The morning after Cook's fall, relatives began trickling into the hospital. Seraphine and Aila arrived with other family members, all concerned about Cook's condition.
When they discovered Cullen had remained at the hospital through the night, they insisted he return home for some proper rest.
Before departing, Cullen leaned over Cook's bed. "I'll be back tonight to check on you," he said softly.
Cook deliberately turned her face away, refusing to acknowledge him.
Once outside the hospital, Cullen pulled out his phone and made a calculated call. Within an hour, both the Crystal and Mack families received formal notifications that they'd been removed from the collaborative project.
Stunned by this sudden development, they immediately reached out to Niall for answers.
"It was Madam Camacho' decision," Niall explained with a strained voice. "She had a bad fall last night and..."
The abrupt termination left both families reeling with disbelief.
Later, during a private call, Andrew asked Niall directly, "Does this mean Cook is using her injury as leverage? Is she demanding Cullen break things off with you and stay married to Veronica?"
Niall's lips tightened into a thin line. She offered no direct answer before ending the conversation shortly after.
A gentle knock interrupted her thoughts. "Ms. Crystal? The meeting is starting momentarily," announced her assistant through the doorway.
"I'll be right there," Niall replied, setting down her phone.
As she walked down the corridor toward the conference room, she caught sight of Veronica engaged in what appeared to be a serious discussion with Vincent. Niall knew that Stellar and DataPulse's partnership required periodic visits from DataPulse's technical team for system maintenance, but encountering Veronica at Stellar today felt like an unwelcome surprise.
Veronica, sensing someone's gaze upon her, glanced up. Upon recognizing Niall, she immediately averted her eyes and continued her conversation as if she hadn't noticed her at all.
Around ten o'clock, Veronica stepped out of the restroom only to find Cullen leaning against the wall outside, clearly waiting for someone.
She attempted to walk past without acknowledgment, but Cullen spoke before she could escape. "Grandma fell last night. She fractured her upper thigh bone and requires bone replacement surgery."
Veronica froze mid-step, slowly turning to face him.
"She's at Central Memorial, room 507," Cullen continued, his voice softening. "She really hopes you'll visit her."
Veronica remained silent, preparing to leave when Niall suddenly emerged from the restroom. Surprise flashed across her face at the sight of Cullen at Stellar, especially in conversation with Veronica.
Niall stopped abruptly, pressing her lips together in discomfort.
Veronica, uninterested in their awkward triangle, simply turned away and headed back to her work station.
By the time she returned from getting a coffee, both Cullen and Niall had disappeared.
At eleven o'clock, after completing the scheduled maintenance work, Veronica and her DataPulse colleagues packed up their equipment and returned to their own office building.
During lunch, Veronica mentioned Cook's accident to Mary.
"Oh my goodness!" Mary's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "We should visit her at the hospital tonight."
Despite the complicated situation between Veronica and Cullen, Cook had been instrumental in helping the Murray family through their darkest times years ago. Without Cook's generous assistance, the Murray family might never have recovered from their financial crisis.
Mary could never forget that kindness, regardless of current circumstances.
Veronica nodded in agreement. "You're right. We'll go this evening."
That afternoon, Veronica left work early, had a quick dinner at home with Mary, and then they headed to the orthopedic hospital together.
They had barely entered the hospital corridor when a small voice cried out, "Mom!"
Sabrina's face lit up with joy as she spotted Veronica. The little girl rushed forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Veronica's legs, clinging to her as if she hadn't seen her mother in weeks rather than days.