Veronica, Dario, and Vincent, Stellar's general manager, maintained a private group chat where they occasionally shared company insights.

Today's events at Stellar had been particularly noteworthy, prompting Vincent to unleash his inner gossip enthusiast by sharing detailed updates with them.

Neither Veronica nor Dario cared much about Niall's growing fan club or how many admirers were falling over themselves for her attention. Such trivial matters hardly registered on their radar.

However, when Vincent messaged them again that afternoon, something caught Veronica's attention.

"Mr. Dennis's daughter made a surprise visit to see Ms. Crystal today," Vincent wrote. "Remember how Ms. Crystal claimed to have a wonderful relationship with Mr. Dennis's daughter? Many of us were skeptical, to be honest. But after witnessing their interaction today, I can confirm—Mr. Dennis's daughter absolutely adores her."

Veronica's fingers froze mid-type above her keyboard. The sudden halt wasn't from jealousy over Sabrina's attachment to Niall. Rather, a stark realization hit her—if word about Niall and Sabrina's close relationship continued to spread, it would inevitably reach her uncle and grandmother.

Though she had always known this day would eventually arrive, the reality of its imminence struck her differently now.

Dario observed the subtle shift in her expression and immediately deduced her concerns.

With a dismissive sound, he remarked, "Sabrina's name carries weight solely because Cullen himself holds significant influence in society. But Niall? Who does she think she is? She's merely riding Cullen's coattails. Outside Stellar's gossip mill and her circle of admirers, who in the upper echelons actually gives a damn about her relationship with his daughter?"

Then, as if struck by a thought, Dario gave a sardonic laugh.

"Now imagine if people discovered that you studied under Malcolm, that the Echo system and our company's two groundbreaking recent projects were your creations, and that you're actually Cullen's daughter's biological mother—that would be news worthy of turning the social circuit upside down. As for Niall playing stepmother? Utterly insignificant!"

Veronica maintained her composure, though a shadow crossed her features.

After a thoughtful pause, she said, "Uncle Phillip and Granny have likely already pieced together that Sabrina and Niall have grown close."

They probably avoided mentioning it to spare her feelings—opting instead to maintain a facade of ignorance.

Dario nodded in agreement. He offered a reassuring touch on her shoulder.

"It's actually beneficial that they've had time to mentally prepare," he said. "Their silence speaks volumes—it shows that in their hearts, you take precedence over Sabrina. Your well-being matters most to them."

Veronica's lips curved into a small smile. "Yes, I understand that."

This train of thought naturally led her to consider the status of her divorce from Cullen.

Truthfully, when she had signed the divorce papers Cullen had presented, she had expected a swift conclusion to their marriage.

The months of delay had caught her by surprise.

She had inquired with Cullen multiple times about the progress, and each time he had assured her it would be finalized soon. Yet here they were, still technically married.

Since Cullen had appeared more eager for the divorce than she was, Veronica had simply waited for his notification without applying additional pressure. But now, considering the circumstances...

With this in mind, she placed a call to Leon, who had been handling the legal aspects of her divorce.

Leon had been dutifully following up on the divorce proceedings weekly. Upon hearing her inquiry, he replied, "I have a scheduled call with Mr. Dennis's attorney tomorrow. I'll update you immediately after our discussion."

"Thank you," Veronica said, then added with quiet determination, "If they continue to be vague or evasive, inform their lawyer that I'm willing to walk away empty-handed."

Her voice remained steady as she continued, "I don't want anything Cullen has provided me. He can draft a new divorce agreement as soon as possible, and I'll sign it without hesitation."

The weight of her decision hung in the air, but Veronica felt lighter for having made it. Whatever happened next, she was ready to move forward—with or without Cullen's cooperation.