Thinking this, Olena quickly sat down and began massaging Viktor's shoulders. "It's all because you taught him so well. He's learned everything from you." Viktor took her soft hand in his. "You're the one who taught him well. I'm always too busy. You've worked the hardest all these years. You're the one who deserves the credit." When Zane and his mother were young, their life had been difficult. After bringing them into the Vance Manor, Viktor had always felt a sense of guilt toward them. Seeing his son so successful now filled him with satisfaction. The family of three enjoyed a harmonious dinner. After the meal, Zane drove back to his own apartment near the company. Once inside, he took off his jacket and opened the fridge for a bottle of water, only to find it completely empty. He disliked having strangers in his space, so he didn't have a live-in housekeeper. Initially, Darcy had found time to come over and clean, do his laundry, and stock up on groceries. Later, as work got busier, she hired a part-time cleaner who came three times a week, but only handled cleaning and laundry. The regular grocery shopping was still done by Darcy herself. She didn't trust anyone else to buy the right things; only her own choices were acceptable. Zane braced his hands on the kitchen counter, his handsome eyes darkening. It feels like Darcy hasn't been here in a long time. He rubbed his temples and had no choice but to get water from the tap, drinking it with a hint of distaste. After finishing the water, he sat on the sofa with his laptop to work. But his gaze was drawn to two small teddy bear plushies on the couch. He pulled them into his arms. Darcy had bought them. Most of the decorations in this apartment were bought by her. When he first bought the place, he'd treated it merely as a place to sleep, with little thought to decor. It was Darcy who, after seeing it, thought it felt cold and impersonal. She had bought various items to make the space feel lived-in. Darcy... It feels like I haven't seen her in a while. Her mother's illness must be quite serious, for her to neglect even him. She used to pursue him so relentlessly. Zane pulled out his phone, his fingers automatically finding Darcy's name in his contacts. He paused, looking down as he massaged his temples. He let out a low sigh and ultimately didn't place the call. ... Darcy's three-person team completed the targeted product iteration in an incredibly short time. When the news spread, everyone was stunned. Members from both the R&D and Delivery departments gathered during breaks to discuss it. "Wow, Ms. Gale is the real deal! I thought she was all flash, no substance!" "I heard from Frank that her code is incredibly clean and efficient. It totally demoralized him!" "If that's true, then she's a real powerhouse. She can bring in business, write code, and understand product development. She could just start her own company! Why work for someone else?"Jax, coming to the break room for coffee, overheard the chatter and immediately frowned, his face darkening. "Don't you all have work to do? Tasks finished? Code reviewed?!" The others instantly fell silent, hanging their heads and scurrying away. Just then, Darcy and Cade emerged from a meeting room and ran into Jax as he finished getting his coffee. Darcy nodded politely to him and extended an invitation. "Mr. Steel, we're doing the pre-sales demo for Easemark Ventures tomorrow. Would you like to join us?" Typically, pre-sales demos required both a business pre-sales rep and a technical pre-sales rep. Cade and Darcy would handle the business side. If Jax was willing, he could handle the technical aspects. But Jax just gave a cold laugh. "That's very kind of you, Ms. Gale. But you're such a versatile leader, capable in both business and technology. I wouldn't want to embarrass myself in front of you." With that, he walked past them toward his desk. Sitting down, he saw a new message on WhatsApp. A smirk touched his lips as he read it. His former colleague now worked at Easemark Ventures. Jax had asked him about the tender details and learned that Easemark was taking this bid very seriously. Many companies in the industry were competing, including the sector unicorn, SummitCore Tech. Most importantly, the new VP at SummitCore Tech was actually a classmate of the IT Manager at Easemark Ventures. They were close. With that connection... Hmph. Let's see how Darcy's rushed product makes a fool of itself tomorrow. ... That afternoon, Darcy was called upstairs for a meeting with Jethro. She updated him on her project's progress and mentioned the pre-sales demo at Easemark the next day. Jethro smiled. "Do you need me there? I've met the CEO of Easemark a few times." Darcy, however, declined. "That won't be necessary. We're very well prepared." Jethro admired her confidence. "Alright. Contact me if any issues come up."