"Totally looks the same," the new hire insisted, pulling up Jasper's official ID photo from the company directory and placing it next to the photo of Jett. "See for yourselves." Everyone rolled their eyes, about to call her an idiot, but when they looked more closely, a chill crept up their spines. They all fell silent. Wealthy families are messy. We know nothing. Darcy overheard the discussion but didn't stay to hear the rest. She took her cup and returned to her desk. Seeing this, Cindy sighed dramatically. She placed a hand on her stomach and groaned, "Ugh, I didn't eat enough breakfast. My stomach's already staging a protest. Come on, Darcy, let's go grab an early lunch." At her words, Zephyr's hands paused over his keyboard. He looked over at her stomach, his tone dubious. "You... didn't eat enough for breakfast?"If he recalled correctly, someone had devoured a large plate of pasta, a coffee, an egg, and various snacks for breakfast. Cindy tried desperately to signal him with her eyes, her face contorting. Unfortunately, Zephyr, deep in his coding trance, failed to get the message. His brain, like his code, needed a clear command to process. Seeing his blank look, Cindy gritted her teeth. "Stay out of girl business. I said I'm hungry, so I'm hungry." The chastised man could only rub his nose sheepishly. Darcy rested her chin on her hand, her gaze shifting between them. Then, she suddenly leaned in and sniffed the air like a curious puppy. Cindy asked, "What are you doing? Who farted? It wasn't me!" Zephyr coughed lightly. "Wasn't me either." Darcy smiled, narrowing her eyes and speaking in a low voice, "No, no. I'm just smelling... something fishy." She fanned the air with her hand. "Don't you smell it too?" Cindy and Zephyr froze. "Ahem! Let's go. I'm starving," Cindy said through gritted teeth, practically dragging Darcy into the elevator. Inside the enclosed space, Cindy finally relaxed. She glared at Darcy. "How long have you known?" Darcy blinked innocently. "Known what?" "Cut the act. You were practically pointing at us earlier." Darcy crossed her arms. "Oh, so you admit you and Zephyr are together? Or... maybe things have progressed even faster than I thought. Are you... living together?" Cindy leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "Even faster than that. We got married." Darcy stared at her in utter disbelief.Married?! "That's the whole story. Believe it or not." In a private booth at a restaurant, Cindy told Darcy everything about her impromptu marriage and subsequent cohabitation with Zephyr. Darcy was momentarily speechless. Finally, she asked, "So, did you marry him because you genuinely wanted to, or just to avoid marrying Jeremy?" A flicker of uncertainty appeared in Cindy's eyes. She had actually pondered that very question the night before they went to get the license. Emotionally, she liked Zephyr. But did she like himenough to get married and keep it secret? Not really. It was a bit of both, she supposed. Cindy said slowly, "Well, it's done now. No point overthinking it." Darcy knew Cindy had always been a free spirit who wouldn't force herself into misery. She could also see that Cindy's married life with Zephyr seemed happy. So, she let the matter drop. "By the way, don't tell my brother about this yet," Cindy added hesitantly. "I haven't figured out how to break the news to the family." Then, she realized her words were unnecessary. Darcy and her brother had broken up. Cindy still felt a pang of regret but stopped herself from saying anything more or giving Darcy false hope. After all, her best friend was amazing. Why should she settle for a man with a secret child before he was even married? Two-legged men were a dime a dozen! Cindy raised an eyebrow, changing the subject. "Zephyr has a few grad school friends who just moved back from abroad. Want me to introduce you?" Darcy was taken aback. "A blind date?" "Think of it as networking," Cindy insisted. "I've vetted them for you. Good looks, good family backgrounds. Most importantly, they're all in tech. If you did hit it off, you'd have tons to talk about. Not like my brother, always going on about business deals. So boring." Meanwhile, up on the top floor, Jethro, reviewing a project, suddenly sneezed. Huh. Is the A/C set too low today? He silently got up and put on his suit jacket. Darcy couldn't help but laugh. "No, thanks. I'm currently on a man-free diet. The new semester is starting soon, and I'll be swamped. No time for that." Seeing Darcy truly had no intention of starting a new relationship, Cindy didn't press further. The Next Day was the weekend. Darcy planned to sleep in until noon, but she was woken up early by Ione. "Mom, why are you waking me up so early? Going grocery shopping?" Darcy yawned. "You can order everything online now. I'll do it on my phone."