Where Curtis couldn''t see, McNeil sat looking perfectlyposed, yet his knee kept brushing against Victoria''s beneath the table-sometimes by ident, sometimes not. With Curtis and Paul right there, Victoria knew that moving away too obviously would only draw attention.


    She took the chance, while pretending to look out the window, to shoot McNeil a sharp re.


    It was wasted; McNeil acted as if he hadn''t noticed, even reaching over to squeeze her hand, refusing to let go no matter how she tried.


    Victoria had no choice but to endure it until they finally got out of the car, where she wrenched her hand free atst.


    Curtis led them to a private room; once they''d settled in, a server brought over the menus. Curtis nodded toward the server, "Let thedy order."


    The server understood at once and handed the menu directly to Victoria.


    Curtis had wanted Victoria to sit beside him, but McNeil quickly nudged Paul into that seat.


    "Go on, have a good chat with Mr. Garcia. He''s an expert when ites to business."


    Paul, clearly unhappy, took the seat. That left the spot beside Curtis open, and McNeil took it for himself as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Now, Victoria had to choose: either sit next to Paul or take the seat beside McNeil.


    It was a table for six; technically, Victoria had other options.


    But McNeil looked straight at her. "Sit."


    His voice made it clear he expected to be obeyed, nodding toward the seat at his side.


    Curtis''s heart tightened a little. Victoria was exasperated-was McNeil trying to be this obvious? If Curtis got the wrong idea about her and McNeil, things could getplicated.


    "If Mr. Langford wants you to sit beside him, then do it," Curtis said, breaking the silence. It sounded more like an order from him than a choice.


    At that moment, the door to the private room swung open and Violet walked in. Both McNeil and Paul were caught off guard for a second.


    Paul really couldn''t stand Violet. In his eyes, she was a pale shadowpared to Vivian-unlikely to interest him, and frankly, he didn''t like her much.


    Violet was dressed in her sharp business attire, fresh from the office. When she spotted Victoria sitting next to McNeil, her expression froze for a moment.


    What was Victoria doing here?


    Curtis spoke up, "Ms. Marchand is here because I invited her. McNeil, you two are a couple couldn''t have dinner without both of you."


    He nced at Victoria, watching for any reaction. She kept her face perfectlyposed, betraying nothing.


    "Victoria, why don''t you sit over here?" Paul offered, catching on faster than most. Unlike the others, he knew all about the tangled triangle between Victoria, McNeil, and Violet. He also understood that Curtis and Victoria''s marriage was a well-kept secret; unless McNeil himself decided to make it public, Paul wasn''t about to stir up that ho''s nest. He valued his life far too much to risk angering McNeil.


    Everyone in the Langford and Nelson families and frankly, all of Starfall City- knew about McNeil and Violet.


    Paul seized his chance, beckoning Victoria over.


    McNeil shot Paul a frosty re, full of warning. "Let Ms. Marchand sit with you. Ms. Turner doesn''t need to give up her seat."


    Clearly, McNeil didn''t intend to let Victoria leave his side. Violet''s face tightened, and Paul looked like he''d swallowed a lemon. He nced around, but there really was nowhere else to move.


    Curtis fixed McNeil with a long, searching look, holding his gaze for a full five seconds. Only when the server came in with a pitcher of water did he finally look away.


    Now, with Violet and Victoria seated directly across from one another-and McNeil at Victoria''s side-Violet couldn''t help but notice how well Victoria and McNeil looked together. It stung more than she cared to admit.


    "Victoria, could you rinse the sses for us? Don''t just sit there," Violet said, her tone a little too sharp.


    In the past, whenever Violet and McNeil went out together, she''d always sat next to him. She hadn''t expected Victoria to show up at all tonight.


    But the moment she saw Paul, it clicked: this was the elusive genius thepany kept talking about the one who''d been mentoring Victoria, helping her develop the new game prototype. That must be why Victoria was here tonight.


    With that realization, Violet managed to swallow her jealousy. After all, as the current VP of Quantum Core Technologies and the iing president of V&S Group, she''d be attending plenty of high-profile events. Working closely with McNeil brought her countless opportunities; it would be foolish to let Victoria''s presence get under her skin like some jealous teenager.


    Still, that didn''t mean she could watch the man she wanted sit next to another woman without feeling a thing.


    So she decided to flex her position, hoping to remind Victoria exactly where she stood.


    Victoria didn''t budge. Curtis nced at Violet, sensing she was overstepping. "There are servers here. They can handle the sses. That''s not VP Turner''s job," he said pointedly, making sure everyone heard thest three words.


    A faint, inscrutable smile yed on Violet''s lips. "VP Turner?"


    McNeil echoed the title, his toneced with amusement.


    Curtis nodded calmly. "If Ms. Marchand were to leave Quantum Core Technologies, thepany would lose a key talent. Of course, if she has better opportunities elsewhere, as a colleague and a friend, I''d be happy for her. But Quantum Core Technologies still needs strong leadership to move forward." He looked at the whole table, his tone firm. "Last night, I met with all the department heads. The vote was unanimous-Victoria is to be promoted to Vice President of Quantum Core Technologies. Given her record, I believe she''s more than capable. When Ms. Marchand leaves, VP Turner will step up. Mr. Langford, what do you think of my decision?"