Bex straightened up, feeling inexplicably guilty. "Stratagem Tech's proposal is quite good. The product features are comprehensive and perfectly match our tender requirements. But..." He was just about to say, "SummitCore Tech's is superior," when his boss stood up abruptly and said, "I think so too," before walking out. Bex stood frozen for a long moment, then wiped a hand over his face. Did I just celebrate too early and mess this up? Just then, a message came through on his phone, which was face down on the table. Seeing Zora's icon, Bex narrowed his eyes. No. I can't go back on my word to her! I'll find a way to convince the boss! ... By the time they left the client's office building, dusk was settling in. Darcy felt her stomach grumbling with hunger. She turned to Cade. "Let's go. I'm buying you dinner." Cade immediately perked up. "Yes! I want to go to that new trendy place, the one with the Black Pearl rating!" "Which one?" Darcy asked, telling him to send her the address. Cade forwarded her a link from a review app. When she saw the price per person was 200 dollars, her eyebrow twitched. This man... She smiled wryly but said nothing, putting her phone away as they walked to the parking lot. She had just pulled out her keys to unlock the car when a familiar, deep voice sounded behind her. "What a coincidence, running into you two here." Darcy turned around.Not far away, Jethro stood in his impeccably tailored black suit, one hand in his pocket, a casual smile on his face as he looked their way. "It is a coincidence," Darcy said, surprised. "Are you here to see a client too, Mr. Blackwood?" This office building housed more than just Easemark Ventures; perhaps he was visiting another company. Still, the timing felt almost too convenient. A smile touched Jethro's eyes. Whether he didn't hear her question or chose to ignore it, he instead asked, "Heading back?" "We're going to get dinner," Darcy replied honestly. She paused, then added as an afterthought, "Would you like to join us, Mr. Blackwood?" She assumed the perpetually busy CEO wouldn't have time, but as her boss, she felt obliged to ask out of courtesy. To her surprise, Jethro nodded. "Sure, I'll join you. But it's my treat. Consider it an advance celebration for a successful contract." The restaurant wasn't far, and they arrived in under half an hour. Fortunately, it was a weeknight, so they didn't need a reservation. However, as a trendy spot, all the private rooms were already booked, so they had to sit in the main dining area. They had just sat down and were about to order when Cade frowned and grabbed his phone. "Hello, baby? You're sick? Oh no, I'll come home and take care of you right away!" He hung up and looked at his two superiors with an apologetic expression. "Mr. Blackwood, Ms. Gale, I'm so sorry. My girlfriend is sick and waiting for me at home. I have to go. Really sorry, let's do dinner another time!" With that, he grabbed his bag and hurried out. Only Jethro and Darcy remained at the table. Darcy felt the situation was a bit awkward, but they were already here, and they had to eat. Since it was just the two of them, they wouldn't need much. Darcy ordered two of the signature dishes and then handed the menu to Jethro. Jethro smiled. "Don't worry about the cost on my account. Order whatever you like." "Mr. Blackwood, there are only two of us. We can't eat that much." Jethro's hand, which was flipping through the menu, paused. He looked up at her. "Darcy, can I make a suggestion?" Darcy sat up straighter. "Of course." Her serious demeanor was... rather unique. Jethro smiled. "Outside of work hours, don't call me Mr. Blackwood. Jethro is fine." This felt... a bit presumptuous. But her boss had spoken. She couldn't refuse. She nodded stiffly. "Okay. J-Jethro."After they ordered, they chatted about the POC that afternoon. Darcy was frank. "I can't guarantee we'll get the contract. Zora from SummitCore and Bex from Easemark's IT department are alumni, and they're close. While I have a decent relationship with Mr. Steele, he's a hands-off manager and doesn't interfere with his subordinates' work. Product procurement falls under the IT department. If Mr. Stone insists that only SummitCore's product meets the requirements, our chances are slim." Jethro wasn't surprised by her honesty. He'd known her character before poaching her. But the name "Zora" gave him pause. He looked up again, his deep, thoughtful gaze resting on the woman across from him. He was also aware of Darcy's history with Zane. Since Darcy agreed to join Stratagem, he'd had his assistant discreetly look into the situation at SummitCore. He'd recently learned that Zane's childhood crush had returned from abroad and that the two were behaving quite intimately at the office. Many employees were whispering that the usually aloof CEO was finally in love. And that woman was Zora. If he remembered correctly, his cousin had recently been considering an alliance marriage with the Moss family, though for some reason it had been called off.