Cullen's phone lit up with a call, the screen displaying "Daisy" in bold letters. Veronica caught a glimpse of it before quickly looking away, her heart giving an unexpected twist. Despite her best efforts to convince herself that she had moved on, years of loving someone couldn't be erased so easily. Those two simple words on his screen felt like needles pricking at her eyes.
Cullen noticed her reaction when he glanced up, but without a moment's hesitation, he answered the call right in front of her. "Yes?" His voice was gentle, a tone Veronica hadn't heard directed at her in a long time.
Sabrina perked up immediately, recognizing that particular softness in her father's voice. In her experience, Cullen only spoke that way to one person. "Dad, is that Niall?" she asked excitedly, momentarily forgetting Veronica was sitting right there.
"Yes," Cullen confirmed with casual ease.
Sabrina nearly blurted out that she wanted to speak with Niall too, but the words died on her tongue when she remembered her mother's feelings about the woman. She swallowed her enthusiasm, her bright mood dimming slightly. A thought flashed through her mind: "If only Mom could get along with Niall."
Something in the conversation made Cullen's expression change to one of concern. Without finishing his breakfast, he stood up abruptly, preparing to leave in a hurry.
Sabrina noticed her father's sudden urgency and felt her own worry rising. But with Veronica present, she held back her questions. Her appetite vanished instantly. "Mom, I'm done. Let's go now," she said, rising from her chair.
Veronica observed every shift in Sabrina's demeanor. She knew exactly what was happening—her daughter was anxious to find out what was wrong with Niall. Still, she kept her thoughts to herself.
"You've barely eaten anything. Why don't you take some food for the car?" Veronica suggested.
"I'm not hungry," Sabrina replied, and Veronica didn't push the matter further.
The moment they settled in the car, Sabrina immediately pulled out her phone and sent a message to Niall. Veronica noticed from the corner of her eye but remained silent, focusing on driving instead.
A few minutes later, Sabrina's phone pinged with a reply. Niall had written back, explaining she just had a fever and cold, nothing serious. But even through text, Sabrina could sense something was off. She quickly typed out a response promising to visit after school.
As soon as she sent the message, a pang of guilt struck her. She'd been looking forward to having dinner with her mother tonight—it had been ages since she'd enjoyed Veronica's cooking. But thankfully, she hadn't mentioned these plans yet. Stealing a quick glance at Veronica behind the wheel, Sabrina felt relief when she saw her mother wasn't paying attention to her texting.
When they arrived at school, Sabrina leaned over and gave Veronica a warm embrace. "Mom, I'll go in now."
"Alright," Veronica replied, her tone neutral.
Sabrina missed the coolness in her mother's voice and bounced happily toward the school building.
Shortly after returning to the office, Veronica received a message informing her that the 10:00 AM meeting with Cullen had been postponed until the afternoon due to an "urgent matter." She knew exactly what that urgent matter was—Cullen had rushed off to take care of the ailing Niall.
Veronica's face remained impassive as she returned her attention to her work, methodically completing her tasks without reaction.
Around 2:00 PM, Cullen apparently returned to the office. Bradley announced that the meeting would take place at 3:00 PM and asked Veronica to prepare Cullen's coffee.
When Cullen walked into the conference room, Veronica's fingers halted over her keyboard. He'd changed clothes since morning. The outfit he now wore wasn't what he'd had on at breakfast. He must have gone to Niall's place, and although they might not have done anything inappropriate, the thought of Cullen comforting her, possibly even lying beside her in bed...
Veronica momentarily lost her focus, her mind wandering to places that only brought her pain.
Cullen caught her staring and misinterpreted her gaze, assuming she was making an unwanted display of lingering affection. His eyes turned cold and hard as they met hers.
The contrast between his tenderness toward Niall and the icy impatience he showed her was striking. Veronica clenched her fists under the table, quickly averting her gaze before anyone could notice the hurt in her eyes.
The meeting concluded efficiently, and afterward, Bradley approached Veronica. He informed her that her handover work was nearly complete and that she wouldn't need to come into the office the next day.
"I know," Veronica replied simply.
Even if Bradley hadn't mentioned it, she'd already planned to bring it up after finishing her remaining tasks. It was a relief he had approached her first, sparing her the awkwardness of having to seek him out herself. Her time at the company—and in Cullen's orbit—was coming to an end, and despite everything, a small part of her couldn't help but feel the finality of it all.