Everyone in the room turned their heads toward the door. Alistair and Jethro had arrived. Alistair cleared his throat. "My apologies, everyone. I'm feeling under the weather, so I'm a little late." Jethro offered no explanation. He simply helped Alistair to his seat, then found a place for himself. Coincidentally—or perhaps not—he chose the seat right next to Darcy. For those already suspicious of their relationship, this was shocking confirmation. Doesn't this prove Dr. Moss' point?! Sensing the strange atmosphere, Jethro raised a brow, his gaze sweeping the room. "Is something wrong? You all don't seem very welcoming." Dead silence.A beam of light from the window fell on Darcy's face. She sat there quietly, her brown hair neatly tied up, bathed in sunlight that made her look even gentler and calmer. She spoke slowly, "Someone's accusing me of having an improper relationship with you." No one expected her to be so direct. Everyone was stunned. Jethro leaned back in his chair, posture utterly relaxed. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who said that?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a distinct chill. Darcy lifted her head, her eyes moving to Zora across the table. Jethro followed her gaze. A faint, humorless smile touched his lips. "Dr. Moss, you said that?" "I—" Zora's face flushed with immediate embarrassment. She hadn't expected Jethro and Alistair to arrive so early, nor had she anticipated Darcy having the gall to tell him directly. It was a baseless rumor she'd spread. Now, caught red-handed by the person involved—the Blackwood heir—she was in deep trouble. Panic set in. "I-I just heard... I heard it somewhere." "Heard it?" Jethro's lips curved, but his eyes turned icy. Anyone who knew him could see he was about to blow. "Dr. Moss, you dare spread rumors based on hearsay? That's pretty irresponsible. Is that how you handle your research too?" Zora grew even more flustered, feeling his words held a deeper warning. Jethro then picked up his phone from the table and dialed a number. At first, no one knew who he was calling. But when they heard him speak, everyone held their breath. "Officer Foster? I need to ask you something." Jethro was calling the police!In the pin-drop silence of the conference room, his calm, elegant voice struck everyone's hearts. Zora went rigid. Her pleading eyes instinctively sought Zane. She tugged his sleeve, her voice trembling. "Zane..." Zane hadn't expected Jethro to escalate things like this either! He gave Zora a reassuring look, then turned to Jethro. "Mr. Blackwood, calling the police seems excessive. It's just a misunderstanding. We can talk it out." Jethro, phone still to his ear, narrowed his eyes slightly. He spoke softly into the receiver, "Alright, I won't keep you then," and hung up. His cool, sharp gaze landed on Zane. "A misunderstanding? Mr. Vance, are you saying spreading malicious rumors about someone is just a 'misunderstanding'? "If that's the case, should I tell the media that SummitCore Tech is going under any day now and call it a misunderstanding too?""You—!" Zane gritted his teeth. How are those two things the same?! But he quickly understood Jethro's point. He was defending Darcy. The realization that Jethro would go this far for her fueled Zane's own frustration. So they weren't just casual colleagues. Even if it wasn't what Zora claimed, there was no way they were just boss and subordinate. But now wasn't the time for that. He collected himself and looked at Jethro and Darcy. "My apologies. Dr. Moss acted on impulse and said something out of line. She hurt you both. I apologize on her behalf." Jethro crossed his long legs, lazy as ever. "Has Dr. Moss lost her voice? Why does she need someone else to apologize for her?" Zora flinched hard at being called out. She hadn't expected the usually reserved and proper Jethro to have such a sharp tongue.Knowing his barbs were all to protect Darcy made her want to scream. But a shred of remaining reason warned her—Don't make it worse. Remember the unfinished police call. She lowered her lashes, adopting a pitiful tone. "I'm sorry, Mr. Blackwood, Ms. Gale. I was thoughtless. I shouldn't have repeated baseless gossip." "What do you think?" Jethro suddenly asked, turning to Darcy. His deep eyes fixed on her. Darcy's heart skipped a beat, her cheeks warming. She knew he was standing up for her. She didn't want to escalate things further. For herself, she didn't care much. But dragging Jethro into this messy rumor... she felt terrible. The impeccable Blackwood heir should never be on tabloid headlines because of some fictional scandal involving her.Her cool gaze returned to Zora. "Don't let it happen again. If it does, I won't let it slide." Zora let out a quiet sigh of relief. Though she hated Darcy's tone, she knew she was off the hook. Then, Jethro's cold voice cut through again, "From now on, if I hear a single whisper of this kind of rumor, I'll put it all on Dr. Moss."