Once again, they were in the same room. Once again, Darcy acted as if he didn't exist, her gaze cold and indifferent. He didn't know how much longer she intended to be this stubborn. "Zane?" Zora's gentle voice sounded beside his ear. "Once the tender process concludes, talk to Ms. Gale. Persuade her to return to the company soon. I can give up the VP position for her. As long as she comes back, it doesn't matter," Zora generously offered. Zora's kindness and generosity made Zane sigh with admiration. Whether in terms of broad-mindedness or capability, Darcy was far behind Zora. But yes, it was time to talk to Darcy properly. Running around, chasing random chances all day—what was that supposed to be? However, Zane didn't plan to offer Zora's concession to Darcy.That would make it seem like he was begging her to return. He looked at Zora. "No way. The VP position is rightfully yours. How can you just give it away? As for Darcy, I'll speak with her. It's best if she's willing to come back. If not, so be it. It's not like we can't survive without her." Zora wanted to say more, but just then, Easemark Ventures staff entered the room. Silence fell. Quite a few people from Easemark arrived. It took five minutes just for them all to get settled. But Zora scanned the group again and again and didn't see Bex. Strange. Why isn't he here? She quickly took out her phone and messaged Bex, but the messages seemed to vanish into a void, receiving no response. "What's wrong?" Zane asked, noticing her uneasy expression.Zora flipped her phone over in her palm and smiled, "Nothing." Then both their gazes returned to the front. The tender opening ceremony officially began. The Easemark host introduced the tender background and requirements, then read out the bid prices from each participating company. Next came brief bid presentations by representatives from each bidder. Stratagem Tech's presenter was Cade. SummitCore Tech's presenter was Zora herself. After the presentations concluded, the evaluation phase began. The evaluation took place in a small adjacent conference room, conducted by Easemark's internal senior experts and technical staff. The rest waited in the main room. The wait was long. Many companies used the time to network. Several company representatives, privy to some inside information, came over early to congratulate Zane and Zora. "Mr. Vance, Dr. Moss, congratulations in advance!" "Dr. Moss, hearing your proposal just now, it's practically a done deal. Looking forward to future collaboration!" Zane and Zora exchanged a glance and a smile, then turned to shake hands with the well-wishers. Zora said modestly, "The results aren't out yet. We dare not claim victory." "Indeed, winning depends on the final evaluation results," Zane added. Others chimed in, "Dr. Moss is too humble. Your capabilities completely overshadow the competition. Be confident. It's definitely yours!" "Exactly! Once you win, dinner's on you!" The room buzzed with chatter, lively and enthusiastic. Hearing all this, Kaia was overjoyed.If the phase one contract was secured smoothly, phases two and three would be no problem. She could almost see the bonus commission waving at her! In contrast, the atmosphere around Stratagem Tech was low. Cindy watched coldly, rolling her eyes. She leaned close to Darcy and whispered, People with connections are really strutting these days, huh? Not even trying to hide it." Cade also leaned in. "Look at them showing off. Aren't they scared of popping the champagne too soon?" Darcy didn't care much. She smiled, "It's nothing. This project's almost certainly going to SummitCore." Cindy felt stifled. She'd never felt this humiliated before. We have to crush those SummitCore people in the next project! While the three of them weren't paying attention, Zora suddenly approached."Ms. Gale, what a coincidence. I didn't expect to see you here," Zora said, smiling at Darcy. Darcy wasn't sure of her intent but responded calmly with a nod, "Hello." She corrected, "But I've resigned from SummitCore. You can just call me by my name." Pressing her lips together, Zora said earnestly, "Ms. Gale, I know you resigned impulsively because Zane gave the VP position to me. If you're willing to return, I'm happy to give it to you. I've watched you—you're always checking job openings. It's tough out there right now. You should come back soon." At first pass, the words seemed kind, her attitude humble. But upon closer consideration, a distinct, cloying scent emerged. She spoke of giving the position. Darcy almost laughed. That position was originally promised to her by Zane, only for Zora to swoop in and take it. If anyone was "giving" it, it should be Darcy giving it to Zora. And she mentioned watching Darcy looking for jobs. Bad eyesight! Darcy gave her a cool look, not bothering with small talk. She fired back directly, "First, I never cared about any VP position, and my resignation wasn't impulsive. Second, who said I was job-hunting? I've already joined another company." Zora was slightly taken aback. She found a job? "Which company?" Zane took a swift step forward, standing directly in front of Darcy, his eyes fixed intently on hers.