Vanessa leaned against the table, trembling uncontrollably. All her pride and scheming seemed laughable and pathetic in the face of lan's cold, calculated plan.

"Hah! lan, you're truly ruthless," Vanessa muttered, a look of defiance on her face. Her eyes fell on the contract in front of her, and she snatched it up, ready to rip it to shreds.

But just as she was about to tear it, something occurred to her. She began to frantically flip through the pages, her eyes searching eagerly. Finally, her finger stopped on a clause marked in bold.

'Confidentiality Clause: All contents of this contract shall not be disclosed, published, or displayed to any third party by the First Party without the written consent of the Second Party. Any violation will be considered a breach of contract, for which the First Party will be held legally responsible and must compensate the Second Party for losses incurred.'

A twisted hatred ignited in Vanessa's eyes.

lan had breached the contract. He had just shown its contents to Eleanor without her consent.

She grabbed the contract and stormed out of the conference room. She was going to confront lan and make him pay for his breach.

Vanessa stopped a passing nurse. "Excuse me, where is lan?"

The nurse, startled, pointed in a direction. "Mr. Goodwin just went back to his office."

A crazed look flashed in Vanessa's eyes as she hurried toward lan's office.

Just then, she spotted him in the public lounge.

"lan." Vanessa rushed up to him and slammed the contract down in front of him. "You violated the confidentiality clause of this contract. You are not allowed to disclose its contents to any third party without my permission, but you just showed it to Eleanor. That's a breach of contract."

She stared at him, expecting to see a hint of panic or apology on his handsome face.

However, lan remained composed, a coldness creeping into his sharp features. He raised an eyebrow. "I think you need to reread the terms."

"What do you mean? What other tricks are you trying to pull?" Vanessa was beginning to develop a complex about this man; every word and action felt like a part of some larger calculation against her.

lan took the contract from her and

opened it, his long fingers pointing to the definition of the First Party. "Read carefully. The First Party. this contract is not me as an

velnet

individual, but Masand

lan Goodwin and the biomedical research laboratory he represents.""

Vanessa's breath hitched. She suddenly felt intellectually outmatched by him.

She had seen that clause, but at the

time, she hadn't paid it much mind.

And lan's behavior over the years

had lulled her into a false sense of security. Eleanor had been kept in the dark and no one around him

seemed aware of their deal not exer

Dr. Smith. It had all clouded her

judgment.

FindNovel.net

She had been too confident, thinking her position as the sole global donor was

invincible. Now, she was the one who looked like a fool.

A cold light glinted in lan's eyes, and he exuded a calm, collected confidence. "Eleanor is now a corez researcher in my lab, currently this

leading the project related re

very donation As such, she has a right to be informed about the project's partners-namély, you-and the terms of our cooperation. This is perfectly in line with the contract and does not constitute a breach."

He then stood up, looking down at the frozen Vanessa with a frigid tone. "If you have any objections, you can have your lawyers contact me. I will not shirk any of my responsibilities."

Vanessa's face went pale again. The contract slipped from her hand and fluttered to the floor like a piece of waste paper.

So, this too had been part of his calculations all along.

She looked up at his deep-set eyes and his refined, handsome features, which suddenly seemed so foreign. Perhaps his performance over the years had trapped her in a complacent way of thinking, making her forget how cold and ruthless this man truly was.

So, for the past ten years, the lan who would grant her every wish had probably never been the real him. He was just a character lan had meticulously played to achieve his goals.