Clearly, he was going to walk them upstairs.

Behind them, Serena let out a sigh of relief. Eleanor's acceptance of her gift was a good sign.

When Eleanor and Evelyn reached their door, lan stopped a few steps away. He watched the mother, daughter, and Princess go inside before turning to leave.

Evelyn loved unwrapping presents and couldn't wait to see her mom's new bag.

Eleanor opened the box. Inside was a designer handbag. It was a classic style that suited her well.

"Wow, this bag is so pretty!" Evelyn exclaimed.

Eleanor didn't lack money, but she did lack time for shopping. That's why she always bought high-end, durable items. The bag she currently carried was two or three years old, but she hadn't replaced it. Sometimes, something familiar and comfortable couldn't be replaced by something new.

A week later.

Eleanor had just arrived at the lab when she received an international package. Opening it, she found a notification that her patent application had received preliminary approval.

lan was certainly efficient. He had filed the patent application on the very day her paper was published.

Just then, a text message pinged on her phone. "I'll handle the rest of the patent process."

Eleanor replied, "Thank you."

Eleanor changed into her lab coat and headed toward the lab. As she walked down a hallway, she heard Ryan on the phone. Not wanting to disturb him, she lightened her steps as she passed by.

Ryan clearly didn't notice her. He

Ready for isky

was reporting to the person on the other end of the line. "Our project isn't ready for hisky applications yet We've only had a breakthrough with the test monkeys. We still need to conduct clinical trials."

"Can't Mr. Ellington wait any longer?" Ryan's anxious voice carried clearly to Eleanor's ears.

Eleanor's steps froze. She turned to

look at Ryan, who also noticed someone behind him. He turned, and his eyes met hers 3. A flash of nervousness crossed his face. He spoke into the phone, "Mr. Maxwell, I have to go. I'll report back to you later."

Eleanor stared straight at Ryan. Her expression was calm, but the blood in her veins, felt like it had turned to ice. Finally, her voice trembling slightly she demanded, "Ryan, who is the Mr. Ellington you were just talking about? Is it Mansfield What's happened to him?"

"Well—Eleanor, I don't know how to explain it to you." Ryan was under strict orders

of confidentiality. He knew he had accidentally let the secret slip, but he didn't know how to explain it.

Principal Maxwell had explicitly forbidden anyone from telling Eleanor about Mansfield's condition. The order had come directly from the Vice President himself, as it involved his son.

Seeing Ryan's hesitation and the way he was clearly hiding something, Eleanor felt an invisible hand clench around her heart, making it hard to breathe.

Mansfield-is he in trouble?

And from the looks of it, it was serious—so serious that they had to keep it a secret from her. Ryan knew, but she had been kept completely in the dark.

"Eleanor—" Ryan was in a difficult position.

Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. She spun around and practically ran to her office, grabbing her bag and heading straight for the elevator.

If Ryan wouldn't tell her, she knew someone who would. And that person had to tell her.

Because he was the one who had brought her onto this project in the first place. He had to know everything.