Eleanor glared at Ian’s back, irritation simmering in her chest.
She had just pressed the elevator button when she noticed Ian was already inside, leaning casually against the wall, scrolling through his phone.
Suppressing a sigh of annoyance, Eleanor stepped in and realized he hadn’t even selected a floor. She jabbed the button for her office, then deliberately chose a spot as far from him as possible.
As soon as the elevator doors slid open, she spotted Byron hurrying down the hall. He paused, surprised to see both of them stepping out together.
“Mr. Goodwin, Eleanor, you two—?”
“We have a meeting at two o’clock sharp,” Ian cut him off, shoving one hand in his pocket as he strode toward the conference room.
Byron turned to Eleanor with a grateful smile. “Eleanor, I can’t thank you enough for today. If you hadn’t stepped in at the last minute, that launch event would have been a disaster.”
Eleanor’s expression hardened. “VP Chase, next time something like this happens, just ask the boss to handle it himself. Don’t drag me into it.”
Byron blinked in surprise, then chuckled. “Mr. Goodwin can certainly keep things under control, but when it comes to the technical side, you’re the expert.”
The implication was clear: Ian was out of his depth with the science.
Eleanor headed for her office. Just then, another person stepped out of the elevator—Faye.
Her eyes were red and puffy, the evidence of a good, hard cry.
Seeing Byron, Faye’s cheeks flushed as she hurried over to apologize. “VP Chase, I’m so sorry about today. I let you down.”
Byron’s face grew stern. “Faye, don’t take on things you’re not prepared for. Do you realize you nearly ruined the launch? If Eleanor hadn’t rescued us, this whole event would be the laughingstock of the industry.”
“Overestimated? Please. She was totally out of her depth.”
“Thank goodness Eleanor took over, or our company would be the butt of every joke in the industry. How would we ever live it down?”
“I heard Eleanor spoke off the cuff and absolutely nailed it. She’s incredible.”
“Of course she is. She’s Mr. Goodwin’s ex-wife. Any woman he’d marry is bound to be extraordinary.”
“Looks like Faye was just desperate to make a name for herself. She’s a grad student, right? How did she freeze up so badly?”
“It’s one thing to handle a little seminar, but did you see that crowd today? All those tech bigwigs, plus the press with their cameras in your face… If it had been me, I wouldn’t have even made it on stage.”

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