My Coldhearted Husband’s Regret

Cullen, Nate, and the others froze momentarily when Marco suddenly stood up from his chair.

Cullen noticed the strange expression flickering across Marco's face and leaned forward with concern. "Is everything alright?"

Marco's gaze lingered on Cullen and Niall for a brief moment before he composed himself. "No, it's nothing," he replied, slowly lowering himself back into his seat.

Bonnie hesitated, then attempted to speak. "Marco, I—"

But Marco seemed not to register her words. Instead, he turned toward Cecelia with a warm smile. "Are you thirsty, Cecelia? Would you like some water?"

Cecelia nodded eagerly. "Yes."

She bounded over to Marco, took two quick sips from his glass, then scampered back to resume her animated conversation with Sabrina. They had been excitedly discussing the small toy Sabrina had brought along.

After quenching her thirst, Cecelia reached into her pocket and presented Sabrina with a colorful figurine. "I got this when I went to see a movie during New Year's. I want you to have it."

Sabrina's eyes widened with delight as she accepted the unexpected gift. "You went to the movies during New Year's too?"

"Uh-huh!" Cecelia nodded enthusiastically. "My uncle and aunt took me. After the movie, we played arcade games. My aunt is amazing at them! But my uncle and I had to leave early because we had something else to do."

"Uncle Leo took me to see a movie that morning too," Sabrina said with a hint of wistfulness in her voice. "But he was in a hurry to meet his friends afterward, so we went straight home. I didn't even know they sold figurines there."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Sabrina's face as she realized what she'd missed out on. Then, hearing about Cecelia's aunt's gaming prowess, she added softly, "My mom is really good at games too."

"Then next time, let's bring my aunt and your mom! We can all play together," Cecelia suggested, her face bright with excitement.

As she spoke, she noticed Cullen watching them intently. Sabrina caught his gaze too. "Dad, what is it?"

Cullen's lips curved into a gentle smile. "Nothing, sweetheart. Keep chatting."

"Okay."

After placing their food order, Nate suddenly shifted the conversation. "By the way, Marco, how's your company's partnership with DataPulse progressing? Still going well?"

Marco maintained his composure as he replied, "Pretty good."

Nate raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh? No unexpected issues?"

Niall, who had been deeply engrossed in her book, paused momentarily as her fingers hovered over the page she was about to turn.

Having known each other for years, Marco immediately understood that Nate was tactfully asking whether Veronica had caused any problems or made any mistakes.

He noticed Cullen's gaze shift toward him, clearly interested in his response to the question.

Marco lowered his eyes slightly before answering, "No."

Nate couldn't hide his surprise. "Really? Not even one?"

"Mm."

Niall's lips tightened almost imperceptibly as she turned to the next page of her book.

Cullen silently sipped his tea, his expression unreadable.

Finding the conversation less engaging than expected, Nate soon steered the discussion elsewhere.

Approximately two hours later, after finishing their meal, they all exited the restaurant.

Just as they stepped outside, Veronica and Malcolm's group also descended the stairs, preparing to leave.

Back at home, Veronica immediately immersed herself in the materials Malcolm had provided.

The documents contained comprehensive information about cutting-edge AI development initiatives from countries around the world—essentially, everything included was still in conceptual stages and might never materialize into actual products.

She read for hours on end, so absorbed in the material that she lost all track of time. Night gradually gave way to morning without her even noticing.

It wasn't until the sun had climbed high in the sky that her aunt Poppy gently knocked on her door. "Ver, breakfast is ready."

Veronica responded without looking up from her papers, "Okay, I'll be down soon."

After completing her morning routine of brushing her teeth and taking a quick shower, she reached for her phone and dialed Dario's number.