Cindy was speechless. It took her several minutes to fully grasp what Darcy meant. "You're saying... you invented it? You applied for that patent?" she screamed. Darcy gave a simple nod. "Yes." "Whoa, you—" Cindy whipped her head around to look at her brother. He looked completely unfazed. Narrowing her eyes, Cindy asked, "Jethro, you already knew about this, didn't you?" Jethro confirmed, "Yes, I knew." Cindy's gaze bounced between Darcy and Jethro. She crossed her arms and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Are these two secretly dating behind my back? Unaware of his sister's wild speculation, Jethro turned to Darcy. "So, you have a plan?" "Sort of," Darcy replied. "The exams are over, so I can focus entirely on work now. Might as well have some fun playing their game."Jethro couldn't help a soft chuckle. What is this, a gang leader's attitude? But Darcy's confident, take-charge demeanor was undeniably captivating. His deep eyes lingered on her, drawn in. Meanwhile, in another private room— Jax's eyes gleamed. "You're serious, Mr. Stone? SummitCore will offer me the R&D Director position if I can get them next year's full development plan?" Bex took a drag from his cigarette, a smirk playing on his lips. "Absolutely serious. Between salary and stock options at SummitCore, you're looking at five million dollars a year, minimum." Five million dollars!That means financial freedom in less than two years! Jax's lips twitched with barely contained excitement. He thought of the pricey house in the good school district his wife kept mentioning, the high-end retirement community his mother couldn't afford. All of it would be within reach if he could just steal that plan from Darcy's office. A month ago, an old contact from Easemark Ventures had reached out, asking if he was open to some "freelance work." Jax had agreed immediately. They arranged to meet after work. Jax was surprised to find Bex there too. Everyone in the industry knew Bex had been fired from Easemark. Jax didn't understand his presence at first. His friend clapped him on the shoulder. "This is the client providing the work." Bex extended his hand for a shake. "You're probably wondering why you. Hear my story, and it'll make sense. "...It was only because Darcy had an inappropriate relationship with Eamon that she landed the Easemark project. I was the only one who stood up to her. She held a grudge and sweet-talked Eamon into firing me. Not just that—she smeared my reputation, spreading rumors about me and Dr. Moss from SummitCore. It was all her scheming from the start!"Jax gritted his teeth. "So she's a repeat offender. A woman with loose morals!" A sneer touched Bex's lips. "Seems you've also been wronged by her. We must join forces to take her down. Consider it a service to the industry." Guided by Bex, Jax started by selling Darcy's travel itinerary. Then, he destroyed her mediation notice letter. Ten days ago, he passed on information about a patent Stratagem Tech planned to acquire next year. Now, Bex wanted him to steal the full R&D plan from Darcy's office. The initial shock of the five-million-dollar salary offer faded, replaced by cold practicality. Jax frowned. "But what if I get caught?" Stealing corporate secrets was a serious crime. Getting caught meant prison time. The thought made him hesitate. Seeing his reluctance, Bex offered the final push. "Be careful, and you won't get caught. This is the only way to bring Darcy down for good. To show my sincerity, how about I have SummitCore send you the formal offer letter first?" Jax's eyes lit up again. He swallowed. "R-really?" "No joke!" Jax took a gulp of his wine and made his decision. "Alright!" One last job, then he'd resign immediately! The moment Jax left the room, Bex's expression turned icy. He immediately dialed Zora. "It's done, Zora. He agreed. Don't worry, the plan will be in your hands by next week at the latest. "Him? Don't worry about that fool. If he causes trouble later, I'll handle it. "Don't worry about me. My reputation in this industry is already ruined. I don't care. After I do this last thing for you, I'm going back to my hometown." On the other end, Zora's lips curved into a smile, her voice tinged with feigned sorrow. "Thank you, Bex. If you change your mind, you could always come to SummitCore—" "No need, Zora. Take care of yourself from now on." After hanging up, Zora let out a contemptuous laugh. What an idiot! He thought he was devoted. Truth was, she'd been using him from the start. Lucian, taking a drag from his cigarette, glanced over. "Who's Bex?" Zora took a deep breath, her tone sharp with warning. "Mind your own business." Lucian shrugged. With long, elegant fingers, he tapped a cigarette out of the pack, lit it, and handed it to Zora.