No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 385

Faye was still reeling from the revelation that Mansfield Ellington held the rank of Major General. Before she could fully process it, Ian walked into the conference room. A bitter, mocking feeling welled up inside her—there was Eleanor, openly flirting with another man in front of Mr. Goodwin.

Clearly, as far as Ian was concerned, his ex-wife was nothing but fickle and untrustworthy.

Back in Kingston, Faye had worried that Ian might rekindle things with Eleanor. But seeing him now, she realized that, no matter how desperate Ian might be for female company, he’d never go back to her.

And why would he, when he had the alluring Vanessa by his side? Next to Vanessa, Eleanor’s appeal didn’t even register on the same scale.

The video call was still running in the conference room, casting an odd tension over the group.

Eleanor could feel Ian’s gaze lingering on her for a few seconds, but she kept her eyes on the documents in front of her, focused and unfazed.

After Garrison greeted Ian, he dove straight into the heart of the meeting. The discussion dragged on for nearly two hours before it finally wrapped up.

Eleanor stayed absorbed in the meeting the whole time, never noticing when Ian slipped out.

At noon, Joel invited her to lunch.

“So—first impressions of your new posting at Meridian Dynamics?” he asked as they settled in.

“It’s a bit nerve-racking,” Eleanor admitted, “like I could be thrown into battle at any moment. Nothing like the calm you get in a lab.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Joel chuckled. “By the way, did Evelyn like the gift I brought last night?”

Eleanor’s face brightened. “She loved it. Thank you.”

Joel grinned, then asked with feigned casualness as he cut into his steak, “So, how exactly did you meet Major General Ellington?”

Eleanor paused, surprised by the question, but she didn’t bother hiding anything. She told him the truth.

A flicker of surprise crossed Joel’s eyes. “Seems like he’s quite taken with you. Maybe even planning to pursue you?”

Eleanor’s knife paused mid-cut. She met his gaze. She couldn’t deny it.

“He does seem to like me,” she admitted. She could feel Mansfield Ellington’s enthusiasm—it wasn’t subtle.

“And what about you?” Joel took a sip of water, watching her closely.

Eleanor thought for a moment before answering honestly, “I’m so busy right now, I don’t have time for a relationship. It’s just not on my mind.”

“Is that what you told Major General Ellington, too?” Joel asked, a teasing smile on his lips.

Eleanor smiled and nodded. “Exactly that.”

Joel believed her. He also knew any man who cared for Eleanor would be willing to wait—she was worth a patient pursuit.

Yet here it was, realized.

Eleanor’s elation dimmed for a moment. Ian had kept Meridian Dynamics’ core developments hidden from her—was he still wary of her loyalty?

After the incident with Xavier Labs, he’d started keeping his guard up around her.

But this time, Eleanor was fully committed to the military partnership; that was the only reason he’d allowed VP Chase to reveal this critical technology.

Eleanor returned to her seat, listening as Byron continued to explain the nanobots’ capabilities, his excitement barely contained. “Even more impressive, they exhibit the ‘collective intelligence’ predicted by Miss Sutton’s theory.”

“This could revolutionize the entire medical field,” Byron said, looking at Eleanor with awe. “If this theory holds up, it could save millions of lives.”

A buzz of whispered conversation swept through the room.

Faye’s expression soured. She bit her lip, then raised her hand. “Excuse me, but isn’t it risky to push such an untested technology into clinical trials?”

All eyes turned toward her.

Byron faltered for a moment, clearly irritated to be challenged at a moment of triumph.

Eleanor looked over at Faye and replied calmly, “You’re right to be concerned. That’s why we’ll be following the military’s strict testing protocols—animal trials first, then carefully controlled clinical studies.”