Edric was deep in thought when Maverick's voice pulled him back to their conversation. "Edric, do you know anyone besides your father and my dad who might have Malcolm's contact information?"
"No one else comes to mind," Edric replied. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, he added, "But wait—didn't you mention that Ms. Crystal had met Malcolm before? She probably has his contact details."
"If speaking with Mr. Blair could fix everything, don't you think she would have reached out to him already?"
Maverick sighed. "I considered that too. But given her direct involvement in the situation, it wouldn't really be appropriate for her to contact Mr. Blair just to complain about Dario, unless absolutely necessary."
Edric noticed the consideration in Maverick's tone. It seemed his friend cared for Niall more than he was willing to admit.
"I'll try asking around elsewhere," Maverick finally said, sounding resigned.
"Sounds good," Edric responded.
He knew that Veronica's status as one of Malcolm's students was confidential information. Since it wasn't public knowledge, he didn't feel it was his place to detail with Maverick.
Instead, Edric offered, "I've had a few interactions with Veronica. She doesn't strike me as the type of person you're describing."
He continued carefully, "Are you certain all of this is happening because Veronica feels threatened that Dario might develop feelings for Ms. Crystal? Could there be some misunderstanding here? Maybe you should talk to Ms. Crystal or someone else to get clarity on what actually happened between them."
Maverick's frown deepened. "Are you taking her side now, Edric?"
"I'm just trying to be objective here," Edric defended himself.
But Maverick wasn't convinced. "I don't think there's any misunderstanding. I witnessed everything myself. How could I be wrong? Be careful not to let appearances deceive you."
With a sigh, Maverick concluded, "Let's drop it for now. When you're on break, we should meet up."
Since Edric still had responsibilities to attend to, he didn't press the issue further. He ended the call and hung up.
Outside DataPulse, Niall continued her patient vigil, but Veronica and Dario completely ignored her presence—letting her wait indefinitely.
Yet Niall remained determined to stay put.
However, an important commitment at noon forced her to leave when Dario still hadn't emerged. Over the next two days, her work schedule prevented her from returning to DataPulse.
By Thursday, when she finally found some free time and was planning to visit DataPulse again, an unexpected court summons arrived.
Bonnie exploded with anger upon learning the news. "They've already sent a court summons after just a few days? They're clearly determined to terminate the contract!"
She continued her tirade, "And the court actually accepted this case? All this drama over such a trivial issue—really? What kind of incompetent court system are we dealing with?"
With the case officially filed, they had no choice but to go to trial unless Dario withdrew the lawsuit.
Despite her frustration, even Bonnie recognized that the situation had reached a point of near irreversibility.
Suddenly, Penny spoke up with an idea. "What if we approached the Reid family and told them what's happening?"
They had always assumed that since Veronica had previously been married and had a child, the Reid family would never approve of her relationship with Dario.
This theory seemed validated by the fact that Dario had recently gone on a blind date with a socially compatible elite.
If the Reid family discovered Veronica was using personal vendettas to sabotage Dario's business relationships, they'd likely be furious with her.
Under that kind of family pressure, Dario might be compelled to withdraw the lawsuit.
Niall immediately grasped Penny's strategy and saw its potential.
Besides Dario himself, Niall didn't have connections with any other members of the Reid family. But Cullen did.
With this in mind, she called Cullen immediately.
After hearing her plan, Cullen assured her, "I'll reach out to someone in the Reid family as soon as possible."
Bonnie also endorsed the strategy, her eyes gleaming at the thought of the Reid family becoming angry enough to force Dario to sever ties with Veronica.
Then a question suddenly occurred to her. "Wait, why didn't Cullen suggest approaching the Reid family earlier?"
Niall lowered her gaze thoughtfully. "Well, he and Veronica are still legally married. The Reid family probably knows something about their situation."
She continued softly, "It wouldn't be appropriate for him to address this with them directly. If anyone's going to do it, it should be someone else."
Bonnie pursed her lips. "I suppose that makes sense."