Darius patted Pearl on the shoulder and said, "There's nothing to be jealous about. No one would compare the two of you to each other. I just think she's intelligent, brave, and, most importantly, kind. She's a good fit for West Atlantics Int'l, so I had Erin investigate her. If there's nothing fishy in her past, she can join the company in the future instead of being relegated to doing a janitor's work despite being outstanding. She ended up here because someone was out to get her; this isn't where she should be."

Pearl couldn't help feeling even more jealous. She looked at him and said, "You're protecting her. I believe there are many people who possess the qualities you mentioned, but I don't see you helping them out."

Darius wasn't offended by her retort. He smiled and said calmly, "Your father's done a good job protecting you. I'll be honest with you—among all the people you see here today, only one possesses all the qualities I mentioned, and that's Darcy."

As his words fell, th