Niall lowered her phone and turned to Huxley. "I think he's caught up with something. I'll try reaching him again in a bit."

After waiting thirty minutes, she dialed Marco's number once more. This time, he picked up.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Niall said warmly.

"Not at all," Marco replied, his voice neutral.

In reality, Marco had noticed her first call but deliberately chosen to ignore it, watching his screen as her name flashed across it.

"What's going on?" he asked directly.

Niall explained the situation about potential employment. After listening, Marco immediately suggested, "Have you considered Cullen's company for her placement?"

The question brought a small smile to Niall's face. "Cullen's not hiring at the moment."

A brief silence hung between them before Marco asked, "What's her name?"

"Vivian Ridgewood."

"Spelling?"

"J-A-N-E-T L-I-N-V-A-L-E," Niall spelled out carefully.

"I understand. Tell her to submit her application through the standard channels in the next few days."

"Thank you, Marco," Niall replied, gratitude evident in her voice.

Before Marco could respond, Niall continued conversationally, "What are you doing right now? Have things been hectic lately?"

Marco never got the chance to answer as a woman's melodious voice suddenly came through from his end of the line. "Marco, who's calling you?"

"Nobody important," Marco's tone transformed instantly, becoming ice-cold. He quickly returned to the phone call, "Something's come up. I need to go."

Before Niall could utter another word, the line went dead.

The abruptness of Marco's tone shift when that woman interrupted wasn't lost on Niall. His obvious displeasure at the interruption and hasty retreat from their conversation suggested he might be concerned about Niall misinterpreting his relationship with whoever that woman was.

Niall raised an eyebrow thoughtfully as she set her phone down. Turning to Huxley, she announced, "Marco agreed to help."

Huxley's face lit up with relief. "Thank you so much, Niall."

Bonnie couldn't resist looking smug as she told Vivian, "See? What did I tell you? Marco always listens to Niall."

Vivian hesitated momentarily before stealing several glances at Niall, curiosity evident in her expression.

Later that evening, after finishing dinner at the Murray residence and returning to her apartment, Veronica had just powered up her laptop to tackle some pending work when Cullen's call came through. She deliberately ignored it, opting to switch off her phone completely.

It wasn't until the following morning when she finally turned her phone back on that she discovered several messages from Cullen waiting for her.

[We need to talk.]

[It's about Grandmother's birthday celebration.]

[I hope you'll attend.]

When she offered no response, the messages had stopped.

Veronica still chose not to reply. After completing her morning routine, she was preparing breakfast when Cullen called again. Her brow furrowed in annoyance as she pretended not to notice the incoming call. He persisted, calling several more times before finally accepting her silent refusal and giving up.

Veronica proceeded with her day, heading to work as usual.

That same day, Maverick happened to visit DataPulse Co. for business matters, with Dario handling his reception.

Around noon, Maverick, persistent as always, attempted to invite Dario to lunch. As expected, Dario politely declined, leaving Maverick no choice but to depart with his colleagues.

As Maverick reached the parking lot, he spotted Cullen leaning casually against a car, clearly waiting for someone.

He paused briefly before approaching. "Mr. Dennis."

Cullen looked over with a practiced smile. "Mr. Harris. Business at DataPulse?"

"Yes."

Mindful of Cullen's recent attentions toward Veronica, Maverick maintained a carefully neutral expression as he cautiously inquired, "You're here to...?"

"I'm here for Veronica," Cullen replied straightforwardly, smiling as he gazed up at the office building. "She should be upstairs, I believe."

Maverick pressed his lips together, but before he could respond, Cullen sighed and added, "She's ignoring my calls and messages. I had no choice but to come here and wait."

Just as Maverick opened his mouth to speak, Veronica and Dario emerged from the building together. Upon seeing both Cullen and Maverick waiting in the parking lot, they momentarily froze.

Dario briefly entertained the idea of turning right around and retreating back into the building. Of course, this was merely a fleeting thought. Instead, they continued toward the parking area, walking directly past Cullen and Maverick without acknowledgment, heading toward their vehicle.

Cullen intercepted them, addressing Veronica directly. "We need to talk."

Dario wasn't aware of the incident after the previous conference when Cullen had embraced Veronica. All he knew was that Cullen had always gone to great lengths to conceal their marriage, preferring that no one know about their relationship.

Now, witnessing Cullen openly approach Veronica with complete disregard for who might be watching, Dario frowned and exchanged a look with Veronica that silently asked, "What is he doing?"

The moment Veronica had spotted Cullen, she'd immediately understood why he was there. Truthfully, she hadn't expected him to be so bold, appearing at DataPulse Co. in broad daylight specifically to confront her.

"I'm not going," she stated coldly.

Cullen's gaze remained steady on her. "Don't rush to decide. If you have conditions, we can discuss them."

Veronica's reply was clipped and definitive. "There's nothing to discuss. If I need to address it, I'll speak with Grandmother directly. It has absolutely nothing to do with you."