"Jethro! What are you doing here?" Cindy exclaimed, running over excitedly. She folded her arms. "Darcy and I spent 20 thousand dollars tonight. It's on your tab." Darcy's breath caught, a pang of disbelief hitting her. Twenty thousand dollars? For four dishes? That was ridiculously extravagant! Jethro opened the car door and stepped out. The brisk night wind lifted the hem of his black coat. He tapped his sister's head lightly, a fond smile on his lips. "Sure." Then he turned his gaze to Darcy. "Did she cause you any trouble?" Darcy was momentarily confused before realizing he was asking if Cindy had been difficult. Cindy huffed twice. "Who's causing trouble! Darcy and I just landed a decent contract today."Darcy smiled, "Yes, she's right." Jethro nodded. "Good." As Darcy walked around the front of the car to the passenger side, Jethro leaned closer to his sister and said in a low voice, "Come to places like this less often from now on." Cindy pouted. "You come here all the time." "That's for business." Cindy sensed something off. She'd come here plenty of times before, and her brother never said anything. Now she showed up with Darcy, and he suddenly— "Jethro." "Hm?" Cindy narrowed her eyes. "You into Darcy or what?" Jethro shot her a look. "Don't talk nonsense." "What's the big deal? I think she's great. She suits you," Cindy said, fully embracing her matchmaker role.Jethro rubbed his temple and urged her to get going. "Drive safe." He watched the car drive off into the distance before finally looking away. ... Kaia took the file upstairs. When she pushed open the private room door, only Zora was inside. Zora waved her over. "Come on, Kaia. Sit." Kaia sat down and asked quietly, "Where's Mr. Vance?" Zora said, "Mr. Blackwood from Blackwood Group is next door. He went over to toast him." Whoa. Jethro's right next door? Kaia's heart immediately began to race. Everyone in Aethelburg knew the Blackwood family. Everyone knew their head, Jethro. Young, with a net worth in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Most importantly, Jethro was stunningly handsome and still single.Kaia had fantasized while watching him on TV. If only I could marry someone like Jethro one day. Power, status, money—I'll have it all. But she knew it was a pipe dream. Jethro kept a low profile. He rarely showed up in public. She'd never get near him. And with his net worth? Even if the Larks wanted to climb that social ladder, they'd push the fake heiress forward, not her. Once she understood that, Kaia had stopped entertaining those unrealistic dreams. Yet, hearing he was in the next room made her heart still flutter uncontrollably. Unaware of her thoughts, Zora introduced her to the client in the room. With a brilliant smile, Zora said, "Kaia, this is Mr. Eliot Kent. Please give the contract to him for his signature. I need to step out to the restroom." Kaia, a bit lost, had no experience handling clients alone. She just did as Zora said. She took out the contract and a pen, presenting them respectfully. "Mr. Kent, here is the contract, in duplicate. Please sign on the last page." Eliot was around fifty, his face flushed from alcohol. He chuckled, gave Kaia a once-over, and patted the seat beside him. "Come, sit here." Kaia felt awkward, but with Zora gone, she had no choice. She braced herself and sat down. "How old are you? What's your position at SummitCore?" Eliot asked with a smile, reaching to touch her hand the moment she sat. Kaia felt a wave of nausea, but he was a client. She held back, quietly moving her hand away. Her body stiff, she said, "I'm twenty-four. I'm Dr. Moss' assistant." "Only twenty-four! So young. Same age as my daughter," Eliot said, his eyes crinkling into slits as his hand moved to her thigh. Kaia gasped and jerked back. "Mr. Kent!" Her face burned with a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Please behave yourself!"Eliot's expression darkened, but just then the door opened. Zora walked in. She took in the scene and instantly understood what had happened. Her eyes flickered, and she pulled Kaia behind her. "Mr. Kent, Kaia is new and doesn't understand the way things work. Please don't take it to heart." She picked up a glass of red wine from the table and turned to Kaia. "Kaia, drink this and apologize to Mr. Kent." Kaia was stunned. Her eyes reddened with angry tears. He harassed me! Why should I apologize to that creep?! No way! Zora gave her a meaningful look. Dr. Moss won't steer me wrong. After a moment's hesitation, she took the glass and downed the wine, then bowed to Eliot. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kent." Only then did Eliot's anger seem to fade. As for signing the contract... he waved a hand. "Let's call it a night. Something's come up. I have to go."After he left, the room fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even Kaia, as slow on the uptake as she could be, realized her reaction had just killed the deal.