No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 903

"Understood. I'll take my leave, then."

Just after Ellington left, Ian's phone rang.

It was Serena Goodwin. He answered immediately. "What is it?"

"Brother! Mom just collapsed! I've called an ambulance to take her to Ashford General Hospital. You have to come, quickly!" Serena's frantic voice crackled through the phone.

Ian grabbed his phone and car keys and rushed out of the office.

——

In the lab, Eleanor was focused on her experiment when she heard her assistant at the door. "Miss Shannon, what a surprise to see you here."

Eleanor frowned and looked up. Through the glass window, her eyes met Vanessa's.

Vanessa smiled and gave a small wave—a gesture that was less of a greeting and more of a silent provocation.

Eleanor recalled Ellington mentioning that Vanessa had met with Ian at Goodwin & Co. Her showing up here now meant Ian must have told her about the arrangement. There was no point in hiding in the lab any longer.

Ten minutes later, Eleanor stepped out. Vanessa, who had been waiting in the nearby seating area, stood up and approached her. "Eleanor, you must be exhausted."

Eleanor looked at her coolly. "What do you want?"

Vanessa's lips curved into a smile. "Nothing, really. I just came to drop off a report and thought I'd say hello. After all, you're the researcher and I'm the sole donor. Shouldn't we at least be on speaking terms?"

"Don't worry, I promised Ian I would cooperate fully. I also hope you won't let our personal history affect the progress of this research," Vanessa said, her eyes glinting with a triumphant light. "After all, this is about the most important person in Ian's life."

Eleanor pulled off her lab gloves and tossed them into a medical waste bin. "In here," she said flatly, "there are only data points and sample numbers. I couldn't care less who the donor is."

Eleanor's eyes swept over her forced smile. "You should probably ask Ian if he ever plans on getting married again."

With that, Eleanor turned and walked away. From behind her, she heard Vanessa's defiant retort, "You're lying."

Eleanor didn't bother to respond, her figure disappearing around the corner.

Ian was only twenty-nine. How could he possibly never marry again?

Vanessa's chest heaved. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. It had to be a lie Eleanor had concocted. The Goodwin family didn't even have a formal heir yet. He had given his daughter to Eleanor, so why wouldn't he remarry? Was he planning to stay celibate for Eleanor's sake?

The thought was so ridiculous that Vanessa let out a bitter laugh. The more she considered it, the more convinced she became that Eleanor was just trying to get under her skin.

Vanessa smoothed her hair. If Eleanor thought she could break her that easily, she had severely underestimated her. Vanessa had gotten to where she was today by never bowing to fate.