He pressed the intercom. Rex knocked and entered.
Seeing Zane pale and sweating, Rex was momentarily stunned. “Mr. Vance, are you okay? Should I take you to the hospital?”
Zane, his lips bloodless, shook his head. “No. Just fix me a packet of the stomach medicine.”
He didn’t need to tell Rex where the first aid kit was; Darcy had shown him.
Rex found the medicine, mixed it with water, and handed it to Zane.
The liquid slid down his throat and into his stomach, bringing a sense of comfort. Soon, the medication took effect, and the pain subsided.
Zane then asked Rex to order him some delivery – something light.
“Right away, Mr. Vance.” Rex left the office, only to nearly collide with Zora, who was just about to knock.
“Dr. Moss.” Rex stopped and nodded.
Zora’s lips curved into a smile. “Is Zane in?”
Zane…
The familiarity of the address felt… ambiguous. Didn’t she know Zane hated mixing personal and professional matters at the office?
Before Rex could answer, Zane had already stood up behind him, leaning one hand on the desk for support, a strained smile on his face. “I’m here.”
“Good. I bought lunch and thought you probably hadn’t eaten either, so I brought you a portion.”
Brushing past Rex, Zora placed the food containers she was carrying on the coffee table.
“I went for something hearty – Buffalo Wings. They smell amazing. Come, try some.” She guided Zane to sit opposite her and handed him a fork.
Rex, still standing by the door, frowned deeply, hesitating.
He was debating whether to tell Zora about Zane’s recent stomach flare-up.
From the sofa, Zane spoke calmly, “Rex, cancel my delivery order. You can go.”
Rex’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh. Okay.”
Back at his own desk, Rex grew more and more uneasy. He secretly sent a message to Darcy.
“Ms. Gale, Mr. Vance’s stomach acted up again. He’s taken his medicine now and is feeling better.”
He still felt that Darcy and Zane were the better match.
But a long time passed, and Darcy didn’t reply.
In the past, Darcy would get anxious over the smallest thing concerning Zane. Now, there was no response.
She must just be really busy.
…
Inside the office, Zora was eating with gusto. She looked up and noticed Zane was eating very slowly.
“Huh? Why are you eating so slowly? Don’t you like it?”
“No,” Zane said, his face pale as he forced himself to appear normal. “I had a late breakfast. I’m not very hungry.”
He then took a bite so she wouldn’t worry.
The spicy, tangy flavor hit him immediately. Normally, it would be fine, but his stomach, just recovering from an attack, rebelled at the intense stimulation.
But it was Zora’s thoughtful gesture. And she was enjoying the food so much; how could he spoil the moment for her?
Seeing him eat, Zora smiled, satisfied. She proactively scooped more food onto his plate. “Here, try another one. It’s spicy, but so flavorful.”
Zane pressed his left hand against his stomach.
That single, small bite had been enough. The pain, which had just begun to fade, now surged back with a vengeance.
But how could he refuse Zora’s kindness?
“Yes, it’s very good,” Zane said, a slight frown between his brows, though a faint smile hovered on his lips.
Zora, completely oblivious to his discomfort, kept serving him more food.
When she was nearly finished, Zora set down her fork and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
Her usually serene, intellectual face was flushed from the spice, giving her a charming, delicate appearance – a different kind of beauty from her usual self.
Zane’s heart, usually a still, deep pool, felt as if a pebble had been dropped into it, sending ripples across the surface.
“Are you free on Saturday?” Zora asked.
“Why do you ask?”
Zora blinked, her tone taking on a slightly coaxing note. “You tell me if you’re free first. If you are, then I’ll tell you what it’s about.”
“I’m free.”
Zora smiled shyly. “Really? Don’t lie to me. I don’t like it when you force yourself to do things you don’t want to do.”
Zane’s expression softened. “I’m not.”
Being with you is never a burden.
“Well,” she began, “I found out through a contact that Prof. Alistair Reed’s birthday is on Saturday. I’d like you to come with me to celebrate.”
Zane processed this. “To celebrate? You want to use the party to meet him and sound him out about his willingness to sell the patent.”
“Yes, exactly.”
It was beneficial for the company. Zane had no reason to refuse. “Alright. Send me the time and address later. I’ll go with you on
Saturday.”
After Zora left, Zane sat back down at his computer. The more he thought about it, the more familiar the name “Alistair Reed” seemed.
It feels like I heard that name a long time ago, somewhere.
He was sure it wasn’t from the news. But where?
He couldn’t quite recall.
Just then, the discomfort in his stomach returned. With a sigh, Zane got up and fixed himself another packet of stomach medicine.
Seeing the first aid kit made him think of Darcy again.
And thinking of Darcy, it finally clicked.
About five years ago, Darcy used to talk about Alistair all the time, going on about how much she admired him.
So this Alistair was indeed a big deal.
Over the years of building the company, his focus had been entirely on internal management and coding.
He’d seriously neglected market knowledge and developments in his field. It was time to fix that.
…
Darcy had been incredibly busy these past few days, running between home, the hospital, and the company. She had visibly lost weight.
Ione’s condition was temporarily stable. Aside from daily visits and ensuring the caregiver was attentive, there wasn’t much else to do there.
Work was the most demanding part.
After sending the product iteration requirements document to Jax, she had expected the hostility toward her to lessen. It hadn’t. Most people were still cold toward her, even deliberately ignoring her.
Darcy didn’t say anything about it. But the pre-sales proposal for Easemark Ventures needed to be finalized quickly, and they were currently stuck on the demo.
She went to find Jax and stated her needs directly.
“I need the R&D team to prioritize creating a product prototype. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just functional enough to demonstrate the core features to the client.”
Easemark Ventures was a pragmatic company. They cared only if the product met their needs, nothing else.
If the basic functionality was there and the price was right, securing the deal was highly probable.
Having maintained a relationship with the CEO of Easemark for three years, Darcy understood their functional requirements better than anyone.
A few additional features on the existing product would meet their tender requirements.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.