The look on Bram's face was clearly one of admiration. Zane gritted his teeth. So, Darcy is that popular with other men? Zora, watching his reaction, smiled faintly. After the ceremony, the university hosted a dinner for the investors and Alistair. Jethro invited Darcy to join. The private room wasn't large. Darcy and Bram were the last to arrive. There was only one seat left—next to Alistair. Zora, seated between Zane and Hugo, raised an eyebrow with a slight smile. "Looks like there's only one seat." She said this deliberately, hoping to make Darcy feel out of place. This was a meeting between investors and the university; a mere employee shouldn't be here.The university officials looked momentarily confused, clearly forgetting who Darcy was. But Bram gave her a gentle push. "Darcy, you sit. I'll have them bring an extra chair." "That wouldn't be right. You sit," Darcy refused. Just then, Alistair spoke, "Ladies first." Darcy couldn't argue further. She sat in the only remaining seat—the one beside Alistair. Zora had initially wanted that seat, but Zane had stopped her, saying, "Don't be impatient. Win Prof. Reed's trust gradually." Now, Zora was puzzled. Why would Prof. Reed let Darcy sit next to him? She pushed her suspicion aside, stood up, and raised her glass to Alistair. "Prof. Reed, I'm the Vice President of SummitCore Tech. On behalf of the company, I'd like to propose a toast to a successful partnership." Alistair didn't drink. He frowned slightly, displeased by the unexpected toast. The university officials hadn't even spoken yet, and here she was, toasting. And she was just a VP. But he didn't voice his thoughts. "My apologies, I don't drink. I can only return the gesture with water." Zora, who had already finished her drink, looked awkward. "I'm the one who should apologize. I didn't know you didn't drink." The university officials quickly smoothed things over. "It's fine, no harm done. Let's all raise a glass to the success of the institute project!" Under the table, unseen, Zane patted the back of Zora's hand, trying to soothe her. During the meal, the conversation was dominated by the university officials and the three investors, with Alistair occasionally responding. Everyone else mostly focused on eating. Zora glanced at Darcy out of the corner of her eye.Most of the time, Darcy was chatting with Bram. Once, she tried to speak to Alistair, but he ignored her completely. Zora's red lips curved into a smug smile. So, Prof. Reed doesn't even know her. He only let her sit there out of politeness. After dinner, as everyone was saying goodbye outside, Hugo finally found a chance to speak to Darcy. "Need a ride?" he asked. Darcy shook her head. "No, I drove." She suddenly remembered the scarf. "I'll bring your scarf next time." A faint smile touched Hugo's lips. "No rush." "Alright. Goodbye." "Goodbye." As Darcy left, Zora walked over. She glanced at Hugo. "What were you talking to Darcy about?" Hugo's eyes were unreadable. "Nothing much."He then turned and got into his car, driving away. Zora knew Darcy had handled the Sterling Group project while at SummitCore. So, it made sense that Hugo knew her. Just a brief, polite exchange. She relaxed. Even though she only saw Hugo as a friend, she was now firmly against Darcy. Her friends should be on her side. A week later, the Christmas holiday began. Cindy came to ask Darcy about her plans. "Any travel? Want to go somewhere?" Darcy smiled, "No, I'm staying home." "What a homebody!" Cindy remarked. "Alright then. I'm going abroad for a few days. I'll bring you a gift." "Thanks." As Cindy left the office, she nearly collided with Zephyr.Their eyes met. Cindy looked away first. Zephyr's gaze deepened briefly, but he quickly composed himself and knocked on Darcy's door. "Ms. Gale, based on the company's Q1 R&D plan, I've mapped out the current work milestones for the R&D team. Please review." Darcy took the document. Whoa. Someone more driven than I am. A real workaholic! Her original plan was for four months. After including herself, she'd compressed it to three. Now, Zephyr proposed completing it in two and a half months, with a product launch tentatively set for March 16th. Darcy smiled, narrowing her eyes. "Excellent. Thank you, Mr. Knight." "It's my duty." He nodded and left. Soon, it was time to leave. The next day marked the start of the Christmas break. Zephyr packed his laptop and documents to take home. With nothing planned for the holidays, he intended to work.He headed for the underground parking garage. As he pressed the elevator button, he suddenly heard someone shout, "Hold the door! Wait!"