?


    "Mr. Hackett, I look forward to working with you," Tom said.


    After finishing their conversation, Gabriel left first.


    Over half an hour passed before Tom finally stepped out of the private room.


    Turning a corner, he bumped into Brandon and Vrie.


    Brandon had his arm around Vrie''s shoulder, and both of them were smiling.


    When they saw Tom, their smiles faltered.


    Vrie averted her gaze, pretending not to see him, while Brandon''s expression cooled. He greeted, "Mr. Genge, fancy seeing you here. What a coincidence."


    "Indeed," Tom replied with a slight smile.


    His gaze lingered on Vrie''s indifferent profile, a mix of frustration and longing flickering in his eyes. At his sides, his hands slowly clenched into fists.


    There was a time when Vrie''s eyes had been filled with him, her heart wholly his.


    Now, she wore that detached expression whenever she saw him. Watching her smile sweetly at another man while sparing him not even a nce felt like being pierced repeatedly by needles.


    Noticing Tom''s gaze, Vrie frowned and stepped back deliberately, hiding behind Brandon.


    "Brandon, we should go, or we''ll bete," she said, her voice calm but firm.


    Brandon nodded. He had ns to meet friends and had decided to formally introduce Vrie to them.


    "Alright," he said gently, then turned to Tom. His tone was polite but distant. "Mr. Genge, we have ns, so we''ll take our leave. Please excuse us."


    If not for the coboration between the Sumner and Genge Groups, Brandon wouldn''t have bothered with pleasantries.


    In fact, he had been contemting severing ties with the Genge Group entirely. With so manypanies in Saintornia, continuing this partnership seemed unnecessary.


    "Sure," Tom replied, his voice calm but his eyes darkening.


    Tom watched as they walked away, his gaze filled with shadows and obsession.


    Vrie didn''t look back—not even once. It was as though she didn''t care anymore, as though she didn''t need him anymore.


    Memories of their sweet moments together surged through his mind, each one cutting into him like a dull knife, the pain suffocating and unrelenting.


    Meanwhile, Brandon led Vrie into a private room where four people were already seated-three men and one woman. They were Brandon''s childhood friends.


    One by one, they introduced themselves.


    The steady-looking man on the far left was Yale Radford. Next to him was Jayden Gilmour, sporting a mischievous grin. Beside Jayden sat Michette Snowden, and on the far right was the aloof Nn Lowe.


    On their way over, Brandon had already told Vrie about his closest childhood friends and their unbreakable bond.


    With a warm smile, Vrie introduced herself gracefully, "Hello, everyone. I''m Vrie Weir."


    "Vrie, we''ve heard so much about you! It''s great to finally meet you. You''re just as beautiful as the photos," Michelle said with enthusiasm. Ever since Brandon had fallen head over heels for Vrie, his friends had heard plenty about her.


    Initially, they had assumed his


    interest would fade due to their six-year age gap. To their surprise, he had pursued her relentlessly for years-and finally seeded.


    UMS


    "Thank you," Vrie replied, her tone modest but sincere.


    She sat beside Brandon.


    When Brandon noticed her drink was chilled, his brows furrowed. Without hesitation, he called over a server to rece it with a room-temperature


    one.


    A flicker of amusement crossed


    Michelle''s face as she teased, "Brandon, you''ve changed! You never used to be this considerate. I guess having a girlfriend really makes a difference."


    Vrie lowered her gaze, the faintest smile curving her lips.