Marco spotted Lester standing next to Veronica but deliberately ignored him, focusing his attention solely on her. "It's been quite some time," he said, his voice carrying a hint of warmth reserved just for her.

Veronica responded with a polite nod, falling into the rhythm of expected social exchange. "Have you been keeping busy lately?"

"Yes, somewhat," Marco replied, maintaining his casual demeanor. "I've been traveling for business—just returned this morning, actually."

Despite his recent absence from town, Marco had wasted no time learning that Cullen and Veronica were finally proceeding with their divorce formalities in court. More than six months had passed since they'd signed the agreement last year. Now, they were merely twenty days away from officially ending their marriage. Soon, he would finally be able to—

Marco quickly masked the anticipation in his eyes when he noticed Reyna still engaged in conversation with Veronica. After briefly acknowledging her and Dario, he stepped away without lingering, careful not to interrupt their exchange.

Across the room, Nate was chatting animatedly with Niall and Bonnie. When Nate gestured for Marco to join them, he hesitated momentarily before making his way over.

"When did you get back?" Niall asked him, her voice measured and calm.

"This morning," Marco answered simply.

Nate jumped in with a question of his own. "What about Cullen? He's been gone for several days now—any idea when he's returning?"

Just as Nate finished speaking, Niall's phone chimed with a notification.

A smile immediately brightened her face as she checked the caller ID. Holding up her phone with visible satisfaction, she announced, "He just landed."

She lowered her head to respond to Cullen's message, her expression betraying an intimacy that didn't go unnoticed.

Observing this closeness between Niall and Cullen, Marco took a deliberate sip of his wine and glanced toward Veronica, a subtle smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

At that precise moment, Veronica looked up from her conversation, inadvertently meeting his gaze.

Noticing his seemingly pleasant mood, she didn't dwell on it, offering only a courteous nod before returning her attention elsewhere.

Half an hour later, as the event wound down, Veronica and Dario prepared to take their leave, heading toward Evan Juliet, the evening's host, to say their goodbyes. En route, they encountered Marco and Nate' group.

Recognizing them all as valued guests, Evan insisted on personally escorting everyone downstairs when he realized they were departing.

As they descended together, a tense undercurrent was palpable. Though Veronica and Niall had both participated in conversations throughout the evening, not once had they directly addressed each other.

Bonnie, still harboring resentment toward Veronica, couldn't resist throwing continuous glares at her back during their descent.

Evan hadn't initially perceived the strained atmosphere, but as they continued downstairs, the awkward energy became increasingly difficult to ignore. Still, he tactfully chose not to comment.

Upon reaching the ground floor, just as Veronica and Dario were about to depart, Cullen emerged from a recently arrived car.

Evan chuckled good-naturedly. "Mr. Dennis, didn't you mention you were occupied? What brings you here?"

Bonnie quickly interjected, casting a pointed glance at Veronica while deliberately raising her voice. "Cull just returned from his trip. He came specifically to pick Niall up!"

Evan laughed appreciatively. "Ah, a romantic gesture, I see."

Cullen acknowledged Veronica and Dario with a brief nod, which they reciprocated without elaboration.

Dario then turned to their host. "Mr. Juliet, we should be going now."

"Of course," Evan replied graciously. "Let's arrange another gathering soon."

Veronica and Dario nodded politely before turning to leave without further comment.

Once safely inside their vehicle, Dario seemed poised to voice his frustrations but, considering Veronica's impending divorce from Cullen, ultimately decided against it, seeing little purpose in dwelling on the matter. Just then, Veronica's phone rang.

The screen displayed Edric's name.

After a moment's contemplation, Veronica opted not to answer.

Dario noticed her hesitation and couldn't resist commenting. "Edric's genuinely a wonderful person. Since you're getting divorced anyway—are you absolutely certain you won't give him a chance?"

Veronica set her phone down and shook her head decisively. "I don't harbor those feelings for him currently. Dating him solely because he's interested in me would be unfair to both of us."

"But shouldn't you at least try? Not feeling something now doesn't preclude developing feelings later," Dario suggested.

Veronica remained firm in her stance. "If I develop feelings for him in the future, I'll address it then."

Dario sighed in resignation. "...As you wish."

The following day, shortly after arriving at her office, Veronica's phone buzzed repeatedly with a succession of notifications.

She paused, surprised to see multiple bank transfer alerts appearing one after another.

The sender of these substantial funds was none other than Cullen.

As the notifications continued to flood in, Veronica quickly realized what was happening—Cullen was formally executing the divorce agreement, transferring the cash assets he had promised her.

They hadn't even officially filed their divorce paperwork yet, and he was already distributing the agreed-upon property.

Her suspicion was confirmed minutes later when Leon called. "Ms. Murray, Mr. Dennis plans to transfer all of your entitled assets today," he explained. "The cash portion—his lawyer confirmed he's already transferred it to your account. As for the real estate, all necessary documentation and procedures have been completed."

"I'll be heading over shortly to collect everything, and once I have it all, I'll deliver it to you personally."

"That's fine," Veronica agreed. "Just meet me at DataPulse later."

"Will do," Leon confirmed.