McNeil still had scores to settle with Victoria, but she couldn''t have cared less.


    "Mr. Langford,pany phones aren''t for personal attacks or private conversations. If you want to talk, let''s do it in front of ourwyers."


    She hung up before he could reply, leaving McNeil so infuriated he hurled his phone against the wall, shattering it.


    Barely a minute passed before Victoria''s office door swung open. Curtis stepped


    in.


    She had expected this, and her expression remained cool and unreadable.


    "Did Mr. Langford send you to find me?"


    Curtis met her gaze, a flicker of respect crossing his face. The more he learned about this woman, the more enigmatic she became-impossible to ignore.


    "I came on my own. If you don''t want to transfer to R&D, you really don''t have to. Honestly, Mr. Langford''s offer isn''t as generous as it seems."


    Curtis doubted McNeil would ever follow through with such a lucrative deal-not because Victoria wasn''t worth it, but because her position didn''t warrant that kind ofpensation. No tycoon likes to feel exploited, and McNeil, a shark in the business world, least of all.


    Curtis''s thoughts drifted. The Langford family''s rise had always seemed to have a hidden mastermind behind it someone even more formidable than McNeil. A


    shadow yer, never seen in public.


    Except, perhaps-


    Curtis caught himself thinking of McNeil''s elusive wife. Could she be the real power behind the curtain? If so, Victoria''s proposal was even less likely to seed.


    Before Victoria could respond, McNeil''s secretary''s office called.


    "Mr. Garcia, Mr. Langford has agreed to all of Ms. Turner''s terms. When would you both be avable toe in and sign the contract?"


    Curtis stared at his phone in disbelief, then looked at Victoria, clearly stunned. "Mr. Garcia?"


    "Mr. Langford wants us at Vertex Dynamics right away. Gather your things-I''ll get the car and wait for you downstairs."


    Curtis left. Victoria took a calm sip of her coffee,pletely unruffled.


    Ailie, her assistant, had overheard. "He agreed?"


    She sounded as astonished as Curtis. Victoria just nodded, faceposed. "I''m heading over now. I''ll be backte."


    Ailie waved her off. "Don''t worry about me. Go."


    By the time Victoria reached the lobby, Curtis was waiting by the car.


    When they stepped into the lobby at Vertex Dynamics, the receptionist spotted them immediately and hurried over.


    "Mr. Garcia, Ms. Turner-Mr. Langford is expecting you. Please follow me."


    She ushered them into the executive elevator. It was Victoria''s first time in McNeil''s private lift; the mirror-polished walls reflected her delicate, striking features, tinged with an icy calm.


    Curtis stayed by her side, quiet and attentive.


    The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. Together, they stepped out to find McNeil waiting in his office, the head of his executive team standing nearby. They were shown to their seats, and the contracts-three copies-were handed over personally to Victoria and Curtis.


    "One for Quantum Core Technologies, one for Vertex Dynamics, and one for you, Ms. Turner. Please review the terms. If everything looks good, we can sign right away."


    McNeil didn''t hesitate this time. Victoria, unhurried, flipped through the contract page by page, eyes sharp.


    Every so often, she paused to question a use. Both Curtis and McNeil were seasoned dealmakers, but McNeil knew better than most-Victoria''s understanding of contracts was razor-sharp. For the past six years, she''d been involved in every major Langford Group negotiation. She could sniff out loopholes and potential liabilities a mile away.


    McNeil smirked. "Ms. Turner, you can trust me-just as I trust you."


    There was an unspoken meaning in his tone, one only Victoria could decipher.


    Curtis, watching her work, was clearly impressed.


    Victoria reviewed every page for almost an hour. The executive assistant shuffled his feet restlessly, but seeing the seriousness on both bosses'' faces, he kept quiet.


    Finally, she closed thest page and looked up. "All right. I''m done. Other than a few ambiguous phrases, there''s nothing major. As agreed-five percentmission. I ept."


    She reached for McNeil''s pen, but as her fingers brushed his, she recoiled as though burned, knocking the pen to the floor.


    McNeil couldn''t resist a jab. "You were so confident negotiating the contract, Ms. Turner-yet now you can barely hold a pen?"


    He bent to pick it up, his eyes meeting hers with a heat only two people with a shared past could understand. A flush crept up Victoria''s cheeks, anger rising in her chest.


    "Mr. Langford, you''re overthinking things. In the future, kindlymunicate through Mr. Garcia. If you bypass him, it only proves the Langford Group''sck of professionalism. Mr. Garcia, Mr. Langford, it''s the end of the workday. I won''t take up any more of your time."