Inside 308
Samson was in a good mood.
Seeing Ariel’s name now sitting in his contact list made him smile. His eyes lit up. “Hope we get to meet again soon.”
Ariel didn’t think much of it. She just gave a polite nod in response.
Samson had something to deal with and left ahead of them.
As Ariel reached the entrance, Chad approached. “My dad had to head back to the research institute. Something urgent came up. So it’s just us for lunch.”
Ariel nodded.
Carlos had to keep a close eye on the research institute. Besides, he rarely took the initiative to attend social
events.
Since Gary arranged the lunch, he sent them the location of the restaurant. It was a very discreet fine dining
restaurant.
When they pulled up, a sleek Maybach was already parked out front.
Ariel barely glanced at it.
Chad, on the other hand, clicked his tongue. “Jayson definitely has a lot of clout. He’s been deeply involved with the military sector these past two years, and they worked really well together. Gary knows this well, so it wouldn’t be easy to refuse him.”
Ariel didn’t respond, but she knew that Jayson was calculative.
Inside the private dining room, they found Jayson and Nancy already seated. A few other company executives had joined too.
What was supposed to be a private lunch had now clearly shifted into a business gathering thanks to Jayson’s interference.
He was seated to Gary’s left. Nancy sat beside him.
When Ariel and Chad walked in, Gary waved them over. “Ariel, come sit here.”
Jayson lifted his gaze slowly, watching as Ariel took the seat to Gary’s right. Chad settled in next to her.
Jayson’s gaze paused for a beat before dropping to his cup. He took a sip of coffee.
Nancy glanced to the side, then frowned.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that Gary’s fondness for Ariel went beyond what was obvious.
Why seat her right next to him?
Nancy couldn’t wrap her head around it.
“Let’s skip the alcohol today. Coffee’s good enough.”
Gary wasn’t fond of the drinking culture. And with young ladies present, he didn’t want to put them in an awkward position.
After saying that, he glanced toward Ariel again. His eyes briefly clouded with regret.
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Chapter 308
+25 BONUS
The truth was, he had been planning to formally introduce her to Zach over lunch. But with these extra people around, that conversation would have to wait.
But at least he could meet her for now.
Turning toward Chad, Gary began chatting casually about recent trends in military tech and innovation.
Nancy smiled politely and smoothly took over the conversation. “The domestic tech landscape’s really come into its own in recent years. Talent is everywhere.
“At Veyo Solutions, we plan to focus more on military–grade quality and standards in the second half of the year. We’re hoping to play a meaningful role,”
Only then did Gary turn to her, then subtly shift his gaze to Jayson.
Without a word, Jayson sipped his coffee with practiced detachment. He didn’t interrupt, letting Nancy do all the talking.
Gary nodded slowly. “Veyo Solutions, huh?”
Nancy smiled brightly. Seizing the moment, she began introducing the company. She covered every detail, from the caliber of their talent to the robustness of their hardware.
On all fronts, they were truly impressive.
But Gary, still smiling, cut straight to the point with a question. “Ms. Stanton, are you Mr. Larkin’s employee?”
Nancy froze. A flicker of discomfort passed across her face. She had no idea how Gary got to that conclusion.
Chad grinned and gave Ariel a knowing look.
Ariel just raised an eyebrow slightly. She hadn’t expected Gary to ask that.
It was probably an innocent question, but it still felt like a slight against Nancy.
After all, everyone knew Nancy was Jayson’s “soulmate“.
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