After seeing her friends off, Olena got into her car and told the driver to head home.
On the way, she couldn’t resist calling her son.
“Have you talked to Darcy about calling off the engagement?”
Zane gave a low grunt of affirmation from his end.
Olena sighed. “Indecision just prolongs the agony. Making a clean break is better for both of you, and for Darcy too. What do you plan to do about the company?”
Zane frowned. “What do you mean?”
Olena explained, “Darcy will find out about Zora as soon as she returns from her leave. And your relationship with Zora is bound to progress sooner or later. You surely don’t plan to keep Darcy at the company, do you?
“In my opinion, it’s best to let Darcy go. Give her a generous severance package. It can compensate for all her contributions over the years.”
When his mother finished speaking, Zane’s cold, deep-set eyes reddened at the corners.
“No,” he stated firmly. “I won’t fire her!”
He had already told Darcy they were temporarily calling off the engagement. If he fired her too…
It would be like tearing Darcy completely out of his life.
Zane refused to accept it!
He leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his temples. “Mom, stop worrying about my affairs. I know what I’m doing.”
Olena fell silent for a moment before saying abruptly, “Your grandfather is already pressuring your father to turn over the company’s management to Lilian.”
Lilian Vance was Zane’s half-sister from his father’s first marriage.
Years ago, Viktor had grown dissatisfied with the daughter his first wife gave him and her refusal to have more children. So, he cheated with Olena.
He kept Olena and her son hidden away for over a decade, only bringing them to the Vance Manor after divorcing his first wife.
In the entire Vance family, apart from Viktor himself, no one treated Olena and her son with any kindness.
Zane’s grandpa even said straight up that he’d never let Zane work at the Vance Group.
That’s why Zane wanted to start his own business right after graduation. He wanted to prove himself, to make the Vances see him and his mother differently.
SummitCore Tech was a rising star, but it still wasn’t enough in his grandfather’s eyes.
But if Zane married Zora and had the Moss family’s support, that would be a different story.
Olena let out a sigh. “I’m not going to force you – just think it through carefully, okay?”
The call ended.
Zane grabbed the pack of cigarettes from the table, tapped one out, and lit it. He took a long drag.
Smoke curled around him, quickly obscuring his cold, set expression.
No matter what, he wouldn’t let Darcy leave!
They had been together for seven years. Seven years was long enough for her presence to become a habit.
And he was sure, absolutely sure, that Darcy couldn’t bear to leave him either.
…
Darcy arrived at the hospital just as her mother was still awake.
A nurse was in the room, explaining the discharge procedures and post-discharge care for the next day.
Oh right, I forgot to ask Jethro for time off. She pulled out her phone and sent him a message.
“Mr. Blackwood, my mother is being discharged tomorrow morning. I need to request half a day off. I’ll submit the formal request shortly. Please be advised.”
Jethro’s reply came quickly, “Okay.”
Darcy was about to lock the screen when Jethro added, “Your mom just got discharged – half a day off won’t cut it. Put in for a full day, and I’ll approve it right away.”
A wave of warmth spread through Darcy’s chest.
What a dream boss.
The nurse departed, and Darcy took a seat on the bed’s edge. She exchanged a few words with her mom, then shifted to the couch and began scrolling on her phone.
Suddenly, a post caught her eye.
The caption read, “OMG! My ship has sailed!!!”
Below it was a moody, romantic photo of a couple.
Bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, a gentle, poised beauty rose onto her toes, reaching to embrace the man standing barely inches away from her.
Zooming in, he cut a tall, long-legged figure – his side profile sharp and clean, his nose straight and striking.
Even though both figures had been shot from the side, Darcy knew Zane far too well – and she’d witnessed that very scene firsthand that afternoon. She recognized the two of them instantly.
The post had many likes. Plenty of comments gushed about how perfect they looked together, telling them to get married already.
Darcy didn’t care about any of that.
What she cared about was – who took this photo?
To catch that exact moment and nail it so clearly, it had to be either her and Cade, or someone from Zane’s group.
She and Cade had been sitting together, so rule that out.
From Zane’s group, Zane and Zora were out first. Of the remaining three, the two male engineers probably wouldn’t post something like this.
That left only one person – Kaia.
To avoid jumping to conclusions, Darcy clicked into the blogger’s profile to look at their past posts.
The more she scrolled, the colder her heart grew.
The day Darcy returned from her business trip – the same day she overheard Zane say he’d never forgotten Zora – Kaia had posted a subtle update.
“No wonder she’s the boss’ first love. Beats someone by a mile. A perfect match with the boss.”
Since then, every few days, Kaia had posted content shipping Zane and Zora.
The captions always hinted at putting down “someone.”
Darcy’s knuckles turned white where she gripped the phone. A sharp, needle-like pain pricked at her heart.
She had thought Kaia simply admired Zora too much, unaware of Zane and Zora’s past.
She had thought Kaia had just made some foolish, small mistakes, momentarily led astray.
But she hadn’t realized human nature could be so much more complicated.
A tear dropped onto the back of her hand.
Darcy quickly wiped it away and instinctively glanced toward the hospital bed.
Thank God. Mom’s asleep.
Darcy closed her eyes, shutting away the redness threatening to spill over.
She couldn’t stop herself from wondering when Kaia had turned to resenting her.
When Darcy was twelve, a new neighbor moved in next door. Kaia and her foster mother rented the place.
Kaia’s foster mother worked late every day, and Kaia often went hungry.
One day, little Kaia cracked the door open and saw little Darcy eating a cinnamon roll, eyes full of longing.
Without a word, little Darcy ran back to the kitchen and brought out a freshly baked cinnamon roll for Kaia.
They became fast friends.
From then on, Kaia never went hungry again. After school, the two girls would skip home hand-in-hand to the Gale residence, where Ione would smilingly bring out prepared snacks and fruit. Sometimes, Kaia even stayed for dinner.
Later, Kaia’s foster mother died in an accident, leaving Kaia an orphan.
Persuaded by her daughter, Ione formally adopted Kaia and gave her the Gale surname.
From then on, the Gale family gained a second daughter. Ione tried her best to treat both girls equally, showering them with the same love.
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.