The chatter was sometimes a whisper in Leanne's ears, and at other times, it seemed miles away.
Navigating through the bustling hall of the celebration, Leanne felt her fingertips tingle with nerves as she approached the duo.
Phillip and Chuck were deep in business talk, their conversation lighter and less formal owing to the nature of the event. Chuck had a smile, occasionally taking sips from his wine.
A burst of vibrant color caught Phillip's eye as Leanne approached.
"Hey, Phillip," she greeted.
Phillip nodded, his demeanor calm and collected, showing no hint of his recent heartbreak.
Chuck turned to her, and his smile was unwavering.
Standing at an average height, not too tall but not short, Chuck, nearing fifty, had climbed his way up to be the Deputy Director of VectorVista Bank. Wealth and status were his companions.
Unlike Maddox's stern and imposing presence, Chuck's slightly plump figure and warm smile gave off a vibe of honesty and kindness.
Beauty always pleases the eye, and he looked at Leanne with a soft, amused gaze as Phillip introduced him, "This is the Executive Director of our group, Mr. Chuck."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Chuck," Leanne said.
"And this is Anne, Mrs. Curtis," Phillip continued.
The curve of Chuck's smile remained, though the spark of admiration in his eyes seemed to dim slightly.
The change was minute, almost unnoticeable, but watching him closely, Leanne caught it.
"Ah, Mrs. Curtis," Chuck remarked, his tone polite but reserved, neither overly flattering nor showing undue emotion.
With Phillip present, Leanne felt restrained from inquiring further.
Just then, someone approached Phillip. "Mr. Phillip, Kenneth has arrived."
The elderly gentleman had flown from the Capital City, a gesture of respect toward Maddox. As the eldest son of the Richardson family, Phillip had to play the gracious host. "I'll go and welcome Kenneth," he excused himself, leaving Leanne an opportunity.
Once Phillip was gone, Leanne seized the moment. "I heard you were one of the pioneering tech gurus of Vector Vista and developed the system we use today. Is that right?" The advanced system VectorVista Bank used was a significant chapter in Chuck's career, laying the foundation for his current position.
While it was his crowning achievement, he seemed reluctant to dwell on it, especially in front of Leanne.
"That's an overstatement. I only wrote part of the program. The real pioneers have either retired or moved on, leaving me to take the credit," Chuck modestly replied. "I just got lucky." Usually, Leanne would've responded with a compliment, but she didn't.
"Then you must know my father, Joseph Castillo," she said, cutting to the chase, catching Chuck off guard.
After a moment's pause, Chuck responded, "Of course, I knew him. Mr. Castillo brought me to VectorVista. He was a programming genius who had spearheaded the development of VectorVista's software systems."
"Thanks for remembering my dad," Leanne said. "It seems everyone else has forgotten him."
Chuck's expression turned complex. "How could anyone forget him? Mr. Castillo might have passed away early, but his contributions to VectorVista still play a vital role today. Everyone remembers him."
"But no one ever mentions him," Leanne observed his expression closely. "The criminals who kidnapped us years ago are still at large, and it seems no one cares. If it weren't for my parents' desperate efforts to save me, our whole family would have perished in that factory."
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