Cullen's voice carried over the phone, "Then, will you talk to Grandma?"

Veronica didn't need time to consider this. Cook would never allow her to walk away from this marriage without paying a steep price. There was no point in even attempting that conversation.

"If we keep the divorce agreement as is," she asked instead, "when can we finalize everything?"

"It should be wrapped up before the end of this year."

Nine months. March had barely begun, leaving her with three seasons to endure before freedom. She could manage that. She took a deep breath, weighing her options in silence.

"Anything else?" Cullen prompted when she didn't respond.

Veronica ended the call without another word. Almost immediately, her phone lit up again – Marco's name flashing across her screen.

"Cecelia caught the flu," he explained, his voice tinged with concern. "She needs to stay home for a few days. We'll have to postpone our weekend plans."

"That's completely fine," Veronica replied, genuine concern coloring her voice. "We can reschedule once she's feeling better." After a pause, she added, "Keep me updated on her condition, okay?"

Marco chuckled, clearly detecting the warmth in her tone. "Will do."

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before ending the call. With her weekend suddenly free, Veronica threw herself into developing a new model for her final project, barely leaving her apartment for two days straight.

Monday arrived with its usual stack of responsibilities. Veronica spent the morning reviewing documents before making her way to the interview room to meet the fourth candidate. She had just settled in when there was a hesitation at the doorway.

"Dario isn't here?" the man asked, lingering at the threshold instead of entering.

Veronica looked up. "No."

The candidate's eyes traveled over her with obvious assessment. "You're Veronica Murray?"

"I am." She didn't bother asking how he recognized her – that was easy enough to figure out. Instead, she cut to the chase. "Since Dario isn't present, would you prefer to reschedule?"

The man took another long look at her before finally sliding into the chair opposite. "No, let's continue."

His casual demeanor was telling. Veronica tilted her head slightly. "How would you like to proceed?"

Her directness seemed to catch him off guard. His eyebrows rose a fraction. "You're letting me choose the interview format?"

"Tell me what approach you'd prefer."

Without further prompting, he pulled a laptop from his backpack, tapped at the keyboard for several moments, then rotated the screen toward her. Leaning back with practiced nonchalance, he crossed one leg over the other and popped a lollipop into his mouth, watching her with detached interest.

Veronica studied the screen, finding a complex string of code. After skimming it once, she immediately began making modifications, her fingers moving with precise efficiency. It took her just minutes before she turned the laptop back toward him.

"Done," she said simply.

The man sat up, lollipop still between his lips, and glanced at the screen. His casual posture vanished instantly. He looked at the code, then back at her, disbelief evident in his widened eyes.

His original code had been impressive – clean, functional, efficient. But in mere minutes, Veronica had transformed it. She'd enhanced its modularity, dramatically improved its efficiency, and built in scalability that would accommodate future growth without requiring major rewrites.

The candidate leaned forward eagerly, palms flat on the table, eyes suddenly alive with genuine interest. The lollipop nearly fell from his mouth as he spoke.

"Your name is Veronica, right? Beautiful name. Where did you graduate from? How long have you been in the field? What major projects have you led? Tell me everything."

He had moved uncomfortably close in his enthusiasm.

Veronica leaned back slightly, creating distance between them, her expression remaining professional despite his invasion of her space.

"Do you want to continue with the interview?" she asked calmly, redirecting the conversation to its intended purpose.