His barrage of questions made Darcy laugh. "So you get flustered too? I thought you had everything under control all the time." Jethro gave a wry smile. He didn't tell her he'd been restless all evening, working out in the gym for an hour to curb the urge to call her. Only now did he feel somewhat calm. He said, "I'm not unflappable all the time. It's just... when it comes to you, I have to weigh everything, be extra careful." Take the recent period of pretending to break up, for instance. To lure out the real culprit, Jethro had let the rumors fly, let his own sister call him a jerk to his face without explaining. None of that bothered him outwardly. But hearing that Jasper had given Darcy a hard time several times, he couldn't help but secretly instruct Rowan to mess with Jasper's affairs behind the scenes.Or, seeing Annie humiliate Darcy in person, he felt the urge to intervene. Fortunately, no one noticed. Through the screen, Darcy's face flushed. He was usually reserved, rarely speaking sweet nothings. When he did, it was always a knockout punch. She couldn't help thinking that people good at math were just born gifted. At the company, Darcy was quickly reinstated, with a formal notification from the Group HR. However, Jasper was conspicuously absent, putting several projects on hold. Anxious project managers, sweating bullets, came to Darcy for guidance. Darcy thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait a bit longer. Wait for Mr. Blackwood's decision." Others didn't know why Jasper had suddenly vanished, his phone unreachable, but Darcy did. At lunch, she met with Jethro and asked about Jasper's condition. Jethro said, "He can talk now, but he's still not well. Fortunately, Jett is with him." Darcy nodded. "What about the company? I'm only the Vice President. Some decisions aren't appropriate for me to make directly. Should you take over temporarily? That would be more proper." "I'll ask Grandpa this afternoon." "Alright. I'll wait for your update." That afternoon, however, Jasper suddenly showed up at the office. He came to pack his things. Jenna was frantic, her voice tearful. "Mr. Blackwood, if you leave, what do I do?" Jasper said flatly, "You know how you got this job. This was never where you belonged." Despite his words, Jenna was reluctant to leave.The work environment and salary here were vastly better than being a waitress. She didn't want to go. "Mr. Blackwood, please, for the sake of Jett—I'm his aunt—can you put in a good word for me with the higher-ups so I can stay?" After Annie's arrest, as her only relative, the police contacted Jenna. Learning the truth had shocked her and sent a chill down her spine. She had almost gotten implicated herself. After several days of unease at the company, seeing Jasper pack up his things made her heart sink. Was she really going to be sent back to her old life? Faced with Jenna's pleas, Jasper ignored her. He had no energy to care about her fate. After packing, Jasper pushed open the door to leave. Jenna suddenly called out, "Oh, by the way... Annie had an episode in prison. She mentioned a medication she regularly takes. Do you still have any? I can mail it to her." Jasper paused, then pulled an extra bottle from his bag. He used to keep these spare meds in his car, at home, at the office—everywhere he hung out. Now, he didn't need it anymore. "This is the last one. Mail it to her." With that, Jasper left without looking back. Darcy didn't expect Jasper to seek her out. She was quite surprised when she got his call. In the downstairs café, Jasper sat with his long legs crossed. He was still in a suit, but his demeanor was dull, the previous ambitious fire gone from his eyes. Seeing Darcy enter, he stubbed out a half-smoked cigarette and coughed a few times. "Sorry. Do you mind? If you do, we can move," he asked, seeking her opinion. Darcy was taken aback. She'd never seen him smoke before; he must have picked it up recently. After such a huge blow, it was understandable he might turn to cigarettes to cope. "I don't mind," Darcy said, but after a moment added, "Smoking isn't good for you, though. Maybe cut back." Jasper smiled faintly but didn't comment. He straightened up, gathering himself for a few seconds before speaking, "I'm sorry. For causing you so much trouble recently." Darcy's hand, holding her coffee cup, paused. Is this... an apology? She was surprised but accepted it calmly. She did deserve one. She glanced at the briefcase beside him, packed with personal stuff. Her brows lifted. "So you're planning to...?" Jasper gave a resigned smile. "I'm taking Jett back with me. My mom is there too. Chances are I won't be back."