Last night's successful product launch had sparked significant buzz on social media. Many people had sent Darcy congratulations, including Hugo. Of course, when it came to Hugo's message, she chose to pretend she hadn't seen it—no reply, no delete. She hadn't expected him to call her through Gwen. Darcy hesitated, unsure of his intentions. Gwen, however, pulled at her wrist playfully and shoved the phone into her hand. "You two chat! I'll leave you alone." With a mischievous grin, she scurried away. Darcy sighed and answered, "Hello?" There was a brief pause on the other end before Hugo repeated his message from last night. "Congratulations. The launch was a huge success.""Mhm. Thanks," Darcy replied, her tone neutral. "Have you... been avoiding me lately?" Hugo suddenly asked. Darcy was taken aback by his directness. She evaded the question. "I've just been very busy." A long silence followed. Darcy thought he'd gotten the hint and was backing off. She was about to breathe a sigh of relief and hang up when Hugo's low voice came through again, tinged with quiet amusement. "If you think that's enough to make me give up, you're mistaken, Darcy. I won't back down easily." Darcy ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "Is this appropriate? Don't forget, you and Zane have been friends since childhood. Are you really willing to throw away over twenty years of friendship?" Hugo's voice remained calm. "I'll handle that." Darcy was exasperated by his stubbornness. "Suit yourself. But I have no feelings for you. I suggest you stop wasting your energy on me." Hugo was unfazed. "Feelings can develop over time." Darcy hung up in disbelief. She went inside and returned the phone to Gwen. Gwen, observing her expression, sent a quick message to her cousin, "You pissed her off? I thought you were going with the 'slow and steady' approach?" Hugo replied, "I spooked her. Need a new plan. Be a good scout. Keep me updated." Gwen felt a bit like a double agent, but for her cousin's happiness, she'd bear it. ... After the launch, Stratagem Tech saw an explosive growth in orders. Inquiries about the new product came in waves. Seeing the office bustling with activity, Darcy made a decisive call—expand hiring. They needed more backend delivery staff, more mid-level R&D engineers, and more front-end business and pre-sales personnel. Even administrative and HR—functions previously handled by corporate headquarters—needed dedicated staff now that the client base and team size were ballooning. She surveyed the office space. Thankfully, it was large enough. After discussing with Zephyr and Wade, Darcy promptly reported the plan to Jethro. Facing her boss again, she managed to keep her composure perfectly calm, her expression unreadable. With his approval, Darcy instructed Zephyr and Wade to start hiring. They could decide on junior programmers themselves, but senior candidates needed her review. Wade was pleasantly surprised, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "I get to manage all the new delivery hires?" Darcy, who had been reviewing a contract, straightened up. "Yep, you're the head of the delivery team. This year's bonus will be weighted heavily towards you and your team. You're a founding member. You've worked hard this past year."Overwhelmed with gratitude, Wade felt a surge of emotion. Thank goodness I didn't listen to Jax's bad advice last year and go against Darcy. She's fair and open. A good leader worth following. He immediately pledged his loyalty. "On behalf of my team, thank you, Ms. Gale. Don't worry—our delivery team will do solid work, ship on time, and won't let clients or the higher-ups down." Darcy nodded with a smile. Wade's sharp, but he's not a bad guy. He just wanted more manpower and a better paycheck. Those were easy things to grant. Some employees just want their effort seen and recognized. Once they have that, they buckle down and do the job. The hiring plan kicked into high gear. That afternoon, Cade knocked urgently on her door. "Ms. Gale, I need your input on something." "What is it?"Cade stepped in, lowering his voice. "A group of people from SummitCore has applied for interviews. They say... they used to work under you." Darcy was stunned. A mass jump from SummitCore? ... Inside SummitCore Tech— After the failed launch, the break room had become the unofficial complaint zone. "That launch was a complete disaster. Stratagem Tech wiped the floor with us. What's the point of a PhD title if you can't even outperform an undergrad like Darcy?" "Right? And doesn't it seem strange? Dr. Moss has a PhD, but she never really contributes much during meetings. It's her so-called 'proxy' who seems to know what he's doing." "Have you seen the recent news? That scandal about the hospital doctor with the questionable credentials... Do you think..."