Outside Sabrina's school, Veronica heard a cheerful voice calling her na. "Ms. Murray."
She turned around and spotted Audrey jogging toward her, her backpack bouncing with each step. "Ms. Murray, my mom made so homade buns for you last night. I went to your place to drop them off, but nobody answered the door, so I had to take them back ho."
Before Veronica could find the right words to respond, Sabrina jumped in without thinking. She had no idea that Veronica had already packed up and left their shared ho. "That can't be right. My mom was definitely ho yesterday evening."
Audrey tilted her head, looking puzzled. "Really? That's weird. Then how co nobody ca to the door when I knocked? Maybe she was sleeping or sothing?"
Veronica felt her stomach tighten. She opened her mouth to explain the situation, but Sabrina's teacher approached them at that exact mont.
"Ms. Murray, could I have a word with you?" Catherine called out.
Veronica nodded. "Of course, Ms. Hudson."
Catherine motioned for both girls to head toward the school building. "Sabrina, Audrey, why don't you two go inside and get ready for class? I need to chat with Ms. Murray about sothing important."
The children obediently walked away, their voices fading as they disappeared through the school entrance.
Once they were alone, Catherine's expression grew more serious. "Ms. Murray, I wanted to ask if you're aware of the parent-child activity we have scheduled for next week?"
Veronica blinked in surprise. "No, I haven't heard anything about it."
The information ca as a complete shock. Sabrina hadn't bothered to ntion any upcoming school events, leaving Veronica completely in the dark about her daughter's activities.
Catherine shifted uncomfortably, her suspicions about the family's dynamics becoming clearer. She had already sensed sothing was off between mother and daughter, but she wanted to hear Veronica's perspective directly.
Veronica kept her response brief and matter-of-fact. "As long as soone shows up to be with her during the activity, that should be sufficient."
Her detached tone confird what Catherine had been observing. The teacher let out a quiet sigh, recognizing that pushing the issue wouldn't help anyone. "Alright, I understand your position."
Veronica thanked her politely and walked away, leaving the school grounds with a heavy feeling in her chest.
When she returned to the DataPulse office, her assistant imdiately approached her with news. "Ms. Murray, Niall and Isaac are here again. They're requesting another eting."
Veronica felt her jaw clench. Their previous encounter with Niall had been purely coincidental, nothing more than an awkward run-in. Neither she nor Dario had any intention of entering into business dealings with the Crystal family, regardless of what they might be offering.
Dario didn't waste any ti deliberating. He imdiately told his staff to escort the visitors out of the building without ceremony.
Less than an hour later, Dario's phone began ringing. He glanced at the caller identification, then looked over at Veronica with a knowing expression.
Veronica raised her eyes from her computer screen. "Cullen?"
She could already predict exactly why Cullen Dennis would be calling at this particular mont. Rather than engage with the situation, Veronica deliberately ignored the interruption and focused her attention back on her work.
Dario accepted the call. "Mr. Dennis."
Cullen's voice ca through clearly. "Mr. Reid, I was wondering if you might be available to join for dinner this evening?"
Dario wasn't interested in dancing around the real topic. "Mr. Dennis, you're calling on behalf of the Crystal family, aren't you?"
Cullen didn't attempt to deny it. "Yes, that's correct."
Dario let out a dry laugh and spoke with absolute clarity. "Mr. Dennis, let save us both so ti. DataPulse will never, under any circumstances, collaborate with the Crystal family. I trust I don't need to elaborate on the reasons behind this decision."
Before Cullen could attempt to negotiate, Dario continued. "I will say this, though. The proposal your company submitted previously was genuinely impressive. However, if we were to move forward with a partnership, I would have one non-negotiable requirent. You would need to provide an absolute guarantee that no mber of the Crystal family or the Mack family would have any involvent whatsoever in our project."
He paused, letting his words sink in completely. "If you cannot provide that assurance, then we have nothing further to discuss. Mr. Dennis, have I communicated my position clearly enough?"
Cullen's response was imdiate and resigned. "Perfectly clear."
"Excellent. In that case, goodbye, Mr. Dennis." Dario ended the call without waiting for any additional response.
Cullen made no attempt to call back, which told them everything they needed to know about his priorities.
Over the next several days, Dennis Group maintained complete radio silence. It beca increasingly apparent that Cullen was prepared to sacrifice a potentially lucrative business opportunity to maintain his loyalty to Niall and her family's interests.
The situation was exactly as predictable as it was disappointing.
Within a week, industry gossip reached Dario's ears. Dennis Group had announced the formation of a new project developnt team, and both the Crystal and Mack families had been brought on as key partners in the venture.
While losing the chance to work with Dennis Group represented a missed opportunity, Dario knew there were nurous other companies of comparable size and capability in the market. DataPulse's success didn't depend solely on securing Cullen Dennis's partnership, no matter how beneficial it might have been.
The business world was full of alternatives, and Dario had built his company by being adaptable and forward-thinking.
Friday evening arrived with a sense of anticipation. Malcolm was finally returning ho after his extended absence, bringing with him the promise of family ti and a temporary respite from the ongoing professional complications that had been consuming so much of their energy lately.
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