wine cab, uncorked a bottle of red wine, and downed a ss. Staring at the empty ss, she let out a scornfulugh.


    Soon, the weakness from the blood drawbined with the dizziness from the alcohol, and she slumped onto the sofa. She knew it wasn''t just physical difort; it was a deep-seated anxiety, a creeping fear that she was about to lose her most important bargaining chip.


    She stared up at the ceiling, her mind drifting back to the first time she metn.


    She was eighteen, living with her mother in a squalid, chaotic tenement in Drexford. Their apartment was a cramped, damp room with moldy walls, a ce filled with the constant noise of drunken arguments and crying children.


    Her mother, once a B-list actress in her home country, had lost all her former radiance.


    "No money, that''s all he ever says! If he had no money, why did he let me have a child?" her mother shrieked only daring to curse her father after she hung up the phone. She turned and saw Vanessa standing in the doorway, clutching an old music book. "And you, with that stupid music. Look at you! Born without a silver spoon but acting like a


    princess. Tomorrow, you''re going to find a job!"


    When her mother tried to snatch the music book, Vanessa clutched it fiercely to her chest. "I''m telling you, forget those ridiculous dreams!" her mother sobbed. "The smart thing to do is find a rich man and marry hing Don''t you dare end up like your good-for-nothing deadbeat father-"


    Vanessa ran out of the house. Not long after, she received a call. Someone


    wanted to see her.