Chapter Seventeen
The top-floor conference room at Hartwell Holdings was quiet.
Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the city skyline, and a long mahogany table sat at the center, lined with executives and legal representatives.
The documents had been reviewed, negotiated, and finalized. All that remained was a signature.
Dennis sat at the head of the table, unreadable as he scanned the final page one last time.
Across from him sat Daniel Heverd—confident, composed, and fully aware of the value of the agreement between them.
The company's legal adviser broke the silence.
"With both parties satisfied with the revised terms, we're ready to proceed."
Dennis picked up his pen.
For a brief moment, his hand paused.
Not because he doubted the contract.
Because a familiar face crossed his mind.
Victoria.
The thought came with an unwelcome tightness in his chest, one he refused to acknowledge for more than a second.
He remembered the day she'd discovered he was investing in Daniel's company.
"If it doesn't sit well with you, I can call off the deal."
She had looked him straight in the eye before answering.
"Don't."
"I don't mix pleasure with work."
He had told himself then that her words were simple, practical. Yet even now, they carried a weight he hadn't quite managed to set down.
The memory vanished as quickly as it came.
Dennis lowered his pen.
His signature flowed smoothly across the paper.
Daniel followed immediately after.
Polite applause filled the room.
"Congratulations, gentlemen," one of the board representatives said with a smile. "This partnership is expected to benefit both companies tremendously."
Copies were exchanged while assistants collected the completed documents.
Daniel rose first and extended his hand.
"Looking forward to working with you, Mr. Hartwell."
Dennis stood and accepted it.
"The feeling is mutual."
The handshake was firm, professional, nothing more.
"I have to admit," Daniel said with a light chuckle, "getting this deal across the finish line deserves a proper celebration."
Dennis raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"My wedding is just around the corner." Daniel smiled. "Perfect timing, if you ask me."
Dennis kept his expression steady, though the word landed with an odd, unwelcome heaviness.
"I heard congratulations are in order."
"Thank you."
Daniel reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out an elegant cream-colored envelope.
"I'd be honored if you attended."
Dennis accepted it with a courteous nod.
"I'll do my best."
"I'm counting on it."
They exchanged another handshake before Daniel excused himself with his legal team.
The room gradually emptied until only Dennis and Mavel remained.
Mavel gathered the remaining files into a leather folder.
"I honestly thought you'd reconsider the partnership, sir."
Dennis looked up.
"Why?"
"Because of Miss Victoria."
Silence lingered for a second.
Dennis buttoned his suit jacket.
"Victoria made something very clear to me."
Mavel waited.
"She doesn't mix business with personal matters."
He picked up the invitation Daniel had left behind and placed it neatly inside his briefcase without opening it.
"I intend to give her the same respect."
The words were measured, but they sat heavier in his chest than he cared to admit. Respect was simple. Distance was simple. It was the part beneath both that remained inconveniently unresolved.
Mavel nodded.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen and let out a quiet chuckle.
"It seems the media has found something more exciting than today's partnership."
Dennis walked toward the glass windows.
"What is it?"
"A wedding."
Mavel turned the phone around.
Every major entertainment page seemed to carry the same headline.
BUSINESS TYCOON DANIEL HEVERD SET TO TIE THE KNOT IN SOCIETY WEDDING OF THE YEAR.
Photos from the couple's engagement shoot had already begun circulating online.
Luxury venues.
Designer outfits.
Exclusive guest lists.
The bride's social media pages were flooded with countdown posts, curated pictures, and endless excitement as the wedding drew closer.
Dennis spared the screen a brief glance before looking away.
He told himself the news meant nothing to him. It should have meant nothing. And yet the image of Victoria seeing it, reading the same headline, seeing Daniel's name beside a wedding announcement stayed with him longer than it should have.
"Celebrity weddings have never interested me."
Mavel smiled faintly.
"I figured as much."
_ _
Across town, Victoria sat in her office, the glow of her screen reflecting in her eyes as she read the headlines. Her face remained cold and unreadable, her expression giving away nothing as she stared at the news about Daniel's wedding and the various congratulatory posts underneath the tweet.
Her fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before she scrolled down.
The comment section was exactly what she expected.
"Congrats to the couple. Stunning "
"Old moeny does it again, the guest list must be insane"
"Engagement dress? Obsessed"
Victoria kept scrolling, her expression unchanged.
Then…
The comments began to shift.
"Wait? He was engaged before right?!"
"To the first fiancé yes!"
"That break up was messy… very messy!"
" poor her honesty"
"He didn't just call it off he ended up with her cousin. Wild"
To say the least he's been cheating with her cousins for so long and even announced it days after the broken engagement. Big families with bigger gossip!"
"And people are acting like this is normally?"
"What can we do other than enjoy the show. I do feel for Victoria tho she didn't deserve all this."
"Well tell that to Mabel supporters. She's clearly the third party but ended up call other this third party"
"Oh please we all know a man's gonna do what he like regardless I envy Mable her wedding is gonna be grand!"
The replies multiplied within seconds.
"Let her have her moment"
"Her moment? She stole someone's fiancé"
"Oh please if Victoria could keep a man Daniel wouldn't have gone to her cousin. She disappeared right after the whole incident never really coming back to clear her name"
"Leave her alone"
Victoria stared at the screen.
Not because the comments hurt, but because strangers, people who knew nothing about her life, had somehow turned one of the darkest moments of her life into entertainment, Speculation, Debates, Trending topics.
She let out a slow breath and exited the page without replying to a single comment.
Some stories were better left untold.
Even if the whole world thought it deserved an ending.