After finalizing the contract termination, Niall immediately reached out to Cullen to update him on the situation.

"During the auction, I made a verbal slip while talking with Rosie, and she caught it immediately," Niall explained. "Plus, Dario has made it abundantly clear he's reluctant to continue any partnership with Stellar."

She sighed before continuing, "Even if I win in court, there's no guarantee that Dario and his family won't create problems down the road. Since they clearly have no interest in working with Stellar anymore, I believe terminating the contract early and seeking new partnerships might actually be a blessing in disguise."

Cullen didn't pry into the specifics of what Niall had said that gave Rosie leverage. Instead, he simply responded, "If you've made your decision, let's proceed with the termination. Do you need financial assistance with the termination fees?"

His offer touched Niall's heart. However, she couldn't ignore the fact that Cullen had already done so much for her family since they moved to Porter. She understood that constantly relying on his help, regardless of her talents or their mutual attraction, might eventually lead to his fatigue.

"No need," she replied firmly. "I can manage this on my own."

"Alright," Cullen acknowledged. Then, shifting to a more practical concern, he added, "Once you've severed ties with DataPulse, you'll need to secure new partnerships quickly. Would you like me to take care of that aspect?"

The recent issues with Veronica and Dario had left Niall feeling down, but Cullen's offer instantly lifted her spirits, filling her heart with warmth and sweetness.

Her voice noticeably softened. "Yes, thank you, Cullen."

When it came to the actual termination process, Dario and Veronica handed everything over to their legal team.

Upon receiving DataPulse's termination terms, Niall's face creased with concern when she saw the fee: over 300 million. Compared to their original agreement, this termination fee seemed excessively high.

"Over 300 million?" Bonnie echoed, mirroring Niall's frown.

Her concern wasn't necessarily about the amount being unreasonable or that Veronica and Dario were making unreasonable demands.

Before Niall's relationship with Cullen began, such an amount would have been catastrophic for their families. But now, in light of everything, the figure seemed less daunting, though still substantial.

After all, Cullen had casually gifted Niall jewelry worth millions, given Sophia a birthday present valued at tens of millions, and presented Penny with a villa exceeding 600 million in value.

He had even entrusted Stellar, a billion-dollar enterprise, to Niall.

Besides these major gifts, he had showered both families with numerous expensive presents.

In comparison, 300 million didn't appear as insurmountable as it once might have.

Both Niall and Penny shared this perspective. However, Sophia and Jade visibly winced at the thought of such a sum.

No matter how you looked at it, 300 million was still a significant amount.

Isaac voiced his practical concern, "We don't have that kind of liquid assets available."

Niall paused, considering this. Indeed, while Cullen had been incredibly generous with gifts, they were exactly that – gifts, not cash. Given the current financial standing of both families, raising 300 million immediately seemed unfeasible.

"Let's combine our resources," Niall suggested pragmatically.

Aurora, feeling the financial pressure, couldn't resist proposing, "Why don't we ask Cullen for help?"

Before Niall could respond, Penny gently intervened, "Aurora, most gifts can be graciously accepted, but directly asking for assistance isn't always appropriate. Constantly seeking help for everything isn't wise. Do you understand?"

Both Penny and Niall had previously discussed the potential consequences of becoming too dependent on Cullen. If they asked for too much, he might eventually grow weary of their constant requests.

Aurora understood the principle, of course. But she also felt the financial pinch acutely. Additionally, this situation had been initiated by her daughter.

Moreover, while 300 million seemed substantial now, once Niall married Cullen, even larger sums like 3 billion or 30 billion would become insignificant in the context of their combined wealth.

Additionally, considering Stellar's promising trajectory, once their autonomous vehicles hit the market, recouping this amount would be relatively straightforward.

With these thoughts in mind, Aurora chose to remain silent.

Though the others didn't vocalize their thoughts, they were wrestling with similar considerations.