As soon as she finished speaking, Edric didn't even have a chance to respond before Veronica's communicator chimed with an incoming message.

Glancing at the screen, she quickly stood up. "Something urgent at the data center. I have to go now," she said, already moving toward the door with purposeful strides.

The following morning, Veronica departed from the military base. After taking a well-deserved day off to recuperate at home, she returned to her position at DataPulse, ready to dive back into work.

DataPulse had recently formalized its partnership with Dennis Tech, marking the beginning of an important collaboration between the two tech giants. By coincidence, on Veronica's first day back, Dario was scheduled to attend a meeting at the same location.

During previous contract negotiations with Cullen, she had been able to step back and allow Dario or Dmitri to handle the discussions. This new joint venture, however, required her direct involvement and expertise to progress effectively.

The meeting agenda focused on core technology cooperation between DataPulse and Dennis Tech. Upon returning to her workplace, Veronica accompanied Dario to the Dennis Group headquarters, along with Lester and several other technical specialists from their team.

Just as they approached the entrance to the conference room, Cullen appeared from the opposite direction, flanked by his two assistants with Bradley following closely behind. Cullen greeted Dario with professional courtesy.

Since Veronica's departure from Dennis Group, Bradley had rarely seen her, though Frank had mentioned her new position at DataPulse. Dario had visited Dennis Group several times recently, but Veronica hadn't accompanied him on those occasions, leading them to assume she was deliberately avoiding returning to her former workplace. Yet here she was.

Cullen immediately noticed Veronica and Lester but chose to act as though they were strangers. He merely glanced in their direction before averting his gaze and entering the meeting room alongside Dario.

Lester had no desire to advertise his acquaintance with Cullen either, making the latter's distant behavior perfectly convenient for both parties.

Veronica and Bradley had maintained a cordial relationship during her time at Dennis Group. Seeing him after such a long absence, she acknowledged him with a subtle nod. "Mr. Cameron, it's been a while."

"Indeed, it has," Bradley responded politely.

Lester observed this exchange with curiosity. "You two know each other?"

"I used to work here," Veronica explained simply.

Lester, unaware of her complicated history with Cullen, assumed she had merely been another engineer at Dennis Group and didn't pursue the matter further. Besides, they had important business to attend to, making this an inappropriate time for personal conversations.

As Veronica and Lester settled into their seats, another figure entered the room. It was Professor Silas Desmond from Sibley University, who was also involved in Dennis Group's project.

"Please forgive my tardiness," he announced to the room.

"We just arrived ourselves," someone assured him.

Silas's gaze shifted to Dario with immediate recognition. Being known as Malcolm's protégé already commanded significant respect, but Dario had recently been making substantial contributions to the AI field—enough that anyone working in artificial intelligence would certainly recognize his name.

"You must be Mr. Reid," Silas said with a warm smile. "You're truly a remarkable talent. I've been hoping to meet you for some time, but our paths never seemed to cross until today."

"You're too kind, Professor Hastings," Dario replied modestly.

After exchanging pleasantries, the meeting officially commenced. Veronica focused entirely on the technical discussions at hand, maintaining meticulous attention to detail throughout the session.

When the conversation turned to core collaboration specifics and technical components, Dario took the lead alongside Dennis Group's technical directors and Professor Silas. Veronica, Lester, and the other team members remained quietly attentive, documenting important points.

The meeting, which had begun at approximately 9:00 a.m., continued until nearly noon. After its conclusion, Cullen invited everyone to join him for lunch.

As they exited the conference room, Silas turned to Cullen. "It's been quite some time since I last saw Niall. I heard she's residing in Porter now, which means opportunities to meet will be even rarer. Would you and Mr. Reid object if I invited her to join us for lunch?"

Having learned that Silas was affiliated with Sibley University, Dario had already surmised a potential connection to Niall. He responded with a subtle smile, "I have no objections."

"You two are acquainted?" Cullen inquired.

"I was her mentor during her university years," Silas explained proudly. "Even then, she demonstrated exceptional talent in this field. Now that she's studying under Professor Campbell, it's evident she's fulfilling her potential."

"I'll reach out to her," Cullen offered.

Thirty minutes later, when Veronica, Cullen, and Dario arrived at the restaurant, they found Niall and Bonnie just stepping out of their vehicle.

Upon seeing Silas, Niall approached him quickly. "Professor, it's been too long."

After they exchanged greetings, Silas glanced toward Dario with an expectant smile. "Mr. Reid, I assume you and Niall have already met?"

Dario briefly looked at Niall before responding, "Yes, our paths have crossed."

"Excellent," Silas beamed. "You're both rising stars in your field. You should certainly exchange ideas more frequently."

Niall didn't miss the fleeting look Dario had given her, causing her brow to furrow slightly.

She had hoped that since learning of her position as Preston's student, he might regard her differently—with newfound respect. After all, within their shared field, she and Dario should have substantial common ground for meaningful discussion.

Yet the way he had just looked at her remained unchanged from their previous encounters, carrying the same dismissive quality she had come to recognize all too well.