Maynard relayed Victoria’s message to McNeil exactly as she’d said it, and even he couldn’t hide his surprise at how resolute she’d suddenly become.
McNeil listened in stony silence, his face unreadable. He didn’t say a single word.
In the days that followed, Victoria threw herself entirely into the product development at Quantum Core Technologies. She was everywhere—testing, troubleshooting, brainstorming with her team, driving the project forward with relentless energy.
The office buzzed with speculation. Ever since Ms. Turner and Mr. Langford had gone out to sign that big contract, Mr. Langford hadn’t set foot in the company again.
People had wondered if there was something more between Mr. Langford and Ms. Turner, but it turned out they really were all business.
And honestly, everyone could see the truth: Mr. Langford was dating Ms. Marchand, after all. He’d just bought a whole company and gifted it to her. Clearly, his devotion lay with Ms. Marchand. The idea that he’d be interested in Ms. Turner was just wishful thinking.
Curtis was just as quick as everyone else to connect the dots. Any lingering gossip about Victoria and McNeil faded away when McNeil stopped showing up at Quantum Core altogether.
Three days later, Victoria’s newly developed game officially launched. This time, the marketing campaign had started well before the coding even began. The buzz rivaled that of Quantum Core’s last major hit—the racing game that had taken the industry by storm.
Violet called McNeil.
“Who are you sending from Vertex Dynamics to the Quantum Core Technologies press conference?” she asked.
McNeil barely had time to respond before Violet cut him off.
“You’re so busy, why not let me handle it? I was Quantum Core’s former Vice President, after all. Plus, our tech company and Quantum Core are sister companies now, and The Langford Group is already involved with this new game. I’m the logical choice.”
Before McNeil could answer, his secretary knocked on the door.
“Mr. Langford, there’s a legal document that needs your personal signature.”
McNeil frowned, glancing at the envelope.
It was divorce papers from Victoria, filed through the court.
Violet was still waiting for his reply.
McNeil set the envelope down on his desk, his voice flat and hollow. “Do as you like.”
On the other end, Violet sounded positively triumphant, as if she’d just won the lottery.
At nine o’clock sharp, the press conference was already in full swing. Curtis and Victoria sat center-stage, front and center. George and two of the lead engineers flanked them, each beaming with genuine excitement. The seat next to Curtis was conspicuously empty.
Everyone knew that seat was reserved for McNeil.
This launch was a joint venture between The Langford Group and Quantum Core Technologies—a new game following the wild success of their previous racing game. That earlier title had taken the gaming world by storm, was eventually sold to V&S Group, and then relaunched under their banner.
Then The Langford Group acquired V&S Group altogether. The string of moves was clear as day to anyone paying attention.
It was classic corporate maneuvering—a calculated supply squeeze, hyping up demand, then cashing in big time.
But the gamers? They didn’t care about boardroom machinations. All they wanted was to know if the games they loved—and the money they’d spent on in-game currency—would still be there tomorrow.
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