But Kaia felt wronged. That Eliot was clearly a lecher. She spoke up timidly, "Dr. Moss..." Zora smiled and patted her hand. "Feeling wronged?" Kaia nodded, tears welling up again. "I'm sorry," Zora said. "That was my fault. I shouldn't have left you alone. You wouldn't have been harassed otherwise." Kaia wiped her tears. Good. Dr. Moss gets it. She shook her head. "It's okay. He didn't get his way. But we didn't close the deal." Zora wiped Kaia's tears for her, not blaming her at all. "No big deal. We'll sign it next time." Kaia's heart warmed. Dr. Moss is so kind, not getting angry even when I messed up a deal. They settled the bill and headed out. Passing the next private room, Zora paused. She said to Kaia, "Kaia, wait for me in the car. I'll just say goodbye to Mr. Vance." "Oh." Kaia bit her lip. She actually wanted to go in too, but since Zora didn't invite her, she couldn't just invite herself. The private room was large and noisy, so no one noticed when Zora slipped in. Her eyes swept the room quickly, landing on Zane, Hugo, and Ines standing with drinks in a corner. She walked over. "Ah, Dr. Moss has arrived," Ines said, spotting her first and teasing. Zora gave a helpless smile. "I've said so many times, just call me Zora." Ines grinned. "How could I? You're the most highly educated in our circle! We should treat you like a rare treasure!" A PhD at a young age, from a prestigious overseas university in economics. Zora's reputation in their social circle was impeccable. Only a fool like the second son of the Blackwood family would cancel an alliance with the Moss family.Zora glanced toward the center of the room, where many people surrounded Jethro. She turned back to the three childhood friends. "Have you said hello yet?" Zane frowned and shook his head. "Not yet." "It's packed in there. Everyone wants a word with the head of the Blackwood family," Hugo explained. It was understandable. A chance to meet Jethro was rare. Suddenly, Ines' eyes lit up with an idea. "I almost forgot! Dr. Moss, you must know Jethro pretty well, right? Weren't you engaged to his cousin?" As soon as he said it, both Zane and Hugo looked at her. Everyone knew about the engagement between the Moss and Blackwood families. It was said to have been arranged when they were very young, but was later canceled for some unknown reason. Under their gazes, Zora's smile stiffened, her eyes flickering. "Not really. Jethro doesn't visit the Blackwood Manor often. I've only met him once." Zane saw her discomfort. He guessed that the canceled engagement must be a sore point for a proud woman like Zora. He changed the subject. After a while, the crowd around Jethro thinned a bit. The four of them approached with their drinks. They thought it would be hard to get a word in, but as soon as they got close, Jethro turned and initiated the conversation himself. He looked at Zane, a slight smile on his lips. "Mr. Vance. A pleasure." Zane was surprised. He hadn't expected Jethro to know who he was. Hiding his astonishment, Zane raised his glass in acknowledgment. "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Blackwood." The Blackwood Group's main business was finance, while SummitCore Tech was a tech company serving the finance industry. If they could partner with the Blackwood Group, SummitCore's development would leap forward, and its path to going public would shorten significantly. Although he'd heard from industry insiders that the Blackwood Group had established a wholly-owned subsidiary focusing on fintech. But he'd never heard of any products from that subsidiary on the market. It probably wasn't doing well. With that thought, Zane felt the chances for cooperation were still high. He thought a moment, then started pitching his product to Jethro. Jethro raised an eyebrow. "I've heard of your company, Mr. Vance. The products are said to be quite impressive." At these words, Zane's eyes gleamed. "That's largely thanks to Dr. Moss' help." He smoothly introduced Zora, subtly highlighting her academic credentials and capabilities. Zora's heart pounded. She tightened her grip on her wine glass.Jethro shouldn't know the real reason my engagement to his cousin was called off. Both families agreed to keep it secret. Jethro listened to the introduction and smiled, "Mr. Vance, you've a sharp eye for talent. No wonder your company has grown so quickly." A flicker of guilt passed through Zane's eyes. A huge part of the company's rapid growth was actually thanks to Darcy. But Darcy... her academic background wasn't as flashy as Zora's, and she didn't have the same kind of impressive pedigree to show off. Suddenly, Jethro smiled friendly and asked, "Dr. Moss, did you develop all of SummitCore's products? I have a couple of questions I'd like to ask." Zora smiled, "Go right ahead." Jethro asked two questions—they were super professional and tricky. Embarrassment flashed across Zora's face right away.Jethro raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, Dr. Moss? Is it hard to answer?" Zora's face turned pale, then red. One hand, hidden at her side, balled into a fist. Crap. I didn't even fully get his questions! Jethro repeated the questions patiently. Zora forced herself to stay calm. "Those are great questions, Mr. Blackwood. But for professional care, I'd like to think them over more carefully before I answer. Would you mind giving me your contact info?"