Finally, they found a trail marker with the company logo in the bushes. With that, the first task was complete. Darcy's expression relaxed. Looking up, she unexpectedly met Jethro's deep, intense gaze. Her chest tightened slightly. Instinctively, she clenched the phone in her hand, looked away, turned her back, and kept walking. Jethro's narrow eyes traced her stiff back. He let out a heavy sigh. Then, he stepped forward and grasped her wrist. Darcy, caught off balance, turned to face him. The skin under his touch burned hot. Her breath caught. "W-what are you doing?" It was only the first task. Many colleagues were still nearby. Afraid of gossip, Darcy tried to pull her hand back, but he didn't let go.Ahead was a grove of trees. Jethro pulled her by the wrist, leading her into the small woods. He planted a hand on a tree trunk, trapping her between him and the tree. His gaze held hers, his tone unusually cool. "You've been avoiding me lately, haven't you?" Darcy was startled by his sudden behavior. The Jethro she knew was always civilized, polite, gentle, and restrained. She'd never seen him lose control like this. She turned her face away, her eyelashes fluttering. "No." An untimely chuckle sounded in her ear. Annoyed, Darcy retorted, "What are you laughing at?" Jethro looked down at her. "Your eyelashes flutter non-stop when you lie." Darcy was stunned. Do I? Jethro kept looking at her with that faint smile. Her cheeks flushed. She pushed him away. "I'm not lying.""Darcy—" Jethro stopped her. "If I did something wrong, tell me, okay?" She halted. For a second, she heard a note that sounded a lot like pleading. Must be my imagination. She shook her head, dismissing the thought. "Mr. Blackwood, you're the boss. How could you be wrong?" Jethro frowned, voicing his suspicion. "Did someone say something to you in private?" Darcy avoided his gaze. "No." But Jethro was perceptive. His brow furrowed slightly. He guessed right. Someone had talked to her. Who could it be? He wanted to press further, but Darcy had already slipped away. He let it go for now. No rush. Three days of team building—plenty of chances to get her alone. No need to force it. On the other side, Cindy saw their team's progress lagging behind others and grew impatient. Impatience led to carelessness. Carelessness led to her tripping over a stone and scraping her knee. Zephyr knelt down, heart aching for her. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to bandage it. "Does it hurt? Are you scared? Let me blow on it. That'll make it better." Cindy turned her face away. "We're not kids anymore. That's so childish." As soon as the words left her mouth, they both froze. When she was very little, Cindy loved following her brother and Zephyr around. Strangely, as a little girl, she didn't like playing house with other girls. She preferred running around with the boys.Once, when they went hiking, Cindy tagged along. She hadn't gone far before she fell and scraped her knee. Blood flowed. Cindy wailed. Zephyr rushed down to comfort her. Her brother, Jethro, glanced at the wound and said calmly, "It's fine. The driver can take you home." "No!" Cindy refused, crying and whining, "Zeph, carry me!" In the end, Zephyr carried her all the way to the top. It nearly killed him. That moment then was exactly like this moment now. But they weren't the same people anymore. Cindy tried to stand, but Zephyr crouched down in front of her. Her face flushed. "What are you doing?"Zephyr smiled, "Get on. I'll carry you." "No, I can walk." "Get on. I'll carry you." Zephyr turned his head, his deep eyes locking onto hers, silently declaring—there's no other option. After a two-second standoff, she gave in, leaning forward to climb onto his back, her slender arms looping around his neck. Her warm breath brushed his ear, her unique scent filling his nostrils. Zephyr felt a sudden pang in his chest. "Hold tight." His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice low. "There's a slope ahead." Cindy mumbled an "Mhm," her arms tightening slightly as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. Zephyr's back stiffened for a moment. Then he stood up and started walking as usual. From his back, Cindy had a higher vantage point and kept directing Zephyr to complete tasks. By dusk, with the sky painted in sunset colors, the five of them regrouped. Their performance was clearly lacking, barely scraping fifth from the bottom. Cindy planted her hands on her hips. "Fifth from last?! I've never had grades this bad in my life!" Then she narrowed her eyes at Rowan. "Rowan, where were you earlier? I didn't see you at all!"