Novels-GY-5

Chapter 1 It's Time to Wake Up "I'll marry Darcy, but not because I love her. Out of obligation." Darcy Gale stood frozen outside the CEO's office, listening to her fiancé, Zane Vance, say those words. Her world went quiet. Ten minutes ago, she'd been racing from the airport in heels, luggage in tow, heading straight to the bridal shop. She'd waited from two in the afternoon until six in the evening. He never showed. Her texts went unanswered. Her calls went ignored. Worried something had happened to him, she'd come to the office to find him—only to walk in on a conversation between him and his friend. Darcy's mind went blank. She was about to push the door open and confront him when his voice came again from inside. "You still haven't gotten over Zora, have you?" "The one you couldn't have when you were young will haunt you for the rest of your life. For me, that's Zora." Darcy pressed her hand hard over her mouth. Tears hit the floor one by one. She suddenly remembered—he had once murmured Zora's name in his sleep. It had all been there. She just hadn't wanted to see it. "But didn't you already promise the VP position to Darcy?" his friend asked. "Giving it to Zora now—won't that cause problems?" Zane's voice was indifferent. "So what? I'm the CEO of SummitCore. As for Darcy, I'll smooth things over with her later. Once her mom's out of surgery, the engagement will go ahead as planned." Zane's cold, clear voice hit her like a hammer to the head. So he had never loved her. Not once. Seven years ago, Darcy had fallen for Zane at first sight during a campus social. They started dating soon after. Five years ago, Darcy was accepted into her dream graduate program. But because Zane wanted to start a company, she tore up her acceptance letter without hesitation to build a future with him, through thick and thin. Now, SummitCore Tech, the company they built together, was an industry unicorn, valued at over a billion dollars. She had thought she'd finally made it through the hard years—that a proposal was waiting on the other side. Instead, she was just an obligation. A placeholder he could move aside the moment his first love came back! Five years of willing sacrifice had all been a joke! It was time to wake up. She wiped her tears, picked up her suitcase quietly, and left. Just as she reached the street downstairs, her phone rang. It was the bridal shop. "Ms. Gale, we're still holding the dress for you. When should we expect you and Mr. Vance?" Darcy looked at the flickering neon lights of the city, a self-mocking smile on her lips. "Don't bother. We're calling off the engagement." A gasp came from the other end. Darcy hung up sharply. She was exhausted, body and soul. She didn't want to go home. Her mother was about to be hospitalized, and she didn't want to worry her. After a moment's thought, she decided to get a taxi to a nearby hotel for the night. She needed to collect herself. While she was waiting by the curb, a message finally came through from Zane. "Sorry, was in back-to-back meetings this afternoon. Couldn't make it to the fitting. You decide on the dress. You're on leave starting tomorrow. Take a rest. Handle the engagement preparations. I'm swamped with work." Darcy had already requested this month-long leave before her trip. It was for two reasons—to care for her mother during her surgery, and to plan their engagement. It looked like the second reason was no longer necessary. But her mother's surgery was scheduled. She couldn't delay that. She would still take the leave. Darcy turned off her phone screen without replying. Her taxi finally arrived. She put her luggage in the trunk and slid into the back seat. Just then, a black Maybach sped past. The driver was none other than Zane. And in the passenger seat sat the woman he couldn't forget. So, this was his "back-to-back meetings." No time to accompany his fiancée to try on a dress, but plenty of time to take his old flame out to dinner. The tears threatened to fall again. At the hotel, after checking in and washing up, Darcy felt her head clearer. She took out a pen and paper from her suitcase and began writing her resignation letter. After seven years together, she wanted a clean, quiet break. For both their sakes. The next morning, she mailed the envelope out first thing, with instructions to deliver it directly to Zane's personal assistant, Rex Blackwood. Once packed, Darcy wheeled her suitcase out the door. Just then, a WhatsApp message popped up. "Ms. Gale, have you considered my proposal from yesterday?" The sender was Jethro Blackwood, heir to the Blackwood Group. Before Darcy could reply, another message followed. "My offer is sincere. I truly want you to join Stratagem Tech as CEO." CEO? A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Blackwood Group needed to hire an external CEO? Darcy's fingers tightened around her phone. She stared at the screen, her mind reeling. After a long moment, she typed back, "Let me think about it." She'd already made up her mind to quit. There was no reason to turn down a new opportunity, especially one backed by the Blackwood Group. Sensing an opening, Jethro replied immediately, "Great. If you're free today, I can give you a tour of the office. No pressure. See it first, then decide" Maybe it was the way he treated her with respect that got to her. She sent back a single Sure, then went to grab breakfast before hailing a cab to Stratagem Tech. Chapter 2 A New Opportunity Soon, the car stopped at the ground floor of the Blackwood Group tower. To Darcy's surprise, the heir to the famous Blackwood Group was waiting at the entrance to greet her personally. He looked like he'd been waiting for a while. She approached and nodded. "Mr. Blackwood. Good morning." Jethro, dressed in a sharp black suit, his features deep and distinct, extended his hand. "Thank you for coming." Sensing her slight tension, he smiled and gestured toward the elevators, politely holding the door for her. "Don't worry. The Blackwood Group isn't the mafia." His tone was light. "This is about mutual interest. If you tour the place and aren't interested, that's perfectly fine." At these words, the heavy weight in Darcy's chest eased slightly. Jethro was the eldest son and heir of the prestigious Blackwood family. Young as he was, he helmed the entire family empire, having expanded and strengthened it into Aethelburg's highest-valued company. Stratagem Tech, the subsidiary he mentioned, was founded just two years ago, focusing on fintech product development. Stratagem's business overlapped almost entirely with SummitCore's. They were competitors, and cutthroat rivals. Last week, on a business trip, Darcy had managed to pull a major contract right out from under Jethro—on her own merit. What she hadn't expected was that instead of taking it personally, he'd come after her, launching a full-court press to poach her. Zane couldn't spare an hour to go to a dress fitting with his own fiancée. And yet here was Jethro Blackwood—worth billions—standing in the cold outside his building, waiting for her. The irony wasn't lost on her. At Stratagem Tech, Jethro personally showed Darcy around. Then, he led her to his office and laid out the company's situation with complete honesty. Though Stratagem was still in its early stages, it was backed by the formidable financial muscle of the Blackwood Group. With the right guidance to get on track, its potential was massive. Surpassing SummitCore was only a matter of time. Jethro's eyes held a spark of anticipation. "The team is only about thirty people right now. The product is just a prototype. If you're willing, this team will be yours to shape as you see fit." Darcy felt a stir of excitement. She pursed her lips, speaking frankly, "I'm very interested. But my situation with SummitCore is... complicated. I can't extricate myself immediately." "I understand," Jethro's voice was calm and reassuring. "I can wait. However long it takes." "How about this?" Darcy proposed a compromise. "I'm taking a month's leave starting now. I could do a one-month trial period here. If it's a good fit, we can sign a formal contract then." A month from now would be right around when her resignation from SummitCore would be finalized. She could join Stratagem formally after cleanly leaving SummitCore. Jethro's eyes brightened. This was progressing more smoothly than he'd anticipated. It seems there really is trouble between her and Zane. "Good. Your benefits during the trial period will be the full package," he confirmed. When it came to compensation, Jethro was generous. When he placed the agreement in front of Darcy, she was stunned. A three-hundred-thousand-dollar annual salary. Ten percent equity. Annual dividends... She counted the zeros. Her eyes widened. Jethro's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he offered her a pen. "We can negotiate if anything is unsatisfactory." "N-no, it's fine. It's more than fine," Darcy managed, slightly embarrassed to admit that after all her years at SummitCore, her base salary was still only 5,000 dollars a month. Without her sales commissions and bonuses, she'd have struggled to get by. Knowing the hardships of building a business from scratch, and seeing how Zane lost sleep over funding, she had never asked for a raise, let alone equity. And now, all those years of devotion had turned out to be a cruel joke. She signed the papers quickly and handed them back to Jethro. She assumed she'd start work immediately, but Jethro told her to come back next Monday instead. "Huh? Isn't the business urgent?" Jethro smiled, "It is. But you resting well is more important right now." His gaze fell to the suitcase at her feet. It was clear he knew she hadn't gone home last night. Darcy accepted his kindness. She was utterly exhausted and desperately needed a proper sleep. When she arrived home, her mother, Ione Gale, took her suitcase and patted her cheek, looking concerned. "Oh, dear, your eyes are all red and bloodshot. This business trip must have been rough." Darcy hugged her mother's neck, sniffing, her voice choked. "I'm fine, Mom. Just really tired." Ione patted her head. "Don't push yourself too hard. If it's too much, talk to Zane. He's going to be your husband soon. It's his job to look out for his wife." Mentioning it was like opening the floodgates. The tears Darcy had been holding back threatened to spill over. How could she tell her mother that Zane didn't love her and would never look out for her? But she knew her mother already saw Zane as family. With her surgery imminent, Darcy decided to keep it to herself for now. She would tell her after her mother's condition stabilized. Darcy looked up at her mother, forcing a playful tone. "Mom, I'd kill for some of your spaghetti." "Alright, alright, I'll make it for you right now." Once Ione was in the kitchen, Darcy collapsed onto the sofa, all the strength draining from her body. One month, and I'm gonna settle it all. Chapter 3 The Letter Arrives Meanwhile, at SummitCore's top floor, Rex stared at the envelope in his hands, completely thrown. Who sent it? He looked more carefully at the name on the front. It was from DarcycGale—addressed to Zane Vance. Rex was even more confused. What kind of game are these two playing? Who sends actual letters anymore? "Mr. Vance, a letter arrived for you," he said, deliberately not mentioning the sender. Mentioning it will ruin their little game. Zane was dealing with emails. Hearing that a letter had arrived for him, he frowned and took it. He tore it open but hadn't had a chance to read the contents when the receptionist appeared at the door. "Mr. Vance, Mr. Sharp, Mr. Dalton and his team have arrived." Brian Dalton's team was a major potential client for SummitCore's second half of the year. They couldn't be kept waiting. Zane set the opened envelope aside on his desk, grabbed his notebook, and hurried with Rex to the conference room. As he left, his notebook brushed against the desk, knocking the torn envelope into the nearby trash bin. Five minutes later, the cleaning lady came in. Seeing the letter in the bin and noting it was already opened, she emptied the bin without a second thought. By the time Zane emerged from the meeting two hours later, he had completely forgotten about the opened, unread letter on his desk. Knock. Knock. Knock. "Come in," Zane said without looking up. "Mr. Vance." Hearing the voice, Zane finally looked up. Zora was standing at the door, smiling at him. The face in front of him matched perfectly with the one he'd carried in his memory all these years. The hard lines of his expression softened without him realizing it. He stood, and as she came closer to sit down, handed her a cup of coffee. "When it's just us," he said quietly, "you can call me Zane." Zora set down her cup, her expression turning serious. "Zane, about you making me VP... does everyone know?" "Of course. I've already spoken with the tech and product teams beforehand." Zora hesitated. "What about R&D and Sales? Do they know too?" Zane glanced at her. "They do." Zora paused, seeming to want to say more but holding back. "What is it?" Zane frowned. "Is someone giving you a hard time?" Zora looked down with a faint smile. "No." She took a deep breath and looked up again. "Anyway, I've been reviewing the company's R&D plans. If we can integrate a specific model into the core product, it would be a game-changer." "What model?" "The Automated Yield Curve Model." Zane's interest was piqued. "It sounds promising. But is it patented?" Zora nodded. "Yes. It was developed by Professor Alistair Reed from Quest University and his students." "I see. I'll have someone look into the pricing." "Prof. Reed is a leading authority in financial engineering. It's not something you can just buy with money." Zora smiled confidently. "Leave this to me." Zane felt a swell of satisfaction. "I appreciate it, Zora. I knew I was right about you. Your qualifications and capabilities are outstanding." "You flatter me," she said with a mock scold. After she left, Zane pressed the intercom and gave Rex an instruction. Soon, Rex knocked and entered. "Mr. Vance, I looked into it. A few colleagues in R&D and Sales have... reservations about Dr. Moss' appointment. They're saying..." Zane's voice was low. "Saying what?" Rex swallowed. "They're saying the VP position was supposed to be Ms. Gale's. That it's unfair to her." Zane's eyes turned cold. "Who said the VP position was for Ms. Gale?" Rex shrank back, not daring to say another word. Zane rubbed his temples, his tone dismissive. "Put the word out. Zora is here by my personal invitation. Anyone who has a problem with her has a problem with me." Rex's heart lurched. He said nothing more and retreated hastily. Zane worked through lunch. Finally catching up, he remembered something. Darcy still hadn't replied to the message he sent last night. Is she sulking? He pulled out his phone and searched for her name on WhatsApp. He rubbed his temples and called her. At home, Darcy heard her phone vibrate. She picked it up. It was Zane. She paused, not answering immediately. Ione looked puzzled. "What's wrong, dear? Why aren't you answering Zane's call?" Before Darcy could react, Ione picked up the phone, answered the call, and put it on speaker. "Hello?" Ione said, still smiling. Zane's voice filled the room — cold, impatient, talking down to her like she was the unreasonable one. "Darcy, are you done with this? I missed one dress fitting. Is that really worth going completely silent on me?" The living room went dead silent. The smile froze on Ione's face. Darcy watched the color drain from her mother's expression, and slowly curled her fingers into a fist...