At the Kingston National Convention Center, the atmosphere was grand and formal.
At two-thirty in the afternoon.
Eleanor, dressed in an elegant dark gray business suit, stood under the spotlights to ept her award. Her eptance speech was concise and powerful, thanking her team and supporters, and she made special mention of her father''s influence on her.
At that moment, the man waiting for takeoff on his ne happened to see the live broadcast of Eleanor on stage receiving her award. He thought back to the shy girl from so many years ago, who had now grown into a scientist in her own right. "Mr. Goodwin, could you please turn off your phone? Our flight is about to take off," the flight attendant said with a sweet smile.
After writing it,n stared at the message for a long time. In the end, he turned off the screen and gazed out the window with a look of resignation.
He knew that even if he sent it, Eleanor wouldn''t necessarily appreciate it.
The award ceremony ended at five in the afternoon. Eleanor walked back to the hotel with Dr. Lyman and a few other senior academics. Along the way, numerous reporters aimed their cameras at them, capturing the distinguished presence of these figures from the academic world.
Meanwhile, in Ashford City, this awards ceremony was also a major point of interest for industry professionals.
Joel Kingsley watched the entire live broadcast from his office, feeling a sense of gratification for Eleanor''s achievements.
Just then, Faye, who was passing his office with a stack of files, saw the screen. Her heart sank. News of Eleanor''s award had spread throughout the office, and the entire civilian projects team was discussing her sess. Faye couldn''t escape the chatter no matter how she tried.
Memories of all the times she had mocked Eleanor came rushing back like a boomerang, piercing her with regret. It had only been two and a half years since Eleanor first joined the project team and Faye had demanded she quit. Now, Eleanor had left her miles behind.
These days, her work in the civilian projects team didn''t even give her a chance to set foot in ab. She spent all her time organizing files in the archives. She suddenly regretted leaving the brainputer interface team, but it was toote now. The onlyfort she had was seeing Joel every day.
Lately, Faye had also sensed a tense atmosphere at home, stemming from the
negativity her father brought back each day.
She''d heard that many of her father''spany''s project orders had been
canceled recently, and his coborations were not going smoothly. Her mother had started to suffer from anxiety, unable to eat or sleep.
Faye had been busy with work and hadn''t been in touch with Vanessa much. The few times Faye had tried to meet up, Vanessa had brushed her oft with the excuse of being busy. After a few rejections Baye stopped trying.
After all, they weren''t sisters by blood. Both of them were too proud.
Faye returned to her desk and scrolled through the news on her phone, feeling irritated. Sure enough, all the major media outlets were reporting on the award ceremony.
"Young Scientist Eleanor Sutton Wins National Academy of Sciences Grand Prize for Major Breakthrough in Leukemia Research."
"Top Schr Eleanor Sutton Brings Hope to Millions of Leukemia Patients."
Faye''s annoyance intensified. She identally clicked on a video of a reporter interviewing Eleanor.
"Dr. Sutton, what do you believe has enabled you to achieve such remarkable sess in just a few short years?"
Eleanor smiled. "I think it''s a passion for scientific research and a belief in never giving up."
"We heard that you once took a break from your studies for your family. Now that you''ve returned to the field of research, is there anything you''d like to say to other young women?"
"I believe no path in life is a waste. Every step matters, and every experience bes an asset you can build upon. If you never stop learning, you wifl undoubtedly achieve great things." Eleanor''s gaze was firm yet gentle.