Darcy spent the entire morning in the meeting room with Cade, reviewing recent project progress. Jax stood by the water cooler, refilling his cup. He glanced back and saw the two figures in the conference room through the glass wall. His expression was one of pure disgust. Carrying his cup back to his desk, he passed the reception area. His eyes flickered to the front desk. There, lying on the surface, was a letter addressed to Darcy. The sender was— The Labor Dispute Arbitration Commission. Jax's eyes instantly lit up. Seeing no one around, he discreetly avoided the security camera's angle and pocketed the letter. He waited until he was safely in the stairwell before daring to tear open the envelope.It was a mediation notice. Ha! I knew there was something off about that woman! Daring to join Stratagem Tech when she's still bound by a non-compete with SummitCore? She's got some serious nerve. He folded the letter, his first impulse to rush straight to the top floor and expose Darcy to Jethro. But then he reconsidered. If he told Jethro now, Jethro would undoubtedly confront Darcy. That would be tipping her off! No. This time, he had to make sure Darcy was gone for good. A sly thought crossed his mind. He tore the letter into tiny pieces and tossed them into the trash chute. If she never received the mediation notice, she couldn't participate in mediation. The other side would be furious, give up on mediation, and proceed directly to a lawsuit.And Darcy's failure to respond would reflect poorly on her with the arbitration panel, prejudicing them in SummitCore's favor. Heh, Darcy. You're finished this time. Returning to the office, he literally bumped into Darcy as she exited the conference room. Jax stiffened instantly, forcing a stiff smile. "Ms. Gale." Watching his hurried retreat, Cade rubbed his chin. "Weird. Smelling a rat. Ms. Gale, you should watch out for him." Speaking of which, Darcy recalled Cindy's whispered suspicions about "coincidences" during their business trip. Yes, how was it possible for both companies to target the exact same client at the exact same time? But that matter wasn't the most pressing right now. Something else was more urgent. Darcy instructed Cade, "The ProsperLink Fund contract is in the finalization stage. Even though we're only responsible for a portion, I've estimated the workload will require seven or eight people. We're clearly understaffed. We need to get Group HR to start recruiting, and I'll need you to assist." Thinking about how she'd been using Cade, a pre-sales manager, as a personal assistant, she felt guilty. "You've been working really hard lately. I've been thinking, I should probably hire a dedicated assistant to help me. You—" Before she could finish, Cade's expression fell. "Ms. Gale... do you think I'm not capable?" "What? Of course not!" Darcy was taken aback. "I'm worried you're overworked." "I'm not tired at all!" Cade insisted. "I've learned more working with you these past months than in the last three years combined. I'm thrilled, not tired!" "Really? Don't force yourself," Darcy said, having heard enough flattery lately to be skeptical.Cade raised three fingers. "I swear! Cross my heart!" Darcy couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright. As long as you're sure you don't mind." It was Friday. A full week had passed since the mediation notice was supposedly delivered. In the middle of the workday, Darcy received a scolding phone call. "Is this Darcy Gale? What's going on? The mediation notice we sent you—why haven't you responded? Didn't you see it requires a reply within seven days?!" The words "mediation notice" told Darcy exactly who was calling. She immediately steadied her voice, speaking calmly, "I'm sorry, sir. I never received a mediation notice. Are you sure you have the right address?" "That can't be. Is your company on the 12th Floor of Blackwood Tower?" Darcy took a deep breath. "Yes, that's correct." "Right, so the address is correct. I checked the courier record. It shows you personally signed for it a week ago." Darcy massaged her temples. The courier must have just left it at the front desk without notifying her. "My apologies. Let me go check. The courier might have left it at reception without telling me." The person on the other end sounded impatient. "Forget it. Since you failed to respond in time, the other party has withdrawn from mediation. They're proceeding directly to arbitration. I'm calling to inform you that the official arbitration notice will arrive next week. Don't miss that one too." "Understood," Darcy replied. Hearing her tone remain unnervingly calm, the arbitration officer was taken aback. After a moment, he offered a kind suggestion. "You can hire a lawyer. The relevant documentation can also be prepared by legal counsel." He had been about to say it would improve her chances, but then he remembered the documents he'd seen. Forget it. Better not get her hopes up. What chances does she even have? During mediation, she could have at least negotiated the penalty down. Now? That three-million-dollar fine was a done deal. The officer sighed, "That's all I can say." Darcy smiled slightly, "Thank you for your consideration. But I was planning to refuse mediation anyway. This doesn't change much for me." The officer was stunned. That confident? After hanging up, Darcy walked to the front desk. "Lena, have there been any letters for me in the past week?"