Zora scoffed on the other end of the line. To her, Kaia was now little more than a useless pawn. "So what? Can you help me bring her down? No, you can't! Right now, Darcy is the talk of the town. She's the center of attention everywhere she goes. Next to her, I look duller by the day. The company's future is getting harder and harder!" she snapped. Desperate to prove her loyalty, Kaia was flustered by Zora's sudden vitriol. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "I know a secret! It might help you bring her down!" Zora perked up. "Oh? What secret?" "Darcy's always craved a father's love. Her father abandoned her and her mother when she was very young. She's hated him her whole life. If—" Zora's eyes lit up. "If her father suddenly reappeared, it would definitely rattle her. She won't get a moment's peace!""Yes! Exactly!" Zora's tone turned approving. "Not bad. You're still somewhat useful." Her voice softened a touch. "I'll forward your photo to Hugo's mother. But don't blame me for speaking frankly. The gap between you and Hugo is too wide. It was never a possibility." A bitter ache filled Kaia's chest. Her hand drifted to her slightly rounded stomach. Of course I know. Hugo and I... it's impossible now. After hanging up, Kaia walked toward the hospital entrance in a daze. She accidentally bumped into Darcy and her mother. For a moment, Kaia looked guilty, but hatred quickly overshadowed it. She shot them a venomous glare and walked past without a word. "Sigh. Kaia's so disappointing. The old saying is true. Give them an inch, they'll take a mile," Ione said, shaking her head sadly. She had poured just as much love into Kaia as into her own daughter, only to end up enemies. She hadn't said much to Darcy about it during the day, but late at night, she often held old family photos and cried. A part of her had clung to the hope that Kaia was just young and would eventually understand. But today, the hatred in Kaia's eyes crushed that last little bit of hope she had. From now on, strangers it is. "Darcy, what're you thinking about?" Ione asked, noticing her daughter's distant gaze. Darcy snapped out of her reverie. "Nothing, Mom. Let's not dwell on the past. How about a walk through that little grove?" As they walked, Darcy couldn't shake a strange feeling. When Kaia turned away, her hand had instinctively gone to her stomach. There was a slight, unusual roundness there. Kaia was notoriously obsessed with her figure. She lived on salads and steamed vegetables. She wouldn't let herself develop a paunch. Unless... unless she's pregnant. Darcy frowned, a cold chill sinking into her chest. No way... could that really be? ... Following Kaia's tip, Zora hired a private investigator to look into Darcy's father. The results came back quickly. When Zora read the report, she couldn't help but laugh. Small world, huh? The man I've been looking for was right under my nose all along. Is this some kind of twisted fate between Darcy and me? She drove home. Her mother, Susan, had just returned from the company. For years, Susan had managed the Moss family's assets. Though John helped, he was, after all, an outsider, and the Moss family never fully trusted him. "I'm parched," Susan declared as she walked in, her face sour. Zora took a glass of water from a servant and handed it to her mother with a smile. "Here, Mom." "Ah, it's good to have a daughter. You can't rely on men for anything." Sensing something was off, Zora sat down. "What happened?" Susan snorted, "What else? John! Busy with who knows what lately, here and there like a ghost. I went to the office to find him, and he was nowhere to be seen." Zora's biological dad had also married into the Moss family and lived with them, but he passed away when she was little. Then John came along. For Zora's sake, Susan never had kids with John. He had griped about it, but once he saw how set Susan was, he dropped the subject.All these years, Zora's always kept him at arm's length—she never called him "Dad," only "John." Hearing her mother's words, Zora already had an idea. She leaned back on the sofa, a sneer on her lips. "John's probably at the hospital visiting his ex-wife and daughter." Susan was shocked. "What ex-wife and daughter?" Zora didn't hold back. She handed her the report from the table and filled her in on what happened with Darcy and her mom at the hospital. "That ungrateful bastard! Eating and drinking from the Moss family, yet still pining for his ex-wife and daughter? I won't stand for this!" Furious, Susan reached for her phone to confront John. But Zora stopped her.