Marcus pulled out a chair for Victoria with genuine care, then draped her coat over her shoulders.
Victoria had to admit, Marcus was the sort of thoughtful, attentive man women always said they wanted.
The only problem was, he was a friend of McNeil''s—and Victoria had never liked any of McNeil''s friends.
She knew exactly what they whispered about her behind her back.
"Thank you," she said politely, but then put some distance between them.
Marcus had been hoping to use the opportunity of helping her with her coat to slip an arm around her waist, but before he could act, Victoria had already stepped away. He withdrew his hand with practiced ease, offered her a gentlemanly gesture to lead the way, and stayed close by her side as they left.
Meanwhile, at the office, McNeil was deep in the middle of handling some important matters when his phone rang-the preschool was calling.
He frowned slightly as he took the call.
"Hello, is this Gwh''s father? Gwh has been asking me all day to call you. She insists you have to pick her up after school. She even said she doesn''t want to see her mother," the teacher exined, her voice tinged with concern.
Gwh''s moods had been all over the cetely-sometimes she was fine, sometimes she wasn''t, and her homework was hit or miss. The preschool was the best private academy in Starfall City, catering to the city''s elite. When Gwh enrolled, the staff had been specifically instructed tomunicate with the mothers as much as possible, rarely with the fathers.
After all, most fathers'' identities were kept strictly confidential; beyond a phone number and ast name, the teachers usually didn''t know exactly who they were dealing with. Still, everyone understood the fathers were some of the most influential men in Starfall City. The staff worked hard and kept their heads down, enjoying their generous paychecks but never daring to gossip. Say the wrong thing, and that cushy job could disappear overnight.
McNeil remembered Gwh''s call at lunch and herint that Victoria refused to give her the car. Maybe that was what this was about.
"Alright," he replied. "Tell Gwh I''ll pick her up soon."
He hung up, his expression growing colder.
Victoria''s attitude toward Gwh had only gotten worsetely.
He dialed Violet. "I''ll have the driver pick you up from Quantum Core
Technologies. Could you get Gwh from school?"
Gwh liked Violet. McNeil figured she was the only one who could calm the girl down right now.
At Quantum Core, Violet was still in a meeting, nning to put in overtime that evening to clear her workload. McNeil''s call interrupted her ns. Out of his sight, she raised an eyebrow, irritation flickering across her face, though her voice was gentle and sweet.
"Pick up Gwh? Sure. I''ll drop what I''m doing."
After the call ended, Violet allowed herself a small, wry smile.
Just then, a few department heads arrived. She''d called them for a meeting, but now McNeil''s call had upended everything.
"We''ll reschedule for tomorrow afternoon," she said crisply. "Ms. Ailie, have Ms. Turnere to my office."
Unlike Victoria, she didn''t have time to spare. If McNeil was avoiding asking Victoria, it was probably to keep the peace-but Violet figured it would be bettering from her. After all, Gwh was Victoria''s responsibility, not hers. What, was she supposed to take on every duty for Gwh if she ever married McNeil?
Ailie, clutching her meeting notes, nced at a decorative piece nearby. "Ms. Turner''s out."
Violet frowned. "Out? Where?"
Ailie shrugged. "No idea. Didn''t you transfer her to the tech department? If you need her, you should ask them."
She turned on her heel and left. Violet clenched her delicate hand at her side, then connected with the tech department.
"Is Victoria there?"
The tech supervisor sounded confused. "She went over to Vertex Dynamics, I think. This morning she was at The Langford Group, but Mr. Langford wasn''t avable. I''m pretty sure she went back there today."