Chapter 220
A Rolls–Royce Cullinan was parked right in front of them. Jayson was standing next to the car.
He spotted Ariel instantly. However, he didn’t seem surprised. Jayson calmly looked away and directed his gaze to a particular spot behind Ariel.
Nancy smiled sweetly the moment she came out and saw Jayson. She walked past Ariel without sparing her a single glance and headed straight for Jayson.
Chad knitted his brows, “I was wondering why he hadn’t come along. Turns out he’s been waiting to pick her up in Sorenta!”
Chad reckoned those two should just stick together at all times if they wanted to be with each other so much.
Ariel pulled on her collar slightly. She decided to just ignore them.
Meanwhile, Zach had exited the airport as well. When he saw Jayson and Nancy, Zach went over to greet them. “I wasn’t expecting to see Mr. Larkin here.”
His gaze fell on Nancy. Zach surmised Jayson must have come here to keep her company.
Nancy beamed. “Jayson flew here yesterday to attend a meeting. He’s planning on staying here until I’m done with my trip.”
Zach felt like he had learned something new about Jayson and Nancy’s relationship yet again.
For a busy, successful businessman like Jayson to postpone his work and choose to stay with her, it was not that difficult to tell how much Jayson cherished Nancy. Their relationship seemed unshakable.
Their group was enjoying a good chat.
Ariel was hardly paying any attention to them. She checked the time.
They were awaiting military transport from the military base to take them to the hotel. Soon enough, the top executives and engineers from various companies had gotten into their respective cars.
A man in charge of arranging the transport came over and said apologetically, “One of our vehicles broke down on the way. The driver can’t make it here anytime soon. All the other cars are fully occupied at the moment as well.”
Ariel glanced at the cars parked nearby. She was about to suggest that she and Chad could just hail a cab.
The man turned his gaze toward Jayson and asked politely, “Mr. Larkin, do you mind giving Mr. Hockney and this lady a lift?”
Almost everyone was caught off guard by the man’s question. Nancy’s gaze hardened.
Unfortunately, Jayson and Zach were the only ones who had their cars with them. Moreover, Zach was already helping to give someone a ride.
Ariel furrowed her brows. She didn’t wait for Jayson’s response as she said monotonously, “It’s alright. We can
arrange for our own transport.”
Nancy finally cast Ariel a glance.
Even Zach thought this situation was amusing. It would have been absurd if Jayson had allowed Ariel into his car.
Suddenly, he let out a chuckle and made a bold suggestion. If it’s about giving another lady a lift, you’ll have to ask Mr. Larkin’s girlfriend–Ms. Stanton–first… if she’ll permit it.”
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Nancy lifted her brows upon hearing those words. A faint smile played across her lips.
Chad’s expression hardened.
“Since when does the wife have to ask for the mistress‘ permission to get a ride from her husband? What kind of nonsense is that?” He fumed internally.
On the other hand, Jayson remained calm and composed. His gaze drifted toward Ariel.
A cold light shone in Ariel’s eyes. “We never said anything about needing a ride.”
Zach made it sound as though she and Chad were desperately begging Jayson and Nancy for help. Ariel simply felt that Zach was too full of himself.
This wasn’t the response Zach expected from Ariel. He speculated about her intentions, wondering if it was a ploy or if she was simply playing hard to get. He quietly observed Jayson’s reaction.
Fortunately, Jayson didn’t seem to be intrigued by Ariel’s proud and dignified act.
Meanwhile, Nancy wore a soft, haughty smile. She directed her gaze at Chad and invited him to join them. “Mr. Hockney, do you want to come with us?”
Even though she had some friction with the Faye Tech tearn a few days ago, Nancy felt that the incident shouldn’t affect her relationship with Chad. She didn’t mind giving him a ride.
Chad smiled dryly. He appeared rather cold and distant. “Don’t worry. Whether it’s the military base or the hotel, I’m extremely familiar with those places. It’s like I’m going back home. Ari and I can get there ourselves.”
After he turned down the offer, Chad took Ariel’s hand and led her away.
Jayson noticed how Chad had reached out and grabbed Ariel’s hand. He froze for a split second. Then, he averted his gaze, seemingly completely unbothered.
Chad was truly quite familiar with those locations in Sorenta. Ever since he was still a kid, Chad had often followed Carlos here on his business trips.
Their accommodation was a five–star hotel located near the military base.
When they checked into the hotel, Chad and Ariel ran into some of the other companies‘ top executives and engineers. Since Faye Tech’s projects had been getting a lot of attention lately, these people came over to offer their greetings.
having a few exchanges, Chad noticed Houston Group had also sent their representatives here. He asked, Did Mr. Houston not come along this time?”
Frank Lebowitz, an executive from the Houston Group, smiled. “Mr. Houston has a few things to take care of. For the past two days, he has been in Humberston to meet a friend who is also a doctor. Perhaps it has something to do with Ms. Houston’s condition?”
“A friend, who is also a doctor?” Ariel repeated inwardly.
She instinctively thought about how Perry had promised to help her make an appointment with the doctor.
Ariel reckoned Perry couldn’t possibly be away doing that for her now. She shook her head and decided not to
dwell on it.
The receptionist passed them their access cards. “Sir, ma’am, here are your access cards. Mr. Larkin has instructed us to upgrade everyone’s room to the most expensive suites so that you can enjoy the best experience during your stay here.”
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Ariel looked up and spotted the hotel’s logo. She quickly regized this was one of the hotels owned by Blum Corp
In Sorenta.
Frank remarked, “This trip was organized to provide the participants with a good learning experience. They alto arranged for everyone to stay in the same type of rooms.
“I heard that Ms. Stanton was allergic to the aroma diffuser that could be found in all of these rooms. To not seem like he was giving her preferential treatment, Mr. Larkin decided to upgrade everyone’s room
Chad whispered to Ariel, “Should I be praising him for being kind and considerate now?
Frankly, Ariel had no idea Jayson could be this thoughtful. She remained silent and decided not to pay any mind to it.
The group of them entered the elevator.
Samuel Clifford, an executive from another company, and Frank took the opportunity to ask Chad about Faye Tech’s project.
They had a lively discussion, and Chad didn’t mind sharing a few things himself.
When they started talking about the swarm algorithm in the flight system, Chad managed to get Ariel to share her opinions on the topic. She began sharing the highlights of the technology in a structured, orderly manner.
At first, the engineers in the elevator weren’t interested in what Ariel was sharing, Gradually, they were all in awe and deeply engrossed in listening to what she was saying.
Frank and Samuel had looks of bewilderment on their faces as they fixed Ariel with an intense gaze. They all thought Chad was keeping Ariel around because she was more than just an assistant to him.
Yet, everyone was shocked after hearing her insights. They were deeply impressed with how immensely knowledgeable Ariel was. Most of all, Chad was actually keeping a talent like her by his side all this time!
Chapter 221
