Cindy cleared her throat and sent a voice message. "Darcy's awake. She's fine, no fever. Report complete, over!" She then aimed the phone at Darcy. "Come on, say something to him. He's been worried sick." Darcy's ears burned. She looked down and pressed the record button. "I... I'm okay. No fever, no cold. It's... pretty late. Get some rest." A reply popped up instantly. "Okay. Goodnight." Darcy looked at the two words, her lashes fluttering. Goodnight. The air was thick with romantic tension, and Cindy's gossip radar went wild. She brought over dinner and handed it to Darcy. "Here—this is something my brother told the hotel to save just for you. He was worried you'd wake up hungry, so he asked the hotel staff to prep it personally. And he even made me promise to bring it to you the second you're up." Cindy was in full matchmaking mode, selling her brother as if he were a saint. Darcy knew she was exaggerating, but the warm, savory soup spreading through her still made her heart skip a beat. Cindy, mistaking her silence for shyness, narrowed her eyes mischievously. "My brother said he found you in a cave. So... nothing happened in that cave?" "What could happen?" "Come on—haven't you seen this in every drama? The leads get stuck together in a cave, the girl's clothes are soaked through, she's gotta take them off to dry them, and boom—they hook up!" Darcy almost choked on her soup. "Your main task right now is to watch less TV!" she snapped, her face flushed. Cindy wasn't giving up. "Really, nothing at all?" "Nothing!" Darcy finished the soup and put the bowl down. Getting out of bed to wash up, she noticed medicine on her feet. This was— "My brother applied it. Touched?" "...I'm going to wash up." Cindy wasn't about to let her off the hook. Leaning against the bathroom door, she rubbed her chin. "Hugo went looking for you too. What was his face like when he saw you with my brother? Bet he was grinding his teeth to dust." Too bad, when her brother carried Darcy back, she'd only been worried about Darcy's condition and hadn't noticed Hugo's expression. Didn't need to think. It must have been priceless. A real showdown—sparks flying everywhere.Thinking of Hugo, Darcy felt a pang of guilt. But she had to bury that guilt. She knew any sign of concern from her would only make Hugo chase her harder. In the presidential suite on the top floor, Hugo couldn't sleep. He got up for a smoke. Tall and sharp, he leaned against the window. The night breeze stirred. Under his long lashes, emotions pooled heavy and dark. Ines, getting up to pee, jolted at the sight of a man smoking by the window. He jumped back, rubbed his eyes, and recognized who it was. "Jesus, don't sleep and play ghost to scare people?" Ines yawned, patting his shoulder. Hugo didn't look at him, still staring outside, his face pale behind the smoke haze. A man with something on his mind. Ines reached into Hugo's pocket, pulled out the cigarette case, lit one, and exhaled slowly.He glanced at his buddy. "Still thinking about Darcy? She's probably fine. Jethro's with—" Before he finished, Hugo shot him a dark, icy look. Ines flinched, immediately shutting up. "When did you start liking her? Never noticed before." That look just now—that was a man's possessiveness over a woman. He couldn't even stand hearing another man's name. That said it all. Ines was genuinely curious. When had Hugo fallen for Darcy? Damn, could it have been back when she was still Zane's girl... He flicked the ash, crushed the butt in the ashtray, then patted Hugo's shoulder again. "Like her all you want, but keep it from Zane for now. He's about to get engaged to Zora. If he finds out you... I'm afraid he won't take it well. "And look, like her all you want. Date, whatever. But marriage? I'd think twice. With her background, she can't help you much." Hugo scoffed, "You think I'm like Zane, needing a woman's help for everything?" Ines was stunned, speechless. Then, irritably, he ran a hand through his hair and kicked a nearby chair. "Damn it! This is the first time I've ever thought Darcy had that 'troublemaker' vibe! "Don't let me hear that kind of crap come out of your mouth again." Hugo's brows furrowed with displeasure. He stubbed out his cigarette and turned toward the bathroom.