Darcy had just woken up, brain foggy, nowhere near ready to connect two thoughts in a row. She just looked up at him with sleepy, misty eyes. Jethro suddenly felt in a very good mood. He ruffled her hair. "Let's go. Everyone else is waiting outside." But as soon as they stepped off the bus, they saw other tour coaches pulling up. Clearly, other companies were also here for team-building. Just as they turned toward the hotel, they saw Zane and Zora getting off one of the buses. Cindy linked arms with Darcy and widened her eyes. "Ugh, they're like bad pennies—always turning up! "Why do we run into these two everywhere we go? I seriously think we're being followed!"She said the last part deliberately loud. Zane and Zora heard it, but given her status as a Blackwood, they could only swallow their anger. When Zora saw Jethro there too, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. Stratagem Tech's team-building—why is Jethro here? Her gaze darted to the distance between him and Darcy—close enough to feel each other's breath, thick with unspoken tension. Zora gritted her teeth. She pulled Zane's arm, walking over to Jethro, deliberately ignoring Darcy. "Mr. Blackwood, what a coincidence. You're here for team-building too?" "Hmm." Jethro's response was tepid. The tenderness in his eyes when he'd looked at Darcy moments ago was gone, replaced by indifference when speaking to her.Zora felt a pang of resentment but kept it hidden. She pulled two invitations from her bag. "Mr. Blackwood, Ms. Blackwood, Zane and I are getting engaged next month. Here are your invitations. We'd be honored if you could attend." Both Jethro and Cindy took them, noncommittal, neither accepting nor declining, just offering a bland "Congratulations." As they were about to walk away, Zora called out to Darcy. With a theatrical gesture, she swept her long, wavy hair over her shoulder. A blindingly shiny diamond ring on her finger came into full view as she posed with a flourish. Completely different from the last one. Darcy raised a brow. So she's here to show off. Too bad she picked the wrong audience. "Darcy, when are you and your mom free? Let's have a family dinner. Introduce your brother-in-law to your mom. We'll be family soon." Zora's lips curved, emphasizing the word "brother-in-law" heavily. Darcy knew Zora was just trying to disgust her and her mother. No matter how many times she refused, someone determined to be nasty would pretend not to understand. This time, Darcy simply said nothing, giving Zora a brief, dismissive glance before turning away. Cindy, however, was provoked. She snorted coldly, "Not even engaged yet, and you're calling him 'brother-in-law' all over the place. Dr. Moss, maybe don't be too confident. Otherwise, when the slap comes, it'll hurt." Zora's expression darkened. "Ms. Blackwood, I don't understand what you mean." "Hmph, you'd better truly don't!" With that, Cindy also strode away. Despite the bright sun, a chill crept down Zora's spine. Did Cindy find out something?No, impossible! But her words were clearly a warning. One name hit her—Jasper. Could he have leaked something? They dare break our agreement?! Looks like I need to have a serious talk with him tonight! Hah, Jasper, don't think hiding in Kaloria lets you secretly carry on with that woman. Don't forget, not your grandpa, even your cousin Jethro would never allow it! You're sheltering the person responsible for the Blackwood family's tragedy. How dare you! ... The team-building location was a famous tourist island near Aethelburg, surrounded by sea, known for its seafood. There was only one five-star hotel on the island, fully booked by Stratagem and SummitCore employees. Thankfully, the two companies were on different floors. Zane and Zora naturally shared a suite. Their impending engagement was common knowledge at their company, so there was no need for pretense. Inside the suite, Zane loosened his tie, pinching the bridge of his nose with displeasure. "Don't say things like that again." Zora was taken aback, then furious. "Did I say anything wrong? She's John's biological daughter, and you and I are about to be engaged. Doesn't that make you her brother-in-law?!" Not satisfied, she strode over to him and let out a cold laugh. "Or is it that you still have feelings for her and don't want to be her brother-in-law?!" A wave of exhaustion washed over Zane. He felt utterly drained. Lately, he'd been giving in to Zora's every whim, trying to smooth things over. Their relationship had just recovered, and now it was strained again because of Darcy. Zane fell silent. He closed his eyes and couldn't help missing those days. The days before Zora came back, when it was just Darcy by his side...