By sheer coincidence, they ran into Darcy. Kaia had initially felt flustered, but then she remembered Darcy was jobless while she had been promoted to be Zora's assistant. What did she have to hide? If anyone should be hiding, it should be unemployed Darcy! So, she met Darcy's gaze boldly. Zora, though, greeted Darcy with easy poise. "Hello, Ms. Gale. We meet again." Kaia was surprised. Again? So Zora and Darcy had already met. That made her even less concerned. "I've resigned from SummitCore," Darcy replied flatly, her tone leaving no room for pleasantries. "We don't need to exchange greetings anymore." Kaia was annoyed by her cold tone. She stepped forward. "Dr. Moss greeting you is a huge courtesy. Don't be ungrateful." After all, for someone of Zora's caliber to lower herself and greet Darcy was an honor. Yet Darcy had the nerve to look displeased. How utterly rude. Darcy's expression turned icy. She had given up hope on Kaia long ago. But seeing her brazenly defend an outsider still made Darcy's heart bleed. Darcy sneered, "Courtesy's wasted here. From now on, let's just pretend we don't see each other. No greetings, no small talk—nothing." "How dare you speak like that?" Kaia stamped her foot in anger. "Kaia," Zora stepped in to mediate. "If Ms. Gale isn't interested, let's not disturb her." Then she looked at Darcy. "Ms. Gale, goodbye." Before leaving, Zora's eyes discreetly swept over the shopping bags in Darcy's hands. The glaring Hermès logo.Zora's eyebrow arched. Darcy's salary wasn't high. How could she afford luxury brands? Had she really latched onto Jethro? No, impossible! Everyone knew Jethro was famously distant. He'd never been seen with a woman all these years. While Darcy was attractive, climbing into Jethro's bed was a different story. Even Zora had failed back then. Actually, Zora had initially been interested in Jethro. But her family made discreet inquiries and learned he had a girlfriend and wasn't interested in her. That's when she shifted to the engagement with his cousin. A man who had zero interest in her—how would he suddenly fancy Darcy? Unless... Darcy was climbing into someone else's bed... She recalled the men in that private room. Aside from Jethro, the others were... less than impressive. A faint smile touched Zora's lips. On the way, Zora looked at Kaia with concern. "You were a bit harsh with Ms. Gale just now. Will she be mad at you?" Kaia waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. She'll be mad for three days at most." "So confident?" "Yeah. We grew up together. I know her temper best." "That's good." The client Zora brought Kaia to meet that night was none other than Bex from Easemark Ventures' Tech Department—Zora's upperclassman. The Easemark tender was about to open. Although Bex had repeatedly assured her that nothing would go wrong, Zora still felt uneasy. When they entered the private room, Bex had already been waiting.Seeing Zora, he immediately stood up, his face splitting into a wide grin. "Ah, Zora! You're here." But the next moment, he saw Kaia behind Zora. His smile faded slightly, his expression dimming. He had hoped Zora was meeting him alone. With an outsider present, Bex dared not let his feelings show too much. He reined in his behavior. Zora didn't miss the shift in his expression, but she raised an eyebrow slightly, pretending not to notice. She pulled Kaia forward and had her sit next to Bex. Zora introduced them. "This is my assistant, and also my bestie, Kaia Lark. Kaia, this is my university senior, Bex Stone." Bex extended his hand. "Hello, Ms. Lark." Kaia smiled, "Hello, Mr. Stone." Her smile wasn't for Bex. Compared to Hugo, Bex was miles behind, not even worth a glance. She smiled because Zora had introduced her to an outsider as her "bestie." It made Kaia realize her special position in Zora's eyes. Zora's office had several assistants, but she always took Kaia to meet clients. Now hearing the word "bestie" from Zora's own lips, Kaia was completely convinced. Zora truly saw her as her only friend. The three sat down. The waiter handed them menus. After ordering, the waiter left. Zora poured drinks for Bex, then gave Kaia a meaningful look. "Mr. Stone, a small token of appreciation. Please accept it," Kaia said, handing the gift box to Bex. Bex glanced at the logo on the box and paused. He pressed his lips together. "Company policies are strict. I can't accept gifts." Kaia was at a loss.She was also confused. Bex wasn't a government official. What was the big deal about accepting a gift? "The compliance department audits strictly. If it were discovered, I could lose my position," Bex explained further, fearing they didn't understand.