Darcy sat down and quietly ate a piece of cantaloupe. Kaia sat petulantly, refusing to move. Finally, Ione sighed and asked, "Darcy, Kaia mentioned seeing you at a client site today. She said you've joined a company under the Blackwood Group." "Yeah. I mentioned it last time. My new job is at a Blackwood subsidiary." Ione asked further, "Is this company a rival to SummitCore?" Darcy paused. "Not really. The product directions are different." Hearing this, Ione felt a wave of relief. That was good. If her daughter left SummitCore and immediately joined a competitor, what would Zane think of her? Any chance of reconciliation would be gone. Ione smiled and passed Darcy another slice of cantaloupe. "That's good.""Who says they won't become competitors later? Darcy, don't forget, everything you have was given to you by SummitCore. And you repay them by joining a rival company? Are you even sorry?" Kaia's tone was sharp, almost like interrogating a criminal. Darcy shot her a sharp, cold glance. "The value I brought to SummitCore far exceeded the compensation they paid me. And what gives you the right to question me? Don't think hanging around Zora for two days gives you the right to boss me around." Seeing the moral appeal didn't work, Kaia gritted her teeth and pressed on, "Then how did you get into the Blackwood Group? Everyone knows their CEO has extremely high standards." "What's it to you?" "Heh. Guilty conscience, huh? So you pulled some shady tricks!" Darcy's tone remained even. "Spreading false rumors can lead to legal action. Think carefully before you speak." "Hmph! I'm not spreading rumors. Mr. Vance and Dr. Moss saw it too! You hugged Jethro! Have you no shame? Hugging your boss in front of so many people!" The words made Ione gasp in shock. She looked at her daughter. "Darcy, is that true? You... you hugged another man?" And in front of Zane? Darcy explained, "Mom, it was just a courteous hug with my boss to celebrate winning the bid. Besides, I wasn't the only one. My two colleagues also hugged him. What's shameful about that?" She turned her cold gaze back to Kaia. "Those with dirty minds see dirt everywhere." "You!" Kaia was speechless, her face flushed with anger. So Darcy could be this sharp-tongued when pushed. She used to think Darcy was soft and easy to manipulate. How wrong she had been! No wonder Zane didn't like her.In comparison, Zora was incredibly gentle, always speaking softly and making people feel at ease. Unable to out-argue Darcy, Kaia stood up angrily to leave. Ione grabbed her arm. "Kaia." Then she took Darcy's hand and forced the two hands to clasp. Ione spoke earnestly, "Darcy, do you remember what you said when you were little? You said, no matter what happens, you'll always treat Kaia like a real sister. Real sisters don't hold grudges. Kaia, Darcy knows what she's doing. I know you mean well. Let's end this here. No more arguing." After a long moment, Darcy nodded. "Mom, I understand." Her mother's health wasn't great. She didn't want her mother troubled by such trivial matters. Besides, she had intended to maintain a surface-level peace with Kaia.Kaia also pouted and muttered that she understood. After Kaia left, Darcy went to her bedroom to study. Five minutes later, Ione knocked and entered. She glanced at her daughter discreetly, then asked, "You and Zane... is there really no chance left?" Based on her understanding of her daughter, if Darcy still had feelings for Zane, she wouldn't hug another man, even if it was just business etiquette. If Darcy had truly done that, it meant... As expected, Darcy frowned. "Mom, I made myself clear last time. Zane and I are over. Please don't mention him at home again." "Alright. I see. Get back to studying." Ione closed the door softly, letting out a quiet sigh. ...The next day, shortly after arriving at work, Darcy received a call from her mother. Kaia had been in a car accident. She needed to come to the hospital immediately. Darcy's heart clenched. She delegated her work and drove straight to the hospital. Pushing open the hospital room door, she saw Ione sitting by the bed, feeding Kaia water. As soon as she turned and saw Darcy rush in, Kaia smirked to herself. No matter how ugly last night got, Darcy still treated her like a sister. See? Hearing she was hurt, Darcy immediately took time off work to come see her. "Is it serious?" Darcy put down her bag and walked to her mother's side. "It's alright, not too serious. Hit by a delivery guy on an electric bike," Ione explained. Mentioning the cause, Kaia grumbled angrily, "People at the bottom, seriously. Just to make a few bucks, they don't even care about lives."Ione frowned. We're all just ordinary people—what bottom, what top. She didn't like Kaia talking like that.