Sabrina paused mid-sentence, suddenly realizing Veronica might be unfamiliar with Cecelia. "Cecelia is my friend," she explained eagerly. "She calls Mr. Valerie her uncle."
Veronica's expression remained neutral as she nodded, her voice soft. "What activities did you do together?"
"We explored this amazing maze!" Sabrina's eyes sparkled with excitement as she shared the highlight of her day.
While Veronica listened with quiet interest, Mary's face gradually hardened into a stern mask. When Cullen had taken Sabrina away, Mary had assumed he would personally look after his daughter. The revelation that Cullen was prioritizing his romantic life with Niall over Sabrina—even preferring to leave her with someone else rather than allowing Veronica to care for her—left a bitter taste in Mary's mouth.
Completely oblivious to her grandmother's darkening mood, Sabrina continued cheerfully, "Mr. Valerie invited me to stay for dinner, but I wanted to come back here, so I called you instead."
"Did you remember to thank him?" Veronica asked gently.
"Yes, I did!" Sabrina beamed with pride at having remembered her manners. Veronica simply nodded, not pressing for additional details.
Since Sabrina had already completed her homework earlier, she remained in the living room with Veronica and Mary after finishing her meal. The atmosphere was comfortable, with the television providing background noise as they settled into the evening routine.
Mary moved closer to Sabrina on the sofa, her voice deliberately casual. "Sa, sweetheart, would you like to stay here at Granny's place for a bit longer?"
Before Veronica could interject, Sabrina immediately brightened. "I'd love to!"
Mary seized the opportunity, her smile widening. "Sa, you just made a promise to me—no taking it back now! You have to stay for at least a week."
"Awesome!" Sabrina exclaimed, while Veronica's forehead creased with subtle concern.
Mary, however, looked thoroughly pleased as she affectionately patted Sabrina's small hand. While Sabrina became absorbed in her handheld game, Mary turned to Veronica with a pointed look.
"There's a clear difference when you've raised a child yourself," she remarked with subtle satisfaction. "See how attached Sa still is to you?" Veronica responded with nothing more than a thin smile.
Moments later, Sabrina scooted closer to Veronica, tugging at her sleeve and asking her to join the game. Veronica studied the child's face carefully before asking, "Are you absolutely certain you want to stay here?"
She couldn't shake the feeling that while Sabrina agreed enthusiastically now, in a few days she might change her mind and want to return to Cullen and Niall's place. The underlying concern in her voice went unnoticed by Sabrina initially.
When understanding finally dawned on the girl two seconds later, she nodded vigorously. "Of course! I promised Granny!" she insisted with the unwavering certainty only children can muster.
Veronica remained quiet, her thoughts hidden behind her composed expression.
Suddenly, Sabrina's eyes widened with realization. "Oh! I forgot to tell Dad about staying here. I should call him right now."
Cullen answered almost immediately, his voice clear through the speaker.
After listening to Sabrina's excited explanation about staying with her grandmother, he simply replied, "Got it. If you need anything at all, just give me a call, and I'll have it sent over right away."
"Okay!" Sabrina replied before hanging up a few seconds later, her expression unchanged.
Mary had initially worried that Cullen might refuse to let Sabrina stay. For a brief moment, she had considered preventing Sabrina from making the call altogether, though she knew such interference would be inappropriate.
Seeing Sabrina's cheerful mood after the conversation, Mary cautiously asked, "So, he agreed?"
"Yeah!" Sabrina replied with enthusiasm before her expression shifted to confusion. "Why wouldn't he?"
She turned to Mary with innocent puzzlement. "Dad is super nice to me. He usually says yes to whatever I want."
Mary found herself momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond to the child's simple trust. Veronica remained silent, choosing not to enter the conversation.
When the evening grew late, Veronica gently guided Sabrina upstairs for her bath, leaving Mary alone with her thoughts about Cullen's parenting and what it meant for their family dynamics.