Chapter 76

Eleanor’s mind buzzed as she blurted out, “Yes, Professor, I’ll be right there p>

Without hesitation, she shoved her manuscript into Joel’s arms, urgency sharpening her voice. “Joel, something’s happened with my daughter-I need to get to the school immediately. I’ll have to leave the interview to you p>

Joel was momentarily stunned, but he understood. He nodded, reassuring her, “Go. I’ll handle everything here p>

Eleanor grabbed her bag and practically sprinted out of the science building.

Just then, the assistant reappeared, reminding, “Three minutes left… Wait, where did that lady go? Did she run to the restroom p>

“She had to leave for an emergency,” Joel replied.

The assistant’s face paled with anxiety. “But we set up two camera angles for the interview-it’s meant to be a two-person segment p>

Gwenda quickly nudged Faye toward Joel. “Joel, why not have Faye fill in for Eleanor? We’re all from the same lab anyway p>

The assistant looked Faye over-impeccable poise, striking features—and immediately brightened. “Yes, of course! Anyone from your lab can join the interview p>

A flush crept up Faye’s cheeks. She didn’t want to seem like she was taking advantage of Eleanor’s absence, yet she couldn’t help feeling a thrill at the thought of appearing on camera with Joel.

Joel, wasting no time, handed her the sheet of questions Eleanor had left behind. “Faye, you’re up p>

“Uh, Joel, are you sure?” Faye’s voice trembled with nerves.

“Absolutely. Take a moment to look over the questions and think about how you want to respond p>

Faye nodded, gripping the paper. “Alright. I’ll do my best to work with you p>

She shot Gwenda a grateful glance, and Gwenda returned a thumbs-up of encouragement.

Gwenda, after all, was looking for an opportunity to get close to Faye-she knew that lan was going to be her future brother-in-law, and Faye was the most well- connected person in the lab. She needed to stay on her good side.

Meanwhile, Eleanor was racing across town, her mind focused on one thing: getting to her daughter as quickly as possible. Her heart ached at the thought of Evelyn, likely frightened and crying. It didn’t matter what her daughter had done— she was her mother, and she would shoulder whatever came, as long as Evelyn wasn’t scared.

At that very moment, lan at Goodwin & Co. also received a call from the school. He dropped everything and sped off in the same direction.

When Eleanor reached the school, she saw a teacher comforting a tearful, shaken Evelyn on the playground.

“Mommy!” Evelyn spotted her and ran over, throwing her arms around Eleanor’s legs and bursting into sobs.

“Sweetheart, tell me what happened p>

“Goldie tried to take Vivian’s toy. I wouldn’t let him, and then he fell down. I didn’t mean to, I swear!” Evelyn wailed, her words tangled in tears.

Eleanor pieced the story together. Vivian, a new transfer student, had been bullied by some of the older kids. Evelyn, who was Vivian’s closest friend, had tried to protect her. In the tussle over the toy, Goldie must have slipped and banged his head.

Miss Alice came over to explain, confirming Eleanor’s suspicions.

“Mrs. Goodwin, I’m so sorry. We should have intervened sooner before things got out of hand p>

“Where is the injured child now?” Eleanor asked.

“His parents took him to the nearby hospital to get his head checked. They’ll be back soon, I expect p>

At that moment, another figure entered the yard. Eleanor turned and was surprised to see Xavier. The teacher had called him too?

“Mr. Vaughn p>

Xavier nodded and spoke to the teacher. “Could you bring Vivian out for a moment, please p>

“Of course!” The teacher headed into the classroom.

Xavier turned to Eleanor. “Vivian insisted on bringing a toy to school this morning. gave in, and now this happened p>

Eleanor offered a comforting smile. “Children can be stubborn, Mr. Vaughn. Please don’t blame yourself p>

“That Goldie is so mean! He bullies everyone. If Vivian doesn’t give him what he wants, he just grabs it, and then he won’t give it back,” Evelyn interjected angrily. Then, looking up at her mother with worried eyes, she asked, “Mom, are you mad at me p>

Eleanor smiled gently. “No, sweetheart, I’m not angry. You did the right thing. Just remember, next time something like this happens, you can always ask a teacher for help p>