Frank raised his hand. "Ms. Gale, were you a programmer before?" Darcy shook her head. "Not exactly. But I majored in Financial Engineering in college. The program had very high computer science requirements." "Oh, wow, I've heard of that. It's a really competitive major. Which university, Ms. Gale?" "Brimwood University." "No way! The Brimwood Financial Engineering program! It's as prestigious as Quest University, tied for top in Aethelburg! The acceptance scores are insane, almost impossible to get into!" Frank's eyes instantly turned starry. "No wonder you became a CEO so young! That's incredible!" "Not really. Just lucky." Darcy smiled. She wasn't being modest; she genuinely felt it was luck. If she hadn't started the company with Zane all those years ago, she would never have gotten into business development, which gave her the big-picture perspective she had today. A blessing in disguise. In a way, she had Zane to thank. Their boss being this capable made the code review session incredibly awkward for the two young men. They wished they could sink through the floor. Their code was messy and inefficient. But Darcy didn't criticize. "If it works, it's fine for now. At this stage, speed is more important than elegance." That afternoon, after finishing her own work and guiding the two juniors through a major bug fix, Darcy finally called it a day. Coincidentally, she ran into Jethro in the elevator again. Darcy noticed that for the head of the Blackwood Group, Jethro clocked out fairly early. It seemed every time she saw him leaving, it was before 8 PM. As the elevator doors closed, Jethro noticed her gaze and raised a brow. "Something on your mind?" Darcy felt a flush of embarrassment and quickly looked away, pretending to fix her hair. "Um, I was just curious... you seem to leave work quite early, Mr. Blackwood." Jethro was momentarily taken aback, then checked his watch and laughed, "It's not early. You're the one leaving late." His voice was gentle. "Get some proper rest over the weekend." "Yes, I will. Thank you, Mr. Blackwood." Jethro's brow quirked again. She's always so formal with me. The elevator doors opened on the ground floor. Darcy stepped out, surprised to see Jethro follow her. "Aren't your car in B1?" she asked, puzzled.Jethro gave a faint smile. "I had a business lunch this afternoon and had a drink. Can't drive. I have my assistant picking me up." As they walked out, he asked her, "Need a ride?" "No, thank you. I'll take the subway to the hospital. It's convenient." "Do you have a driver's license?" "Huh?" Darcy was caught off guard. "Yes, I do." "Good to know." It was a puzzling exchange. Darcy didn't dwell on it. She waved goodbye to Jethro and headed for the subway entrance. ... Once the car door closed, the assistant in the front seat, Rowan Kerr, glanced at the rearview mirror. "Mr. Blackwood, back to the Blackwood Manor?"Jethro usually stayed in his apartment, but he returned to the Blackwood Manor every weekend without fail. "To the Quest University faculty housing," came the languid reply from the back seat. Rowan was momentarily surprised but quickly realized who Jethro was going to see. He didn't ask further and started the drive toward the university. When Jethro entered the apartment, Alistair was in the middle of a mild argument with his wife, Seren Reed. Seren had her hands on her hips, her voice raised slightly. "Alistair, are you trying to be the death of me? Last week, I asked if you still needed those papers, you said no, so I put them in the attic for you! Now you tell me you need them and want me to find them? Do you have any idea how much junk is up there? I only brave that place once a year!" Alistair mumbled a weak rebuttal, "I never asked you to put them away... You were just restless and decided to organize..." "What? Say that again!"Alistair fell silent. Who would have thought that the revered, unapproachable expert the world saw was actually a bit of a henpecked husband at home, getting scolded like a child? "Ahem. Uncle. Aunt." Jethro cleared his throat as he entered. His timing was impeccable, saving Alistair immensely. Alistair's eyes lit up. "Jethro! You're here!" Seeing Jethro, Seren immediately softened her expression, smiling warmly as she urged him to sit down. She hurried to the kitchen to wash some fruit and pour juice, then shot Alistair a warning look. The message was clear. We'll continue this discussion later. Alistair pretended not to see it and turned to chat with his nephew. Jethro spoke first, "Uncle, it's your birthday tomorrow. My mother has reserved a restaurant. I'll pick you up at noon." Alistair frowned. "I said we shouldn't make a fuss. I'm too old for birthdays." "You're not old at all, Uncle. You're a natural. Anyone would think you're just in your early thirties. A regular heartthrob," Jethro teased. Alistair glared at him. "You're 27 this year and still so flippant. How is the company? Stable?"