Darcy simply smiled faintly again. She got back into her car, started the engine, and drove away. That evening at dinner, Darcy told her mother about running into Kaia. Ione was shocked. "Kaia is pregnant? Whose child? She's so young, how could she be so reckless?" But remembering Kaia's attitude toward them, Ione sighed, "Well, it's none of our business. Her life is her own to live." Darcy looked down at her plate, thoughtful. The driver's address—"Mrs. Cross"—played in her mind. In all of Aethelburg, there were only a handful of truly wealthy families with the surname Cross. After some thought, only one familiar family came to mind.Could it be... the child is Ines'? Ines, who plays around so much, wants a child at his age? Unlikely. Unless... he doesn't know. Ines might seem like a charming playboy on the surface, but he was known to be ruthless underneath. Zane had once mentioned that Ines was tricked by a woman and her lover in a scheme. Ines used underhanded methods afterward. The woman ended up as a prostitute; the man was sent to prison. If Ines found out someone had gotten pregnant on purpose to trap him... the consequences would be... Darcy took a deep breath. Should she warn Kaia? No. She wasn't a saint. Besides, even if she did, would Kaia listen?Definitely not. She'd probably turn it around, accusing Darcy of being jealous and trying to ruin her happiness. The next morning, Darcy dropped her car off for repairs and took a taxi to work. Just as she arrived downstairs, she got a call from a delivery person. "You have a package to sign for—an admission letter." The interview results had been out for a while. Both Darcy and Gwen had been accepted. Holding the official letter, Darcy couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. In the elevator, she ran into Jethro and Cindy. "Darcy, what's that in your hand?" Cindy, ever sharp-eyed, spotted it immediately. Darcy smiled, "My admission letter." "Wow! Congratulations! Dinner's on me tonight to celebrate!" Cindy threw an arm around her shoulders. Darcy couldn't let her pay. "My treat. You pick the place.""Mind if I join in?" a low, amused voice came from the corner. Darcy turned, meeting his warm gaze. Her eyelashes fluttered. Ever since that night she got drunk and her boss drove her home, remembering her embarrassing behavior in his car made her cringe. It had made her avoid giving him progress reports lately. She looked away, mumbling, "Of course not." Jethro noticed her awkwardness but just smiled, not calling her out. Truthfully, he hadn't found her behavior embarrassing at all. Quite the opposite. It was real and cute. There was a morning meeting about the Voyager Securities bid. Cade presented. "Voyager Securities has officially opened its tender. They're looking to purchase an intelligent trading system with a budget under ten million dollars. Based on the requirements on their website, our recently launched product meets all their criteria." Hearing that, everyone in the room got fired up. The new sales folks were especially hyped, like they could already see their commission waving at them. Only Darcy felt something was off. "Voyager Securities has always taken the in-house development route—they build and use their own systems. Why would they suddenly consider outsourcing an intelligent trading system?" The others paused. They hadn't considered that. Cade scratched his head. "Maybe in-house development costs too much now. Cheaper to buy externally?" Darcy sensed something fishy. Her voice was calm. "Let's find out the reason first, then decide."After the meeting, as Darcy headed back to her office, her phone rang. She didn't think much of it and picked up—only to hear John on the line. Her first thought was that he was harassing her mother at home again. But John said he was downstairs at her office. She asked what he wanted, but he insisted she come down to talk. "If you won't come down, I can always come up." Hearing the threat, Darcy had no choice but to swallow her anger and go downstairs. In a coffee shop downstairs, Darcy took a seat. John poured her a cup of coffee obsequiously. "Their house blend is excellent. Try it." Darcy ignored the cup, looking straight at him coldly. "Get to the point. I have work to do." "No rush. Taste the coffee first." Darcy's tone grew icier. "I don't want to, and I don't have time to play games with you. Say what you have to say, or I'm leaving." "Wait, Darcy," John sighed. "I know you hate me. But I had no choice back then." "Right," Darcy retorted sarcastically. "My mother's meager salary had to support the family and fund your comfortable lifestyle. Of course you had 'no choice.'"