Cullen managed several business ventures across the city, which kept his schedule packed with meetings and travel.
When business obligations pulled him away for the next two days, Sabrina found herself alone in the sprawling house with only the staff for company. The silence grew unbearable, prompting her to reach out to Veronica once again.
After keeping herself busy for forty-eight hours, Veronica had managed to push aside the uncomfortable memories from their last encounter. When her phone buzzed with Sabrina's incoming call, she didn't hesitate to pick up.
"Mom, I miss you so much. When will you come back home?"
The moment Veronica learned Cullen was still traveling, she made her decision. She drove back to the house immediately after finishing her work that evening.
Sabrina's face lit up the instant Veronica walked through the front door. The girl practically bounced off the furniture, wrapping her arms around Veronica while launching into an animated recap of everything that had happened during her absence. She chattered about funny incidents at school, described a new mobile game that had captured her attention completely, and begged Veronica to let her demonstrate how to play it.
Veronica had always maintained one simple rule with Sabrina: as long as homework came first, she would participate in whatever activities the girl enjoyed, provided they weren't dangerous or inappropriate.
After observing Sabrina navigate through the game twice, Veronica joined her as a teammate. They spent more than an hour strategizing and competing together.
The evening energized Sabrina so much that when bedtime arrived, she refused to let Veronica leave. She pleaded for Veronica to spend the night in her room instead of returning to the master suite.
Since Veronica preferred avoiding the master bedroom anyway, she readily agreed to the arrangement.
Thursday evening brought the familiar sounds of cooking as Veronica prepared dinner in the kitchen. She had just switched off the exhaust fan and gathered the serving dishes when Sabrina's excited voice carried in from the main living area.
"Dad! You made it back!"
A familiar deep voice responded from the entryway. "Yes. Did you have dinner already?"
"We were waiting for you! Mom just finished everything." "I see."
Veronica's hands tightened slightly around the serving plates. She took a steadying breath before walking out of the kitchen. At the same moment, Sabrina and Cullen entered from the opposite direction.
"Mom, look who's home!"
Veronica's eyes met Cullen's briefly before she deliberately shifted her gaze elsewhere. "I noticed."
She removed her cooking apron and passed it to Carlos, then settled into her customary chair at the dining table. Sabrina bounced into the seat beside her while Cullen took his place across from them.
While enjoying the meal Veronica had prepared, Sabrina looked curiously at her father. "I thought your meetings would keep you away until tomorrow?"
"The negotiations concluded earlier than anticipated, so I decided to return tonight." "That's great!"
The Dennis household had never imposed strict silence during meals. Sabrina loved filling the air with conversation, and despite Cullen's naturally reserved personality, he consistently engaged with her questions and stories.
Tonight followed the same pattern, with Sabrina chattering enthusiastically while Cullen offered appropriate responses. However, after several minutes, she noticed something unusual.
"Mom, you're being really quiet tonight. Is everything okay?"
Veronica managed a gentle smile. "I enjoy listening to your stories, sweetheart."
Carlos had also picked up on the shift in dynamics around the table.
Typically, Veronica maintained careful boundaries about engaging Cullen in lengthy conversations, worried about overstepping or irritating him. Nevertheless, she always made polite inquiries about his trips and offered basic courtesies when he returned home.
This evening presented a stark contrast. Veronica hadn't addressed Cullen directly even once, and she seemed determined to avoid making eye contact with him entirely.
Cullen appeared completely unbothered by her distant behavior, maintaining his usual composed demeanor throughout the meal.
His phone interrupted the dinner conversation with an incoming call. The display showed Cook's name.
"Heading out of town again already?"
"Actually, I just returned."
Cullen activated the speaker function and set the device beside his plate, continuing to eat while he talked. "What's the occasion for calling tonight?"
Cook's warm laughter came through clearly. "I realized it's been two weeks since I've spent time with Veronica and Sabrina. The temperature's been dropping lately, so I thought we could all visit the hot spring resort tomorrow evening. We can relax in the mineral pools and chase away this autumn chill."
When the call ended, Sabrina clapped her hands together with delight. "Hot springs! I can't wait!"
Cullen directed his attention toward Veronica. "I'll arrange for a driver to collect you after work tomorrow."
Veronica kept her focus on her plate. "I'll drive myself there when I finish at the office."