Mary's relatives from Adrianne had journeyed to Porter for a visit, and that morning, just after Veronica concluded her meeting, Mary called to invite her for lunch with the family.

Standing by the elevator, waiting for it to arrive, Veronica noticed Dmitri Bauer—DataPulse's newly appointed general manager—approaching with Cullen and Frank. Dmitri spotted her and immediately greeted her with professional courtesy.

"Ms. Murray," he said with a respectful nod.

Veronica acknowledged him with the slightest inclination of her head, her face remaining impassive.

Dmitri glanced between Cullen and Veronica, uncertain if they were acquainted. Cullen had been at DataPulse for several days discussing potential collaboration, yet he and Veronica had never crossed paths—at least not to Dmitri's knowledge. Noting Veronica's lack of greeting toward Cullen, Dmitri took the initiative to make introductions.

"Ms. Murray, allow me to introduce Mr. Dennis of Dennis Group," he said politely, then turning to Cullen, "And this is Ms. Murray from our R&D department."

Without even sparing Cullen a glance, Veronica simply stated, "I know."

Cullen, however, looked directly at her and informed Dmitri, "No need for introductions—we know each other quite well."

Dmitri paused, his gaze shifting between them as confusion flickered across his face. He wanted to question how they could know each other "quite well" when there seemed to be such obvious tension, but he refrained. Instead, he awkwardly chuckled, "Oh, I see."

Veronica maintained her silence, her expression giving nothing away.

Cullen let out a soft laugh but offered no further explanation.

Only then did Dmitri realize the truth—Veronica was deliberately avoiding acknowledging Cullen, just as Dario had done. He wondered if there was some unresolved history between Cullen, Veronica, and Dario. Yet Cullen wasn't just anyone; he was an important potential business partner. Both Veronica and Dario treated him with cold indifference, and strangely, Cullen seemed entirely unbothered by it.

As Dmitri contemplated whether to feel concerned or relieved about this dynamic, Cullen's phone rang. He answered quickly, "You've arrived? I'll be right down."

After ending the call, they all stepped into the elevator together. Dmitri, attempting to dispel the tension, smiled and remarked, "Ms. Crystal is here to pick you up for lunch again? You two have a wonderful relationship."

Cullen started to respond with a smile when his phone rang again. Seeing it was an important call, he answered, and Dmitri fell silent.

When they reached the ground floor, Veronica exited without a backward glance. As she stepped outside toward the parking lot, she spotted Niall standing beside a car, waiting. Their eyes met briefly—Niall's gaze cold and detached. Veronica quickly averted her eyes and walked toward her own vehicle.

Niall also shifted her attention away, but when Cullen emerged from the building, her expression immediately softened. As Veronica entered her car, she noticed Niall handing her keys to Frank before climbing into Cullen's vehicle with him.

Veronica looked away, started her engine, and drove off, leaving them behind as mere diminishing figures in her rearview mirror.

After finishing lunch with Mary and her relatives, Veronica escorted the guests to their car and saw them off. Just as she was preparing to return to work, she spotted Maverick exiting the restaurant.

The moment he saw her, his eyebrows instinctively furrowed. They hadn't seen each other since Cullen's visit to DataPulse to find Veronica. Maverick wasn't sure if anything had developed between them, but he'd heard about the collaboration between Cullen and DataPulse. Would this partnership give Veronica and Cullen opportunities to reconnect? Though he didn't voice these thoughts, his expression betrayed his concerns.

Choosing not to acknowledge him, Veronica simply got into her car and drove away.

Maverick returned to his company, where negotiations with the Crystal family were already in progress. Around 3:00 PM, his secretary entered his office announcing, "Mr. Harris, Ms. Crystal is here."

Maverick paused, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Ms. Crystal?"

"Yes," his secretary confirmed. "She mentioned that Mr. Crystal has caught a cold, so she's here on his behalf to discuss the collaboration."

Hearing this, a spark of excitement flashed in Maverick's eyes. He immediately stood and strode toward the meeting room.

Upon seeing him, Niall promptly explained, "I'm sorry. My father isn't feeling well, so for this collaboration—"

Maverick interrupted her with a warm smile. "It's fine."

Niall noticed the subtle joy in his expression but simply smiled slightly and redirected her focus.

After concluding their business discussion, Maverick seized the opportunity to ask, "Ms. Crystal, do you have time later? Would you like to have dinner together?"

Niall smiled politely but shook her head. "I have a race coming up, so I need to head to the track for training. Let's do dinner another time."

Maverick knew of Niall's racing career, but since meeting her, she hadn't participated in any competitions. He'd only seen her race through videos he'd downloaded to watch repeatedly—never witnessing her skill in person.

The mention of her training intrigued him, but he quickly realized that Cullen would likely be accompanying her. With that thought dampening his enthusiasm, he simply replied, "Another time, then."

Niall nodded, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and departed.

Shortly after her exit, Kolton called. "Edric happens to be off today. Want to meet up?"

Maverick immediately had an idea. "Sure," he replied, "but let's skip the bar this time. How about we go somewhere else?"

Kolton sounded intrigued. "Oh? Where to?"

"Let's go watch a car race."

"A car race?" Kolton's interest was piqued. "Sounds fun!"

After discovering the location of Niall's training session, they went for dinner before heading to the race track with Edric, Maverick's anticipation building with every mile.