No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 182

Eleanor fixed her gaze on him, trying to see through whatever scheme this man was plotting.

Ian flashed an innocent smile. "It really is Grandma's idea. If you don't believe me, you can call her and ask."

Eleanor didn't see the point. Whatever he was up to, she wasn't about to let it bother her.

When the registration event ended, the two little girls insisted on having lunch together. So the three adults took them to a nearby restaurant—a place that oozed old-school charm, with a cozy patio out front. After eating, the girls ran off to play on the sunlit terrace while the adults lingered inside.

Eleanor became absorbed in an email, her focus so deep she didn't notice the world around her.

"Mom!" Evelyn's voice snapped her back to reality.

Eleanor looked up. Ian said, "We're all set. Let's head out."

Eleanor took her daughter's hand, said goodbye to Vivian, and everyone went to their cars.

Eleanor's home was only a five-minute drive from the school. After dropping them off, Ian rolled down the window and called out, "Tomorrow, I've arranged a dinner with the lab team and the higher-ups from Meridian Dynamics."

Eleanor didn't reply, but she knew there was no way around this. If she wanted to collaborate with the country's top AI researchers, she'd have to go through him.

Meridian Dynamics' AI technology was considered among the best in the world.

The next morning, Eleanor dropped her daughter at school and headed straight for the lab.

Simone, her boss, had allowed her to work from home during the summer to care for Evelyn. But now that school was back in session, Eleanor knew she couldn't slack off.

At ten o'clock, Joel drove the group from the lab to their appointment. Eleanor and Gwenda sat in the backseat, Faye rode up front.

"I heard the executives at Meridian Dynamics are actually their lead engineers," Faye said. "Last month, they published several groundbreaking papers that made waves globally."

Gwenda looked excited. "That means we might actually meet some of these legends in person."

Joel's car pulled up in front of an architecturally striking building—Meridian Tower.

Joel and Faye led the way. Over the past month, Faye had served as the main point of contact and had even met some of the Meridian team privately.

Eleanor, on the other hand, hadn't interacted with anyone from Meridian yet; after all, she'd been busy looking after her daughter. She hardly looked like someone who specialized in AI.

Thanks to Ian's connections, Meridian Dynamics was eager to work with their lab. As soon as the group arrived, they were ushered straight into a conference room, where the Meridian team addressed their previous questions one by one.

While Meridian Dynamics was best known for cutting-edge technology, their main research actually leaned more toward medical applications. This collaboration was their chance to partner with Simone's lab for the long haul.

Just then, Byron's phone rang. He checked the caller ID and answered. "Mr. Goodwin, you've arrived? Oh! Wonderful, we'll be right over."

Byron glanced at his watch and addressed the group. "It's lunchtime, everyone. Let's move across the street and continue our discussion over a meal."

He looked directly at Eleanor. "Dr. Sutton, I'm looking forward to hearing more of your insights."

Faye was left on the sidelines, forcing a smile while inwardly seething.

Eleanor nodded with a polite smile. Joel and Byron fell into conversation as they led the group out, with Eleanor walking just behind. At the rear, Faye and Gwenda linked arms.

"We're really having lunch with Mr. Goodwin? Oh my god, I can't believe it!" Gwenda pressed a hand to her chest, visibly excited.

Faye's lips curled in a half-smile. Just wait until we're in the restaurant, she thought. With Ian there, let's see if Eleanor can keep up—or if she'll finally make a fool of herself.

The restaurant was just across the street. As they waited at the crosswalk, Joel and Byron wrapped up their conversation. When Eleanor caught up, Joel instinctively moved to stand at her side, placing himself between her and the flow of traffic—as if he'd shield her in a heartbeat if anything went wrong.

Faye noticed this small gesture, jealousy twisting in her gut. Did Joel really care about Eleanor that much?

Maybe even Joel himself wasn't aware of how deeply he wanted to protect her. And Eleanor, for her part, seemed not to notice at all.