Chapter 57 Proud

"I don't have the luxury of wasting time," Veronica replied, her tone sharp but not unkind. 

Her voice carried the authority of someone accustomed to making difficult decisions. 

"As you already know, I have a business to run."

With that, she closed her eyes, her composed demeanor cracking ever so slightly. Riley noticed the brief hesitation, though she hid it well. 

He didn't press her, but his curiosity grew. 

For someone as confident and commanding as Veronica, her sudden vulnerability was intriguing.

Unbeknownst to Riley, this moment carried a weight that Veronica had kept hidden. 

In her more than 400 years of existence in this xianxia world, only one man had ever seen her like this—her late husband. 

Memories of him lingered in the back of her mind, unbidden and unwelcome. 

She closed her eyes tightly, as if to block them out. This was not the time to dwell on the past.