lan didn't go over to greet his daughter. Instead, he turned and walked away without a word.

Clearly, his lover now meant more to him than his own child.

A few minutes later, Xavier arrived, slightly out of breath and apologetic. "Sorry, traffic was terrible."

Eleanor smiled warmly. "It's fine. The girls are having a great time together."

"Ian didn't show up?" Xavier asked.

"He had something to take care of, so he left," Eleanor answered.

Xavier glanced at her, a flicker of concern passing through his eyes.

At five thirty, Eleanor picked up her daughter to head home. As they walked hand in hand, her daughter looked up and asked, "Where did Daddy go?"

Eleanor squeezed her little hand gently. "Evelyn, can I ask you something?"

Seeing her mother's serious expression, Evelyn nodded, suddenly solemn. "Of course, Mommy."

Eleanor hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "If one day, Daddy and I don't live together anymore, would you want to stay with Daddy, or with me?"

She spoke softly, but her heart ached for her daughter's answer.

Evelyn paused, then immediately replied without the slightest hesitation, "I want to live with you, Mommy." Her big eyes blinked curiously. "But why won't Daddy live with us anymore?"

A sharp pain shot through Eleanor's chest. She knew her daughter would only ever have two choices in this.

"Because Daddy and Mommy both have things we need to do. Sometimes, that means we can't all live together," Eleanor said gently.

Evelyn seemed to half-understand. She threw her arms around her mother's neck and declared, "I want you, Mommy. I love you most. I never want to be apart from you."

Eleanor hugged her daughter close, finally able to smile with relief.

A few minutes later, her phone rang. It was Joy, sounding anxious. She explained that just a short while ago, Vanessa had been cornered in the restroom by a group of obsessive male fans, and the crowd outside nearly caused a stampede in the chaos.

Eleanor realized this was probably why lan had left his daughter behind without a word.

Clearly, Vanessa had become more important to him than his own child.

...

Around six o'clock, Faye was still working late in the lab when she saw the news and decided to call Vanessa to check on her.

Vanessa downplayed the incident. "Just a scare, nothing more." Then she changed the subject. "Faye, I heard Dr. Simone Langley's taken over lan's project. Is Eleanor still on the lab roster?"

"Why are you so interested in her?" Faye asked, surprised.

Vanessa laughed lightly on the other end. "I'm just curious."

Faye didn't mind answering. "She's out. My mentor is extremely strict about the team, and Eleanor doesn't meet her standards."

"But didn't she develop that breakthrough medicine? Didn't Dr. Langley see any potential in her?"

"She just borrowed her father's formula. She doesn't really have much talent herself. Still, she's planning to take the accelerated graduation exam this year, which surprised me."

"Eleanor's taking the fast-track exam?" Vanessa was taken aback.

Faye's lips curled into a self-assured smirk. "She wants to finish her undergraduate degree early."

"Do you think she'll make it?" Vanessa pressed.

Faye let out a short, dismissive laugh. "Confidence is good, but too much of it just

becomes arrogance. She's only setting herself up for embarrassment."

For a medical student, skipping grades was notoriously difficult—almost impossible.

"So, are you joining the exam too?" Vanessa asked, genuinely interested.

Faye's voice brimmed with pride. "Of course. It's my advisor's team. I wouldn't miss it."

"I'll be rooting for you to win the next award," Vanessa said.

A glint of determination flashed in Faye's eyes. "I will. You can count on it."

...

After hanging up, Vanessa spotted lan across the hall, just finishing a call of his

own.

She held out her wrist, still bruised from the earlier chaos. "Luckily, it's just a bruise."

lan glanced at her swollen wrist, his concern evident. "Put some ointment on it when you get home."

Vanessa smiled and handed him a medical report. "The test results came in today. Take a look."

lan studied the report, a deep frown settling on his face. "I've already asked Dr. Langley to lead the team. I'm confident we'll have good news soon. Just hang in there a little longer."