Darcy pretended not to see, her gaze fixed on her plate as she toyed with her baked beans slowly. "I remember you like fish," Hugo said. Darcy didn't expect Hugo to reach over and serve her food. Ione gave her daughter a stern look. "You silly girl—how can you let a guest serve you?" Then she asked Hugo kindly, "How did you know Darcy loves fish?" Hugo smiled, "We've gone out for meals a few times before." "Oh, you're very observant. Darcy loved fish since she was little." "Fish is good. Makes you smart." Ione was practically looking at him like a future son-in-law. Darcy felt awkward throughout the meal, sitting on pins and needles. Thankfully, Hugo's phone rang. Something at home needed his attention. Darcy stood up to see him out. Ione nodded in satisfaction. Finally acting properly. Downstairs, Darcy felt some things needed to be said clearly. She stopped, turning to look up at Hugo. The afternoon sun was a bit harsh, and with their height difference, Darcy couldn't clearly see his expression. "I'm very grateful for how you took care of my mom when she was sick. But—" She looked down, steeling herself. "Please don't visit again. It makes things difficult for me." The smile in Hugo's eyes vanished. He looked down at her. After a long pause, his voice was slightly hoarse. "Alright. I'll try not to do things that trouble you." Darcy frowned. Try? She was about to ask what he meant by "try" when he added, "But when it's necessary, I'll still do them." Darcy was speechless. What kind of wordplay is that?! ... The weather kept improving. Employees gathered in the break room, chattering about weekend plans. Darcy also felt it was the nicest season in Aethelburg. Time for a team-building trip. First, many new employees had joined recently. A trip would help them bond. Second, the company's performance last month was excellent. A good time to reward everyone and boost morale. Once decided, Darcy worked with HR to plan the trip. She'd just announced the trip in the company chat—this week, not on the weekend—when Rowan walked in. Hearing the cheerful buzzing, Rowan smiled, "What's the good news? Everyone's so happy." Darcy tried to stop it, but it was too late. The new, eager HR girl, wanting to be friendly, immediately invited him. "Mr. Kerr, we're having a team-building trip this week. Would you and Mr. Blackwood like to join?" Darcy rubbed her forehead. Inviting Rowan is one thing, but daring to invite the big boss? Young people these days are bold. But surely Rowan has enough sense not to take such politeness seriously, right? To her surprise, Rowan handed her some files, turned, went upstairs, and knocked on Jethro's office door. "Mr. Blackwood, Stratagem Tech is having a team-building trip this week. They've invited you. Will you go?"Jethro looked up from a stack of contracts, seeing the eager light in his assistant's eyes. He raised a brow, his tone casual. "You want to go?" Rowan scratched his head, swallowing. "Well, not really—" "Then sign us up." Their voices overlapped. Rowan was stunned. Wait, didn't the boss just imply he didn't want to go? Only after closing the door did he smack his own forehead. Hold on. I was used. The boss wanted to go all along! Darcy was reviewing the Voyager Securities technical proposal with Zephyr when she got the news that Jethro was also attending. She was stunned.Word was, the annual board meeting was about to kick off. Wasn't he busy? How did he have time for a team trip? Zephyr was surprised too, but getting to hang out with a good buddy sounded great to him. He smiled at Darcy. "To save costs, Jethro and I can share a room." Darcy smiled wryly, "Sure. Thanks for being cost-conscious, Mr. Knight." ... At eight that morning, everyone gathered downstairs and lined up to board the bus. Darcy, having slept poorly, was exhausted. She found a window seat at the back of the bus to nap. In her drowsy state, she felt someone sit down beside her. But her eyelids were too heavy to care. When they arrived and she slowly woke up, she realized her head was resting on someone's shoulder. Instinctively, she checked the corner of her mouth. If I drooled, that would be so embarrassing... Lifting her head, she met Jethro's gentle, refined gaze. Darcy immediately jerked her head away, feeling deeply awkward. "I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Blackwood," she stammered, her voice shaking like she was about to cry. "I was asleep—I didn't know you were next to me." Jethro took in her panic and fluster, then twisted her words on purpose. "So you're saying—if it were someone else's shoulder, that'd be fine?"