No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 786

Eleanor, Joel, and Byron continued to immerse themselves in the meeting.

Byron had assumed Ian’s abrupt departure would throw Eleanor off her game. To his surprise, not only did she answer every question with pinpoint accuracy, her mind was so razor-sharp he struggled to keep up.

“Eleanor, do you think this method might not be the most effective?” Byron asked, a hint of doubt in his voice.

Eleanor considered it for a moment. “We’ll lose a bit of precision,” she admitted, “but it’s safer for civilian use. For the consumer market, safety should always come first.”

Fifteen minutes into the meeting, Eleanor’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the caller ID—Laird, Simone Langley’s assistant. “Excuse me, I need to take this,” she said to Joel and Byron.

They nodded as she stepped out of the conference room, answering the call with a soft, “Hello, Laird.”

“Dr. Sutton, I’m not sure if I should be telling you this,” Laird hesitated, her voice wavering.

“What’s this about?” Eleanor’s tone softened, sensing something was off.

“It’s about Dr. Langley’s health,” Laird said quietly. “Professor Langley told me not to say anything to anyone, but… I’m worried.”

A chill ran through Eleanor. “What’s wrong with her? Is she ill?”

“I accidentally saw her hospital file last week. It said there’s suspicion of pancreatic cancer.”

Eleanor’s mind went blank for a second, her grip tightening on the phone. “When did she find out?”

“A month ago.”

Eleanor recalled that Ian’s foundation had invited Simone to this summit, but she’d taken leave and said she had personal matters. Now the truth hit her—Simone had been sick all along.

“Eleanor, Professor Langley just called and asked me to come to the hospital with her. I’m heading over now,” Laird added.

“I’ll go with you,” Eleanor said without hesitation.

“I don’t want to impose—Professor Langley didn’t tell you because she thinks your time is too precious,” Laird protested.

“Wait for me in the parking lot. I’ll drive us,” Eleanor replied, already making up her mind.

Laird sounded relieved. “Okay.”

Eleanor ducked back into the conference room, quickly informed Joel and Byron, and hurried out.

Joel and Byron exchanged a look. Joel frowned, noticing the urgency in Eleanor’s expression. Something was wrong—seriously wrong.

Eleanor and Laird rushed to the hospital and made their way to the third-floor corridor. There, Simone sat slumped on a bench, looking exhausted, a folder of medical records in her hand.

“I just finished the CT scan. I’m waiting for the report.” Simone forced a smile. “Honestly, it’s not as bad as it sounds. If you catch it early, there’s a good chance.”

Eleanor knew she was putting on a brave face. As a medical professional, Simone understood all too well how dangerous this was.

Eleanor sat beside her, quietly reviewing some of Simone’s paperwork. Laird fidgeted nervously, glancing around the hallway. Suddenly, her eyes widened. She tugged at Eleanor’s sleeve and whispered, “Ellie, isn’t that Mr. Goodwin?”

Eleanor looked up. At the far end of the corridor, Ian walked towards them, accompanied by Vanessa, her manager, and their entourage. Gavin trailed beside Ian. The entire group stood out in the busy hallway.

Eleanor frowned. Vanessa’s forehead was wrapped in white gauze—a clear sign she’d suffered a head injury in the accident.

Were they here for a CT scan too?

Eleanor quickly averted her gaze, so Ian didn’t notice her right away. But Vanessa, ever attuned to her surroundings, spotted Eleanor first. She was stunned to run into Eleanor here, of all places.

As the group passed by, Vanessa suddenly staggered, nearly collapsing against Ian, her face pale and drawn, clutching his arm as if she might faint.

“Ian, I feel so dizzy…” Vanessa’s voice was weak, almost childlike.

Simone looked up and immediately greeted him. “Ian?”

Ian stopped dead in his tracks. He saw Simone first, then his eyes fell on Eleanor, who was looking down at a medical chart. He froze, clearly shocked to find Eleanor here.