A heavy silence filled Dr. Smith's office.

lan slowly opened his eyes, the exhaustion and conflict in them giving way to a steely calm. He knew exactly which proposal Smith was referring to.

"Doctor, pack your things. You and your team are coming back with me. I'm going to invite Eleanor to co-lead the research on the final solution with you. We're activating the lab back home."

"That's wonderful news! With Miss Sutton on board, our progress will be exponential," Smith said, his excitement palpable. "I'll bring my entire team for a long-term project in your country." He paused, then nodded. "It's better for treatment when the family is together."

Just then, a new email notification popped up on Smith's screen. He clicked it open, his eyes widening in surprise. "It's from Miss Sutton."

lan moved to stand behind him, his own gaze fixed on the screen. The sender was, indeed, Eleanor. The subject line was a direct, highly technical query. Ian felt a pang of complex emotion. The first thing Eleanor had done after finding out was not to confront him, but to consult a professional.

Smith opened the email. It was concise and devoid of pleasantries. Eleanor quoted the latest research from the lab's own database and posed several incredibly sharp and professional questions. After reading it, Smith let out an appreciative "Wow."

"Miss Sutton is a genius," he said. "To have absorbed our core research in such a short time and pinpointed the most critical questions... it's remarkable."

lan frowned. She had only found out last night, yet she was already asking questions with this level of precision. She must have stayed up all night poring over the data.

"Doctor, tell her you and your team will be back in three days. We'll meet with her then."

"Okay," Smith replied.

"And please forward me a copy of her email," lan added before walking out.

After forwarding the email, Smith

replied to Eleanor: "Miss Sutton,

ins

regarding your questions, I believe it would be best to discuss them. person In three days, my team and I will be returning with Mr. Goodwin's mother I will be able to give you more definitive answers at that time."

Eleanor, looking pale and exhausted, sat in her study with a fresh cup of coffee. She had indeed been up all night. Reading Smith's reply, her heart jolted fan was bringing the entire team back? Did that mean Gina's condition was deteriorating?

She didn't want to believe it, but she calmly typed back, "Understood, Doctor. I'll see you then."

Just then, a text message from lan appeared on her phone. "Eleanor, I'm sorry. Can we talk?"

Those few words were like a key unlocking a floodgate of suppressed emotions. The exhaustion from a sleepless night, the terror for her daughter's future, and the raw anger of being kept in the dark all came rushing to the surface.

She bit her lip, walked over to the study door, and locked it. Then, she picked up her phone and dialed his number. He answered immediately. "Hello?"

"Talk?" she seethed. "What do you

want to talk about, lan? How you painstakingly hid your mother's illness? Or the thirty percent chance that Evelyn could inherit it? My daughter is at risk and you let me ve in ignorance? I am her motherly have the right to know about anything that could endanger her health, but you chose to hide it. Are you even human, lan? What gave you the right?"