So, when faced with Malcolm's cool reception, Niall remained unfazed.
After acknowledging Malcolm with a brief greeting, she turned politely to address the other men in his company. "Good evening, gentlemen," she said with measured cordiality.
She chose to address them collectively rather than individually—a deliberate social tactic. After all, neither Chandler nor the others had made any previous effort to become acquainted with her. Greeting them separately might have seemed presumptuous, even intrusive.
Meanwhile, Finn and Chandler's attention gravitated exclusively toward Veronica.
Like Edric, they had picked up on Veronica's obvious disdain for Isaac and Niall. Finn, in particular, possessed extensive information about Veronica's background and had immediately recognized Isaac and Niall upon their arrival.
When Niall offered her greeting, Finn responded with nothing more than a curt nod before turning back to Malcolm and Veronica. "Let's not linger here in the entrance. We should proceed inside," he suggested, clearly eager to move on.
Malcolm nodded in agreement, and the group turned to enter the restaurant.
Doran paused to address Maverick before following. "Remember to watch your alcohol intake tonight," he cautioned.
"I'll be mindful," Maverick assured him.
Doran said nothing more, simply acknowledging Niall and Isaac with a brief nod before hurrying after Malcolm's group.
Maverick remained behind, noticing that Doran hadn't invited him to join. The unspoken message was clear—whatever discussion was about to take place wasn't meant for his ears.
Yet Maverick couldn't help but wonder: if he wasn't welcome in that conversation, why was Veronica? The thought creased his brow momentarily before he dismissed it, turning his attention back to Niall and Isaac.
"Mr. Crystal, Ms. Crystal—are you also here for a business dinner?" he inquired, shifting to a more pleasant topic.
Niall and Isaac both nodded in affirmation. "Yes. I assume you are as well, Mr. Harris?"
"Indeed I am," Maverick confirmed.
Isaac seized the opportunity to venture into business territory. "We've heard that your company recently launched a new initiative. It's caught our attention. Perhaps we could find some time to discuss potential opportunities—"
The Harris Group had, in fact, begun developing a new project, though it remained in the preliminary planning stages with no finalized details.
Thanks to Cullen's assistance and Isaac's persistent efforts over recent months, the Crystal family business had regained stability. If a suitable opportunity for collaboration presented itself, it wouldn't be unreasonable to consider.
With this in mind, Maverick responded, "We should arrange a meeting in the coming days to explore possibilities."
Throughout their exchange, Maverick's gaze kept returning to Niall. He recalled the forum event, when he'd witnessed Cullen deliberately approaching Veronica. He had considered warning Niall but ultimately decided against it—they weren't close enough to justify such personal intervention.
Furthermore, Niall and Cullen appeared to share a strong connection; she might dismiss any warning from him. Maverick had also heard rumors about Cullen transferring Stellar shares to Niall.
What remained unclear to him was whether Cullen had always intended this transfer or if perhaps Niall had discovered something concerning, and Cullen was offering the shares as compensation.
Maverick's expression carried a certain contemplative quality as he looked at her—as though there were words left unspoken. Niall, noticing this, chose to act as though she hadn't detected his hesitation.
Setting that aside, she remained curious about why Malcolm and his associates had appeared at the restaurant tonight. Yet considering Veronica had been permitted to join them, whatever they planned to discuss likely wasn't particularly confidential or significant.
With this thought, she offered a polite smile and said, "Our business associates have arrived, so we'll head upstairs now."
"My guests have arrived as well. Shall we go up together?" Maverick suggested.
"That would be fine," Niall agreed amiably.