"Daddy, it's Daddy!" Evelyn whispered excitedly. Joel smiled and gently shushed her. "Let your dad give the award to your mom first, okay?"

Evelyn nodded obediently, her big eyes sparkling as she watched her parents on stage.

Eleanor concealed every trace of emotion with practiced ease, and lan did the

same.

With a hint of admiration on his handsome face, lan extended his hand to Eleanor. "Congratulations."

Eleanor returned a faint smile and reached out. His large hand clasped hers for a few seconds before letting go.

An usher approached, and lan took the trophy from the tray, handing it to Eleanor. She accepted it with natural composure.

Then lan stood beside Eleanor, both of them facing the cameras, smiling as the photographers captured this moment of triumph.

"Thank you, Mr. Goodwin, for presenting the award to Miss Sutton. Next, let's invite Miss Sutton to deliver her acceptance speech."

lan stepped gracefully off the stage and returned to his seat, just as Eleanor's clear, elegant voice began to ring out behind him.

Sitting down, lan unscrewed his water bottle and took a sip, his sharp gaze fixed on Eleanor's face onstage, a mixture of curiosity and surprise flickering in his eyes.

Vanessa, seated beside him, looked equally unsettled. She stared at Eleanor, and her beautiful features twisted ever so slightly.

How could Eleanor be the one who developed the breakthrough medication?

She didn't even finish college, and she'd spent the last six years as a housewife. How could she possibly have invented a drug that saved the world from a pandemic?

Vanessa glanced sideways at lan, catching the intensity in his eyes as he watched Eleanor. A surge of anxiety shot through her. She leaned over and whispered, "lan, I need to step outside for a minute."

lan smiled. "Of course."

After Eleanor finished her speech and left the stage, lan returned to his seat. He wasn't surprised to spot Joel and his precious daughter waiting for Eleanor.

But as he watched Joel chatting with Evelyn, a subtle chill flickered in lan's eyes. Meanwhile, Vanessa slipped her phone from her purse and left the room, only dialing Faye's number once she reached the garden outside.

"Hello?" Faye answered.

"Faye, was it really you who first developed the medication?" Vanessa demanded. "What's going on?"

"I'm at the National Academy of Sciences awards ceremony. Eleanor just received the individual prize for the medication." There was a pause on the other end before Faye admitted, "Yeah, it was Eleanor's work."

Vanessa stared in stunned silence for a few seconds. "Why didn't you say so before?"

Faye let out a bitter laugh. "I figured you'd all be disappointed if it wasn't me."

Vanessa hesitated, then snapped, "Do you have any idea who presented Eleanor her award today? lan. I've brought you up to him so many times-you can't imagine how awkward this is for me right now."

"I never claimed I invented the medication," Faye replied, her voice strained. "I only did the interview in Eleanor's place. You all just assumed."

Vanessa took a steadying breath and asked seriously, "Is Eleanor really that talented?"

"I honestly don't know how talented she is, but her father is the real genius. I suspect she used a formula he left behind," Faye said.

Eleanor's award had shocked Vanessa, but Faye's explanation brought a wave of relief.

She'd forgotten that Eleanor's father was a renowned scientist. So Eleanor was simply riding on his coattails, flaunting a legacy that wasn't truly hers. After all, how capable could someone who never even finished college really be?