Chapter 1038

Just then, an assistant leaned over. "Faye, are you watching the news about Eleanor too?"

Faye sneered. "What's there to see?"

"I heard you and Eleanor used to be classmates. Is that true?" the assistant asked, eager for gossip.

Faye scoffed. "Yes, we were. But she only got where she is because of her father and her ex-husband, lan. And now she's up there spouting all that nonsense."

The assistant's face lit up with interest, and she moved closer. "Faye, are you serious? Eleanor won that huge award because of her father and ex-husband?"

Another assistant chimed in from the side, "Well, she must still be pretty impressive, then!"

"Impressive? What's so impressive? Her father left behind a ton of research notes. It's only natural she'd make a breakthrough or two by building on his academic foundation," Faye said dismissively.

The two assistants immediately nodded in agreement, their eyes showing a new understanding. "Looked at that way, I guess Eleanor isn't all that special."

"The press is probably blowing her role out of proportion. And of course, no one would be crazy enough to cross her right now. Even if they wanted to report on academic fraud, they'd have to think twice about Mr. Goodwin's power."

Seeing that she had successfully brainwashed her two colleagues, Faye smirked. She remembered how lan had snatched the spot in the combined Master's-PhD program for her. Eleanor's place in lan's heart couldn't have been that important. Just then, a voice came from behind them. "What are you all looking at?" Faye quickly put her phone away. "N-nothing, Joel."

Joel glanced at them before walking away. The two assistants scurried back to work, leaving Faye to stare blankly into space.

Her mind went back to the first time she saw Eleanor at the university. Even before she arrived, her beauty had made her the topic of conversation among the new students. When Eleanor finally walked into the classroom, the room fell silent.

Eighteen-year-old Eleanor wore a simple white dress and sat quietly by the window, as pure and beautiful as a painting. All the male students who had been looking at her simultaneously turned to stare.

Someone mentioned that her father was a PhD who had been honored as an academician.

The classroom instantly erupted with compliments.

"She's gorgeous! I bet she'll be crowned the campus queen."

"She's from a good family and she's beautiful. Is she too perfect or what?"

From that day on, a seed of jealousy and resentment towards Eleanor was planted in Faye's heart. She had worked so hard to get into this prestigious university, while some people got in easily because of their father's connections.

What was even harder for her to accept was that Eleanor had scored

first in the entire class on their first placement exam after the semester began.

At the time, she had consoled herself by thinking, "What's so great about Eleanor? She just has a good father, that's all."

Later, when Eleanor dropped out during the second semester of her freshman year, Faye had been overjoyed.

She later heard that Eleanor had gotten married, and while many of their

classmates expressed their regret, Faye had been celebrating.

Their next encounter was when Eleanor suddenly joined the lab.

Now, looking at Eleanor's

achievements, even though Faye didn't want to admit it, and even though she told her colleagues that Eleanor had gotten ahead through connections, she knew better. She had worked with Eleanor. She knew what Eleanor was capable of.

It was a feeling of being completely and utterly crushed just by standing next to

her.

Kingston, six o'clock.

Eleanor was resting in her hotel room when her phone rang. She glanced at the screen on the sofa and saw three words.

Mansfield.

Eleanor had actually been waiting for his call, as they had arranged to have dinner together that evening.

She picked up the phone. "Hello, Mansfield."

"I'm in the hotel lobby. Should I come up and get you?" His clear, charming voice

came through the line.