Sure enough, a second later, Darcy's phone buzzed with a text from Alistair. "In two weeks, the institute ribbon-cutting. Remember to come with Jethro." Jethro saw it too. "We'll go together." "Alright," Darcy replied to Alistair. That evening, the candidate recommended by Jethro finally connected with her on WhatsApp and sent over his resume. Darcy opened it. The work experience was impressive. The schools? Top-tier computer science programs, both domestic and abroad. A rare talent. She scrolled up to the photo. Whoa. He was handsome. Thick eyebrows, bright eyes, a mature and steady air—easily on par with Jethro. Huh. That was strange. Why was she comparing this guy's looks to Jethro's?Darcy touched her slightly warm cheeks and shook her head. Work and studies were her priority now. Romance? Not on the agenda. Two days later, the handsome, sharp-eyed candidate arrived for his interview. "Hello, I'm Zephyr Knight." "Hello, I'm Darcy Gale." They talked in the conference room for over forty minutes. The conversation flowed easily. However, since it was a technical role, Darcy had prepared a written test, which she asked him to complete on the spot. Five programming challenges, all quite difficult, adapted by Darcy from problems on international coding sites. Zephyr finished in less than an hour. Darcy reviewed the code. It was clean, elegant, and efficient. She stood and shook his hand. "Congratulations on passing the test. Would tomorrow work for your start date?" Tomorrow was Friday, followed by the weekend. For a talent like this, Darcy naturally wanted him to start as soon as possible. Zephyr looked apologetic. "Sorry, I just got back to Aethelburg. I need to head home tomorrow." Alright, then. It would have to be next week. Darcy personally escorted Zephyr to the elevator. As she turned, she nearly bumped into Caleb, the delivery team lead. Caleb adjusted his glasses with a smile. "Ms. Gale, was that our future colleague?" "Yes," Darcy confirmed, seeing no need to hide it since he'd be starting soon. "A new architect, joining next week. He'll be taking full responsibility for the company's R&D work." Caleb clicked his tongue. An architect? That guy looked younger than me. Can he handle it? Must be someone with connections. But he was smarter than Jax. He kept his doubts to himself. "That's fantastic!" Caleb beamed. "With talent like that on board, next year's performance is sure to shine!" Darcy had no time to guess his thoughts. She simply nodded and headed back to her office to work. Winter days were short. Before work even ended, darkness had completely fallen outside. Just then, Cindy returned from a client visit, tossed her bag on her desk, and knocked on Darcy's door. Without waiting for an invitation, she plopped down on the sofa. "Phew, I'm wiped! That client today was a nightmare! I wanted to curse so many times, but thinking of you, I held it all in. But guess what? Persistence pays off. I finally got the contract!" With a triumphant thwack, Cindy slapped the contract onto the coffee table. "Well done! Here, have some water. Dinner's on me tonight. Think about what you want," Darcy said with a smile, picking up the contract. At the mention of a fancy dinner, Cindy's eyes lit up. "I want... Beef Wellington, pan-seared scallops, herb-crusted rack of lamb, roasted turkey, creamy mushroom soup, and finish with crème brûlée..." Darcy stared at her. I said pick something, not recite a gourmet menu! They looked at each other and burst out laughing. After work, they went to a high-end restaurant nearby. With the weekend approaching, it was packed. No private rooms were available, so they settled for a table in the main dining area. Cindy, starving, didn't care where they sat. She immediately started scanning the menu. Darcy chuckled, "You order. I'm going to the restroom." In the restroom, however, she ran into Kaia. This was their first encounter since their big blow-up. Kaia was visibly taken aback, then shot Darcy a venomous glare. Darcy's face stayed calm. No anger, no heat. She treated Kaia like she was air. This only infuriated Kaia more. Just then, Zora emerged from a stall. Seeing Darcy, she smoothed her long hair, a faint smile curling her red lips. "We meet again." Darcy ignored her. "What's there to be so smug about?" Kaia hissed. "Fine, you won the arbitration last time. But no one wins forever! You'll lose eventually!" Darcy gave her a sidelong glance. "Sorry to disappoint. I just beat you again today." "What?" Kaia was shocked. "Beat us again? What do you mean?" She looked at Zora, whose face had noticeably darkened. Zora gritted her teeth. "I don't know what she's talking about. Let's go. Don't bother with her." "You know exactly what I'm talking about," Darcy said coldly, her gaze fixed on Zora. "You play with fire long enough, you're gonna get burned. The day you get exposed is coming."