That afternoon, Veronica sat across from Lester in her sleek executive office, deep in discussion about their latest project when a soft knock interrupted them.

"Ms. Murray," her secretary announced, "Mr. Bell has arrived."

Veronica nodded, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you. Please send him in." Turning to Lester, she added, "I need to handle something personal. You can head back to your department."

Lester glanced curiously at Leon and his assistant waiting at the doorway, both clutching leather briefcases. He nodded respectfully before exiting the room.

Once Ramona had closed the door behind them, Leon and his assistant wasted no time. They placed their briefcases on the polished conference table and began methodically arranging various documents and agreements for verification.

The process was meticulous and formal, with barely a word exchanged beyond what was professionally necessary. After completing the thorough inventory and handover, Leon cleared his throat.

"One more thing," he said, his tone carefully neutral. "Mr. Dennis's lawyer asked me to relay a message."

Veronica looked up from the papers, her expression unreadable.

"He wanted me to inform you that should you find the management responsibilities of these assets burdensome, or if you're considering divesting these shares—Mr. Dennis would be eager to purchase them. He believes he would be the ideal buyer."

"Message received," Veronica replied coolly, her voice revealing nothing of her thoughts.

With a curt nod, Leon gathered his remaining items and departed with his assistant in tow, their business concluded.

Alone again, Veronica glanced at the mountain of documents nestled in the briefcases. Without hesitation, she pushed them aside and returned to her computer screen, refocusing on the work she'd been handling before the interruption.

Approximately thirty minutes later, Dario appeared at her door, knocking lightly before entering. He was mid-sentence when his eyes caught sight of the two expensive briefcases positioned by her feet.

"What's all this?" he asked, brows furrowing with curiosity.

"Property documents from my divorce agreement with Cullen," she answered matter-of-factly.

Dario's eyes widened slightly. "Everything's here already? Those assets must be worth over ten billion dollars." He paused, confusion evident in his expression. "Didn't your agreement stipulate that he had two years post-divorce to sort everything out? You're not even officially divorced yet, and he's already transferred everything?"

Veronica nodded, her fingers tapping lightly on her desk. "Yes, it's all here. Every single item accounted for."

A dry laugh escaped Dario. "He certainly seems eager."

It suddenly made sense why Cullen had contacted Veronica recently about expediting the divorce proceedings—he'd already prepared everything for the clean break.

"What about the liquid assets?" Dario asked. "Has he transferred the cash portion too?"

"This morning," she confirmed.

"Huh." Dario shook his head, feeling a twinge of sympathy for Veronica despite knowing she'd emotionally moved on long ago. Cullen's haste felt almost insulting.

He couldn't help but comment, "You two haven't even filed the final paperwork yet, and he's already rushing to hand everything over. What's he afraid of? That you'll change your mind about the divorce?"

"I wouldn't know," Veronica replied simply.

Since requesting the divorce last year, she'd merely been waiting for everything to conclude. The motivations behind Cullen's actions no longer interested her.

Dario hesitated before offering, "You know, transferring everything this quickly... in a way, it almost suggests he still trusts you, at least somewhat."

Trust?

The irony wasn't lost on Veronica. Their relationship had begun with a misunderstanding that night. To this day, Cullen remained convinced that what happened had been her deliberate scheme.

If that was how he perceived her character, how could trust possibly exist between them?

Sensing he'd touched a sensitive topic, Dario quickly backtracked. "Never mind. Forget I mentioned it."

Veronica smoothly changed the subject. "What did you need to see me about?"

"The company anniversary is approaching. I wanted to discuss the banquet arrangements with you."

DataPulse's tenth anniversary was imminent, a significant milestone for the company. They needed to make a statement, to show how far they'd come in their first decade.

Their conversation shifted efficiently to business matters. The recent partnership between DataPulse and Dennis Group had become a hot topic throughout the industry, generating substantial buzz.

As they wrapped up their discussion, Dario remarked, "For the anniversary celebration, we'll definitely need to extend an invitation to the Dennis Group."

Veronica's expression remained perfectly composed as she replied, "Of course."