Ridley completely dismissed Cullen's presence, focusing his attention solely on Veronica instead. "Let's go, Veronica. I'll treat you to lunch."
Veronica gently placed her teacup on the table and rose to her feet with quiet grace. "I'd like that."
Without sparing Cullen even a passing glance, Ridley escorted Veronica out of the room, his posture protective and deliberate.
Cullen remained seated on the couch, an air of practiced nonchalance about him as he continued sipping his tea. He made no move to follow them, nor did he attempt to prevent their departure.
Niall watched their retreating figures with uncertainty clouding her features. "Should we—"
"Let them go," Cullen interjected calmly. "Time will take care of things."
The implication hung in the air—eventually, Ridley would come to terms with reality and gradually accept Niall's place in Cullen's life.
Ridley had been a firsthand witness to the early years of Cullen and Veronica's marriage. He'd observed with growing disappointment how Cullen had shown no genuine affection for Veronica from the beginning. Now, Cullen had clearly moved on, his heart belonging to someone else.
Despite the longstanding respect and cordial relationship Cullen maintained with elder family members like Cook and Ridley, he had never been one to bend to their wishes regarding his personal life. Their disapproval of his relationship with Niall, no matter how strongly expressed, would have little impact on his decisions.
This knowledge only intensified Ridley's frustration, leaving him to silently seethe with no recourse.
At the restaurant, Ridley gently patted Veronica's hand, his eyes reflecting years of unspoken regret. "These past years... what you've endured..." He sighed, unable to complete the thought.
Veronica recognized the sympathy in his voice. She offered him a gentle smile, her composure remarkable given the circumstances. "I've made peace with everything now. My life has taken a new direction, and I'm truly doing well. Please don't worry about me, Mr. Norman."
Ridley's face softened with relief. "Good, that's good to hear."
After their meal, Veronica drove Ridley back to his manor. By then, Cullen and Niall had already departed.
It seemed that after leaving the manor, neither Cullen nor Niall had bothered to check on Sabrina. As Veronica was preparing to leave, her phone lit up with Sabrina's name. She glanced at the screen briefly but chose not to answer, not wanting to navigate that conversation just yet.
That evening, upon returning to the Murray residence for dinner, Veronica noticed an elegant envelope resting on the coffee table.
She picked it up and carefully opened it to find an invitation to Cook's 75th birthday celebration inside.
Though Cook's actual birthday was still some weeks away, there was a story behind the timing. Years ago, a fortune teller had warned Cook against hosting major birthday celebrations for a decade, claiming such events would invite life-threatening calamity.
Cook, taking no chances with such portents, had spent the last ten years marking her birthdays with only simple family gatherings—never anything elaborate or formal.
Now that this supposed dangerous period had passed, Watson, Cullen, and the rest of the family had already begun planning a grand celebration for her this year.
This explained why, despite the event being weeks away, they had already finalized arrangements and begun distributing invitations.
Mary emerged from her room, noticing the invitation in Veronica's hands. "It arrived earlier today," she remarked.
"I see," Veronica acknowledged with a slight nod.
Mary hesitated before adding, "This is her first proper birthday celebration in ten years. Under normal circumstances, we'd be expected to attend regardless, but given the situation..."
The unspoken complication hung between them—attending would mean potentially facing Cullen and Niall together in a public setting.
And truthfully, neither of them particularly wanted to attend.
Veronica understood Mary's concerns perfectly, as she harbored the same reservations.
Cullen had already brought Niall to the family manor. At Cook's birthday celebration, under the matriarch's influence, who could say whether he might attend with Niall openly by his side?
Veronica set the invitation aside, deciding to deal with that decision later.
After enjoying dinner with the Murray family, she returned to her apartment.
Monday morning arrived, and Veronica fell back into her routine at DataPulse.
When immersed in work, time seemed to accelerate—the days blending together until, almost unexpectedly, Thursday had arrived once again.