Zane's face was so dark it seemed to absorb the light. He gritted his teeth. "Who gave her permission to leave early?" Rex was baffled. What is he talking about? Suddenly, a terrifying thought dawned on him. He swallowed hard and dared to ask, "Mr. Vance... did you not know? Darcy resigned." Time seemed to stretch into an eternity. It took Zane a long moment to process the words. His voice came out hoarse. "Who gave her permission to resign?" "Uh..." Rex scratched his head. "She said you agreed to it." Zane let out a cold laugh. Since when did Darcy learn to lie like this? He closed his eyes, then told Rex to bring Lucy up to his office.When Lucy stood before him, confused by his question about why she'd processed Darcy's resignation, she stammered, "Wasn't... wasn't it agreed with you?" A vein throbbed at Zane's temple. He wanted to swear. Years of good manners held him back. He almost ground his teeth. "I never agreed to her resignation!" "What? But... but..." Lucy was at a complete loss. Only now did Zane finally understand. The resignation was a show Darcy had put on all by herself. Her goal was to tell him she was angry. But there was a limit to throwing a tantrum. She couldn't just resign on her own and lie about it so blatantly. Zane was furious! Lucy, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire, suggested, "Should I call Ms. Gale and ask her to come back?" "No," Zane sighed. He knew deep down Darcy was just mad at him. The only reason she'd do something this extreme was to get his attention. To show him she was upset! After Lucy left, Zane stopped Rex. "Got a cigarette?" Rex, who was about to leave, was taken aback. So Mr. Vance does smoke. He'd never seen him do it before. He fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a pack, and handed it to Zane, who took one and held it between his fingers. Rex quickly provided a light. Zane sat in his office and quietly smoked one cigarette. He stared out as the sky faded to dark and the neon on the street began to glow. When the cigarette was done, he stood up, put on his coat, and strode out the door. His Maybach pulled up outside Darcy's apartment building with a screech. Knock, knock.The door rapped just as Darcy and her mom were watching TV. After her mother's illness, Darcy finally got it—work mattered, but family mattered more. She'd rather spend time watching silly shows with her mom now than work pointless overtime. "Who could that be at this hour?" Ione picked up the remote and paused the show. She started to get up, but Darcy stopped her. "I'll get it. Might be a package." When Darcy opened the door and saw Zane standing there, she was stunned. The black coat, his signature icy expression... for a second, she thought he was here to officially end things. She instinctively tried to close the door, but Zane was faster. His strong arm blocked the gap. "We need to talk," he said, his voice cold and brooking no argument.Darcy felt a surge of anger and pain. What right does he have to talk to me like that now? Just because she used to love him, did that mean he could treat her like this? "There's nothing to talk about, Mr. Vance. We're over," Darcy said coldly. Zane's brow twitched. His voice was laced with anger. "Darcy, don't take this too far!" Darcy couldn't believe it. Who's taking things too far? She took a breath, not wanting to argue with him anymore. Just then, Ione's voice called from behind her. "Darcy? Who are you talking to?" Darcy hadn't yet told her mother about resigning or breaking up with Zane. She planned to wait until Ione's follow-up exam next week. Feeling trapped, Darcy told a small lie. "It's nothing, Mom. I'm just going down to the convenience store to get something. I'll be right back."She closed the door and looked up at Zane. "Let's go. We can talk in the park downstairs." The park below Darcy's apartment was beautifully landscaped. Darcy and Zane had walked and held hands there countless times. But all things must come to an end. "What do you want to talk about? I don't think we have anything left to discuss," Darcy said, her tone still cold. Zane let out a derisive snort, his cool eyes fixed on her. After a long moment, he said, "I never knew you were so good at lying." Darcy frowned. "What are you talking about?" "Just now, you told your mom you were going to the store. But you're not. "This afternoon, you lied to everyone at the company. You told them we'd discussed your resignation, that I'd agreed to it. You got them to sign the forms, to give you your termination papers. But we never discussed it!"Zane's chest rose and fell rapidly, his hands clenched into fists. He accused her, "Darcy, just because I didn't drop everything to make it up to you right away, you lied to everyone and resigned! And you say you're not the one taking things too far?" Darcy stared at him, stunned. It took her a moment to process. He doesn't know about my resignation.