"Get some rest," Eleanor replied, reaching out to press the door close button.

From the hallway, the man's voice cut through the silence, sounding incredibly sober and resolute. "Eleanor, I meant everything I said today."

Eleanor's figure stiffened slightly. She pressed the close button without offering a response.

***

Inside a villa in an affluent neighborhood, Shaun Wallace had been in a foul mood all day. He had initially wanted to call his cousin, Gina Quinn, to complain, but knowing that Eleanor was her former daughter-in-law, he swallowed his pride. Still, losing face in front of the shareholders at his age was a bitter pill to swallow.

Miranda Wallace noticed her husband's dark expression the moment he walked in. She had asked him about it in various ways, but Shaun had kept his mouth shut. Now, it was 11 PM, and seeing him still nursing a drink downstairs in a sullen mood, she threw on a robe and walked down.

"Honey, don't drink so much," she advised gently, stepping closer. "If something's bothering you, you can talk to me."

"Company business. What do you know about it?" Shaun grunted.

Miranda was a very perceptive woman. Though she was a housewife, she was a formidable character in her own right, especially when it came to navigating social dynamics and hidden agendas.

"Then just tell me!" Miranda poured herself a glass of wine, ready to hear him out.

Shaun was bursting at the seams anyway, and the words tumbled out. "At the board meeting today, my own nephew didn't give me an ounce of respect just to defend his ex-wife. He completely humiliated me in front of all the shareholders."

"You mean Eleanor Sutton, right?" Miranda was well-connected and knew everything she needed to know.

"Exactly. A brat who practically bought her way into a board seat with her divorce settlement. I was completely against it back then, but my cousin didn't take it seriously. Now this outsider is reaping all the benefits!" The more Shaun spoke, the angrier he got. He gritted his teeth. "Judging by my nephew's attitude toward her, the chances of them getting remarried are extremely high."

"So, you're worried Eleanor might come after you in the future?" Miranda asked.

"I don't know if she'll come after me, but if she decides she doesn't like me and starts whispering in my nephew's ear, I might be ousted before I even reach retirement," Shaun said, pouring himself another drink.

Miranda's eyes darted around, and she spoke slowly, "I might not understand corporate politics, but I understand people. Eleanor is riding high right now—she's a shareholder, a hero to the company, and a famous scientist. It's only natural the Goodwin family is protecting her."

"Hmph! If my nephew hadn't been blindly throwing money at her research, do you think she'd be where she is today?" Shaun fumed even more at the thought.

When lan pivoted the company into the medical sector, Shaun had voted against it. But to his shock, in just a few short years, Goodwin & Co. had expanded aggressively in the field and become an industry leader. It had completely exceeded his predictions Even though Eleanor deserved the most credit, he absolutely refused to acknowledge it.

"What are you getting at?" Shaun looked at his wife.

"Aren't you worried about Eleanor and lan getting back together? Right now, Eleanor is completely devoted to her research. Plus, their divorce was sougly that she definitely holds a grudge against your cousin Cina. Tell me, iftan marries her again, do you think she'd be willing to have a second or third child?"