Cindy almost spat out her coffee. "Mom, come on, I didn't!" "Stop pretending. A mother knows her daughter best. I know exactly what you're thinking." Alright, since things had come to this, she might as well start from this topic. Actually, she had always had questions. "Mom, do you know why Zephyr broke up with his ex back then? After all, he went to Valeridge right after graduation and even planned to settle there." Clara frowned. "He didn't go to Valeridge for his ex." Cindy pouted. "How do you know? He said so himself." Actually, all these years, Cindy had carried a knot in her heart. She suspected that Zephyr went to Valeridge after graduation to avoid her. Her confession back then must have scared him. "He said that himself?" Clara was surprised, then sighed, "Zephyr always puts others first." Hearing her mother's tone, Cindy sensed something was off. There was definitely more to the story. Her previously slumped shoulders immediately straightened. "Mom, stop keeping me in suspense! Tell me everything you know!" Clara leisurely drank her coffee, teasing, "Didn't you say you didn't want to marry Zephyr? Why are you so eager to know about him now?" "...You started it by piquing my curiosity." Clara smiled, not calling out her daughter's stubbornness. "You know, before his dad married Doris, he had a previous marriage and an eldest son, Zephyr's older brother. For years, outsiders thought the Knight family was all sunshine and roses—loving father, dutiful sons, brothers getting along, a picture-perfect home. But that's not exactly the case. "Zephyr's older brother was brainwashed by his birth mother from a young age. He was wary of Doris and Zephyr everywhere. Doris tried to win him over but was met with suspicion everywhere. As Zephyr grew up, the tension at home got heavier and heavier. The reason was simple. Zephyr's older brother was worried the family fortune would fall into Doris and Zephyr's hands. "Zephyr is a good kid. He knew what his older brother was worried about. For the family's sake, he went to his dad and offered to bow out—he refused to enter the family business and didn't follow Doris' plan to study business. Instead, he went abroad to study computer science. "The year he graduated with his master's degree happened to be during the transition period between his father's and his brother's power. To avoid suspicion, Zephyr went far away to Valeridge to develop his career after graduation. In the last couple of years, perhaps knowing his brother had firmly secured the top position in the company, Zephyr no longer had concerns. Plus, with Doris' health not being good, he came back." "Cindy? Cindy? You were the one begging me to tell you, and now you're zoning out." Clara's call snapped Cindy out of her thoughts. She bit her lip, her eyes filled with complex emotions—surprise, confusion, and heartache. In front of others, Zephyr was always gentle, elegant, and unflappable even in a crisis. Who knew he had lived such a difficult life behind the scenes? Cindy sniffled. "Then why did he break up with his ex?" Clara said, "I don't know. Doris isn't sure either. She just said they weren't a good match and split on good terms." Then, her eyes shifted. "If you really want to know, I can arrange to meet Zephyr another day and ask him." "Don't—" Cindy's face flushed slightly. "I was just asking casually. Ahem, actually, I don't really want to know at all." Clara raised an eyebrow. "Okay, you don't want to know." Hmph! Let's see how long you can keep up the act. Just then, lunch was served. They chatted about where to go for their afternoon spa treatments while eating. When they finished eating, Clara put down her fork, wiped the corner of her mouth, and made to stand up. "Mom, stay seated. I'll get the check. I said I was treating you for Mother's Day. How can I let you pay?" With that, Cindy dashed to the front desk to settle the bill and dashed back to the private room. Clara picked up her purse to leave, but Cindy hugged her arm. "Mom, it's not good to move around right after eating. No rush, let's rest for a bit." Clara blinked. Taking a car to the spa counts as exercise?But her daughter had been acting cute and well-behaved all day, and she was enjoying it. So, sure—she went along with whatever her daughter said. Cindy gathered her thoughts for a moment, then got to the point. "Mom, don't you think your daughter has changed a lot from last year to this year?" Clara thought about it. It was true—she smiled more and seemed brighter. Cindy blinked. "I've mentioned to you before that I have a close friend at the company. Well, she's more than a friend to me—she's like a mentor and a friend. All the positive changes in me are thanks to her." "That's pretty impressive," Clara said, her eyes darting around. "You telling me this 'cause you want me to help give your friend a boost?" She waved her hand. "Work isn't playtime. You know your brother and I don't like playing the networking game. If she's truly capable, it's only a matter of time before the upper management notices. Don't worry about it." "Mom, that's not what I meant," Cindy said. "She's already the head of a subsidiary company now and has no intention of climbing further. She's content."