Darcy thought for a moment and still advised her, "Cindy, you do have feelings for him. Why not talk to him and lay it all out?" Cindy lowered her eyes and said nothing more. Seeing this, Darcy didn't press further. ... Ivy had just returned from leave and was buried in the backlog of board-related work when her desk phone rang. Ding, ding, ding. "Hello?" she answered without looking up. She didn't expect it to be Rowan calling her. Ivy's hands, typing on the keyboard, stopped. She gripped the receiver slightly tighter. "Mr. Kerr? What can I do for you?" They were both assistants, serving the Blackwoods, but their jobs differed.Given Clara's role as board chair, Ivy handled more board matters and Clara's personal affairs, while Rowan primarily dealt with the CEO's official business. So receiving a call from Rowan was a bit of a surprise. "Hi, Ms. Kross, it's not me looking for you. It's Mr. Blackwood. With the board meeting approaching, there are some details he'd like to discuss with you in person." Ivy fell silent, guessing internally. Just work, really? On the other end, Rowan had already given the time and place, saying respectfully, "Mr. Blackwood would like to have lunch with you, discuss things over the meal. The place is Riverside Restaurant, private room 'Moon Viewing' on the second floor. Does that work for you?" Riverside Restaurant... Private room Moon Viewing on the second floor... What a coincidence. Ivy had booked that exact room not long ago—the same room Clara had used to meet Darcy. Her heart skipped a beat. She had a bad feeling about this sudden invite. But his side was pushy, setting the time and place first. It was clear Rowan's call wasn't to negotiate but to inform her. Ivy sighed. She didn't really have a choice to refuse. "Okay. I can make it. I'll be there on time." Hanging up, her right eye twitched. Not a good sign. Checking her phone, she had half an hour. She touched up her makeup, picked up her bag, and headed to the parking garage. On the way, she ran through all the possible reasons Jethro could want to see her. The car soon arrived at Riverside Restaurant. Making sure she hadn't overlooked anything, she took a deep breath and went upstairs.A server looked up and recognized her, smiling as he led her to the second floor. "Ms. Kross, nice to see you again. Didn't expect to see you so soon." Pushing the door open, the server kept talking, "Funny thing—same private room again. Is Ms. Silva coming too?" "Oh? Who did Ms. Silva meet here last time?" A man's low voice came from inside. Ivy was startled. She didn't expect Jethro to arrive earlier than her. She quickly shot the server a look, signaling her to be quiet. The server immediately lowered her head, handed them the menus, and quickly retreated. Ivy sat down, nodding at Jethro across the table with a smile. "Mr. Blackwood, my apologies. I was reporting to Ms. Silva, so I'm late." Jethro wasn't bothered by her subtle mention of his mother applying pressure. "It's fine." He leaned back in his chair in a relaxed posture. "Ms. Kross, do you know who Ms. Silva met here last time?"Ivy smiled, her hands clenching tightly under the table, "A client." The man opposite seemed to believe the excuse, looking down to order. Ivy couldn't help but breathe a quiet sigh of relief. After ordering, Jethro asked her a few more questions, all related to the upcoming board meeting. Ivy answered them one by one, feeling increasingly calm inside. Looks like I was overthinking. He really just wanted to talk about work. Lunch soon ended. As Ivy needed to see Clara in the afternoon, she proposed leaving first. Jethro didn't say yes or no. He took a sip of water, speaking slowly, "I heard you recently bought an apartment, planning to marry your boyfriend. Congrats—two happy things at once." Ivy's brain froze for a few seconds. He had dug into her. Her smile tightened. "Thank you, Mr. Blackwood."Just then, a message from Clara came in. Ivy openly showed her phone to Jethro. "Mr. Blackwood, Ms. Silva has been looking for me. I really have to go." As she reached the door, Jethro's calm voice sounded again. "I hear my mom plans to put my name forward as a candidate for chair at this board meeting. In two or three years, I might take her seat. "Ms. Kross, you're smart. You know who will be running this company in the future. No need for me to remind you." With that, he placed his cup heavily on the table with a thud. Ivy's back stiffened. She turned around, her voice trembling. "Mr. Blackwood, I—" "For what follows, just answer yes or no." "...Mr. Blackwood..." "Did my mom send you to investigate Darcy?" "...Yes." "Did she... say some unpleasant things to Darcy?" Ivy shook her head, then forced it out. "...Yes."