Chapter 301
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The military project demanded much higher technical standards than anything they had tackled before.
Over the next two days, Ariel and Chad attended several lon meetings. They dove deep into practical details from every angle.
This wasn’t just about the usual entertainment or premium models. It was about disaster relief and emergency response, which came with an entirely different set of demands.
Payload capacity, navigation systems, endurance, and every other aspect had to reach a whole new level of reliability and performance.
Once they had a rough framework in place, the next step was syncing with Veyo Solutions to start the formal process.
Ariel brought Noah along for a visit to Veyo Solutions to coordinate with their team.
It was her first time setting foot there.
Veyo Solutions was already running smoothly, with a fully established operational system.
It wasn’t until Ariel stood inside the main lobby that she realized just how top–tier the company really was.
Built with real money and serious investment, it didn’t lose out to any long–standing, well–established firm.
Backed by Jayson’s capital, Nancy had no trouble getting her company off the ground.
Ariel and Noah met with one of the departments for a meeting.
By the time they came back downstairs, it was already past 10:00 am.
Noah went to get the car.
While waiting, Ariel pulled out her phone and texted Leonard, letting him know she would be joining him for dinner.
Just as she hit send, she glanced up and spotted Seth walking toward her from around the corner.
He saw her too and stopped in his tracks.
Ariel didn’t so much as glance at him again. She walked past without blinking.
Seth’s expression flickered. He had actually been thinking of saying hello. After all, they had worked together for a few months.
But watching her disappear down the hall, he just shrugged to himself.
After all, Veyo Solutions had a promising future, and he wasn’t wrong to look out for his own prospects.
Nancy happened to walk in just in time to see it. She approached in her heels and asked coolly, “Did you have the meeting with her?”
Seth shook his head quickly. “No, it was someone else. I just bumped into her.”
Nancy coldly glanced in the direction Ariel had gone. Then she turned and headed toward the elevators. Seth followed close behind.
“You used to work at Faye Tech. How well do you know Ariel? Mr. Hockney seems pretty fond of her,” Nancy said casually while flipping through the files in her hand.
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Seth thought for a second. “Mr. Hockney definitely treats Ms. Walker with a lot of respect.”
Ms. Walker? Seth seemed to respect Ariel.
Nancy frowned immediately.
Seth quickly explained, “A lot of people in the industry were surprised by how quickly Faye Tech secured full funding for that previous project. Actually, Ms. Walker was the one who put up the money.”
“500 million dollars? All from her?”
“Yes.”
Nancy blinked, understanding dawning.
So that was why Faye Technologies locked in funds so quickly.
No wonder they had kicked her out of the project lead team. And no wonder Ariel had spoken to her about the military project with that air of authority.
It turned out that she had funded Faye Technologies.
So that was why Chad had been so cordial with Ariel, letting her make an appearance at the tender and even giving her opportunities to shine.
It all came down to money.
It had nothing to do with Ariel’s actual ability. She was still just an empty shell.
Nancy closed her file. Her expression was flat, but a sneer tugged at her lips.
“Well, that explains it,” she said softly.
She had racked her brain wondering what Chad saw in Ariel. She couldn’t imagine a man like him valuing or even liking someone like her.
It turned out that Ariel simply compensated for her lack of ability with money. Everything she had was nothing more than a privilege she paid for.
Seth looked puzzled. “Ms. Stanton, what do you mean by that?”
Nancy lowered her head and sent Jayson a message, asking if he was free for lunch.
But after some thought, her brows faintly furrowed.
Ariel had dropped that much cash into Faye Technologies‘ project. Nancy had a good guess where the money came from–Jayson.
At that time, they were getting divorced, yet Ariel still spent his money. Nancy really couldn’t stand the way Ariel still acted like she was Jayson’s wife.
Noticing Nancy’s silence, Seth thought for a moment, then decided to mention to Nancy that Ariel had actually led the previous project at Faye Technologies.
“The investment was one part of it, but the other reason was Ms. Walker-”
With a ding, the elevator doors opened.
Nancy didn’t respond and stepped into the elevator, clearly no longer interested.
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Seth hesitated for a moment. Figuring she probably didn’t care anyway, he didn’t say anything more.
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That afternoon, around 4:00 pm, Ariel made a stop at the hospital after work.
Leonard had been doing fairly well lately. He had already started the pre–surgery treatment.
Not long after she arrived, Isaac came in for rounds.
“Don’t worry,” he said as soon as he saw Ariel. “Mr. Walker s test indicators have been relatively stable lately.”
Leonard also reassured Ariel, saying, “I feel pretty good lately. The chemo is definitely working.”
“When’s the surgery scheduled?” Ariel asked.
Isaac thought for a moment. “Around mid–next month, once the indicators stabilize and are at an appropriate level.”
Ariel nodded, mind already moving ahead. She would be undergoing a total hysterectomy herself too.
Before her surgery, she could take care of Leonard’s affairs. If the timing worked out, she might even be able to look after him.
Checking the time, she hesitated a little before finally asking, “Is Dr. Spencer in today?”
Isaac replied, “Not at this hour. He’s been swamped lately. He took on a bunch of new grad students. Did you need him?”
Ariel was just trying her luck. Since she didn’t run into Liam, she shook her head and replied, “I’ll see him next time.”
She stayed to have dinner with Leonard.
It was almost 8:00 pm by the time she headed down to the underground parking lot.
No sooner had she started the car than a sharp screech of brakes rang out, rattling her eardrums.
A car came speeding toward her from ahead.
Ariel’s heart skipped a beat. Then, she spotted a figure darting across the space in front of her.
Frowning, she slammed the gear into reverse, yanked the wheel, and spun her car sideways into a blocking position.
Then she rolled down the window and asked, “Do you need help?”
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