No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 411

After leaving the hotel, Xavier headed down to the underground parking garage to get his car, while Eleanor’s was parked outside in the open lot.

“Eleanor, do you have time to grab dinner sometime?” Xavier asked, a note of reluctance in his voice.

“I’m a bit swamped these days,” Eleanor replied honestly—she really did have a mountain of work waiting for her.

A flicker of concern crossed Xavier’s eyes. Though he was no longer leading the Juliette Grayson Lab, he still kept a close eye on developments in the research world. He knew Eleanor was working at Meridian Dynamics now, and the company was notorious in the industry for its relentless pace.

“I understand. Let’s wait until your workload eases up, then,” Xavier said, trying to sound upbeat.

Eleanor nodded. “Alright. I should get going.”

Xavier watched her walk away, her figure disappearing into the glare of the afternoon sun. Only after a long moment did he turn and head back into the hotel lobby, making his way toward the elevators.

At the Meridian Dynamics office, Eleanor was buried in paperwork when Laird came in with a stack of folders. “Eleanor, VP Chase would like to see you.”

She nodded and made her way to Byron Chase’s office. Byron greeted her with a warm smile. “Eleanor, come on in. Have a seat.”

She took the chair across from him, curiosity flickering in her eyes. “Is there something you need, VP Chase?”

Byron leaned forward, his tone inviting. “The annual Meridian Dynamics conference is coming up, and this year we want you to give a talk on advances in AI biology.”

Eleanor frowned slightly. “Wouldn’t Joel be a better fit for that?”

Byron nodded. “I know, but Joel recommended you. His mother is very ill, and he needs to go abroad to take care of his family.”

Eleanor’s heart skipped a beat. Joel’s family—was it that serious?

“Of course. Take care of her, Joel—I’ll handle things here.” Eleanor gripped the phone tighter. “If you need anything, anything at all, just let me know.”

“I was supposed to do the conference presentation, but I recommended you. I know you’ll do a better job than I could right now,” Joel said quietly.

“I’ll take care of everything at work. Focus on your family,” Eleanor promised, her heart heavy and aching for her friend.

After hanging up, Eleanor began outlining her talk. Meridian Dynamics was a leader in the field, and the conference would draw experts from around the world. There was no room for error.

As the workday wound down, Eleanor was packing up when her office door swung open. Faye stormed in, her face flushed with anger.

“Eleanor, why are you taking Joel’s spot at the conference? Do you have to grab every opportunity for yourself? Even if Joel can’t make it, it shouldn’t be you up there.”