Cindy's eyes instantly sparkled. What? He took the initiative to send Darcy flowers? Tsk tsk. That secretive man! Always saying one thing and doing another! "If you like them, take a few. They should last in a vase for days," Darcy said, reaching to pull some stems from the bouquet. Cindy quickly stopped her. "I couldn't possibly! If my brother gave them to you, it wouldn't be right for me to take them." She blinked meaningfully. Darcy didn't catch the implication, but seeing Cindy decline, she let it go. She moved on to another matter. "There are ten days left until the exam. Mr. Blackwood has given me permission to study full-time at home. Starting tomorrow, I'll be reviewing. If any work issues come up that aren't urgent, you can wait for me to return. If they're urgent, go directly to Mr. Blackwood." "Oh my God!" Cindy gasped, covering her mouth. "Let me guess, he suggested it?" Darcy nodded. "Yes." Worried Cindy might get the wrong idea, Darcy added, "He's truly an excellent boss, very considerate of his employees." Cindy rested her chin in her hand, narrowing her eyes. Some people just don't practice what they preach. Seriously! She patted Darcy's shoulder with a sly grin. "Rowan might have a different perspective." What did that mean? Darcy watched her walk away, puzzled. Does Rowan not think Mr. Blackwood is a good boss? Cindy didn't bother going upstairs. Instead, she ducked into the stairwell and called her brother.As soon as he answered, she launched her attack. "Well, well, well. Someone claims they're not interested, yet they're sending flowers and granting personal leave. What's that all about?" Jethro had anticipated this call and was prepared. He cleared his throat lightly. "You're overthinking it. It's just a superior showing normal concern for a subordinate. After all, an employee's state of mind affects their performance." Cindy scoffed. Totally smitten. Keep pretending, you stubborn man. Let's see how long you can keep this up! After hanging up, Cindy stopped by the restroom. She had just entered a stall when she heard three women gossiping at the sinks."Those flowers Ms. Gale had were gorgeous. Must be from Mr. Blackwood, right? She goes up to the executive floor and comes back with flowers." "Ugh. So the rumors are true. Darcy did sleep her way to the top." "No kidding. How else could someone so young become CEO of a subsidiary?" "I'm so jealous of her. Mr. Blackwood is rich, handsome... the ideal boyfriend!" "Jealous of what? If you're willing to be shameless enough and lower your standards, you could have him too." That last line drew a round of flustered, mean little laughs. Bang! The stall door flew open. All three women spun around. They saw Cindy, her face a mask of fury, stepping out of the stall. The three weren't strangers. They were test engineers from the R&D department. Thanks to Jax's insinuations and meaningful pauses, they firmly believed the story about Darcy using her body to get ahead. Today, their jealousy had overflowed. Seeing Darcy come downstairs with a bouquet of flowers had been the last straw, fueling their need to vent. They had all ended up in the restroom at the same time. But who could have guessed Cindy would be there? She was Jethro's sister, and everyone knew she had a fiery temper and wasn't someone to mess with. The three women looked mortified, taking a step back. "We... we weren't speaking ill of Mr. Blackwood!" one of them stammered. "Hah! Spreading vicious rumors about anyone is unacceptable!" Cindy said with a cold laugh. They took another step back, swallowing hard. "We're not spreading rumors! It's true!"Cindy actually laughed from sheer anger. She grabbed the arm of the woman who had spoken the most. "You seem to have a lot to say. Weren't you the one who said Darcy slept her way up? And that anyone could seduce my brother if they were 'shameless enough'? Hah. You sound so sure. Were you hiding under his bed?" Cindy worked out regularly and was strong. The average woman was no match for her grip. Soon, the woman whose arm she held was whimpering in pain. "I'm sorry! We shouldn't have talked about Mr. Blackwood and Ms. Gale behind their backs! We were wrong! We won't do it again!" "Besides you three, who else is spreading this?" Cindy demanded. "Almost... almost everyone knows." What? Cindy was shocked. Most of the company know? No. Someone must be actively pushing this narrative."Who started it?" Cindy pressed. "It... it was Jax." Not entirely surprising. Cindy knew there was tension between Jax and Darcy. But she hadn't expected a man to resort to such a vile, sexist smear campaign. Who says tech guys don't understand politics? When their own interests are at stake, they're experts! Furious, Cindy was ready to storm off and confront Jax immediately. But she thought better of it and went to find Darcy first. After Darcy heard the story, her eyes turned icy cold.