But considering she was still unwell, Ione just soothed her gently. "Alright, alright. Drink some water first." Darcy glanced around the hospital room. She didn't see any members of the Lark family. "No one from the Lark family came?" Darcy asked. At that, Kaia's face immediately darkened. "Are you trying to provoke me on purpose?" she snapped. Ione waved a hand. "Forget the Larks. If they won't come, they won't. I'll take care of Kaia." Then she added, "If you ask me, Kaia, you should move back in with us after you're discharged. Don't live with the Larks anymore." Kaia fell silent. The Lark family might be cold-hearted, but they lived in a mansion. The daily meals were good.It was easy to get used to luxury, hard to go back to simplicity. Moving back would be uncomfortable. Seeing her silence, Ione also quieted down, just continuing to feed Kaia water. Darcy felt sorry for her mother. She offered to take care of Kaia in the hospital and urged her mother to go home. ... The next afternoon, Darcy was working on her laptop in the hospital room when Kaia said awkwardly, "If you're busy with work, you can head back to the office." Darcy looked up, just in time to see her turning off her phone screen. She immediately understood. Zora was probably coming to visit, hence the "considerate" suggestion to leave. Darcy pretended not to know, packed her bag, and returned to the office. Sure enough, not long after Darcy left, Zora arrived. Kaia gave a shy smile. "Dr. Moss, thank you for coming. I'm fine. I'll be discharged the day after tomorrow and can return to work." Zora smiled gently, "No rush. The Easemark project just ended. The company could use some time to review and regroup." Mentioning the lost Easemark bid, Kaia was still indignant. "Dr. Moss, did you ever reach Mr. Stone? He promised us there wouldn't be a problem." "Yeah, I did. He said he did his best. But the higher-ups insisted on using Stratagem Tech. There was nothing he could do." Kaia snorted, "Knew it. Stratagem won through connections." Zora smiled slightly, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. In truth, Bex had never contacted her. Worse, when she asked around, she learned he'd been fired by Easemark for long-term kickbacks from vendors and inappropriate conduct. When Zora heard it, her stomach dropped. Could the gift she'd given him that night have been discovered? But the intermediary told her to relax—that small gift didn't even count as a bribe. Bex must have taken bigger payoffs elsewhere. True, in his position, a mere hint could bring in substantial under-the-table payments. But "inappropriate conduct"... Bex had a girlfriend. He was an ordinary guy, decent enough. He shouldn't have done anything too outrageous. Zora was puzzled. What exactly did "inappropriate conduct" refer to? Her intermediary hadn't been able to find out. Zora thought about it again. Since returning, she'd been careful in every conversation with Bex. No matter how he probed, she'd maintained a strict boundary. At most, it was ambiguous flirting, definitely not "inappropriate conduct." Besides that... She glanced at Kaia in the hospital bed, thought for a moment, and pulled a chair closer. "Kaia, that night I took you to meet Bex... I went back to the office to work. You and him..." Nothing really happened, right? Kaia understood what she was asking. She scratched her head, her face flushing slightly. "I woke up the next morning. My family's housekeeper said a man brought me home. I asked her quietly later. My clothes... they were all intact." Her voice grew very small by the end. Zora let out a sigh of relief. "Mm, okay. I understand." Since nothing happened, the "inappropriate conduct" issue had nothing to do with SummitCore. Bribery, inappropriate conduct... none of it was connected to her or to SummitCore. The company wouldn't be implicated.Zora was completely reassured. Noticing fruit in the room, Zora peeled an orange and handed it to Kaia. Kaia was deeply moved. Someone of Zora's status actually peeling an orange for her? What an honor! "Thank you, Dr. Moss." But thinking of the lost bid again, Kaia felt she'd let Zora down, especially since the person who stole it was her so-called sister. "I'm sorry about this. It's all Darcy's fault. If she hadn't pulled strings, we would have won." Zora looked down, lost in thought, momentarily not responding. Kaia instantly panicked, mistaking Zora's silence for anger at her. She put down the orange and said hurriedly, "Dr. Moss, please don't worry. Darcy is Darcy, I am I. Even though we grew up together, I know right from wrong. She impulsively quit, then went to a competitor, and now she has stolen our project. She doesn't deserve to be called my bestie anymore."If you don't mind, Dr. Moss, from now on, you'll be the only bestie I need!"