Chapter 757
Henry seemed to remember something and hurried ahead to arrange the seating. He claimed the far-right seat in the second row for himself and had already asked the staff to reserve three more spots.
After Serena and Vanessa sat down, Serena glanced up at the screen, where a promotional video was playing—a montage of photographs taken at the hospital. Three of them featured Eleanor. The sight made Serena uncomfortable, her chest tightening. She turned to look at Vanessa, who remained utterly composed, as if the images hadn’t affected her at all.
Serena thought to herself that Vanessa was able to stay calm because she knew how to see the bigger picture. After all, this was the launch of her eldest brother’s foundation-Vanessa wouldn’t let personal feelings get in the way.
Serena took a quiet, steadying breath, trying to follow Vanessa’s example and suppress her own sense of injustice.
The lights in the auditorium dimmed. The host’s voice rang out, bright and enthusiastic: “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the president of Goodwin & Co., and chairman of the Goodwin Biomedical Foundation, Mr. Ian Goodwin, to deliver his opening remarks p>
Applause filled the hall as lan stepped onto the stage, dressed in a perfectly tailored navy suit that accentuated his tall, lean frame. Several people in the audience noticed he was wearing gold-rimmed glasses today, which lent him a scholarly, refined air.
Serena spotted him immediately and smiled, leaning in to whisper, “My brother looks even more handsome with glasses, doesn’t he p>
And wasn’t it a little suspicious that he’d chosen those glasses specifically to boost his appeal tonight?
Vanessa’s gaze sharpened. It was impossible to deny that lan was magnetic this evening, but this was the first time he’d made even the slightest change to his usual appearance. It wasn’t like him at all.
Vanessa glanced around the room, searching for Eleanor. She’d already checked the schedule and knew Eleanor was slated to speak later, so she must be here somewhere.
Unconsciously, Vanessa tightened her grip on her purse.
“Thank you all for attending the inauguration of the Goodwin Biomedical Foundation,” lan began, his voice steady and resonant. “Every year, more than two hundred thousand children in our country are diagnosed with rare diseases. For most of these illnesses, there is still no effective treatment p>
As he spoke, lan instinctively adjusted his glasses and looked out at the audience, his gaze lingering for a few seconds in the direction where Eleanor sat.
Eleanor frowned, caught off guard by a sudden wave of memories. She stared at the gold-rimmed glasses lan was wearing, her breath catching.
She’d bought those for him five years ago, back when life still felt playful and full of possibility. She’d always thought men looked good in glasses, so she’d secretly picked out a pair-no prescription, just gold frames-and given them to him, hoping he’d wear them for her.
lan had humored her and put them on that night. She’d been so happy. But after that, he tucked them away in a drawer and never wore them again.
Eleanor’s chest tightened, and once again she wondered how she could have been so foolish, pouring all her energy into trying to please him. The smallest gesture from him could brighten her whole day.
To everyone else, lan’s speech was captivating-confident, understated, never flashy, every word measured and sincere.
But no one noticed how often his eyes paused on the section where Eleanor sat. “I believe every life deserves our unwavering effort to save it,” he said.
The audience broke into enthusiastic applause as lan stepped down, his speech ending on a perfect note.
Next, the host called Mayor Ellington and President Maxwell to the stage, and as the minutes ticked by, nearly an hour passed. Finally, the host returned to center stage, voice ringing with excitement. “And now, please welcome to the stage Dr. Sutton, lead researcher in leukemia and chief scientist at Goodwin Biotech p>
Thunderous applause rolled through the hall as Eleanor stood and made her way to the stage from the left side.
As she climbed the steps, her eyes swept the audience and landed on Vanessa and Serena.