Chapter 440
Even though everyone at the office was doing their best to stay professional, those curious, speculative glances were impossible to ignore.
Nancy pressed her lips into a tight line, refusing to let even a flicker of discomfort show. Head held high and shoulders squared, she walked into the elevator.
Inside her office, Robin hurried to mask the shock and mixed emotions in his eyes as he stepped forward to say, “Ms. Stanton, you have a technology development planning meeting at the government office
at 10:00 am today.”
“Alright.” Nancy massaged her temples.
Things might have gone off–script yesterday, but work still had to go on.
She gathered her things and headed over early.
But the moment she arrived and saw Ariel and Chad already there, her expression faltered.
It wasn’t unusual for major companies to gather at events like this in response to new policy initiatives. But of all days, it came right after the dramatic shift in her public identity.
Nancy immediately sensed people looking at her openly.
The looks she received were no longer filled with the
intrigue.
Clearly, what happened yesterday hadn’t been contained. In fact, it had already spread like wildfire.
That change in the way people looked at her made Nancy feel like she was being pricked by invisible needles all over.
Still, she kept her composure. She walked toward the steps, heels clicking with each stride.
Chad had only found out what happened this morning thanks to Janice. He was actually shocked.
He leaned toward Ariel and murmured, “I must say, Nancy’s got nerves of steel. I really underestimated her. Her reputation’s just tanked, but she still shows up like nothing’s wrong.”
Of course, he felt a certain satisfaction about this whole situation. After all, Nancy used to strut around with the “Mrs. Larkin” label, owning every room she entered.
That wouldn’t be the case now.
Ariel, though, didn’t find any joy in the situation. If anything, she was more annoyed.
From the moment she arrived, people had started gathering around her, greeting her warmly and calling her “Mrs. Larkin“.
Everyone loved jumping ship the second the tide turned.
Inside the hall, seating was still being arranged. Ariel followed the agenda and located the seats assigned to her and Chad.
Nancy spotted her own nameplate as well. Next to it was Jayson’s.
The seating had been arranged beforehand and hadn’t been changed today. It was clear that whoever handled the seating hd placed them together based on her previous relationship with Jayson.
When Nancy saw that her seat was right beside Jayson’s, she exhaled silently. After a long night of tension, that one small thing brought her a flicker of joy.
Just as she was about to sit down, a staff member hurried over and picked up her nameplate. “Apologies, Ms. Stanton, you’re not seated here. Your seat is a bit further back.”
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Chapter 440
+25 BONUS
Before Nancy could say anything, she saw the staff member place other nameplate right beside Jayson’s.
It read, “Faye Technologies, Ariel Walker.”
Nancy’s expression froze. Heat surged through her chest like wildere, smoldering and relentless.
When Ariel and Chad arrived, they were just as surprised to see what was going on.
Everyone around them was already watching.
This scene was incredibly dramatic.
Nancy had always been the exception back then. But Ariel was the low–profile Mrs. Larkin all along.
Chad didn’t say a word, but he raised an eyebrow and smirked.
Nancy had just been publicly humiliated. That was undeniably a silent slap that shattered her carefully constructed image.
The tension in the air was sharp.
Suddenly, a voice came from the back. “Mr. Larkin.”
Ariel turned around and saw Jayson approaching with his usual calm. His face gave nothing away. He simply looked at the scene in front of him before his gaze settled on the nameplates.
Nancy immediately turned to him. Keeping her composure, she said, “Jayson, you’re here.”
The scene was so strange that someone couldn’t help but whisper, ‘Who do you think Mr. Larkin is here to support?”
