He'd only dropped by last time by chance. Suddenly, Darcy wrinkled her nose. Weird. Why am I specifically looking for Jethro? We're not study partners! Speaking of study partners, Darcy checked the time. She had agreed to meet Bram at ten. Why wasn't he here yet? She was about to text him when she paused. Bram had arrived. He wasn't alone. A little tagalong was following him. A very sweet-looking little tagalong. Darcy greeted Bram, then her gaze shifted to the girl behind him. "And you are...?" The girl wasn't shy. She introduced herself in a soft, cute, and sweet voice. "Hi! I'm Gwen Sterling. My parents named me Gwen because I'm the only girl in the family—they thought it was a gentle, precious name that fit their one special girl." Darcy's eyes curved into a smile. "Hello. I'm Darcy Gale." "Wow, what a beautiful name!" Gwen praised. Darcy was taken aback. No one had ever called her name beautiful before. Her smile widened. Her eyes moved between Gwen and Bram. Finally, Bram had to awkwardly explain, "Ms. Sterling is an undergrad at Quest University. She wants to apply for Prof. Reed's full-time master's program and had some questions to ask me." "I've told you a hundred times, call me Gwen!" Gwen puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Bram. Being called "Ms. Sterling" felt way too formal. Bram scratched his head, embarrassed. "Well, you've asked your questions. Head back to study."His intention to shoo her away was obvious, but Gwen was stubborn as hell. With a soft thump, she placed her backpack on the desk opposite Darcy. She blinked. "Darcy, can I sit across from you?" Darcy pressed her lips together. This girl was quite forward. She smiled. "Of course." Gwen happily sat down. Bram sighed and let her be. "Which problems did you not understand?" He pulled out the chair beside Darcy and sat down, asking softly. Darcy pushed the practice questions toward him. They leaned in close. "These two." Bram glanced at the questions, then took the pen from Darcy's hand. He started working through the steps on the scratch paper, explaining each one to her. Across from them, Gwen bit the end of her pen, her expression sulky.She took out her laptop and started typing loudly and furiously on the keyboard, a chaotic click-clack. Too bad the two opposite her were completely absorbed in their problems. They didn't even look up. After the two questions were explained, Darcy had a sudden moment of clarity. The knowledge gaps she hadn't noticed before were instantly filled. "Thank you, Bram." Bram smiled shyly, "No problem. I'm looking forward to being your senior next year." Gwen felt a pang of something sour in her chest. Soon, however, Bram was called away by a phone call, leaving only Darcy and Gwen. Gwen immediately moved to sit next to Darcy. "Darcy, are you preparing for grad school too? I thought you were already working." "Yeah, I am working. I'm preparing for Prof. Reed's part-time program." "So your undergrad was in Financial Engineering?" "Mm." Darcy was the slow-to-warm type. She didn't plan to share much with Gwen, whom she'd just met. Autumn days were short. Dusk fell quickly, the sky turning dark. Finishing the day's review, Darcy and Gwen left the library. "Darcy, how are you getting home?" Gwen asked. "I'm riding my bike." Her place was relatively close to Quest University. Biking back and forth was good exercise and saved on gas. "How about you?" Darcy asked in return. "Look, my ride is here!" Gwen said. Darcy followed her gaze. A Mercedes G-Class was parked across the street. The man in the driver's seat pushed the door open and stepped out, looking over at them. He was tall, with refined, gentle features. Darcy's steps faltered. It was Hugo. He was Gwen's... brother? Hugo was also surprised to see Darcy here. He paused for a second, then walked toward them. "Finished reviewing?" Hugo patted Gwen's head. "Yeah! Oh, Hugo, this is Darcy, a new friend I made today. Could you give her a ride home? She lives near campus." Gwen tugged on Hugo's sleeve. Darcy quickly declined. "No need, riding my bike is very convenient." She had broken up with Zane. Naturally, there was no need to keep in touch with Zane's friends anymore. Even though Hugo had always been polite to her before, she didn't want any further association. Hugo seemed to see through her thoughts. He nodded, gesturing for Gwen to get in the car first. Then he turned to face Darcy. "I didn't know Gwen was your sister," Darcy said, explaining first to avoid any misunderstanding. The truth was, even after being with Zane for seven years, she had never become close with any of his friends. She hadn't even known Hugo had a sister until now.