Serena waited patiently outside theb.


    Nurses passing by exchanged curious nces, their eyebrows raised at the sight of a test subject stationed outside Dr. Sutton''sb instead of being in her room.


    Just then, the heavy door to Eleanor''sb swung open with a rush of cold air. As an elegant figure stepped out, Serena quickly stood up. "Ellie."


    Eleanor looked at her, a slight frown on her face. "Do you need something?"


    "Ellie, are you going back to your office?"


    "Yes."


    "I need to talk to you about something," Serena said quickly.


    Eleanor gave her a brief nce and, without another word, started walking toward her office.


    Serena hurried to keep up. She waited until Eleanor had washed her hands and settled at her desk before approaching and cing her phone on the table.


    "Ellie, I know you probably won''t believe anything I say right now. And I know the pain my brother and I caused you can''t be fixed with a few words of apology." Serena''s voice was heavy with sincerity. "But I hope you''ll give me a few minutes to listen to a recording. Please?"


    Eleanor looked up at her. She didn''t seem particrly interested, but she didn''t refuse either.


    Serena pressed y.


    Vanessa''s familiar, grating voice filled the quiet office.


    As Eleanor listened, Serena watched her face, searching for any reaction. The recordingid bare Vanessa''s vanity, her calcting nature, and her venomous heart, all coaxed out and admitted to under Serena''s guidance. Yet Eleanor''s expression remained unreadable. Her eyes were slightly downcast, hiding whatever emotionsy within.


    Serena wrung her hands, her nerves on edge. "Ellie," she asked


    tentatively, I know this doesn''t


    change anything, but at least... amet


    Jeast shows that my brother


    maybe he had his reasons, things he couldn''t control."


    Eleanor looked up, her gaze distant for a moment before returning to its usual calm rity.


    "Stay away from Vanessa from now on. You''re very important to me right now, and I don''t want you getting hurt by her schemes. Do you understand?" Eleanor said, her tone professional,pletely ignoring the contents of the recording. Cóntent


    Serena was stunned for a second, then a wave of joy washed over her. *I''m important to Eleanor?* Oh, right. She was still a test subject.


    But no matter the reason, she loved hearing those words. She nodded eagerly. "I know. I''ll be careful." Then, unable to let it go, she asked, "Ellie, what did you think after hearing that?"


    "I''ve known what kind of person Vanessa is for a long time," Eleanor replied tly. "But my brother-"


    Eleanor''s eyes swept over her. "The issues between your brother and me are resolved. Don''t ask about it again."


    "Ellie, I know my brother," Serena


    UT


    said, growing desperate. "He''s brilliant at reading people. He must have seen through a toxic, maniptive woman like Vanessa from the start. He would never fall in love with someone like her. I''m sure he never even touched her-"


    "Miss Goodwin," Eleanor interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Let the past be the past. Right now, I only want to focus on my research. I don''t care about anything else."


    She stood up, a clear signal that the conversation was over.


    The words died in Serena''s throat. A sense of panic set in. She finally understood. Eleanor didn''t hate her brother, nor did she resent him. She had simply... let him


    go.


    And that kind of release was more heart-wrenching than hatred.


    "Okay..." Serena picked up her phone, crestfallen. "You''re busy, Ellie. I won''t disturb you."