If Victoria made even the slightest move, they''d pick up on it in an instant.
She had no desire to invite trouble.
Her expression was cool, giving nothing away-calm, collected, as if none of this mattered.
But beneath the table, where Curtis couldn''t see, her palm had already broken out in a thinyer of sweat.
"Mr. Garcia, if you send Victoria to the tech department, does that mean I won''t see her anymore?"
Ailie was clearly unhappy. She had finally found someone she could actually talk to, and now Victoria, who''d only been in the Investment Department a few days, was about to be transferred elsewhere.
She wasn''t ready to let go.
"You could always go to the tech department too, if you want."
Curtis was only teasing, but Ailie shot him a re.
"Right, and next you''ll be asking a fox to do a tiger''s job. I wouldn''t understand a single line of code over there-don''t torture me."
Programming was not her thing, and Curtis''s joke had gone way too far.
Osborn had been quietly listening to their banter, patiently waiting for over twenty minutes. When it seemed like they''d finally reached some sort of agreement, he cut in coldly.
"Are you all finished? Good, because I''d like a turn now."
Curtis nced at Osborn and didn''t like what he saw: the man kept his gaze fixed on Victoria, sitting closer to her than Curtis would have liked.
"So, Mr. rk, how long have you known our Ms. Turner?"
He was trying to size up thepetition. From the looks of it, Victoria probably had a backup n if she ever got divorced. Considering her talent and looks, Curtis wouldn''t be surprised if there were other suitors hiding in the wings.
"I call her Vicky. How long do you think it''s been?"
Osborn didn''t bother with pleasantries, especially not with any man who could sit down to a meal with Victoria. He didn''t care if Curtis was Victoria''s boss-in fact, technically, as the primary shareholder, he was her boss too.
Osborn turned to Victoria with a kind of sincerity that made the air shift. "Vicky, I really like that scarf you knitted for me. When are you going to make me a sweater? Lyndon and the others are dying of envy."
His voice, low and a little yful, carried a teasing affection. Under the table, Curtis''s fists clenched and then rxed, his eyes drifting to the scarf wrapped around Osborn''s neck.
So, the scarf was Victoria''s handiwork. But Curtis was skeptical-she was always so busy at work, when would she have had time to knit anything for this guy?
Maybe she''d made it during her recent time off. The thought only made Curtis feel
worse.
He''d given her time away to rx, and she''d spent it doting on another man.
Victoria''s lips twitched. "I managed to squeeze in the scarf, but I probably won''t have time for a sweater."
Osborn''s mother, Kimberly, was always digging holes, and Victoria constantly had to fill them in.
It was exhausting. If she''d known, she would have just told him it was store-
bought would''ve saved her this hassle.
Curtis heard Victoria''s admission and felt even more uneasy.
He could barely force down another bite.
Ailie, noticing her boss''s mood sour, quickly tried to smooth things over. "Mr. Garcia, if Vicky''s really going to sign that contract tomorrow, how about I go with her?"
The food at Vertex Dynamics was delicious-better than anything at a five-star restaurant-and she wouldn''t mind another excuse to eat there. As long as she didn''t have to see Violet Marchand again.
But everyone would be at work tomorrow. Violet would definitely be at Quantum Core Technologies.
"You''ll stay at the office. Mr. Langford was clear: Victoria goes alone. If it''s really necessary, go with her myself."
????
Curtis wasn''t budging.
But why had McNeil insisted Victoria go alone in the first ce?
Osborn, frustrated at being ignored again, scoffed. "What kind of contract needs to be signed alone? Is she selling her soul or something? None of you need to go -I''ll go with Vicky. What kind of lousy boss insists on meeting a female employee one-on-one? Sounds fishy to me. I''m going."