Clare slid her fingers across her neckline with confidence radiating in her eyes.
When it comes to the parties, all she needed to do was dress up.
Meanwhile, Veronica received a call from Tom while he was at the TV station.
Tom happily told Veronica to attend the banquet that was held by him. He also told Veronica that the address was just before the hotel where they met for the first time.
Veronica felt that the last meal she and Tom ate was too simple and this party was too sudden. Tom only told her that they’d throw a party because she meant a lot to them.
That sentence alone almost made Veronica laugh as soon as Tom mentioned that She and Nick could sign the contract on the exact same day.
It was obviously a lie, Veronica thought.
Veronica could actually care less about them. However, she had to give Tom the credit for being a liar.
For Veronica, this was just the beginning.
After Tom told Veronica what needed to be told, he also decided to invite Nick and their children to the party. This confirmed Veronica’s suspicion and that the party wasn’t for her, but for Nick.
Veronica went to the hotel at 7 o’clock in the evening.
As soon as she arrived at the door, she saw Tom, talking on the phone while walking out of the hotel. However, when he saw Veronica, he immediately strode toward her. “I was just about to call you. Why are you so late?”
“I got busy.” Veronica said with an emotionless expression on her face.
Tom looked behind her, “Did you come alone?”
Veronica knew what he meant and she wasn’t about to back down. “Nick can’t come. Besides, It’s inconvenient for the children to come out at night.”
Tom tried to look unaffected, but Veronica already saw through his act and he looked utterly disappointed. “That’s too bad, I wanted to see my grandchildren. Anyway, we can all meet next time. Come in first.”
Tom and Veronica then entered the hall.
There seemed to be more people inside and it was most likely caused by Sarah.
As soon as Sarah saw both Tom and Veronica, she came over and politely greeted them as if nothing had happened between them.
“Actually, Veronica came alone. She said Nick couldn’t make it and it was too inconvenient for the children to come out at night” Tom told Sarah, who also seemed to try and hide her disappointment.
Veronica simply ignored Sarah and took a glance at Tom. “You said I was going to sign a shareholding contract today?” Veronica Parker doesn’t talk to them.
“Oh, right! Let’s go to the lounge.” Tom said as he smiled at Veronica.
When Veronica arrived at the lounge, she took the contract handed over by Tom. She turned a few pages and looked at him. “A bit of our share can be exchanged for the development rights in the southwest.”
“When I buy shares, I’ll be sure to mention it to Nick. I won’t let you down.” She added.
With that, she signed the contract.
As soon as Veronica was finished, the longue door was opened by a classy-looking man who wore a fancy suit with unruly hair. The man then sat down on the sofa and looked at Veronica. “So you’re the girl father abandoned?”
“What are you talking about, Elton?” Sarah told her son as she followed behind him, pretending to not know anything.
The man leaned against the side of the sofa and didn’t say a word as he looked at Veronica with a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Veronica’s eyes drooped slightly as she looked at the man from head to toe. Her eyes then fell on the ring that the man played with his fingers.
“Don’t mind him, Veronica. he doesn’t mean anything. That’s my son, Elton Parker.” Tom said as he introduced his arrogant son.
“I remember you had a daughter.” Veronica told him.
“Yes, but Clare hasn’t arrived yet. She’ll be able to greet you soon.” Tom told her with a smile. “Contract has been signed, so let’s go out first!”
Veronica simply nodded and then proceeded to follow behind Tom. When Sarah saw that the coast was clear, she calls Clare and tells her that Nick isn’t coming.
“I won’t go to the party until he comes. What if Nick actually does show up? If that happens, I’ll come out and greet him.” Clare says, smiling from ear to ear. She felt giddy just by the thought of seeing Nick.
“If she shows up, then things are going to get exciting.” Sarah tells her daughter with a smile on her face. She then proudly hung up the call and hit Elton with her hand.
“What the heck are you doing? Don’t show it on your face if you’re not happy!”
“I’m not interested in talking to you, Mom. I’ll go now. ” Elton told Sarah as he got up and left.
Sarah didn’t stop it her son from walking away. That was his own problem so she had nothing to with it anyway. Although, she still didn’t know if Nick will be able to show up.
After Veronica Parker went out, she knew that she had to go back.
“Why are you leaving? You can’t just sign the contract, you know? There are a lot of my friends here. Why don’t you go and meet them?” Tom asked.
“No, I have work to do.” Veronica said as she tried to go straight to the exit. However, just as she was going to leave, there was a sudden uproar at the entrance of the banquet hall.
She froze when she saw who caused the uproar.
It was Nick, with his demeanor still as dominant as ever. His aura almost immediately covered the entire banquet hall, that made people feel a daunting sense of pressure.
Tom and Sarah hadn’t expected Nick’s arrival at all and they suppressed their feelings so it wouldn’t be blatantly obvious since Veronica was around. But when Sarah noticed Nick had actually come, she secretly took out her phone and sent a text to Clare.
Nick ignored the other people that were looking at him and his eyes fell directly on Veronica.
Veronica looked away guiltily. she just came to sign a contract, but she never expected that Nick would actually come either. Everyone could see that Nick had a lingering sense of desire for Veronica and that made Veronica hard to breath.
Tom, as the organizer of the banquet, immediately came toward Nick. “Mr. Cage, didn’t expect you to come!” He said happily.
“Veronica said that you didn’t couldn’t come, but since you’re here now, that makes everything better!” Tom added.
The Sarah also strode next to Tom and gave Nick her best smile. “Yes! It’s such an honor to meet you in person.”
Nick’s dark eyes then looked at Veronica who wasn’t far away from his line of sight.
Veronica was uncomfortable as soon as she felt Nick’s piercing gaze. She told Tom that Nick couldn’t come, which meant that he mentioned it to Nick. However, that remark was just used to tease Tom and his family.
Nick tried to analyze the situation as logically as he could and he found out that Veronica hadn’t told Tom that he’d actually come to the banquet, which meant that she lied to Tom.
Nick almost sighed and shook his head. He couldn’t believe that Veronica would lie to them at this point.
He then remembered the disagreement between him and Tom.
Just as Veronica began to look down on the floor, she heard Nick’s low, audible voice. “I wanted to surprise her.”
Veronica looked at Nick in a daze, staring at his eyes.
She had to admit, it was a crappy lie, but that made her heart warm as much as her cheeks.
“Besides, you can’t blame her.” Nick said as he stood up straight.
Tom and Sarah simply looked at Nick, feeling a kind of pressure they’ve never felt before.
“I suppose it’s not Veronica’s fault. It’s just that we hadn’t expected it” Tom told Nick nervously, adjusting his glasses in the process.
“Right.” Nick withdrew his eyes from Veronica and looked at Tom, who was obviously nervous at this point. “Call Veronica by her full name. I’m not used to it.”
Tom suppressed his inner panic and wanted to explain that he used to call Veronica the same way he addressed her right now, but he had second thoughts. Nick might have known what he had done to Veronica. Otherwise, Nick wouldn’t have given him such a big gift in the first place. In Tom’s point of view, It was better not to mention anything about it.
“Yes, I understand. I made a lot of mistakes, so I wanted to make it up for her. That’s why if anyone dares to hurt her again, I’ll never spare them!”
“Seems like the gift I gave you is still of some use.” Nick said as he took a glance at Veronica again.
“Thank you so much for that, Mr. Cage.” Tom said as he bowed his head as a sign of respect.
Sarah then thought about what they were talking about. Tom hadn’t mentioned anything to her about a ‘gift’.