Chapter 127
Curtis had never imagined he’d run into them at a restaurant. The encounter was so awkward that he didn’t know whether to say hello or pretend not to notice, but ignoring them wasn’t an option.
“Mr. Garcia? Ms. Ailie?”
Violet spotted them first, her beautiful face graced with a polite smile, her demeanor poised and serene.
Her eyes landed on Victoria, and she nodded in acknowledgement. “Ms. Turner, you’re here too.”
McNeil’s expression remained blank; he didn’t even spare Victoria a glance.
“Are you here for dinner? Why don’t we join tables?” Curtis offered, though it sounded more out of politeness than genuine enthusiasm.
He added, “I’m not sure Ms. Turner would be comfortable with that.”
Violet looked at Victoria, her words carrying an undercurrent of meaning.
Victoria smiled lightly. “There’s nothing uncomfortable about it. We’re all colleagues here, after all.”
“Glad to hear it.” Violet’s arm remained looped through McNeil’s, and she looked entirely unbothered by the situation.
Ailie clenched her jaw so tightly her teeth nearly ground together. She grabbed Victoria’s arm.
“Excuse us, we need to use the restroom. Victoria, come with me.”
Just seeing that woman made Ailie’s blood boil.
She pulled Victoria into a quiet corner out of sight. “What is wrong with you? Your husband and that woman are flaunting themselves right in front of you. Can’t you say something? Why not just expose them?”
Ailie honestly couldn’t understand Victoria. She was the legitimate wife-she and McNeil had a marriage certificate, and Thorpe was on her side. What was there to be afraid of?
Victoria’s gaze was calm as she looked at her friend. “There’s no point. Right now, McNeil and Violet aren’t breaking any laws. The only relationship that’s ended, at least legally, is the one between me and McNeil.”
Ailie frowned in confusion, not quite grasping what Victoria meant.
Victoria, however, seemed at ease-she had come to terms with everything between herself and McNeil. “We signed the divorce papers. It’s over. Whoever McNeil dates now is none of my business.”
When they returned to the table, Violet sat confidently across from McNeil, showing no hint of embarrassment.
“I ordered some dishes for us,” Violet said, “but I wasn’t sure what you and Ms. Turner might like, so I didn’t order for you.”
Ailie shot her a glare. “That’s fine. What you picked probably isn’t to our taste anyway. I’d rather-“
Curtis quickly cut her off before she could say something inappropriate. “So, McNeil, have you and Ms. Ailie met before?”
McNeil glanced at Ailie, his eyes barely pausing. “No, we haven’t.”
Curtis still felt something was off. His gaze drifted to Victoria. Suddenly, a strange suspicion crept over him; after all, it was Ailie who had recommended Victoria for
a job at the company, and she was clearly protective of her.
But Ailie’s reaction toward McNeil seemed a little too intense. Unless she’d had something going on with him herself… But if not, then-
Curtis looked at Victoria, who sat across from him, beautiful even without makeup, impossible to ignore. A faint realization struck him.
Could it be Victoria who had a past with McNeil?
But she was married-and had a child too.
Maybe it was just a hunch, but Curtis couldn’t help asking, “Ms. Turner, do you and Mr. Langford know each other?”
Was Ailie just trying to help Victoria?
For the first time that evening, there was a real exchange of glances between McNeil and Victoria.
He hadn’t even known Victoria worked at Quantum Core Technologies until she showed up there. She must have planned it all before moving out of the house.
“We don’t know each other,” Victoria replied.
“Never met,” McNeil said, almost simultaneously.
Victoria had already anticipated he would say that, so she was prepared, her heart undisturbed.
Violet sipped her water, a faint smirk playing at her lips.
McNeil’s gaze lingered on Victoria, and then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, he reached out his hand. “Ms. Turner-pleasure to meet you.”