The delivery arrived just under twenty minutes later.
Daniel set the bags on the small dining table, pulling out the containers while Mabel leaned against the counter with her arms crossed, watching him with an amused look.
"Satisfied now?" she asked, stepping over as he handed her a fork.
"Extremely," Daniel said, taking his seat opposite her. "At least now I don't have to worry about you fainting in the middle of an intimate moment."
Mabel rolled her eyes playfully yet a shy smile bloomed on her face, taking a seat she replied . "I had coffee."
"Coffee with milk isn't food, Mabel."
"Whatever you say babe"
For the next ten minutes, the room settled into an easy, comfortable rhythm. They ate without rush, exchanging minor updates, a change in her schedule for the upcoming week, a meeting Daniel had scheduled for the following day in the afternoon, and how fast the remaining weeks before the wedding seemed to be slipping away.
It was normal. It was quiet. It was exactly the kind of unbothered moment Mabel rarely got these days between calls from Ava, press notifications and the preparation for the wedding.
Mabel was taking a slow sip of water when Daniel set his cutlery down. The sound of his fork touching the plate was soft, but the slight shift in his posture caught her attention.
"There's something else I wanted to ask you," he said. His tone was casual, almost offhand, but he didn't immediately look up at her.
Mabel set her glass down, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "What?"
He paused for a brief second, his fingers tapping lightly against the edge of the table before his eyes met hers. "Victoria."
Mabel's hand remained still on the table. She didn't flinch or sit up abruptly, but the relaxed warmth in her shoulders went stiff.
"What about her?" she asked, keeping her voice completely leveled.
"Have you spoken to her recently?"
Mabel studied his face for a moment, taking in the calm, unreadable expression he wore. "No. Why?"
"Just asking."
She gave him a small, knowing look, leaning back slightly against her chair. "You don't usually ask about Victoria for no reason, Daniel and besides, we're aren't really the best of cousins you know, I took what she thought was hers you don't actually think she'll be buddies with you me."
Daniel didn't answer immediately. He leaned back as well, looking out toward the living room for a second before his gaze returned to the table.
"I saw something today," he said quietly.
"What?"
"Nothing important." He reached for his napkin, wiping his fingers. "Forget I brought it up."
Mabel didn't move. She watched him the slight, familiar tightening around his eyes that always appeared whenever he was holding something back.
"Daniel," she said, her voice dropping into a quiet, deliberate tone.
He looked back up at her.
"What did you see?"
Daniel held her gaze for a beat before letting out a quiet breath. "The blogs. I saw a few comments bringing up Victoria's name again under our wedding posts."
Mabel's tension eased, a light, almost amused smile replacing her serious expression. "Is that all?"
"I just wanted to make sure you were fine with it," Daniel said, leaning back in his chair. "Her name being on the guest list. If it makes you uncomfortable in any way, I can easily have it handled. You don't need to feel pressured by the public talking."
Mabel chuckled softly, shaking her head as she picked up her glass. "Daniel, I really don't care."
He raised an eyebrow. "You don't?"
"No," she said simply. "The invitation was sent out of courtesy because of family ties, nothing more. My mother would have a fit if her name was left off the formal list. But let's be honest, knowing Victoria and her attitude, she probably won't even show up anyway. She avoids anything noisy and all, and she won't want to be there after all what happened the last time."
Daniel looked at her, searching her eyes for any trace of lingering annoyance. When he found none, the subtle strain around his mouth finally relaxed.
"If you're sure," he murmured.
"I'm sure babe," Mabel replied, reaching across the table to pat his hand lightly. "Don't stress over old news. We have enough actual wedding details to worry about."
Daniel smiled, turning his hand over to catch her fingers for a quick second before letting go. "Fair enough."
They dropped the subject effortlessly, letting the rest of their meal pass in quiet, easy conversation before settling in for the evening.
….
The heavy glass doors of the Montess building slid open, letting the cool afternoon air hit Dennis as he stepped out into the courtyard. His driver had already pulled the limited edition dark sedan to the curb, holding the rear door open.
Dennis slid into the leather interior, his expression completely closed off.
"The private lounge on Tenth," his head of security, Frank, said from the front passenger seat as the car pulled into traffic. "They arrived twenty minutes ago. Separate cars, separate entrances."
Dennis rested his elbow against the window frame, his fingers lightly resting against his chin. "Are they still inside?"
"Yes, sir. Third floor, private dining room. Our man inside confirmed there are no assistants or third parties present." Frank handed a sleek black tablet back to Dennis.
Dennis tapped the screen. A series of high-resolution surveillance photos appeared. The first showed Sofia stepping out of an unmarked car, wearing dark sunglasses and a muted beige trench coat. The second photo showed the side entrance of the venue five minutes later, a familiar figure stepping through the doorway, adjusting his coat jacket.
His stepbrother. Andrew
Dennis scrolled slowly through the remaining images. There were no dramatic gestures, no loud displays in public. Just two people sitting opposite each other across a dimly lit table in an exclusive venue where discretion was guaranteed.
"We checked the reservation," Frank added quietly. "It wasn't booked under either of their names. It was secured through an off-shore holding firm connected to your father's secondary account."
Dennis's eyes darkened slightly, though his posture remained entirely still.
Sofia on her own was a past mistake he had already cut clean. But Andrew sitting across from Sofia, using family accounts to arrange secret meetings was a clear message. Sofia wasn't just attempting to poke around Victoria's life out of lingering bitterness. She was looking for leverage, and his stepbrother was more than willing to hand her the key if it meant weakening Dennis's hold as acting CEO of Hartwell Holdings.
"Do we need to intervene?" Frank asked, looking at Dennis in the rearview mirror.
"No," Dennis replied smoothly, locking the tablet screen and setting it on the seat beside him. "Intervening now lets them know we're watching. Let them finish their lunch."
He looked out the window as the city skyline brushed past in a blur of glass and steel. His thoughts briefly drifted back to Victoria sitting in her quiet office, surrounded by acquisition files, entirely unaware of the games being played in the shadows around her.
Dennis leaned back against the headrest, his voice dropping into a quiet, icy tone. "Keep eyes on both of them. And make sure the security detail around Victoria doesn't miss a single step. I'll inform Mavel to keep investigating Andrew, it's not a coincidence he has access to my father's secondary accounts, there's somthing deeper going on here."