Eleanor nced at the time. There was only half an hour left, so she nodded.


    The office fell silent. After setting an rm, Eleanor leaned back against the soft sofa and closed her eyes. The afternoon drowsiness gradually crept in, and drifting between wakefulness and sleep, she dozed off.


    A few minutester, however, a suit jacket was draped over her. The man who had supposedly gone to the break room was now sitting on the sofa again.


    The half hour passed in the blink of an eye. Startled awake by her rm, Eleanor opened her eyes and reached to turn it off, only to feel a dark gray suit jacket slip from her shoulders. Realizing what had happened, she looked up and saw the man working at the executive desk. She paused in surprise.


    He hadn''t slept at all. Instead, she was the one who had passed out.


    Eleanor turned off the rm and smoothed her slightly messy hair. Looking at him, she asked, "You didn''t sleep?"


    His voice was gentle. "The meeting doesn''t start for another twenty minutes. Get some more rest. I''ll wake you when it''s time."


    Eleanor really hadn''t gotten enough sleep before the rm went off. She gave a vague murmur of agreement and closed her eyes again to catch a few more minutes.


    Seeing her sleep so soundly felt like traveling back in time to those ordinary afternoons years ago. She used to love napping on the sofa back then, too, while he worked nearby.


    Eleanor woke up after snoozing for just ten more minutes. She sat up, her eyes still clouded with sleep.


    Eleanor stared at his clean, elegant hands, zoning out for a few seconds. Then, she reached out, took the teacup he offered, and took a sip.


    When it was time for the meeting, Gavin Young came in exactly three minutes early to notify them.


    Inside the conference room, the shareholders, of Goodwin & Co. had all taken their seats on time.n sat at the head of the table, with Eleanor seated right beside him. Shaun Walface red at her with obvious displeasure. As far as he was concerned, the only reason someone as young as Eleanor got to sit in such a prime spot was because of the wealth she had


    acquired from her divorce.


    Otherwise, she wouldn''t even have the right to be in the same room.


    In his eyes, Eleanor was a maniptive schemer who would use any means


    necessary, stepping all over his cousin to climb the corporatedder.


    "I''m sure you''ve all seen that the


    v


    consumer tech project hasunched very sessfully, and its future projections are highly stable,"n announced. "And the original visionary and core dryer behind this project is Eleanor."


    "Two years ago, Eleanor stood her


    ground against all opposition. She provided the solid theoretical


    backing on the tech side and


    convinced everyone here. It''s safe to say that without her initial


    persistence and subsequent leadership, we wouldn''t be seeing today''s sess. I believe her vision, her talent, and her outstanding contributions to thispany are now abundantly clear to you all."


    His authoritative words hung in the air, leaving the conference room in temporary silence. Then, a few of the senior shareholders gave slight nods of approval and agreement.


    Shaun still looked quite sour, but he didn''t dare voice his objections openly anymore.