“I’m full, I’ll leave you to it. Enjoy your meal.”
With graceful poise, Victoria rose from the table and headed upstairs.
Violet’s knuckles were white as she gripped her glass. “There’s no way Curtis would sell the game and then split the profits with Victoria. That’s impossible, isn’t it?”
McNeil, unfazed from start to finish, spoke quietly. “He wants Victoria to stay at the company.”
No one noticed the shadow that flickered in his eyes as he said this—a darkness that seemed to shroud him, his entire presence radiating a chilling, simmering anger.
Simms was visibly frustrated. He’d thought that appealing to Victoria’s emotions or reason would persuade her to help fix the game, but instead he’d lost hundreds of thousands on a worthless investment and walked away empty-handed.
Sensing Simms’ mood souring, Yulia tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Violet, however, couldn’t hide her embarrassment or her disappointment.
“No one wanted things to end up like this,” she said, voice tight. “And it’s not Violet’s fault.”
McNeil broke the tension with his calm, steady tone. “This time, the loss from Golden Era Ventures’ investment is on me.”
His words hung in the air, plunging the room into silence.
Suddenly, a phone rang upstairs. Everyone instinctively paused, listening.
But Victoria had closed her door, so no one heard what she said when she answered.
A few moments later, her phone rang again.
McNeil’s brow furrowed before he could stop himself.
Yulia leaned over to Simms, whispering, “Looks like your daughter’s in high demand tonight.”
Victoria had already declined Osborn’s call five times. When he called a sixth time, she finally picked up.
“Come on, you have to! Tomorrow’s my last test drive. If you’re not there, I just can’t get in the zone,” Osborn pleaded, shamelessly persistent. Victoria let out a sigh, the hint of a smile tugging at her lips—equal parts exasperation and affection.
“You’re not a kid, Osborn. I already went last time. Let Lyndon and the others monitor your car; I can’t get away right now.”
She had a mountain of things to do. Every time Osborn saw her, he acted like a petulant child, and sometimes she wondered if he’d ever really grown up.
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