Chapter 176
“Mr. Langford, Ms. Marchand, Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller.”
The moment Mr. Evans spotted the group, his face lit up with delight this was turning out to be quite the rewarding day tagging along with Curtis.
These days, wherever Simms went, Yulia was always by his side. Anyone with half a brain could see what was going on between them. The clever ones, like Mr. Evans, went straight to calling her Mrs. Miller.
Standing nearby, Victoria heard the greeting, and her expression cooled ever so slightly.
Simms, for his part, seemed a bit on edge-especially with Victoria and Violet showing up alongside McNeil at such a public event.
Violet had brought it up several times before, and every time Victoria found out they were back together, it had ended in yet another argument.
“Once Mr. Campbell arrives, McNeil, you’ll need his approval on that drone project from last time. Why don’t you take Violet up front and grab a good seat?”
Simms’s suggestion made Victoria pause.
She remembered Violet pitching a drone project at Quantum Core Technologies, only to have Ailie shoot it down.
So it had been Simms’s idea all along. After years of biding his time in the Turner family, he’d finally outlasted his father-in-law and wife, and now he was chairman of the board.
With that power, he was eager to reinvent the company, steering Golden Era Enterprises into the tech sector, leaving old industries behind-hoping, perhaps, that people would finally forget he’d once been the Turner family’s live-in son-in- law.
Not a bad plan, but Ailie had accidentally thrown a wrench in it. Sometimes, Victoria thought, fate really did have a sense of humor.
Curtis started to lead Victoria toward the front, but Simms intercepted him. “Mr. Garcia, I have a question I’d love your insight on. If you have a moment?” Simms’s status wasn’t quite the same as Mr. Evans’s; Curtis couldn’t exactly refuse. He leaned over to Victoria and spoke in a low voice.
“Stick with Mr. Langford and Ms. Marchand, all right?”
Of course, Victoria had no intention of following McNeil and Violet to the front.
With her status, there was no way she’d be seated among the VIPs.
Nor did she need to be.
She glanced anxiously at her watch-nine o’clock.
She waited a few more minutes, scanning the lobby. Finally, she spotted Yasmine.
“Ms. Turner, I’m so sorry to keep you waiting.”
Traffic had been a nightmare that morning. Despite leaving half an hour early, Yasmine was still late.
“I saved you a seat-third row, left-hand side. Hurry and grab it.”
She’d called in a favor with Stein to have the seat reserved a spot that wouldn’t draw too much attention. But Victoria couldn’t take it herself.
Yasmine nodded. “Thank you.”
With two bodyguards in tow, Yasmine made her way to the seat Victoria had arranged.
The seats directly in front of the podium were filled with all the big names from Starfall City’s business elite.
McNeil and Violet sat in the very center, Curtis a little off to the side. Every chair had its own name card-there were no exceptions.
This year’s tech expo had drawn experts and academics from across the industry, but the biggest draw was Stein, a prominent official from Echo City. Rumor had it he was here as a representative of the military. Any company that managed to impress him could count on powerful support.
Everyone wanted to cozy up to Mr. Campbell-the business equivalent of finding shade under a mighty oak. Curtis’s company, Quantum Core Technologies, had been making headlines for its cutting-edge Al robots, and no one questioned his place among the front-row VIPs.
What surprised everyone, though, was the appearance of a new face: a woman flanked by two tall men in black suits-clearly bodyguards. Unlike the others, there was no name card in front of her seat.
McNeil and Violet both took notice. It was obvious the men were security, but the
woman’s face was hidden, and no one could get a good look at her.
Just then, someone stooped down beside McNeil to whisper in his ear.
“Mr. Langford, Mr. Campbell is resting backstage.”
McNeil nodded slightly and started to rise, but Violet laid her hand gently over his, holding him back.