He would only ever be a passerby in Eleanor's life. After a brief intersection, they were destined to drive in different directions.

Though he had known this for a long time, a faint bitterness still welled up inside him. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was sharp enough to be felt.

Understanding something intellectually and accepting it emotionally were two different things.

He admired Eleanor's talent, respected her resilience, and was even involuntarily drawn to the brilliant confidence she exuded in her professional field. But he also knew that Eleanor had always maintained a perfect distance from him—the respect and gratitude of a friend, and nothing more.

Just now at the school gate, watching lan slide so naturally into her passenger seat, watching them leave together, he saw an unspoken bond that he could never achieve.

He'd also heard that lan had established a special fund through The Guild of Commerce to support Eleanor's new research direction-twenty billion dollars. While it couldn't compare to Goodwin & Co.'s previous investments, it was more than enough for Eleanor's independent research.

Xavier took a deep breath, his gaze returning to the road ahead, his usual clarity and composure restored.

He had his own path to walk, as did Eleanor and lan. In the future, if Eleanor ever needed help, he would still offer it as a friend and watch her achieve even greater things in her scientific journey. Perhaps that was the best outcome for them.

***

Meanwhile, in Eleanor's car.

lan sat quietly, watching the road with Eleanor. There was no conversation, but the atmosphere in the car was calm and relaxed.

lan had to admit, seeing Xavier's car had triggered an uncontrollable sense of territoriality. The feeling wasn't new to him.

Whether it was Joel, Mansfield Ellington, Xavier, or any other man who got close to Eleanor, he always felt it.

"How are the preparations for this afternoon's meeting with the military?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Ready," Eleanor replied. "I've double-checked the key data, and the transfer protocol is clearly outlined."

"Good." lan nodded. When it came to work, Eleanor rarely made mistakes; she always performed exceptionally.

Suddenly, lan remembered something. "There's something I need to explain to you," he said.

Eleanor frowned. "If it's about the past, there's no need."

"It's about the security breach at Meridian Dynamics and Juliette Grayson's lab," lan said, bringing it up himself.

Eleanor glanced at him. "Hasn't that already been resolved?"

"When I revoked your access to the core lab, it wasn't because I didn't trust you. I wanted to remove you from the fist of people with core access to shield you from deeper suspicion."

Eleanor was slightly taken aback, her eyes returning to the road. Thinking back on it, the person she felt most guilty about was Xavier Because of Jus Xavier Because of that incident, Juliette's lab had to cancel the project and lay offits engineers and researchers.

It had been a setup targeting her, yet he had paid such a heavy price.

"I owe Xavier so much," Eleanor said suddenly, her voice thick with guilt.

lan's breath caught in his throat. He had only learned after the incident that Juliette had been diagnosed with cancer. But Xavier had already been planning to take over his father's shipping conglomerate and couldn't devote time to the lab, so she had already drafted a plan to close it.