With that, he left without looking back. Cindy stood frozen in place like a statue. His words—"That night was my first time"—echoed madly in her mind. Holy crap, what does he mean??? His first one-night stand? Or his first time... with a woman? It can't be the latter, right? He... he's had girlfriends before, hasn't he? Didn't he stay in Valeridge for his ex-girlfriend? Don't tell me their deep relationship was just... pure? Cindy felt like she was losing her mind, barely suppressing the urge to call Zephyr back. Only when her brother's voice came from behind did her thoughts snap back to reality."Jethro, you're back?" "Yeah. Why are you standing out here?" Cindy fell silent, walking back to the living room with him. Seeing her son return, Clara quickly put down her phone and instructed the maid to bring the still-warm soup. "Mom, no need. I'm not hungry." Jethro took off his jacket and went upstairs to freshen up. Soon, Cindy, having composed herself, followed him upstairs. Jethro came out in a bathrobe, drying his damp hair. He raised a brow at his sister. "Need something?" Cindy had initially wanted to ask if he knew why Zephyr broke up with his ex. But that felt too obvious. She decided to start with something else. "Did you give Darcy the gift? What did she say? Did she like it?" Jethro recalled the sparkle in Darcy's eyes in the car. He smiled, "She liked it.""Wow! What was it? A bag? Jewelry?" "Neither. A bag charm." Cindy was dumbfounded. At the club, she'd only seen the gift box. The familiar logo had made her assume it was a Hermès bag or jewelry. She never expected it to be just a charm. Her face screamed "Are you kidding me?" as she said disdainfully, "Such a perfect chance to impress, and you give her a charm? Do you even know how to make a girl happy?" Jethro flicked her forehead lightly. "Not everyone is as obsessed with bags as you are." But he still explained seriously, "You know how cautious she is. If I gave her something obviously expensive, she'd definitely refuse." "Oh, right." Cindy stroked her chin. "I think you understand her even better than I do!" Outside the door, Clara heard this and felt a pang of alarm. So he's already that attentive to this girl? Even buying a gift requires such careful thought. No way. If I don't intervene, my son will really be taken in by her. Clara went downstairs and immediately called her assistant, her voice low and firm. "Schedule a meeting with Darcy for me tomorrow. Keep it discreet." Upstairs, after her preamble, Cindy finally asked what she really wanted to know. "Do you know why Zephyr suddenly came back to Aethelburg?" Jethro unscrewed a bottle of water and took a drink. "I think it's because his mother's health isn't great." "And—" Cindy swallowed, "Do you know what happened with him and his ex?" Jethro glanced at her. Cindy felt a pang of guilt but squared her shoulders. "Just curious." Jethro raised a brow. "Really? Then you can ask Zephyr directly. Aren't you colleagues now?""Forget it! If you don't want to tell me, fine!" Cindy snapped, storming out and slamming the door. Jethro watched his sister leave, deep in thought. The next day, close to noon, Darcy was in her office reviewing the investigation report on Voyager Securities that Cade had just sent her. Darcy had been puzzled by Voyager's sudden shift from in-house development to outsourcing. But the report showed their internal R&D costs had become unsustainable. Last year, they'd laid off a large number of key tech personnel, severely weakening their development capabilities. They had no choice but to buy software externally. That's why they'd put out the tender. Most of Darcy's doubts were put to rest. Just as she was about to tell Cade they could prepare a bid, her desk phone rang. "Hello?""Is this Ms. Darcy Gale? Ms. Silva would like to meet with you at noon. Come alone." Darcy was taken aback. The person on the phone used a commanding tone, not asking for her opinion. It made her uncomfortable. But the person said "Ms. Silva" wanted to see her. Ms. Silva— Darcy quickly realized that was Jethro and Cindy's mother, the company's largest shareholder and Chairwoman. Whether she wanted to go—it wasn't up to her anymore. The meeting place was a private restaurant not far from the company. Ivy drove her there and went to park the car. Darcy entered first. At the entrance, a server immediately approached. "Ms. Gale?" Darcy was surprised. The server smiled and gestured. "The 'Moon Viewing' private room on the second floor. Please, this way." What a place full of hidden talent. Even a lowly server was this sharp, knowing who she was the moment she walked in. Someone must have described her appearance in advance.