Veronica finished her dinner with Marco and Cecelia, then drove away from the restaurant. Her phone buzzed as she navigated through the evening traffic.
"Ver, where are you right now? I'm absolutely drained! Come get me and let's grab something to eat."
Whitney's voice came through the speaker, tired but demanding. Veronica chose not to mention she had already eaten dinner.
"What's your location?"
"Hernandez Garden. You know that fancy residential development they built a few years back? The one with all the classical courtyards and traditional architecture. I've been trudging around here all morning with my aunt, checking out properties. My feet are killing me."
Veronica ended the call, punched the address into her navigation system, and changed direction toward Hernandez Garden.
Ten minutes hadn't passed when Whitney called again, her voice sharp with irritation.
"You won't believe who I just spotted!"
Veronica's grip tightened on the steering wheel. Recently, only one person could provoke that particular tone of outrage from Whitney.
"Cullen's here with Niall and her entire clan! He's personally giving the Crystal family the grand tour!"
Veronica kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead, her expression carefully neutral as she made a noncommittal sound.
She wasn't surprised. Usually when Cullen and Niall went anywhere together, they brought Sabrina along for the outing. The fact that he had left his daughter at home today meant he was occupied with something important enough to require his full attention. Showing the Crystal family around expensive properties would certainly qualify.
It made perfect sense when she thought about it logically. The Mack family had already completed their move into their new residence. If the Crystal family intended to make Porter their permanent home, they would naturally need to purchase their own property.
Hernandez Garden's entrance came into view as Veronica pulled into the visitor parking area. She sent Whitney a quick message with her exact location.
Whitney responded immediately that she would be out shortly, but first needed to stop by the sales office to use their facilities. She included the building's location in her reply.
Veronica was about to step out of her vehicle when she caught sight of three familiar figures walking across the lot toward the parking area. Sophia, Isaac, and Dora moved together, their faces bright with satisfaction and joy. Whatever they had accomplished here today had clearly exceeded their expectations.
Veronica climbed out of her car, but the trio entered the parking structure from the opposite entrance and never noticed her presence.
Several minutes later, as Veronica approached the sales office entrance, she encountered Cullen and Niall emerging from the building. They were surrounded by a small entourage of seven or eight senior sales executives, all wearing the kind of deferential smiles reserved for their most valuable clients.
Cullen's gaze found her immediately, his eyes narrowing slightly in recognition. Niall, her arm linked possessively through his, followed his line of sight and fixed Veronica with an icy stare.
Veronica deliberately looked away, her expression remaining completely indifferent as she walked past them toward the building entrance where Whitney waited.
"The starting price for homes in this development is three hundred million," Whitney whispered through gritted teeth as soon as Veronica reached her. "I just overheard some staff members discussing it. The villa Cullen purchased for the Crystal family is their premium model. Over six hundred million dollars!"
Veronica acknowledged this information with a simple sound of understanding.
Whitney studied her friend's face carefully before continuing, "There's something else I found out. The reason they decided to buy property here specifically is because Niall's mother fell in love with the architectural style."
Veronica's stride faltered for just a fraction of a second, so briefly it was almost unnoticeable. That explained Dora's radiant happiness earlier. She was getting exactly what she wanted, courtesy of Cullen's generosity.
Fighting to keep her voice steady, Veronica said, "I need to use the restroom."
Inside the ladies' room, Veronica pressed her back against the cool tile wall and clenched her hands into tight fists. She had grown accustomed to hearing about Cullen's devotion to Niall. Those stories no longer had the power to wound her the way they once did.
But learning that he was going to such lengths to win Dora's approval still had the ability to twist something deep inside her chest.
The sound of voices from the corridor outside interrupted her thoughts.
"That Mr. Dennis certainly knows how to choose them. His girlfriend is absolutely stunning."
"She really is! And her mother has such refined taste and elegance. What I wouldn't give to have that kind of life! Her husband and in-laws completely defer to her wishes. Everything gets decided based on what she prefers. Talk about being spoiled!"
"Tell me about it! When I compare that to my own situation with my husband and his family, it just makes me furious."
"I know exactly what you mean! And the way Mr. Dennis treats his girlfriend is incredible. They're not even married yet, and he just dropped over six hundred million on a villa for her family. Some women really do have all the luck in the world."