Nancy pressed her lips together tightly. For some reason, her expression looked even worse than before.
Ariel met Jayson’s eyes and said coldly, “I guess I’m not bad compared to your girlfriend.”
Jayson froze at those words.
Meanwhile, Nancy’s expression instantly went cold.
Was Ariel showing off while taking a jab at her?
Ariel didn’t bother with their reactions. She turned and walked off toward the next section.
As Ariel and Chad gradually disappeared into the distance, Nancy felt a frustrating weight settle in her chest. But years of self–control kept her from showing the slightest hint of emotion. She forced it all down.
“Has Ariel been hiding her abilities all this time? Or maybe she didn’t even expect herself to do this well?”
A complicated look crossed Matt’s face. He still couldn’t reconcile the Ariel in his memory with the person she had become.
When he first heard she had made it into the postgraduate program under Carlos, he thought it was dumb luck. But there was no way to fake that score.
Was Ariel playing them this whole time?
“Ms. Stanton, you’ve spent most of your life studying abroad. You’ve only been back a short while and barely had time to prepare. It doesn’t mean you’re any less capable,” Frederick said with a frown. He didn’t want Nancy to feel disheartened.
But Nancy’s expression had already turned completely frosty. The warmth she usually wore was now entirely
gone.
She needed time to process everything that had happened today and come to terms with the fact that Ariel had taken first place.
Most importantly, she needed to figure out a reason for it.
She looked at Jayson beside her. “Jayson, I think I caught a cold. Can you take me home?”
Upon hearing that, Frederick looked toward Jayson, lips pressed together. He noticed Jayson was glancing in the direction Ariel had left, like he was lost in thought.
Frederick couldn’t help but frown.
Could Jayson be drawn to Ariel? A trace of displeasure flashed in his gaze.
Jayson didn’t notice his reaction. He looked down at Nancy. After a pause, he gave a quiet hum. “Okay, I’ll take you back.”
Frederick noticed how deeply Nancy relied on Jayson. Watching their backs as they walked away, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted.
As soon as they left, Matt texted Perry.
“Dude! Dude! Dude!
“Did you know Ariel came out first in the final exam? Ariel She’s number one! I seriously thought my eyes were broken when I saw it! If I got a score like that, my great–grandpa would crawl out of his grave and give me a hug.
1/2
Chapter 364
Nancy was so pissed she left early!”
Perry had just wrapped up a meeting when he saw the messages.
He stood frozen for a few seconds, then finally replied, “How did Jayson react?”
Matt stared at the reply and suddenly hesitated.
He wasn’t sure about Jayson’s reaction. But he should be feeling bad for Nancy, right?
+25 BONUS
Ariel wasn’t paying attention to what any of them were doing.
After what had happened earlier, several Ashford University students who earned a spot to visit the institute flocked to her for advice. Their admiration was plain to see
She rarely opened up, but this time she actually chatted with them for a while.
Eventually, she heard that Jayson and the others had already left.
After sending Nancy home, Jayson returned to Larkin Manor later that night.
As soon as he walked in, he saw Renee sprawled on the couch playing video games.
He walked over with his blazer in hand and looked at her with a stern look. “If you want to get into Ashford University, stop wasting time. If your grades can’t cut it, you’re better off going abroad.”
Jayson had always been someone Renee didn’t dare mess with. The moment he got serious, she backed off fast.
She sat up straight. “Fine, I’ll study. I don’t want to go abroad. That’d be like exile…”
Jayson put down his blazer. “That depends on your grades.”
A chill ran down Renee’s spine. She didn’t want to talk about that anymore, so she tried changing the subject. “By the way, didn’t Ashford University release the admissions results today? What’s Nancy’s rank?”
She had texted Nancy earlier but hadn’t heard back. She assumed Nancy was busy and didn’t see her message.
Jayson paused. He shot her a cold glance, then lowered his head to unbutton his cuffs, ignoring her.
“Jay? Hello? How’d Nancy do?” Renee trailed after him, persistently pressing him for an answer.
“She came in second.”
Renee’s expression froze. Surprised, she shouted, “No way! Then who got first?”
“Your sister–in–law,” Jayson replied.
