Darcy was momentarily speechless, her heart pounding. So that meant— She instinctively looked at the man beside her. Jethro's expression showed no surprise at all. Darcy lowered her gaze, voicing her doubt directly. "But your deal with SummitCore..." Malcolm shook his head with a sigh. "After you left, SummitCore's performance was deeply disappointing. Their requirements were vague, and their proposed solutions fell short of their initial promises. We never finalized a contract with them." He added, sounding genuinely relieved, "A good thing, too. Otherwise, we would have missed out on Stratagem Tech's excellent product." Happiness hit Darcy like a sudden, unexpected wave. She could hardly believe it. I didn't do anything! A huge deal just fell into my lap?! Since Malcolm had said as much, Darcy immediately found a lounge and hammered out the details with him one by one. He didn't waste time. "We'll sign the contract tomorrow morning," he said right then. Darcy was shocked again. A fifty-million-dollar contract—just settled like that? She was still floating on a cloud of joy as she left the lounge, her head feeling light. When she saw Rowan, she grabbed his arm without thinking. "Where's Mr. Blackwood?" Seeing it was her, Rowan gave a respectful nod. "Ms. Gale, it's getting late. Mr. Blackwood has already left." Darcy scanned the emptying banquet hall. The joy inside her faded, replaced by a vague sense of deflation. "I see," she murmured, turning to leave. "Ms. Gale," Rowan called, catching up to her. "Mr. Blackwood specifically instructed me to drive you home." He emphasized the word "specifically."Darcy's heart, which had settled somewhat, began to flutter again. Something felt off. Everything today had gone too smoothly. It was as if an invisible hand had been guiding events from behind the scenes. She had a suspect in mind, but no proof. ... The next morning, 10 AM, in the Stratagem Tech— In the conference room, people from United Capital and Stratagem Tech sat across from each other at the long table. After they confirmed the final terms, a secretary gave an expensive pen to Malcolm. Darcy and her team held their breath. With two swift swishes, the contract was signed. Darcy let out a slow, steadying breath. She stood and shook Malcolm's hand again. "A pleasure doing business with you." "Likewise," Malcolm replied with a firm handshake. Darcy offered to host a lunch, but Malcolm declined, citing a busy schedule and an imminent flight. She personally escorted him to the building's lobby. Reflecting on securing the United Capital deal felt surreal. At SummitCore, it had taken her over a year just to get a meeting with Malcolm. The entire process—dinners, negotiations, contracts—had spanned nearly three years. This time, a single product launch had won him over. Something still didn't add up. As she held the car door open for him, Darcy finally gathered the courage to ask. "Mr. Brooks, can I ask you something? What made you decide to attend our launch yesterday? You seemed ready to sign with us from the start." Malcolm looked surprised. "Wasn't it Mr. Blackwood who extended several personal invitations?"Several invitations? Last night, Jethro had said it was just a casual ask. The two stories didn't match. Darcy forced an apologetic laugh. "Was it? I wasn't aware. My boss is really too good to us." Malcolm chuckled, patting her shoulder meaningfully. "I've never seen him care so much about anyone else's work. He's been dropping by my office frequently lately, practically harassing me until I agreed to attend. Only then did he stop. "But thanks to his persistence, I got to witness this launch—and it was truly impressive. By the time I heard your presentation, I'd already made up my mind to sign with you." Darcy's mind went blank, buzzing with the echo of his words—"I've never seen him care so much about anyone else." Her heart hammered against her ribs. She clenched and unclenched her fingers. She turned and pressed the elevator button for the top floor, heading straight for the executive offices at Blackwood Group headquarters. She wanted to ask. She wanted to know why he had gone to such lengths for her. She wanted to know if his invisible hand had been there all along. Stepping out of the elevator, she hesitated outside the grand office doors for a long time, unable to muster the courage to enter. Rowan noticed her lingering. "Ms. Gale, are you looking for Mr. Blackwood? Bad timing. He's on a business trip this morning—headed to Haverton." The words snapped Darcy out of her daze. She retreated back into the elevator as if fleeing. As the doors closed, her senses slowly returned. What would asking achieve? What if he said "yes"? Haven't you had enough heartache already? The flood of questions inside her slowly cooled the fire in her chest. The rush of feelings faded, and all that was left was a calm, quiet feeling. Back downstairs, she almost collided with Gwen. "Darcy! Perfect timing! Are you free? Hugo wants to talk to you." Gwen pointed to the phone pressed to her own ear.