Chapter 349
Eleanor was waiting in the lounge when she heard a woman’s voice ring out at the door.
“Where’s my brother?” Serena.
“Mr. Goodwin hasn’t arrived yet,” the assistant replied. Then, more tentatively, she asked, “Miss Goodwin, would you like me to call his executive assistant to check p>
“No need. Let’s not interrupt my brother and my future sister-in-law’s quality time,” Serena replied, her tone teasing.
The remark stirred up old memories for Eleanor.
lan was notorious for his punctuality—almost obsessively so. The only times he’d ever been late were after nights of sheer exhaustion.
“Would you like to wait for Mr. Goodwin, Miss Goodwin?” the assistant asked politely.
“It’s fine. I’ll come back later,” Serena said, turning on her heel and leaving.
The assistant held her tongue about Eleanor’s presence, wisely deciding not to mention it. If Serena knew Eleanor was here, she’d probably have come in just to spar with her.
So Eleanor waited. And waited. Forty minutes ticked by.
Her fingers tightened impatiently as she tapped them on the table. She glanced at her watch-9:50. Still no sign of lan.
“Would you like a fresh cup of tea, Miss Sutton?” the assistant asked, almost tiptoeing with nerves.
The coffee delivered earlier had gone cold.
“No, thank you.” Eleanor’s voice was calm, but she stood up as she spoke. “Tell your boss I don’t have time to wait around all morning p>
The assistant rushed to interject. “Miss Sutton, Mr. Goodwin should be here any minute now. Would you mind waiting just a little longer p>
“My time is valuable too.” Eleanor’s tone was cool, matter-of-fact.
No sooner had she finished than the door swung open.
lan strode in, sharp in a tailored suit, his assistant Gavin right behind him. His tie was flawlessly knotted, but there were shadows under his eyes-he looked tired.
“Apologies. Something came up unexpectedly.” He shot Eleanor a quick glance, heading straight for the desk. “Let’s begin p>
Eleanor didn’t bother to hide her displeasure. She inhaled deeply, but the familiar scent of a woman’s perfume in the air hit her like a blow to the head-Vanessa’s favorite fragrance.
So, he’d spent the night with Vanessa? That’s why he was exhausted and late? Gavin and the assistant quietly left them alone.
Eleanor picked up the report and returned to her seat, directly across from him. lan flipped open the file, his long fingers skimming through the pages with practiced speed. His brow furrowed deeper with every turn.
“This is the third phase data?” He looked up, a question in his eyes. “It’s not complete p>
Eleanor frowned. He’d always claimed this data was over his head. Why did he suddenly understand it now? More to the point, he’d pinpointed exactly where it was lacking.
“The timeline was tight. The experiments aren’t fully complete,” she said evenly.
lan narrowed his eyes at her. “Per the contract, all preclinical research must be finished within three months p>
“Some data needs to be verified more than once,” Eleanor replied, meeting his gaze head-on. “This is scientific research, not a race against the clock. I won’t sacrifice quality for speed p>
He held her stare, unflinching. As Eleanor lifted a hand to scratch her neck-a souvenir from last night’s run-in with a particularly vicious mosquito-the light caught a red mark just under her jaw. lan’s eyes flicked from her face to her neck, and for a split second, that faint mosquito bite looked a lot like a love bite.
lan’s voice dropped, cold and measured. “Miss Sutton, I’m investing in measurable results, not a bottomless pit. If you don’t have the bandwidth to finish this project, I can find someone who does p>
Eleanor’s eyes snapped to his. “You’d replace me on my own research p>
He leaned back in his chair, unfazed. “From what I hear, you and Xavier have been rather preoccupied with your romance lately. If your priorities have shifted, I won’t stand in your way p>
She glared at him, the air between them turning brittle.
A knock at the door. The assistant slipped in with two fresh coffees, set them down, and, sensing the tension, quickly retreated, closing the door without a sound.
Suddenly, lan stood and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window.
“I heard Xavier’s team gave you a research grant,” he said abruptly.
Eleanor paused for a beat, then replied coolly, “That’s not relevant to our work here p>
“I also heard it was leftover funding from Juliette’s lab after it closed,” lan said, turning to look at her, eyes narrowed.
Eleanor’s hand tightened around her pen. So he knew everything.
Fifty million might sound like a lot, but in medical research, it was barely a drop in the bucket. Her current project alone had nearly burned through eight hundred million of his funding. From the very beginning, Eleanor’s goal in founding this lab was to push the frontiers of medicine. Her team, her equipment, her life’s work— everything was here. She wasn’t about to walk away.
Besides, she needed his investment. Personal grievances aside, lan ran the country’s largest private medical research institute-the only place with enough resources to make her research possible.
Outside the glass, the city sparkled under the morning sun.
Inside, the silence was thick enough to cut.
“If you don’t trust me, we can end this partnership now.” Eleanor rose, her eyes hard as steel. “But don’t you dare question my professional integrity p>
She gathered up her report, her voice steady and clear. “If you want someone else to take over, go ahead. But let me make one thing clear: no one else in the world can take this project to the next level-no one understands it better than I do p>
Her words rang through the room, fierce and unyielding.
Eleanor realized lan was threatening the wrong person. With this project, she wasn’t the one begging to stay. If anything, he was the one who couldn’t afford to let her go.