Kaia's voice came fast and loud. "Dr. Moss! Are you okay? I saw the video online. How could Mr. Stone's girlfriend lie like that? Saying you seduced her boyfriend? It's ridiculous!" Zora frowned slightly. Another fool. But she just smiled, "It's fine now. She's been taken away by the police. I believe the truth will out. The police will clear my name." "Yeah, yeah. I support you. If you need anything, I can testify for you." Zora covered the phone and said quietly, "No need. Rest up in the hospital. Also, keep our private meetings with Bex confidential. He's been fired for commercial bribery." Kaia gasped, "Did they find out about the gift we gave him?" "No, I checked. It wasn't that gift. Anyway, let's drop it. Don't bring it up again." "Yeah. Don't worry. I won't tell a soul."Zora didn't want to deal with her any longer. The whole drama was giving her a headache. Just as she was about to enter her office, the head of the R&D department stopped her. "Dr. Moss, a moment, please. We need your decision." Michael Yates handed her a document. "For these product iterations, which direction should we go? We need your market feedback." Zora's heart sank. Again. She couldn't read code or understand product requirement documents, yet these people kept hounding her. Before, she could use frequent client meetings as an excuse to avoid them. But with the Easemark project lost, she couldn't find a new excuse. Taking a deep breath, Zora smiled, "Alright. Let me take a look. I'll give you feedback soon." Entering her office, she closed the door behind her.She slumped in her chair for a long moment, then made a video call. Soon, someone answered. "Darling, long time no talk. Miss me?" The man's voice on the other end was like a hook, mesmerizing. But Zora had heard it countless times. She was immune. She frowned. "Don't call me that." "Oh? What should I call you then? Seems 'darling' is the only name I've ever used for you," Lucian Yorke raised an eyebrow. He had just showered, his bathrobe loosely tied, looking alluring. Zora held up the document. "I need your help with something. Same as before. The fee will be transferred to your account." "What do you mean? Didn't our collaboration end six months ago?" "Don't ask what you don't need to know. Just tell me if you're taking the job." Lucian smiled, his perfect smile bordering on flirtatious. "I'll do it. Not just the job. Anything else, too." Ignoring the implication, Zora hung up, then took photos of the document and sent them. "Provide product iteration directions based on market demand. Needs unique insights." A moment later, an "OK" emoji came back. Zora knew Lucian's capabilities better than anyone. He was the one who'd handled her papers and publications back then. Outside the window, the city lights were coming on. Zora crossed her arms, looking into the distance. Honestly, if she could keep using Lucian, it might work. But then she thought of his style—forget it. That guy was slippery. One misstep and he'd be out of her control. Besides, he was based in Ardentis permanently. Using him was inconvenient.It seemed she had to bring Darcy back. Then she could have Darcy report to her. As for money... just offer more. People from poor backgrounds only care about money anyway. Throw enough money, and anything is possible. As for Zane... She believed Zane wasn't stupid. He'd know which choice to make. ... That evening, Darcy was studying at home when her phone rang. It was Cindy. "Damn, Zora has some skills. She not only shut down that woman from this morning's video, she made her apologize—everywhere, on every platform. Now the feeds are pushing the 'prettiest PhD' angle again. Ha!" She sent Darcy a screenshot of the news. Darcy took the phone away from her ear to look at the screenshot.When she saw the apology letter addressed to Zora and SummitCore Tech, she knew Zane was behind it. He believed, without question, that Zora was framed, and he used the company's legal team to scrub his first love clean. He truly couldn't bear to see Zora hurt in the slightest. Over the years, Darcy had faced her share of rumors at SummitCore. As a saleswoman, and the top performer, she naturally attracted gossip. At its worst, under immense pressure, Darcy had gone to Zane, wanting to make their relationship public. Zane had firmly refused. He'd said lightly, "People will talk. That's their problem. I don't believe it."