Jethro smiled, "Of course. My assistant will be in touch." After that brief exchange, Zane tried again to steer the conversation toward a potential partnership. This time, Jethro gave no response. Others kept coming over to talk to him. Soon, Jethro was deep in conversation about business with someone else. He seemed to completely ignore Zane. Feeling a flicker of awkwardness, Zane exchanged a look with Hugo and then withdrew. Once outside the private room, Ines muttered, "He's just flashing family money. What's so noble about him, huh?" Hugo shot him a warning look. "Watch what you say." They headed down to the first floor and walked toward the parking lot.Opening his car door, Hugo said to Zane, "I can't shake the feeling Jethro's got it in for you. Like he's targeting you." Zane was taken aback. Targeting me? He barely knew Jethro. Their companies weren't even in direct competition. There was no reason for it. Ines sneered, "Maybe that's just the kind of guy he is. Used to everyone kissing his butt. Looks down on everyone else." No one said anything more. They got into their cars in silence. Zora hadn't driven, so she got into the passenger seat of Zane's car. As the car started moving, Zane couldn't stop thinking about the two questions Jethro had asked. He glanced at Zora. "What did you make of those questions Jethro asked?" While waiting for the elevator, Zora had quickly searched online. She'd gotten the general idea. Now, she passed off the online explanation as her own. "Well, I think he was referring to..." "I see," Zane said, loosening the top two buttons of his shirt. "Honestly, I didn't fully grasp his questions at the time. Your explanation clears it up." He smiled warmly, "Good thing we have you on the team." Zora smiled back modestly, "It's nothing." Reaching for a tissue from the center console, her hand accidentally brushed against Zane's. It felt like a tiny spark. Zane's lips pressed together briefly. He pulled out a tissue and handed it to her. Blushing, Zora took it and bit her lip. "Thanks." Zane drove Zora to her apartment building. He got out, walked around the car, and opened the passenger door for her. Zora waved with a smile. "See you tomorrow." Zane waited until she had disappeared inside before driving away. Stopped at a red light, a thought suddenly crossed Zane's mind. If Darcy had been there tonight, could she have answered Jethro's questions right away? He'd seen her in negotiations with clients. She always got straight to the heart of the issue. Before he knew it, Zane found himself parked outside Darcy's apartment building. By the time he realized where he was, it was too late. He remembered the tips Ines had given him about coaxing a girl. After a moment's thought, he picked up his phone and called Darcy. "Hello? Zane?" Her voice on the other end was notably cool. Zane still wasn't used to her cold tone. Outside of work hours, she used to call him "Zane" so softly. She's definitely still upset. Only in the last couple of days had it really hit him—calling off the engagement right there in the hospital was brutal. Darcy had every right to be angry. "Are you asleep? I'm downstairs. I'd like to come up, check on your mom, and talk to you for a minute. Is this a good time?" Zane asked. Darcy glanced at the clock on her wall. It was almost 10:30 PM. She almost laughed in disbelief. Who visits a recovering patient right before bedtime? "Not a good time," Darcy replied coldly. Zane knew the time was bad. Her mother was probably asleep. "Right. Well, you're coming back to the office tomorrow?" Darcy's grip tightened on the phone. "My leave is over. It's time to go back." Zane said, "Good. I have something to talk to you about tomorrow." He tossed his phone onto the center console and drove away. Tomorrow is soon enough to make things right. ...Darcy arrived at SummitCore Tech early the next morning. She wanted to get the resignation paperwork done quickly, so she'd have time to work on code at Stratagem Tech later. She went straight to the Human Resources department. "Have you noticed, ever since Dr. Moss joined, Mr. Vance doesn't seem as constantly grumpy?" "Oh, totally! And his whole style has changed. It's like a full-on peacock display!" "Ahhh, I totally ship them!" A few young HR staff were chatting and giggling about Zora and Zane. When they turned and saw Darcy standing at the department entrance, they all fell silent instantly. "Uh... Darcy? You're... back from leave?" one of the quicker ones stammered, walking over to greet her. The atmosphere was thick with awkwardness.Everyone knew Darcy was the company's soon-to-be Vice President. HR had even drafted the promotion announcement, ready to release it when she returned from her business trip. But then Zora showed up. At first, some people privately felt bad for Darcy. But after Zane fired someone for talking about it, everyone clammed up. Lately, people had realized Zora was actually nice and incredibly capable. So, the sympathy for Darcy faded. These past couple of days, the office grapevine was buzzing about how Zora was about to land the huge Easemark Ventures bid all on her own. Landing a deal that big after only a month?