"I swore to avenge her. So, I painstakingly cultivated your trust, inserted myself into your life, and bided my time. My initial plan was simply to expose you, to let the world see your true colors. But I underestimated the power of money. Repeated reports and exposures did nothing; you and your family remained untouched, free. So, I changed my strategy. Why try to stem the tide when you can cut off its source? Only by toppling the Moss family behind you could I ensure you remained locked in hell forever. Zora, enjoy the play I wrote just for you. I believe you'll appreciate it!" After reading the email, Zora collapsed to the floor. So it was all a trap set by Lucian! How laughable! The one person she trusted unconditionally, the one she was certain would never betray her, had been the final blade plunged into her heart! Too damn funny!After the hysterical laughter came an unstoppable surge of fury. Flames of rage danced in Zora's eyes. "Mom, I need to find Lucian! I have to make him pay!" Susan hugged her daughter, sobbing. It was too late. If Lucian had managed a clean getaway, it meant he'd planned his exit meticulously. They'd never find him. "Let it go. It's fate. It's all fate. As long as we have each other, we can rebuild. We'll rise again." Just then, a commotion erupted downstairs. The butler's panicked voice rang out. "Bad news! Court officials are here! They've come to seize the house!" Susan and Zora froze, all color draining from their faces. A few days later, a juicy piece of gossip circulated through Aethelburg's high society. The once-glorious Moss family had fallen completely. Their estate had been seized. Susan and Zora were left with nowhere to go, forced into that kind of work. "What kind of work?" someone asked naively. "Streetwalking!" another scoffed. "When you have nothing left to sell, you sell the only thing you've got." At Stratagem Tech, a meeting was scheduled in a conference room on a lower floor. Darcy and Cindy took the elevator down from the fifteenth floor. Cindy, phone in hand, eagerly shared the gossip. "Did you hear? The Moss family is bankrupt. The Moss Manor was seized by the court over loan defaults. And get this—your scummy dad was the sharpest. He got tipped off early, scooped the cash, and bolted." Darcy was stunned. She'd been so absorbed in her power struggle with Jasper lately that she'd missed the news. Thinking of SummitCore's bankruptcy and the Moss family's collapse, she couldn't help a tired sigh. How is Lucian doing? She hadn't heard anything about him for a long time.Scrolling through her contacts, she found his name. Last time, when Edmund mentioned wanting her at the bank, she'd actually thought of someone more suitable—Lucian. Should I ask him? She bit her lip, unsure. The elevator doors opened. Cindy nudged her. "Come on, Darcy." Darcy snapped back to reality, putting her phone away. In the conference room, she'd just set down her laptop when her phone vibrated. She opened it, startled. It was a message from Lucian. Did he read my mind? Looking closer, she realized what had happened. At the elevator, Cindy had bumped her hand, causing her to accidentally send a laughing-crying emoji to Lucian. Lucian, confused, had simply replied with a question mark.Darcy felt so embarrassed. She forced herself to text, "Sorry, pocket tap." He replied almost instantly, as if waiting by his phone, "Oh." Darcy thought, since they were talking anyway, she might as well ask if he'd consider Aethelburg Bank. SummitCore Tech was bankrupt now, and Zora wasn't his backing anymore. There was a long pause on the other end. Finally, Lucian replied, "Thanks. But I'm no longer in the country. Take care." Darcy's heart clenched. He'd already left. And she hadn't even had a chance to say a proper goodbye. She stared at her phone for several seconds before replying, "You too. Take care." Both knew the chances of their paths crossing again were slim to none. The conference room's glass door slid open again. Jasper entered, followed by Jenna. Jenna carried herself with an air of superiority, swaggering to the seat beside the head of the table. Cindy rolled her eyes dramatically and leaned in to whisper to Darcy, "Just a lapdog. Don't know what she's so proud of." Darcy smiled faintly and shook her head. A few moments later, Zephyr, Wade, and two other tech leads arrived, slightly late. Before Jasper could say a word, Jenna piped up, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "A reminder for some people—the meeting notice clearly says 10 AM. Showing up late and arriving after the boss? That's just plain ridiculous." Three of the four tech leads—except Zephyr—flushed with embarrassment. Wade hurried to clarify, tone careful, "Apologies, Ms. King. We'd just been in a meeting with the client's CTO. It won't happen again."