Everything Taken I Left to Become CEO (Darcy and Zane) novel Chapter 61

**TITLE: Pain Refines the Soul — Jason Brooks 61**
**CONTENT: Chapter 61 Zane, Do You Love Me?!**

Yet, despite everything, Zora remained steadfastly by his side. Zane felt the urge to act on his emotions surge within him, but he fought against it with all his might.

Zora had arrived in Zane’s sleek car, the kind that exuded luxury and power. He had chosen not to drink at the banquet, a decision that now seemed wise as he navigated the streets, his mind racing ahead. After ensuring Zora reached home safely, he pressed down hard on the accelerator, the engine roaring as he sped through the night, heading toward Darcy’s apartment like a man possessed.

The tires screeched as he brought the Maybach to a sudden stop outside the building, but it seemed that fate was not on his side—Darcy had yet to arrive.

Impatience gnawed at him, but he forced himself to remain calm. With a practiced motion, he swung open the car door, leaning against the vehicle’s polished surface as he lit a cigarette, the smoke curling up into the night air like his swirling thoughts.

Moments later, a taxi pulled up, and Darcy emerged, her silhouette illuminated by the streetlights.

After she settled her fare, her gaze fell upon him, the figure cloaked in smoke.

Darcy’s brow furrowed in confusion. What was he doing here?

And since when had he taken up smoking?

In all the years they had spent together, she had never once seen him with a cigarette.

Now, here he was, just a month into his relationship with Zora, already adopting this new habit.

Rumor had it that Zane was utterly devoted to Zora, never allowing her to face clients alone, always at her side. Surely, he must have picked up this habit during those business encounters.

See? Men aren’t as clueless as they often appear. They just haven’t met the right woman to inspire them to change.

Darcy was not naive enough to think Zane had come specifically to see her. She brushed past him, ignoring the tension in the air as she headed toward the entrance of the building.

But he was quick to react, grasping her wrist firmly.

“Mr. Vance, what do you think you’re doing?” Darcy questioned, her tone icy as she tried to pull away.

Zane’s expression was as frigid as his voice. “Mr. Vance? After everything we’ve been through, you want to act like strangers after just one month?”

“Weren’t you the one who pretended not to know me first? Hm?” Darcy shot back, her voice equally frosty, the anger simmering beneath her calm exterior.

Zane caught the underlying frustration in her words. She was still upset about his lack of acknowledgment at the forum, and that anger indicated that she still cared, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

A flicker of satisfaction coursed through him at that realization.

He released her wrist, his demeanor softening just a fraction. “How do you know Jethro?”

The sudden shift in conversation caught Darcy off guard. She paused, her lips pressing together as she took a step back, her defenses rising. “Given our current relationship, I don’t owe you an explanation about everything in my life.”

“Darcy!” Zane implored, his tone growing more urgent. “Jethro isn’t someone you can afford to get involved with. Men like him don’t understand real feelings. Stay away from him.”

What ridiculous nonsense! Jethro was her boss, and their relationship was strictly professional. How could he even suggest she was ‘messing with’ him?

Her eyes softened just a touch. “Zane, we were together for seven years. You have no idea how much I longed to hear you say those words. The irony is, you never once uttered them when we were together. You never even said ‘I love you.’ Now that we’ve broken up, I finally hear it.”

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. “But what good does it do now?

“Zane, I wanted love. Your love! Do you love me?!”

Zane felt his heart freeze at her words. Do I love Darcy?

Memories flooded his mind—how they first met, the way her smile could light up a room, the way her cheeks flushed when she suggested they should be together.

From their initial meetings to their blossoming romance, Darcy had always been the one to take the lead.

He had grown accustomed to her organizing everything in their lives.

But it wasn’t as if Zane had remained passive throughout their relationship.

He had lavished her with extravagant gifts, the kind that made others envious.

He had even offered her his salary card and credit cards, though she had always declined.

As a Vance, he had faced countless women who sought to get close to him for their own selfish reasons. Yet, he had never once crossed that line, not even a hint of infidelity. His friends often teased him about his “blind loyalty” to Darcy.

Yet here he stood, grappling with the reality of his feelings, trying to decipher the tangled web of love and regret.