"Mhm, alright." Darcy's bottom line was her mother. As long as Kaia treated their mom the same way she always had, Darcy wouldn't rip off her mask. After all, at her mother's age, after getting sick, she couldn't handle as much. The two of them worked in tandem, busily kneading and shaping the pasta dough until the whole tray was brimming. Kaia only switched off the TV when the steaming plates hit the dining table. Ione handed a fork to Kaia, who accepted it with a sugary smile. "Thanks, Mom! I love your pasta the most." "Such a sweet talker," Ione said, giving Kaia's cheek an affectionate pinch. Turning, she noticed Darcy's flat expression and paused, then smiled again at Kaia. "Your sister blended the sauce for it, you know. You should thank her too." Kaia wanted to pretend she hadn't heard, but Zora's orders echoed in her mind. She forced out the words, stiff and dry. "Thanks... Darcy." "Oh, you. When you were little, you used to trail after Darcy, giggling and clinging to her side! You haven't been this close to her in years," Ione sighed. Kaia's mouth twisted into a pout. As the less-favored daughter of the Lark family, being that sweet and cozy with Darcy would only push her further from the Larks' graces. At the table, Darcy stayed mostly quiet, listening as her mother and Kaia did most of the talking. Then, Kaia shot her a look. "Darcy, what are you doing at the Blackwood Group? Still in sales?" Kaia asked, a hint of a sneer playing on her lips. Darcy corrected her, "Not the Blackwood Group. A subsidiary." "Oh. Still sales, though?""Yeah, you could say that." Kaia rolled her eyes internally. So what if it was a Blackwood subsidiary? So what if she'd met the group's heiress and the CEO? She was still just an ordinary salesperson. What's she got to be so proud about? But she hadn't forgotten Zora's task. During her hospital stay, Zora had drilled it into her—find a way, any way, to convince Darcy to return to SummitCore Tech. Kaia hated the idea, but Zora checked in daily. With no way out, Kaia agreed to come home and recuperate with Ione. Her main mission now was to figure out what Darcy was doing at Stratagem Tech and then persuade her to go back to SummitCore. Now she knew. Darcy was just a small-time sales rep at Stratagem. Nothing special. Naturally, Kaia pressed on, "So, are you thinking about coming back to SummitCore? Dr. Moss said if you return, she'll let bygones be bygones. She'll even bump up your salary. Definitely more than you'd make as a regular sales rep at Stratagem." Darcy frowned. "Did Zora send you to convince me?" Kaia's fork wobbled in her hand. She's too sharp! But she'd never admit it. "No! I'm telling you this for your own good. I wouldn't bother for anyone else." "Then consider me 'anyone else,'" Darcy said, her tone cool. "You—!" Kaia fumed, slamming her fork down on the table. "Mom, look at Darcy!" she whined, clinging to Ione's arm. Ione sighed, "Darcy, mind how you talk to your sister. She's younger, be a little patient." She then turned to Kaia. "Kaia, it's not realistic for Darcy to go back to SummitCore. You know she didn't leave because of the pay. She left because of the breakup with Zane. If she went back, how would she face him?" Kaia fell silent. Truth was, she didn't want Darcy to go back either.Seeing the persuasion attempt was hopeless, she gave up. If Dr. Moss asks, I'll just blame it all on Darcy. After dinner, Darcy helped her mother wash the dishes, then retreated to her room to study. Kaia, munching on fruit, was curious. "What's she holed up in there for so early?" Ione smiled, "Darcy's studying. She wants to take the grad school exam—the kind that's not full-time. If she gets in, she'll have classes on weekends." In an instant, Kaia understood. She's trying to compete with Dr. Moss. But Zora had a PhD from a top-tier foreign university. What did Darcy possibly have to compete with? Hah! A part-time master's degree? What a joke! Kaia dismissed it with contempt but quietly stored the info away. I'll tell Dr. Moss later.The next morning, Darcy got up early, had breakfast, and rode her bike to the Quest University library. By the time Kaia stumbled out of bed, stretching and limping to the living room for breakfast, Darcy was long gone. "Taking it pretty seriously," Kaia muttered to herself. After breakfast, Kaia turned on the TV and caught up on the latest reality shows. Once she'd finished, boredom set in. Getting up to use the bathroom, she passed Darcy's room and instinctively tried the door. It was locked. Darcy's door had never been locked before. Doing this now? She's clearly guarding against me. Annoyed, and with Ione busy in the kitchen, Kaia slipped into Ione's room, found the spare key, and unlocked Darcy's door. She closed it quietly behind her.Then, she flopped onto Darcy's bed, sprawling out in a starfish pose.