Eleanor paused for a moment, caught off guard that lan remembered such a small detail.

She nodded politely to Professor Blake. "Back then, I only published part of the theory for academic discussion."

Professor Blake hurried to respond, "Miss Sutton, we must have a proper conversation soon! My team and I are following your work closely-we're working on similar research."

Eleanor smiled. "I'd be honored."

Then, lan smoothly steered the conversation back to the topic of joint tactical cooperation, and Byron picked up the thread about the Meridian Dynamics project.

But Eleanor's poised and articulate manner had already made its mark—everyone present now took notice of her, and she left a deep impression.

Faye's fingers tightened around her wine glass.

Gwenda, on the other hand, was so anxious she barely dared to reach for her fork. The lobster sitting in front of her went untouched.

The pressure from this room full of academic giants was suffocating.

She couldn't help but admire Eleanor for handling herself with such calm confidence in front of these people. Having a father who's a respected scholar really does make a difference!

Only Joel, quietly observant, noticed that while lan seemed to sit idly at one side, in truth, he was carefully introducing Eleanor to all the right people.

Joel couldn't guess lan's motives, but at least he could see they were good.

Eleanor excused herself and headed to the restroom. A moment later, Faye followed.

Inside, Eleanor let out a quiet breath, her composure slipping just a little. She was lost in thought when Faye's voice suddenly sounded behind her. "Feeling pretty pleased with yourself, aren't you? Getting Mr. Goodwin to clear the way for you, making introductions."

Eleanor turned, her gaze steady. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play innocent," Faye sneered. "You really think you can make it in academia just by riding Mr. Goodwin's coattails?"

Eleanor's eyes turned cold. "I don't need his help."

"Oh, really?" Faye washed her hands, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You used your father's reputation before, and now it's your ex-husband and Xavier's connections. Let's be honest, you wouldn't be here if it weren't for all those men. I could never compete with you at that game."

She scoffed, then added, "You and Mr. Goodwin are divorced and still tangled up like this. Honestly-"

Before Faye could spit out another insult, Eleanor cut her off coldly, grabbing a paper towel to dry her hands. "You're wrong."

"My father earned his own reputation. As for lan..."

She tossed the paper towel into the trash and met Faye's gaze head-on. "You think I need a man to get ahead? That paper in Nature-I wrote it after three months of four-hour nights, day after day. The breakthroughs in the lab? I led my team through every setback and every long night. We earned them."

Faye shrank back half a step, her face going pale beneath Eleanor's intensity.

"But you," Eleanor's eyes swept over her with contempt, "you're so obsessed with

my private life, maybe you should ask yourself why you can't even publish a decent paper of your own."

"You!" Faye was trembling with rage.

Eleanor's words hit her exactly where it hurt.

Faye glared at her, voice venomous. "Don't think this means you've won!"

Eleanor gave a soft, dismissive laugh. "There's never been a competition between

us. Because..." She brushed past Faye, her voice icy as she glanced back, "you're not even qualified to be my rival."

"What did you say?" Faye shrieked, her voice cracking with anger.

But Eleanor was already gone.