Dario was deliberately making this negotiation harder than it needed to be for Maverick.
The truth was, neither man actually cared about the financial details they were haggling over.
As dinner progressed, their conversation shifted into serious business territory. Veronica remained composed throughout the meal, focusing on her food and only contributing when directly addressed.
Most of the time, she maintained her silence.
Maverick couldn't help but notice her restraint, and found himself genuinely surprised when she did speak. Each time Veronica offered an opinion, her insights proved both sharp and valuable.
The woman clearly had brains to match her beauty.
Initially, Maverick had assumed that in whatever arrangement she had with Dario, Veronica was the desperate one. The woman chasing after a powerful man, grateful for whatever attention he threw her way.
But watching them interact throughout this dinner painted a completely different picture. If anything, Dario seemed more invested in her reactions than she was in his approval. Maybe that dynamic was precisely what had Dario so completely hooked.
After all, a man like Dario could have any empty-headed beauty he wanted. It would take someone with real substance to hold his attention this completely.
As they neared the end of their meal, Veronica politely excused herself to visit the ladies' room.
Walking down the hallway, she nearly collided with Cullen as he emerged from the men's room.
Cullen's eyes met hers briefly, but he made no move to acknowledge her beyond that glance. He seemed at a loss for words, or perhaps simply had nothing he wanted to say.
Veronica felt the same way and began to walk past him when a thought struck her. She paused mid-step.
"How much longer until we can make the divorce official?"
She knew he was eager to be done with this whole charade. He would push the paperwork through as quickly as possible to free himself from their arrangement.
Given his motivation, she had never bothered asking for updates before. But now, with so much time having passed since they first agreed to end things—
Cullen's response was frustratingly vague. "It's going to take more time."
"No concrete timeline?" she pressed.
"I'll update you once I have confirmation."
Veronica decided not to push further and turned to leave when Cullen's voice stopped her.
"Grandma found out about the divorce."
Veronica felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Good."
At least now the old woman would stop her matchmaking schemes. And Veronica could finally drop the exhausting pretense of playing the devoted wife.
Cullen made a sound of agreement.
Neither of them seemed to have anything else to discuss, so they began walking back toward the dining area in uncomfortable silence.
Without warning, someone came barreling around the corner at full speed.
Both Veronica and Cullen instinctively moved aside, but the rushing figure still managed to clip Veronica's shoulder, sending her stumbling backward.
She crashed directly into Cullen's chest.
His arms came up automatically, one hand finding her waist to keep her from falling completely.
The person who had knocked into her called out a hasty apology before disappearing into the restroom.
By the time Veronica processed what had happened, her shoulder was throbbing from the impact. But before she could even think about the pain, she was already trying to extract herself from Cullen's steadying grip.
That was the exact moment Maverick rounded the corner.
His eyes immediately locked onto the scene before him. Veronica pressed against Cullen's chest, his hand still splayed across her waist in what looked like an intimate embrace.
Maverick stopped dead in his tracks. "Well, well."
Cullen immediately released his hold on Veronica.
She quickly stepped sideways, putting obvious distance between them. Without meeting either man's gaze, she turned and walked away with as much dignity as she could manage.
Maverick's eyes tracked her retreating form before sliding back to Cullen's face.
Cullen's expression remained perfectly neutral. "Mr. Harris. Here for the facilities as well?"
Maverick's tone was carefully controlled. "That's right."
Cullen gave a slight nod, offered no further explanation, and calmly walked away.
Watching Cullen's unhurried departure, Maverick felt his jaw tighten. He had never considered the possibility of any relationship between Veronica and Cullen.
Based on everything he knew, their paths had crossed exactly once at the Stellar offices. And even then, they hadn't spoken to each other.
Which made perfect sense. Veronica was just an engineer at a mid-level tech company. Someone in her position would never have cause to interact with a man of Cullen's stature in the business world.
There had been that charity gala, of course.
But Cullen had only approached Veronica that night because of his connection to Niall, hadn't he?
Beyond those two incidents, there should have been no reason for them to know each other at all.
So what exactly had he just witnessed in that hallway?