Chapter 323
Ariel stopped by Katie’s house.
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Katie was in great spirits. She had even cooked a few dishes. All of them were Ariel’s favorites.
By the time Ariel finished talking, the food on her plate had stacked up like a small mountain.
She couldn’t help but laugh at the sight, but she still did her best to eat everything, even though her appetite had been off lately. She didn’t want to waste Katie’s effort.
After dinner, they chatted for a while, and Ariel decided to stay the night.
She pulled out the books she needed to study over the next couple of days and dove right in, not wasting a single moment on anything that didn’t matter.
She had a methodical way of doing things. She studied with impressive efficiency and even used her spare time to read some research papers.
Carlos would check in on her progress from time to time, which only made Ariel more determined not to slack off.
The disaster–response project she was working on would take time to finalize.
Ariel pushed her leisure hours to the limit.
On Monday, right after wrapping up a mechanical design meeting, Janice barged into Ariel’s office. She grabbed a bottle of sparkling water, collapsed onto the couch, and chugged half of it before finally cooling off.
“My family was invited to a banquet yesterday. Guess who I saw there? Nancy and her mom. They’re already making their rounds at all these fancy events, acting like they belong among high society!“”
Ariel put down her pen and looked up from her desk. “You didn’t cause a scene, did you?”
Janice pointed at herself. “Me? I was a picture of restraint. But Jayson really went all out. He threw Sarah an art exhibition and sent personal invites to half the industry. He’s practically gift–wrapping the Stanton family’s public image.”
As she said that, she handed her phone to Ariel to show her a post from a charity’s official page.
Sarah’s paintings–ten of them–sold for over five million dollars. They were all donated.
Ariel glanced over but quickly looked away. Still, she had to admit that Sarah knew how to seize opportunities and turn them into bigger profits.
“Is she selling her paintings privately?”
Janice shook her head. “Sarah’s playing the high–society card now. She’s styling herself as a big–name artist, so there are no more private sales. She won’t sell outside of exhibitions. The next exhibition has already been teased for six months from now. Classic move to raise her profile.
Sarah donated everything this time, sure. But once the real commercial exhibition rolled out in six months, with all the buzz they had built up, Sarah and Nancy were going to make an absolute fortune.
“Veyo Solutions is thriving too. A friend of mine in the tech circle says companies are lining up to partner with them. Wouldn’t be surprised if they start throwing their weight around in front of us next.”
Ariel lowered her gaze in thought for a moment.
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Chapter 323
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Jayson’s public support of Sarah and Nancy had done the job. Nancy’s status was cemented. No one would dare underestimate her now.
He had pulled every string to give Sarah her big debut. The rt exhibition let Nancy rub shoulders with the elite, and the donation shot Sarah’s and Veyo Solutions‘ name into the national spotlight.
They were officially being positioned as a counterweight to Faye Technologies.
Ariel signed the last document and said calmly, “It doesn’t matter. Connections matter, but the quality of our work matters more. It’s more useful to focus on doing our own thing well than to waste energy trying to control what others do.”
That was something she had truly learned after getting sick Time and energy were limited, and she only wanted to spend them on what mattered.
She hadn’t let go of the old grudge between Sarah and Elena Jayson had tried to stop her before, but eventually, she would find her opening.
Carlos had asked her to come by that afternoon to go over her paper.
Chad had a dinner meeting, so Ariel drove herself over.
Carlos waved at her the moment she stepped through the door. “How’s the prep going? You realize you’ve got less than two weeks until the exam, right? It’ll be here before you know it.”
Ariel was humble to the core. Even though she was confident, she was never cocky. “I’ll try my best.”
With hands clasped behind his back, Carlos snorted. “You’ve been out of school for three years. That’s three years of new talent flooding in. Don’t get cocky. If you can’t do it, don’t embarrass yourself.”
Ariel gave a light smile. “Embarrass myself? Sounds terrifying. Maybe I shouldn’t take the exam at all then?”
“You brat!” Carlos glared at her and smacked a stack of papers lightly on her head.
Ariel shrank her neck but kept smiling. “Don’t worry. If I fail, I won’t tell anyone you ever taught me.”
Carlos wasn’t really worried. He had full confidence in her. Still, it didn’t hurt to add a little pressure to keep her sharp.
His wife, Emily Bolton, came over with a warm smile. She handed Ariel some fruit and tea and scolded Carlos, You talk about Ari all the time. Now that she’s here, don’t put on airs. Speak nicely!”
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Ariel lowered her head and chuckled.
Carlos was still stern and sharp when it came to anything academic. Ariel didn’t dare interrupt. She just sat there and listened like the good student she was.
At one point, Carlos handed her two research papers to review and gave her an assignment related to the institute’s current project. She was tasked with analyzing a set of experimental data.
Eventually, the numbers started swimming before her eyes.
Feeling lightheaded, she told Carlos she needed some fresh air and stepped outside to clear her head.
Even in early spring, the wind in Eldoria still carried a sharp chill.
Ariel’s mind was still running through the data Carlos had just given her.
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Chapter 323
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She walked around the grounds of the Hockney residence. The neighborhood housed quite a few families.
Just then, Ariel heard a car engine behind her and glanced up for just a second.
It was a black Bentley.
She barely looked at it before turning her focus back to the mental math running wild in her head.
But inside the car, the people were clearly surprised to spot Ariel standing just outside the Hockney residence gates.
Matt glanced over his shoulder at Jayson and Nancy. “Why is Ariel outside the Hockney residence?”
After that whole speech about applying to Carlos‘ postgraduate program, was she here trying to cozy up to Carlos after realizing she had gone too far?
Jayson looked up from his laptop and out the window.
Ariel stood at the gate with her arms crossed and head lowered, deep in thought. Her expression was heavy, as if weighed down by something troubling.
Nancy took notice of Ariel’s somber look and dejected stance. Just as she had expected. She gave a quiet smile.
Just days ago, Ariel had boldly declared she was going to apply for Carlos‘ postgraduate program. And now, here she was, alone and looking like she had been shut out.
Matt couldn’t hold his tongue. His eyes widened in surprise as he blurted out, “Did Ariel get kicked out?”
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