"What''s wrong? See your old me and get all worked up?" Walden Wells suddenly murmured, his toneced with displeasure.


    Vanessa snapped back to reality. She realized her jealousy had caused her to unconsciously tighten her grip on his arm.


    She immediately stered on a bright, flirtatious smile and pressed closer to him. "Walden, you know who''s in my heart, don''t you?"


    Walden Wells grunted. He was looking for an opportunity to confrontn anyway, so he led Vanessa in their direction.


    Vanessa was startled that he was walking straight towardn. She took a deep breath, determined not to show any weakness in front of them.


    "Mr. Goodwin, Dr. Sutton, what a coincidence! Perfect time to discuss the establishment of the special fund," Walden Wells said, his voice booming and drawing the attention of those nearby.


    Vanessa put on a show of dignifiedposure, greetingn first. "Mr. Goodwin, it''s been a while." Then, as if just noticing Eleanor, she feigned surprise. "Oh! Miss Sutton is here too. Sorry-Dr. Sutton now. You''ve certainly climbed a long way up."


    It sounded like apliment, but the bite underneath was hard to miss.


    Waldenughed, his words loaded with insinuation. "Oh, I''m interested, of course. Especially in a project that Mr. Goodwin is backing so heavily. I''m just curious if the rapid approval of such a massive sum of moneyplies with The Guild of Commerce''s standard procedures." As he spoke, his eyes shifted directly to Eleanor. "After all, the rtionship between Dr. Sutton and Mr. Goodwin... well, it does make one wonder, doesn''t it?"


    It was a tant usation, a not-so-subtle way of sayingn was using his position as chairman to line his own pockets.


    The conversation around them died off all at once. All eyes were onn and Eleanor.


    Eleanor''s chest tightened. Had she dragged him into a mess after all?


    His voice was calm but carried absolute authority.


    His expression then turned icy. "As for my personal rtionship with Dr. Sutton, I


    don''t believe it''s for outsiders to question or specte about."


    Walden''s face darkened. He hadn''t expectedn to be so confident, showing no sign of panic He knew the project had been approved bymittee vote, but he had no immediate proof of any backroom deals.


    "Mr. Wells, Dr. Sutton''s project was indeed approved by a unanimous vote," said the board member who had been speaking with Eleanor earlier.


    "The Guild of Commerce established this special fund precisely to support cutting-edge research. Dr. Sutton''s work has breakthrough potential and perfectly meets our criteria," another board member added, rifying the situation.


    "Even the former chairman endorsed the project. Surely you don''t have any objections, Mr. Wells?" the first board member asked with a smile.


    The board members'' statements effectively silenced Walden. He had intended to publicly sow doubt aboutn''s conduct but had instead put himself in an awkward position.