“Not watching where you’re going?” Ian narrowed his eyes at her, but there wasn’t a trace of anger in his voice.
Eleanor took a step back, unwilling to acknowledge him. She brushed past and headed into the conference room.
The two entered one after the other, drawing curious glances from everyone already seated. Eleanor slipped into her usual spot, while Ian pulled out the chair next to Simone and sat down.
“Alright, since everyone’s here, let’s go over the results of the new drug trials,” Simone began, her tone brisk.
Halfway through the meeting, Simone turned to Eleanor. “Eleanor, how’s the data verification coming along for Group Three?”
Lost in her own thoughts, Eleanor didn’t react.
“Ellie?” Simone called again, and Gwenda, seated beside Eleanor, discreetly tapped her under the table.
Eleanor snapped back to reality, realizing everyone was watching her. She looked at Simone. “Professor Langley, sorry—what did you say?”
Simone sighed. “Ellie, what’s been going on with you the past couple of weeks? You seem distracted. Is something wrong?”
Eleanor’s fingers fidgeted with the papers in front of her. “Professor Langley, I—I’m fine. Really.”
Ian’s voice cut through the room, cold and sharp. “We’re at a critical stage in the clinical trials. Everyone needs to be diligent with their monitoring.”
A hush fell over the table.
He hadn’t called anyone out by name, but everyone knew his words were aimed squarely at Eleanor.
A moment later, though her phone stayed silent, the screen lit up with another notification. Eleanor’s subtle glance at her phone was enough to make Ian’s brow furrow in displeasure.
As she scrolled through her messages, Ian tapped his long fingers against the table in warning. “No phones during the meeting.”
“Eleanor, is it something urgent?” Simone asked tactfully.
Eleanor gave a quick nod. “Professor Langley, if you’ll excuse me, I need to step out.”
She got up to leave, and almost immediately, Ian pushed back his chair and followed her out.
She’d barely made it a few steps down the hallway when Ian’s voice sounded behind her. “If you’re too busy with your love life, maybe Evelyn should come stay with me for a while.”

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