Chapter 1132

Eleanor spent over an hour on the handover. Lost in thought, she pushed open her office door and froze. Before her, a figure lay fully clothed on the sofa.

She frowned slightly but lightened her steps as she returned to her desk. She still had a few documents to write, which meant she’d have to share the room with him.

A ray of sunlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow over the man on the sofa. In that moment, he had shed the sharp, commanding presence of a business elite and looked as peaceful as a child.

Eleanor was typing away when she heard a faint murmur from the sofa. “Ellie, don’t go p>

Her hands froze on the keyboard for a few seconds. She looked over at the sofa, but lan was still asleep, his brow furrowed as if caught in a bad dream.

Her thoughts were disrupted. She frowned at the sleeping man, then forced herself to refocus on the keyboard. Once her work was done, she stood up and left.

At two in the afternoon, Ian woke up. He glanced at the empty desk across from him; Eleanor had clearly already left for the neural interface lab.

lan stood up and walked over to her desk, where he noticed a disposable cup of water, not yet finished. He picked it up and, without hesitation, drank the rest.

The cool water slid down his throat, tasting unexpectedly sweet. Then, he spotted a pen next to the desk, one Eleanor had obviously left behind.

lan recognized the pen with its distinctive deep blue color. Eleanor usually kept it clipped to the pocket of her lab coat. He picked it up, ran his fingers gently over its body, then slipped it into his own pocket and left with it.

As soon as Eleanor arrived at the lab, she received a call from Principal Maxwell. He sent her a file of patient analysis data, which detailed various treatment plans for a patient in a deep coma—as if a specific person was already waiting for treatment. With Garth, Ian, and Principal Maxwell all showing such interest, Eleanor began to suspect there might actually be a key figure whose life depended on this tech.

But who on earth would that be?

Eleanor could only guess it was some high-ranking individual in Kingston, someone so important that even Garth was involved.

The thought made her heart tighten. If that was the case, then this was truly a matter of life and death.

Eleanor immediately began to study the files from Principal Maxwell. The more she read, the more certain she was of her theory-the treatment plans were so precise they seemed tailor-made for a specific comatose patient.

Moreover, they targeted a rare type of neuronal damage.

A short while later, Principal Maxwell sent her a file on some of his university’s research—cutting-edge technologies not yet made public, which would help advance her work.

Callie was thrilled to hear that Eleanor was back. Later, Joel Kingsley also found time to come and see her.

“Is the other experiment all wrapped up?” Joel asked with concern.

“Yes, it’s mostly finished. I’ll be working here from now on,” Eleanor confirmed.

“If you need help with anything, just ask,” Joel said.

Eleanor didn’t say much about her current project. The cloud of suspicion in her mind grew denser; all clues pointed to one fact-there was indeed a person of special status waiting for treatment.

On the third day of Eleanor’s intensive research, a fierce debate erupted at Goodwin & Co. headquarters.

Eleanor had received an email from the board of directors that morning, informing her that a meeting would be held to discuss further investment in the Neural Interface Project.

She had initially planned to skip it, but considering the pressure lan would face from the shareholders and her own yow to achieve

breakthrough within three years, she felt she should be there to face it

with him.

When Eleanor arrived at Goodwin & Co., the receptionist warmly greeted her and led her to the boardroom.

Gavin Young saw her and immediately said, “Miss Sutton, you’re here. Please, come in p>

Eleanor stepped inside and glanced at lan, seated at the head of the table. He wore glasses today, giving him a deep, sharp look, but his gaze softened when it fell on her.