Lunch was soon prepared and served. One dish was made by Darcy. Jethro tasted it and praised, "On par with Aunt Seren's cooking." Alistair also nodded in approval. "It really is good." Then he asked Darcy about her recent study progress. Darcy answered truthfully, "I've caught up with my major subjects. Math is still lagging a bit, but Bram has been helping me." "Mm, good. If Bram is too busy, you can ask Jethro. His math foundation is solid." Darcy looked across the table, surprised. Alistair added, "Jethro's undergraduate degree was in Applied Mathematics. He went off-track for his master's, studying some useless pure finance abroad. Then he did an even more useless MBA."Jethro was speechless. Darcy couldn't help but laugh. She nodded. "Okay, I see." But it was just a polite response. She wasn't foolish enough to actually go to her boss. The thought of approaching her superior not for work, but to ask how to solve a math problem, made her want to laugh. Jethro seemed to guess her thoughts and also smiled. Midway through lunch, Alistair suddenly remembered something. He turned to Darcy. "A company approached me, wanting to buy that patent you filed during undergrad. Price is negotiable. Are you interested?" "Which one?" Darcy asked. "The Automated Yield Curve Model." Darcy frowned, putting down her fork. "I'm not selling that patent to any company. I plan to use it in Stratagem Tech's upcoming new product.""New product?" Jethro looked at her curiously. "Yeah. I recently revised the company's product roadmap for next year. I plan to review it with you when we have time. The core product will utilize the Automated Yield Curve Model. I have a feeling it will generate significant client interest once launched." Jethro smiled, teasing, "Then, Ms. Gale, what's the appropriate patent fee I should pay you?" Darcy blushed. "No patent fee. I'll grant Stratagem Tech free usage rights." Jethro raised an eyebrow. "That won't do. Business is business. The patent fee must be paid in full." Since it was next year's matter, Darcy didn't want to discuss it further now. "We'll talk about it next year." After lunch, Darcy chatted with Alistair for a while longer before heading back to the library. Downstairs, Jethro offered to drive her. Darcy declined.It wasn't far. She preferred to walk it off. At the library, her morning seat was taken. She had to find a new spot. She hadn't been seated long when Gwen arrived. "Good afternoon, Darcy!" Gwen beamed, pulling out the chair opposite her. She placed one of the two coffees she'd bought on Darcy's desk. Darcy had already had coffee at lunch, but seeing Gwen's bright smile, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. "Thank you." Gwen blinked her big eyes. "Darcy, did you just arrive in the afternoon too?" Darcy's hand paused. "No, I was here this morning. I had something to do at noon and just got back." "Oh, I see." Gwen wanted to chat more, but seeing Darcy quickly lower her eyes to focus on studying, she didn't disturb her. Soon, she was deep in her own studies as well. They studied until sunset. Gwen stretched. She realized that whenever she was with Darcy, her study efficiency shot up, much higher than studying at home. So she made a proposal. "Darcy, can I come study with you every week? When I sit with you, my mind clears up. I focus so much better!" Her tone was sweet and affectionate, which softened Darcy's heart. Once upon a time, Kaia had also been like that. But later... people really could switch on a dime. Darcy didn't agree or refuse. She just smiled and said, "If we run into each other, sure." If they didn't, no need to make specific plans. Gwen understood the subtext and felt a bit disappointed.Darcy stood up to organize her books. Suddenly, a sharp pain gripped her abdomen. She set her things down and went to the restroom. Her period had arrived. Luckily, the flow was light. She could manage until she got home. Returning to the library, Gwen was still there. Seeing Darcy's pale face and hand pressed against her lower abdomen, Gwen guessed the reason. She hurried to the pantry, got a cup of hot cocoa, and handed it to Darcy. "Darcy, drink some hot cocoa. It'll help." "Thank you." Darcy took the cup and drank slowly. The abdominal pain did lessen slightly. But it still hurt. She gritted her teeth and walked out of the library with Gwen. "Hugo! You're here!" Gwen's eyes lit up, waving at Hugo.Hugo walked over. His long, straight legs were clad in suit pants, a beige trench coat giving him the vibe of a romantic movie lead. His eyes were sharp. One glance and he could tell something was off with Darcy's face.