No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 415

Faye clenched her fists, her voice tight with frustration. “Now that Mr. Goodwin has spoken, why are you still pretending to be so magnanimous?”

Eleanor shot her a cool glance, then picked up her phone and dialed Ian’s number, switching straight to speakerphone.

The call connected almost immediately. Ian’s deep, unmistakable voice came through. “What’s up?”

Faye held her breath, as if terrified Ian might realize she was there.

Eleanor stared at the phone. “Listen, Ian. Even if you begged me, I wouldn’t do the keynote this time.”

Faye’s eyes widened in disbelief. Was Eleanor really talking to Ian like that? Where did she get the nerve?

There was a pause on the other end. “Don’t be impulsive. You’re presenting. That’s the company’s decision.”

“Then fire me, or cancel the AI BioTech launch,” Eleanor replied, and hung up before he could answer.

Faye was still processing what had just happened when Eleanor looked up at her. “Any more questions?”

Faye opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words. After a moment, she turned and left.

A little later, Byron called her over to discuss the keynote presentation.

That’s how Faye secured her shot at delivering the speech.

But even so, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was simply picking up what Eleanor had discarded without a second thought.

After that call, Eleanor wasn’t contacted by the company again about doing the keynote—not that she had the time to care.

She spent the weekend with her daughter. Aside from work, most of her free hours were devoted to her little girl and resting at home.

Monday arrived in a blink. Today was the big day: Meridian Dynamics’ Annual Conference.

The main hall was already buzzing early in the morning. An hour before the event, every seat was taken.

Foreign faces dotted the crowd—the world’s leading scientists and media had all gathered for this.

Faye arrived at eight, pacing backstage as she silently rehearsed her speech. She ducked into the restroom, nerves jangling. Passing through the main hall, she stared blankly for a few seconds at the sea of academics and industry giants.

By the time she snapped back to reality, sweat was beading on her forehead and palms. She breathed deeply, trying to steady herself.

Eleanor twisted open a water bottle and took a sip. “I figured it was someone else’s turn this time.”

He chuckled. “Still, I was hoping to see you up there.”

Eleanor was content to be just another face in the audience today. Since Faye had fought so hard for this chance, Eleanor was curious to see what she’d do with it.

Just then, Eleanor spotted Vanessa coming in with Serena Goodwin by the entrance. Serena, heiress of Goodwin & Co., always had a front-row seat at any company event.

Serena noticed Xavier—and then Eleanor. Irritation flashed in her eyes. Why did Eleanor seem to turn up wherever Xavier was?

Vanessa saw Eleanor too, but for once, she was glad Eleanor wasn’t the one stealing the spotlight. This was Faye’s moment to shine. If she delivered, she’d finally get Ian’s recognition, and maybe a shot at bigger opportunities down the road.

“I’m going to check on my sister,” Vanessa told Serena, and asked a staffer to take her backstage.

Henry and Xavier exchanged a wave across the room before finding seats. Serena, torn between wanting to sit near Xavier and not wanting to be near Eleanor, settled for a spot in the second row.

Backstage, Vanessa found Faye and looked her over appraisingly. “Not bad—today you’ve really got that ‘science superstar’ aura going.”