He asked, a touch urgently, "You're trying to set up Zora with Zane?" Susan shot him a look. "Obviously." If it weren't for Zora, why would she have introduced Zane to her friends at the birthday party or invited him home? "But the Vances... their standing is on par with ours. Their son would never agree to marry into our family and settle here." "How do you know he wouldn't? I can see he's head over heels for Zora. He'd probably give her the moon if she asked." "Even if he wanted to, the Vance family wouldn't allow it." "Enough," Susan waved impatiently. "We're not even there yet. Why the rush? I have work to do. You can go if you're not busy." John sighed. He wanted to say more but held back.After leaving, he stood outside the study door for a long time. Truth was, he really wanted a child with Susan—a child of their own. But all these years, she had refused. Thinking of this, he pulled out his wallet. In the innermost compartment was a photo he'd treasured for years. He always looked at it when he felt this knot in his chest. That child must be old enough to marry now. I wonder if she has. If she's married... would I be a grandfather? He couldn't dwell on it. The more he thought, the heavier his heart felt. He put the wallet away and walked back to the bedroom, his steps slow and weighted. ... The Moss Manor garden was expansive and beautifully landscaped, designed by a famous local firm. Zora and Zane walked through the picturesque gardens. When they reached a swing set, Zora stopped."Do you remember this swing? When we were kids and you visited, I always made you push me." She happily sat down on the swing. "Zane, push me!" "Alright," Zane said, a slight smile touching his eyes. He stood behind her and gave her a gentle push. Watching Zora laugh like a child, he couldn't help but chuckle too. Then, out of nowhere, a thought popped into his head. What's Darcy doing right now? The moment he realized his own train of thought, his brow furrowed. Why would I think of Darcy? Zora was tired of the swing and hopped off. They wandered to a gazebo, sat down, and had some water. "Let me guess what you're thinking," Zora said, resting her chin on her hand, a sly smile on her lips. Zane said, "I'm not thinking about anything." Zora gave a faint smile. She'd noticed him zoning out for a while now. She took a breath. "You're thinking about Darcy, aren't you?" Caught off guard, Zane's eyes widened slightly. "I'm not." But the denial lacked conviction. It sounded like he was trying to cover it up. Zora wasn't angry. Her smile widened. "It's okay. I don't blame you. After all, Darcy is very important to SummitCore. It's natural you'd want her back." Zane looked down at his cup, a pang of guilt hitting him. Zora didn't know the real nature of his past relationship with Darcy. He hadn't meant to hide it, exactly, but he'd never found the courage to tell her the truth. It was all his fault. So much so that he was now questioning if he should even try to get Darcy back. "Zane, don't worry. I have a way to get Darcy back, and quickly," Zora said, looking at him with a smile. Zane hesitated. "Honestly, it's not like I have to have her back. If it bothers you..." "It doesn't bother me." Her soft, slender hand rested on his. Zora lowered her gaze, her voice gentle. "As long as it's good for SummitCore and good for you, I don't mind at all." Zane pulled Zora into a tight hug. "Zora, you're too kind. Too good." He used to think Darcy was good too—efficient, straightforward, principled. But after all this, he felt Darcy was far inferior to Zora. Not even close. Darcy had no capacity for forgiveness. "You said you have a way to get her back quickly. What is it?" Zane couldn't help but ask.Zora extricated herself from his embrace and showed Zane the pictures Kaia had sent her on her phone. Zane's frown deepened with each image. By the last one, he slammed his fist on the table. His jaw clenched, a vein pulsing on his forehead. "Darcy has gone too far! She planned this all along!" Zora nodded. "We have two pieces of evidence now. One, she signed a consulting agreement with another company while still employed here, violating the rule against senior executives taking on private work. The other is the non-compete clause." A smile played on her lips. "Either one of these could ruin her reputation. Of course, I don't want to destroy her. So we'll use these to negotiate. I'm betting she'll beg to come back." Zane's anger hadn't subsided. "After a mistake like this, even if she wants to come back, I'd have to think about it. A pay cut, for starters. Or maybe she works for free until she brings in ten million dollars for the company!" "Alright, alright. We can discuss the terms during the negotiation," Zora said soothingly. "But let's not rush. I'll have Kaia talk to her again first. If she realizes her mistake and comes back on her own, that'd be best."