After driving a little further, Gavin glanced at the rearview mirror and asked directly, "Mr. Goodwin, with Walden Wells's only son gone, are you worried he might oppose you in the future for Miss Shannon's sake?"

lan's expression hardened, instantly transforming back into the ruthless, decisive businessman.

"Let him try," lan said, his tone deceptively calm.

Still, lan preferred to avoid trouble. A complex look flickered in his eyes. "You know what to do."

Gavin immediately understood his boss's unspoken command. After so many years by his side, he could decipher lan's intentions in an instant, whether they were simple or complex.

He nodded immediately. "Don't worry, Mr. Goodwin. I understand."

It wasn't that lan feared trouble, but he needed to minimize it. He didn't have the energy to deal with unnecessary people or problems. If it came down to it, he had no qualms about using certain methods.

***

At that moment, in Vanessa's villa, she had just finished comforting Walden Wells over the phone. Tears still clung to her eyelashes, but her face showed no trace of sadness.

Laverne sat down beside her, patting her shoulder excitedly. "Vanessa, Mr. Wells has lost his son in his old age. He's at his most vulnerable and most desperate for an heir. We have to be smart and seize every opportunity to get pregnant."

A smile played on Vanessa's lips. "Exactly. This is my only chance to become Mrs. Wells."

A shrewd, calculating glint appeared in her eyes. "I can't just console him over the phone. I have to go be by his side and show him that I genuinely care about his pain."

Laverne nodded in agreement. "Right. I'll book our flights immediately. We need to get there as soon as possible."

Vanessa knew she had to act fast. As long as she successfully conceived Walden Wells's child and secured her position as Mrs. Wells, not even lan, with all his power, would dare to touch her easily.

Once she had enough leverage, she could finally break free from her contract.

***

The handover of Eleanor's project

was proceeding smoothly. Communication with Garrison's team was highly efficient, and the transition originally scheduled for three months, was nearing

completion in just over twenty days.

Garrison's team needed to return to their facility and was scheduled to complete the

final handover and depart the following week.

At a farewell lunch for both teams, Garrison couldn't help but feel a sense of regret as he chatted with Eleanor. He could clearly see that her focus was entirely on her work. He'd heard she had already decided

on her next research direction and would be diving into it as soon as

the handover was complete.

It was as if she were born for a career in scientific research. However, Garrison had

also noticed that Eleanor's ex-husband, lan, was still very attentive to her.

He had also found out that the funding for Eleanor's new project was orchestrated by lan. It was clear the ex husband wasnt just providing resources and money he still had lingering feelings for her.

"Eleanor, I hope you'll visit the facility again sometime to collaborate," Garrison said with a smile.

"Of course. If the opportunity arises, I'll definitely be there," Eleanor replied with a smile.

"Mansfield is also recovering day by day. Once he passes all his medical checks, I look forward to him returning to the base as well."

Eleanor nodded. Mansfield's physical constitution was excellent; recovering to his former state wouldn't be a problem at all.

His cerebral chip had been removed last week, and his neural network was completely normal and unaffected.

"I also hope he makes a full recovery soon," Eleanor said sincerely.

Another week passed in the blink of an eye. Eleanor saw Garrison's team off to their

waiting vehicles. They shook hands and said their goodbyes.