Cullen heard the car door open and turned to look. Veronica emerged from the vehicle, closing the door behind her with quiet precision. She approached him wordlessly and took the umbrella from his hand.

His eyes dropped to her ankle with concern. "Are you okay?"

The pain lingered, but Veronica could still walk. She didn't bother responding to his question or analyzing why he had swept her into his arms earlier. What was the point?

"Give me a call once the divorce procedures are done," she said flatly, her tone making it clear that unless it concerned their divorce, there was no reason for them to remain in contact.

Without waiting for his response, Veronica stepped past him, umbrella in hand, and walked away.

Cullen watched her retreating figure but made no move to stop her. He simply stood there, letting her go.

Their vehicles were parked relatively close to each other. He remained in place, watching until she was safely inside her car before finally turning to leave. Moments later, his car pulled out of the parking lot, followed shortly by Maverick's.

Reporters had swarmed the conference and subsequent dinner. After leaving, Veronica made a stop at the hospital before arriving home around eight in the evening. She had just finished eating when news about the forum began circulating online.

At that same moment, Niall and Dora were reviewing the same news reports, their brows furrowing when they discovered Veronica had represented DataPulse Co. at such a significant government event.

Hadn't there been relationship troubles between Veronica and Dario? How could she possibly be attending such an important event on his behalf?

Niall realized what this might mean. If Veronica was representing Dario at high-profile events, then her own resume submission might have been for nothing.

Dora's furrowed brow quickly smoothed out. She gracefully accepted a bowl of soup from her maid and remarked, "No need to rush. Let's see how things unfold."

Veronica possessed remarkable beauty, and Dario wouldn't simply cast her aside so easily. Couples sometimes drifted apart before finding their way back to each other – it was perfectly normal.

Still, the fact that they had separated indicated cracks in their relationship. They might be together now, but the arrangement likely wouldn't last long.

That meant Niall still had opportunities to secure a position at DataPulse Co. and develop a connection with Dario.

Niall understood Dora's perspective and largely agreed. Additionally, seeing Veronica and Cullen sitting near each other at the forum hadn't bothered her. She had confidence in both herself and in Cullen.

Benjamin descended the stairs just then. "Niall, you're home."

"Yes," she replied. "How are things going at school?"

Benjamin, now in his senior year, had transferred to Porter this semester. Cullen's people had handled all the necessary paperwork and arrangements.

The curriculum differed between Youtopia and Porter. Since New Year's, he'd been working with his teacher to identify gaps in his knowledge and catch up on material he hadn't covered previously.

"Everything's perfect," he replied casually. "Don't you know what a brilliant student I am?"

This was true. Both Niall and Benjamin had always been exceptional students with outstanding academic records. They never required parental supervision when it came to their studies.

Niall and Dora chuckled at his confident response.

The following morning, Marco and Maverick arrived at DataPulse Co. simultaneously. "Hello, Mr. Valerie," Maverick said. "Fancy running into you here."

Marco nodded politely. "Hello, Mr. Harris."

Maverick was about to continue when Veronica and Dario emerged to greet them. She had exited Cullen's car rather hastily yesterday, and he wasn't certain what she might have said to Cullen afterward.

One thing seemed clear to Maverick: on both occasions—last year's year-end banquet and yesterday's incident—Cullen had been the one pursuing Veronica. She, meanwhile, remained notably cold and distant.

This realization left Maverick puzzled.

Veronica was undeniably beautiful. He could understand why men might be drawn to her, but Cullen was no ordinary man. Beyond physical appearance, she couldn't compare to Niall in any meaningful way.

Maverick couldn't comprehend it. Why would Cullen show interest in Veronica when he had Niall?

Veronica caught the coldness and contempt in Maverick's eyes. "Mr. Harris," she asked icily, "is there something you wish to say to me?"

"Ms. Murray, you're being overly sensitive," he responded coldly. "As I understand it, we have nothing to discuss."

Dario and Marco had seen news coverage of yesterday's forum. They knew Veronica and Maverick had encountered each other there and could sense that something unpleasant had transpired between them.

Dario forced a smile as he looked at Maverick. "Oh? What happened?"

Veronica had no desire to waste time on this. Before Maverick could respond, she interjected, "It's nothing."

She turned to Marco. "Mr. Valerie, this way, please."

Marco nodded, casting a brief glance at Maverick before following her to the conference room.

Although Veronica hadn't explained the situation to Dario, he knew their tension must have stemmed from something related to Niall. If she didn't want to discuss it, he wouldn't press the matter.

He addressed Maverick coolly, "Mr. Harris, let's proceed inside."

This was Marco's first encounter with Veronica since New Year's Eve. His gaze had lingered on her when he first saw her, though no one noticed as they were focused on the tension between her and Maverick.

Once inside the conference room, he shifted his attention elsewhere and said as he took his seat, "I had planned to attend yesterday's forum. Unfortunately, I needed to travel out of town for a couple of days and couldn't make it. I had to send someone in my place."

Small talk before business discussions was standard practice. Veronica thought nothing of his comment and simply replied, "I see."

Marco could tell she hadn't detected his interest. Lowering his gaze, he smoothly transitioned the conversation to business matters.