Darcy's eyes widened in understanding. "No wonder you're soaked. You walked all that way?" Jethro gave a rueful smile. Ran, more accurately. The bidding session had ended. The moment he turned his phone back on and saw her missed calls, a cold dread had settled in his stomach. She rarely called repeatedly. Something was wrong. He'd tried calling back immediately. No answer. On the drive back, they'd hit the worst of the rush hour traffic. The car was barely moving. With every passing minute, his anxiety grew. Finally, two blocks from the office, his patience snapped. To the shock of the Sales Director and his assistants, he'd thrown open the car door and sprinted the rest of the way through the pouring rain. Good thing—he'd made it in time. Darcy listened in silence, then fished her own phone from her pocket. Oops. Silent mode... "I was in a meeting with Zephyr this afternoon, so..." she explained, feeling a pang of guilt. After the misunderstanding caused by his dead phone, the timing was unfortunate. It did look suspicious, like she'd done it on purpose. "I swear it wasn't on purpose. I just forgot. We've been working on an AI model, and we're planning to enter it in the city's FinTech Innovation Challenge. I was tied up in meetings with the R&D team the entire afternoon—didn't even realize how late it had gotten until it was dark out." Jethro took her hand. "You don't need to explain. I believe you." A wave of warmth and relief passed between them. Yeah. Trust felt good. The drive to Jethro's personal villa was short. "Wow, this place is huge!" Darcy looked around, half-teasing. "Where's the army of staff? In the movies, a place like this has at least three butlers and seven maids." Jethro laughed, "I value my privacy. No live-in staff. A cleaning service comes during the day. We hardly cross paths." He paused, his tone softening. "But if we get married, and you'd like more people around, we can arrange that." Darcy felt her cheeks heat. "Go take a hot shower and change before you catch a cold." He pinched her cheek playfully. "Make yourself at home." He handed her his phone. "Order whatever you like for dinner. I'll be quick." Darcy held the phone, feeling its weight. His personal phone. The most private item. And he'd just handed it to her without a second thought. Shaking her head in wonder, she set it down and headed for the kitchen instead. Thirty minutes later, Jethro came downstairs in clean, comfortable loungewear.The aroma of food hit him halfway down. "Darcy, you made all this?" He stared at the simple but inviting meal on the dining table. "I saw your fridge was well-stocked. Just threw together some home-style cooking. Hope it's alright." "It smells amazing." He sat down, took a bite, and his eyes lit up. "Delicious. Better than the chef at the Blackwood Manor." Darcy smiled, pleased. "Eat up, then." After dinner, Jethro insisted on cleaning up, loading the dishwasher, and wiping down the counters before joining her on the sofa. He pulled her onto his lap, resting his chin on her shoulder, eyes half-closed in contentment. "I can't wait to marry you. What do I do?" Darcy just smiled, not answering. Marriage still felt distant. And right now, there were more pressing issues. Sensing her hesitation, Jethro opened his eyes. "Cindy texted me. She said—" Darcy nodded. "I told her. I ran into Annie at the hospital at noon when I went to pick up my mom's prescription." Jethro frowned. "What did she say to you?" Darcy took a moment. "Nothing much... except the last line. She said, 'What if I told you we have a child together?' "I don't know if she was telling the truth or just trying to scare me off." She met his gaze. "I wondered if maybe... she got pregnant back then without telling you, had the baby abroad, and raised it alone." "Impossible!" Jethro's voice was firm, his brow furrowed. "Darcy, we couldn't have a child. We were only officially together for about six months. We never had sex." Darcy was stunned. They hadn't...? Then she remembered her own past. Seven years with Zane, and they hadn't either. "Darcy, do you believe me?""Yes. I believe you. But I don't think Annie will give up easily." If she was bold enough to claim they had a child, she undoubtedly had more moves planned, designed to shatter their trust from within. Jethro thought it through, and a cold, determined glint appeared in his eyes. "If she wants to play dirty, I won't stay nice."