But Zora was still by his side. He had to suppress the impulse fiercely. Zora had arrived in Zane's car. He hadn't drunk at the banquet, so he drove Zora home first. Then he slammed the accelerator, speeding like the wind toward Darcy's apartment. He drove so fast that when the Maybach screeched to a halt downstairs, Darcy still hadn't arrived. He wasn't in a hurry. He pushed the car door open, leaned against the vehicle, and lit a cigarette. Soon, a taxi pulled up. Darcy got out. After paying the fare, she saw the figure shrouded in smoke. Darcy frowned. What's he doing here? And since when did he start smoking? In all their years together, she'd never seen him smoke. He'd only been with Zora for a month, and he'd already picked up smoking. She'd heard Zane was so devoted to Zora, unwilling to let her face clients alone, always accompanying her. He must have learned it during those business engagements. See? Men aren't clueless or incapable. They just haven't met the woman they're willing to change for. Darcy wasn't naive enough to think Zane had come specifically for her. So she didn't greet him, walking straight past him toward the building entrance. He grabbed her wrist. "Mr. Vance, what are you doing?" Darcy asked coldly. Zane's face was icy, his voice laced with frost. "'Mr. Vance'? Acting like strangers after just one month?" "Weren't you the one pretending not to know me first? Hm?" Darcy shot back, equally cold.Zane heard it. She was angry he hadn't acknowledged her at the forum. She was still angry, which meant she still cared. Zane felt a sliver of satisfaction. He released her wrist, his tone softening slightly. "How do you know Jethro?" The topic shift was abrupt. Darcy was taken aback. She pressed her lips together and took a step back. "Given our current relationship, I don't owe you a report on everything." "Darcy!" Zane said. "Jethro is not someone you can afford to mess with. Guys like him don't do real feelings. Don't go near him." What nonsense? Jethro was her boss. Their relationship was purely professional. How was that "messing with" him? Darcy was completely exasperated. She didn't want another word with Zane. "Darcy!" Zane called her again. He took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on her. "I know you're waiting for me. You want a way back, right? Fine, I'll give it to you. Yes, the past month without you... it hasn't been easy. Come back. The company needs you. I need you." Zane knew Darcy had strong self-respect. Expecting her to return unconditionally was impossible. People said Darcy loved him desperately, willing to do anything for him. That was both true and false. Darcy loved him desperately, but she wasn't willing to do anything. She had her own principles. If something violated them or crossed her boundaries, she wouldn't do it, no matter how much Zane begged. In their startup days, they'd clashed over the company's direction. Zane always ended up conceding. And history proved Darcy was always right. Her market judgment was never wrong. Besides, her past selfless contributions were based on mutual love. But now... Darcy believed he didn't love her anymore. She would never lower her dignity to come back. Fine. If it was dignity and pride she wanted, he'd give it to her! Zane believed his words were humble enough. He said nothing more, just stood there staring at Darcy. He thought, hearing this, she would soften and return. But Darcy didn't. Her eyes grew a fraction softer. "Zane, we were together for seven years. You have no idea how much I once longed to hear you say those words. The irony is, you never said them when we were together. You never even said 'I love you.' Now that we've broken up, I finally hear it." She let out a bitter laugh. "But what good does it do now? "Zane, I wanted love. Your love! Do you love me?!" Zane froze. Do I love Darcy?His mind flashed to when they first met, Darcy's brilliant smile. He recalled her shy, flushed cheeks when she asked if they should be together. From meeting to dating to all those years, Darcy was always the proactive one. He was used to Darcy arranging everything. But it wasn't like Zane did nothing. He bought her expensive gifts, the luxury items everyone envied. He'd even offered her his salary card and credit cards, though Darcy never accepted them. As a Vance, countless scheming women tried to get close to him under various pretexts. But he'd never crossed the line, not even once. Even his friends joked about his "blind loyalty" to Darcy.