The next morning unfolded like any other weekday. Veronica woke up, went through her morning routine, ate breakfast, and prepared to leave for work. Everything felt routine and predictable.
During her lunch break, her phone buzzed with an incoming call. Sabrina's name appeared on the screen. This was the first time her daughter had contacted her since vanishing from the hot spring retreat without a word of goodbye.
Veronica hesitated for a moment before answering. "Mom..."
"Mm." Veronica kept her tone neutral. "Have you had lunch yet?"
"Just finished eating!"
The enthusiasm in Sabrina's voice was unmistakable. That morning at the hot springs, she had received a call from Niall inviting her to join an impromptu adventure with Cullen. Without hesitation, she had agreed and slipped away while Veronica was distracted elsewhere.
The past few days had been filled with excitement and freedom. They had only returned to the city yesterday afternoon, and Sabrina had spent another night away from home.
This morning, after finally returning to campus, thoughts of Veronica crept into her mind. A twinge of guilt made her wonder if her mother might be upset about her sudden disappearance. That uncertainty prompted her to make this call.
But hearing her mother's casual question about lunch reassured her. Clearly, there was no anger about her impromptu escape. Relief washed over her.
Of course her mom wouldn't be mad! She never stayed angry for long.
However, Sabrina also noticed something different. Her mother no longer called her daily or constantly inquired about her schedule and whereabouts like she used to.
This change actually pleased her. The newfound freedom was exactly what she had been craving.
For her part, Veronica genuinely didn't ask about Sabrina's whereabouts over the past two days. The simple truth was that she no longer felt the need to know every detail of her daughter's life.
After a brief conversation about Sabrina's academic progress, Veronica ended the call.
Back in her office, Dario approached her desk with a question. "Tomorrow is the technology expo. Should we meet here at the company and go together?"
The following morning, not long after Veronica left her house, disaster struck. Her car suddenly sputtered and died, rolling to a stop in the middle of the road. Moments later, the vehicle behind her couldn't brake in time and slammed into her rear bumper, creating a domino effect of collisions.
A cacophony of angry voices erupted from the line of cars now trapped behind the accident.
Since her car was completely immobilized and blocking the flow of traffic, frustrated drivers began honking and shouting complaints.
After offering sincere apologies to everyone affected, she quickly called emergency services and settled in to wait for help.
Unfortunately, resolving this mess would take considerable time, and she had an important expo to attend.
From the sidewalk, a tall figure began walking in her direction.
Veronica glanced up and was surprised to see Marco approaching. What was he doing in this area?
She acknowledged him with a brief, indifferent nod. Not particularly interested in conversation, she dialed Dario to explain her predicament and told the team to proceed without her. She would join them once the situation was resolved.
"Accidents take forever to clear up," Dario pointed out. "By the time you finish dealing with everything, the expo could be completely over."
"Give me a few minutes. I'll reach out to someone who can help expedite things, but it'll probably take at least thirty minutes for them to get to your location."
"That's fine, as long as I don't miss the entire event."
After disconnecting the call, she was about to address the increasingly agitated drivers when Marco spoke up unexpectedly. "I'll arrange for someone to handle this situation for you. Where do you need to be? I can give you a ride."
Veronica stared at him in surprise.
Five minutes later, she found herself sitting in Marco's luxurious car.
They occupied the back seat, maintaining a respectful distance between them, yet the confined space still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
"Thank you for this."
Nothing? Veronica's eyebrows drew together slightly.
In the past, Marco had consistently acted as though she didn't exist.
Their last encounter at the racing track had ended on a distinctly unpleasant note.
Even though their most recent brief meeting had been surprisingly civil, with Marco actually greeting her first, this level of helpfulness was completely unexpected.
Apparently, he had a busy schedule. As soon as the car began moving, his phone started ringing constantly, and he spent the entire journey taking one business call after another.
Actually, Veronica felt grateful for the distraction. They barely knew each other, and sharing such an intimate space with him created an undeniable tension that made her squirm.
Forty minutes later, the vehicle came to a stop at the main entrance of the technology expo.
Veronica stepped out and offered a polite acknowledgment. "Thank you."
Marco simply made a noncommittal sound in response.
After giving him a brief, courteous nod, she turned and walked toward the entrance.
Shortly after her departure, an elegant black luxury sedan pulled up alongside Marco's car.
Niall thought her eyes might be playing tricks on her.
After double-checking the license plate number, she confirmed her suspicions were correct. She approached and tapped on Marco's window.
The tinted glass slowly lowered, and Niall leaned down to peer inside. "Marco, I can't believe it's really you."
She continued with curiosity, "What brings you to this part of town?"
Marco stepped out of his vehicle. "Just gave someone a ride."
At that moment, Isaac and Huxley emerged from their own car. Upon recognizing Marco's identity, they immediately approached with respectful greetings.
Marco acknowledged them with polite nods.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Marco's phone began ringing again.
Since the expo was scheduled to begin shortly, Niall and her companions didn't want to delay and excused themselves.
Meanwhile, at the expo entrance, Veronica successfully located Dario and the rest of her team.
Dario leaned closer and spoke in a low, urgent whisper. "Mr. Blair is attending today's expo as well."
Veronica's eyes widened in shock, her entire body tensing.
Dario raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smirk. "Lucky for you that you found help and made it here on time. If he had discovered you were running late, he would have..."
Veronica immediately understood the implication.
Malcolm Blair had zero tolerance for tardiness, regardless of the circumstances. In his mind, being late demonstrated a fundamental lack of commitment and professionalism.
He had already expressed disapproval when she had gotten married and started a family immediately after completing her bachelor's degree. If she had shown up late today, after finally having the opportunity to work with him again...
She didn't want to imagine the look of disappointment and disdain that would have crossed his face. The mere thought sent an uncomfortable chill down her spine.
"So it's fortunate that you arrived right on schedule."
Veronica exhaled a long breath of relief.