My Coldhearted Husband’s Regret

After watching Marco off, Veronica hurried back upstairs, not allowing herself a backward glance. Marco remained in the doorway, his gaze following her retreating figure for a moment longer than necessary before turning to Stephen Ross, one of the most brilliant engineers at his company.

"I need your help with something," Marco said, his tone casual yet purposeful.

Stephen nodded promptly. "Of course."

"A friend of mine is looking to delve deeply into natural language processing and needs an exceptional mentor..." Marco explained, choosing his words carefully.

Stephen listened attentively, his respect for Marco evident in his immediate agreement. However, after a thoughtful pause, he added, "While I have some knowledge in this field, I should be honest—I don't believe I'm on the same level as Mx. Reid from DataPulse or Ms. Murray, who's been handling our collaboration talks. If your friend wants truly superior guidance, either of them would be a more suitable choice."

Marco couldn't hide his surprise at Stephen's assessment. His own background in finance meant the nuances of artificial intelligence weren't his specialty. But Stephen was undeniably an authority in the field—one of the most respected names in natural language processing across the country. If he weren't, Cullen wouldn't have bypassed both Stellar and Dennis Tech's specialists to request Stephen's assistance specifically.

Stephen had frequently praised Veronica's abilities, but Marco hadn't fully comprehended the depth of her expertise until now. Dario never hesitated to laud Veronica's talents in front of others, and Marco had assumed his praise was colored by personal interest and perhaps some exaggeration. But now...

"Mr. Valerie?" Stephen's voice pulled Marco from his thoughts.

Marco refocused. "Both Mr. Reid and Ms. Murray have had previous disagreements with this friend. It wouldn't be ideal."

"I see," Stephen replied, ending that line of conversation.

Later that evening, when Marco and Stephen arrived at the private lounge, Niall was already waiting for them. She greeted Stephen with impeccable politeness, and after brief pleasantries, steered the conversation toward technical matters with impressive efficiency.

Marco remained largely silent throughout, his mind seemingly elsewhere even as he listened to their exchange.

Noticing his detachment, Niall turned to him. "Finding this dull, aren't you?"

Marco emerged from his thoughts. "I'm fine. Don't let me interrupt your discussion."

Niall took his words at face value, smiling before returning her attention to Stephen. Her genuine eagerness to improve was evident in how seriously she approached the conversation.

Her enthusiasm combined with her humble demeanor made Stephen increasingly willing to assist. After assessing her current understanding, he outlined a structured study approach and briefed her on recent advancements in the field.

Their conversation continued smoothly through dinner, though they only managed to cover fundamental concepts. Niall clearly sought more comprehensive knowledge.

With New Year's Lewis approaching, she sincerely asked Stephen if he would consider mentoring her. Out of respect for Marco, Stephen agreed to allocate half a day from his busy schedule to meet with her again.

Niall expressed her gratitude profusely. After dinner, they saw Stephen off, and once alone, Niall turned to Marco, who had maintained his silence throughout the evening.

"Thank you for arranging this, Marco," she said, her voice warm with appreciation.

His response came flat and emotionless: "Cullen and I grew up together—this is nothing special."

Before she could respond, he added, "It's getting late. You should head home and rest."

"Alright," she conceded. "See you tomorrow then?"

Marco's response was immediate and firm. "I have other commitments tomorrow. Count me out."

The finality in his tone left no room for discussion, creating an invisible barrier between them as the evening drew to a close.