Chapter 203
The conference began, and representatives from each branch took turns presenting their results. Ian sat front and center in the first row, listening intently.
Soon, it was Byron’s turn. His achievements drew gasps of admiration from the entire room-the seamless integration of Al and medicine was the future everyone had their eyes on.
After a round of enthusiastic applause, Byron returned to his seat and leaned toward Eleanor. “Credit where it’s due, Miss Sutton. We couldn’t have reached these heights without your contributions p>
Eleanor offered a modest smile. “It was a team effort p>
Midway through the meeting, Eleanor excused herself to the restroom. As she stepped back out into the hallway, she ran into lan.
“Are you free next Monday?” he asked.
Eleanor was about to brush him off.
But he continued, “To finalize the divorce p>
She answered immediately, “Yes p>
It was the first time she’d ever responded to him so quickly, as if afraid he might change his mind the moment he finished speaking.
“What time?” she added.
“Ten o’clock. Don’t be late,” Ian said before heading into the men’s room.
Around the corner, Vanessa and Serena exchanged a look. Neither had expected to overhear such juicy news.
At last, lan and Eleanor were finally filing for divorce-meaning their marriage would soon be over for good.
Eleanor took a different hallway, avoiding Serena and Vanessa, and lan didn’t say another word.
“Look at my brother, acting all cold and aloof, yet still worried she’ll show up late!” Serena said, clearly in high spirits.
Vanessa let out a sigh of relief. Once the paperwork was done, lan would be officially single again.
When the meeting ended, Byron noticed it was lunchtime and booked a nearby restaurant, inviting his team and Eleanor’s group to join him.
While Eleanor stepped out of their private dining room to make a phone call, she spotted lan through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the main dining area. He was having lunch with Serena and Vanessa.
lan looked momentarily startled when he saw her; clearly, he hadn’t expected Eleanor and her colleagues to choose the same restaurant.
Eleanor turned away, heading in the opposite direction to continue her call.
Noticing her brother’s distraction, Serena glanced back. “Ian, what are you looking at p>
“Nothing,” he replied, lifting his cup of tea.
“Hey, I heard you and Eleanor are filing the divorce papers soon. Is that true?” “It’s true,” lan answered.
“So, how much are you giving her in the settlement?” Serena pressed, eyes bright with curiosity.
Vanessa perked up, waiting for his response. Ian took a sip of tea and stood. “I’m full. I’ll head back to the office p>
“Hey, you didn’t answer my question!” Serena called after him in frustration.
Vanessa tried to soothe her. “Let it go, Serena. We’ll find out soon enough p>
Serena could only sit back down. “At the speed this divorce is happening, I bet it’s just some fixed assets. No way he’d split company shares with her p>
Vanessa agreed. With everything lan owned, a typical divorce would drag on for a year or more, but this was all happening in just over a couple of months.
That could only mean he was giving her assets that didn’t require complicated legal processes-probably a house, maybe a car or two.
But the real treasure at Goodwin & Co. was its portfolio of steadily appreciating stocks and funds.
After lunch, Eleanor returned to the lab. Simone Langley’s research team had made a breakthrough, and another meeting was quickly underway.
“The structural theory Eleanor proposed last time-our group’s research has confirmed it. Her theory has taken us to a new level,” Simone said, her praise and excitement clear as she looked over at Eleanor.
Faye Yeaton grinned. “Professor, I hope my work didn’t disappoint you this time!” “Of course not p>
“But I did notice there’s still a gap between theory and practice. I found three issues that weren’t mentioned in Eleanor’s proposal. It just goes to show: theory can only take us so far; it’s only through practice that we discover the truth.” With that, Faye outlined the three challenges she’d identified.