The team was struggling to understand the product. All the overtime was useless. Zora felt a wave of nausea. She'd spent a fortune recruiting this army of incompetents. She closed her eyes, wishing desperately that Lucian were still here to handle this mess. Now she'd have to go groveling to Voyager Securities herself. "Get out!" she screamed, her eyes blazing with fury. The two men didn't need to be told twice. They scrambled for the door. In the elevator, they exchanged a look of mutual understanding. This woman is unhinged. No amount of money is worth this. They made a silent agreement and decided to tender their resignations immediately.Zane was navigating the darkest period of his life. After being ousted, his first move was to seek help from his father, Viktor. Viktor's initial reaction was stunned disbelief, followed by gritted teeth, and finally, a look of profound helplessness. "Zane... It's not that I won't help you. I can't. I told you to break off the engagement, and you refused. Now look at this... What can I say?" He looked at his son, who stood with his head bowed in silence. Viktor knew the regret Zane must be feeling was a hundred times worse than his own. But regret was useless now. Not wanting to twist the knife further, Viktor changed tack. "I can't intervene at the company level, but I know several top-tier corporate lawyers. I'll have them look into your legal options." He then slid a black credit card across the desk. "This is a supplementary card on my account. Use it for now. Don't tell your mom about this. No need to worry her."At the mention of his mother, Zane snapped out of his numb trance. From his father's first sentence, he'd known help wouldn't be coming. His eyes dimmed, and a crooked smile pulled at his mouth. So this selfish, cold-blooded streak—guess that's where he got it from. He left the black card on the desk. No matter how far he fell, he wouldn't become a parasite. Outside, the July heat was oppressive, but Zane felt only a bone-deep chill. Since returning to the Vance family, he'd clawed his way up, never experiencing a real fall. The taste of it was acrid and humiliating. He sank into the driver's seat of his car, exhaustion etching lines into his face. Who else can help me? A name surfaced in his mind. His eyes flew open, his Adam's apple bobbing.The company was their creation. She had poured her soul into it. She— She'll help me, right? But the thought was fleeting, immediately discarded. He knew with absolute certainty that Darcy held not a shred of feeling for him anymore. Hearing about his downfall would probably just amuse her. The mere idea of her reaction was a fresh stab of agony. He drove back to the Vance Manor. He hadn't visited his mother in a while and needed to maintain appearances to avoid worrying her. The moment Olena saw him, her heart ached. "You've lost so much weight! How is Zora taking care of you? You just got engaged, and she's already neglecting you? So irresponsible!" She immediately bustled off to the kitchen, instructing the staff to prepare nourishing soups to rebuild his health.Zane forced a smile. "I'm fine, Mom." He had deliberately kept his hospitalization a secret from her and had no intention of telling her now. His mother had spent her life orbiting his father; she couldn't help him even if she wanted to. Telling her would only cause her needless distress. Olena studied her son's weary face and couldn't help but complain further, "What has Zora been doing all this time? I told her to look after you! Why do you look worse? Did the wounds on your back reopen?" Hearing Zora's name repeatedly grated on Zane's already frayed nerves. "Mom, I'm really okay. Just busy with work. Please don't worry." Olena sighed and stood up. "I'll call your father and see if he's coming home for dinner." "Don't bother." Zane stopped her. "He's not coming back tonight." "How do you know?" Olena asked, surprised. "Did you just come from the Vance Group?""Yeah. He has a business dinner." Zane lied effortlessly. If he was at home, his father wouldn't want to come back and face him—especially after saying no to him that afternoon. At the dinner table, Olena kept piling food onto his plate, fussing over his well-being. Suddenly, the head butler entered. "Mrs. Vance, Ms. Vance is here." Olena was momentarily confused before realizing who he meant. Her brow furrowed. "What is Lilian doing here?" If not for Lilian, her son wouldn't have been punished by family rules. Just thinking about it made Olena grit her teeth. "Don't let her in. Nothing good ever comes when she's around." "Uh—" The butler looked torn, hemming and hawing, but before he could finish, the sharp, confident click of high heels announced Lilian's arrival at the entrance.