Chapter 268 Seeing Once Is Better Than Hearing a Hundred Times

Chapter 268 Seeing Once Is Better Than Hearing a Hundred Times

Only Vincent could get away with this.

If it were any other less accomplished son-in-law, Mark Lindsay would have stormed over and confronted him by now!

What's more, they all knew Vanessa had been trying to reach Vincent lately, but he'd been too busy with work to meet her.

He barely even made video calls anymore, and rarely checked in with the Drake family.

If things kept going like this, it would be extremely disadvantageous for them!

How could Vanessa not know all this?

In truth, she was even more anxious than her parents.

After Daisy returned to the company, she stayed busy for several days. Noah had just closed a major deal that also required her technical expertise.

The client had specifically requested her involvement.

That afternoon, she and Noah went to lunch with the client.

They'd barely sat down when the door opened to reveal an unexpected figure.

Vincent.

He didn't seem surprised to see them, merely nodding slightly in acknowledgment.

Ms. Tena, their client, unaware of their complicated history, made introductions. "This is Mr. Black. He heard about our lunch meeting and decided to join us. You don't mind, do you?"

Noah glanced at Daisy.

"Not at all," Daisy said evenly.

Noah usually avoided this kind of social obligation.

But seeing Vincent here, he knew there'd be no escaping today.

So when Vincent moved to sit beside Daisy, Noah spoke up quickly. "I'll take this seat!"

Vincent said nothing, settling into the chair beside him instead.

This put Noah squarely between Daisy and Vincent.

Ms. Tena sat alone across from them. Daisy smiled and switched seats to sit beside her.

Ms. Tena's awkwardness dissolved before it could fully form, and her mood brightened considerably.

Only then did Vincent seem to notice Noah, studying him for a moment.

Noah introduced himself openly. "I'm Noah Monroe. Mr. Black, we've actually met before."

The conversation that followed centered on the collaboration details.

During the discussion, Noah learned that Black Group was actually involved in this project—and had specifically recommended Daisy.

Midway through, Daisy excused herself to the restroom. When she emerged, she found Noah waiting outside.

Seeing her, he couldn't help but speak. "Well, seeing is believing. Now I understand why you divorced Vincent!"

"Why?" Daisy was genuinely curious what this genius had figured out.

Sometimes an outsider could see things more clearly than someone caught in the middle.

"This whole collaboration was obviously his scheme," Noah said. "Otherwise, how could Black Group's involvement have been hidden? If we'd known he was part of this, we definitely would have asked your opinion first!"

Beyond feeling manipulated by Vincent, he also worried Daisy might misunderstand. He paused, then added, "I wasn't working with him to deceive you."

"I know." Daisy hadn't thought that at all, but seeing his concern warmed her heart slightly.

In the business world, genuine human consideration beyond profit margins was truly rare.

Seeing her trust in him, Noah found Vincent's manipulations even more calculating and repulsive.

Daisy smiled silently and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "It's fine. We're already divorced."

"If you weren't divorced, I might think he was pursuing you. But he's living with Vanessa now and still pulling stunts like this—what's that about?"

Noah, unusually talkative, continued, "I'm not trying to poison the well here, just warning you—at this rate, even if he marries Vanessa, she'll still be jealous of you."

Daisy froze.

She'd always assumed Vanessa targeted her out of resentment for taking her place. She'd never considered that Vincent might be handling things poorly too.

But...

"If she really wants to hurt me, she'll act regardless of what Vincent does or doesn't do. After all, considering her past methods..." Daisy trailed off thoughtfully.

Vanessa's hatred was real enough, but the specific tactics she employed reflected her own character.

Noah remained stubborn. "Vanessa's terrible, but Vincent's no saint either. Birds of a feather flock together!"

Just as he finished speaking, they turned to leave—and came face to face with Ms. Tena and Vincent.

The four of them stared at each other in profound awkwardness.

After the meeting concluded, Ms. Tena was convinced the deal would fall through.

That brief exchange had contained volumes of information.

Vincent and Daisy had been married, then divorced. Vanessa was the other woman who'd succeeded in replacing her, and had even harmed Daisy.

Vincent was extending an olive branch to Daisy, but had inadvertently overheard them badmouthing him.

Mr. Black wasn't known for his patience, so Ms. Tena's expression soured.

However, over the following days, the collaboration proceeded normally. This left him somewhat baffled, though he vaguely suspected Mr. Black knew he was in the wrong.

Otherwise, how could he swallow such an insult?

Divorcing an accomplished ex-wife to be with a beautiful homewrecker wasn't uncommon in their circles. As long as it didn't affect business, he'd pretend he'd seen and heard nothing.

After several days without seeing Vincent, Vanessa finally appeared at the executive office door.

Assistant Tyler said, "I'm sorry, Lady Vanessa. The CEO isn't in."

Tyler had always used this form of address, but today it grated on Vanessa's nerves.

Seeing her distress, Tyler made her some tea.

"What has Vincent been doing lately?" Vanessa asked.

Tyler considered Vincent's recent schedule and understood the source of Vanessa's anxiety.

But Vincent didn't sign his paycheck, so he simply said, "Working on various projects."

"Too busy to even see me? Too busy to come home?" Vanessa pressed.

"Director Drake, I'm just an assistant. I don't have the authority to discuss the CEO's personal affairs," Tyler replied.

"Oh, so now you're calling me by my title!" Vanessa's chest heaved, but she couldn't do anything about it.

Could she really complain about Tyler's attitude?

Tyler watched her retreating figure with some helplessness. Of course he knew this would offend Vanessa.

But he worked for Vincent. Without Vincent's permission, he couldn't share certain information with her.

His previous friendliness toward Vanessa had only existed because Vincent had tacitly approved it.

The weekend arrived, and Daisy took Luna shopping with Felix.

She'd discussed with her family and Felix how to tell Luna about the divorce, but they still hadn't found a perfect approach.

Felix had volunteered to get closer to Luna first, making it easier for her to accept her mother having a new boyfriend eventually.

Daisy agreed. She didn't want Luna to lack a father figure, but Vincent's recent excessive attention concerned her. She didn't want Vincent to occupy too large a place in Luna's life.