Chapter 426
Jayson frowned as he glanced in the direction behind Ariel, then slowly looked down at her. “Are you okay?”
His arm still circled her waist. The heat of his skin seeped right through the fabric, sinking into her like a pulse. His cologne wrapped around her, thick and inescapable.
For a split second, Ariel felt suffocated, as if she had been thrown right back into those three years they were married.
She could hear the guests cheering around them. Someone even started chanting, “Get married! Get married!”
Ariel pressed her lips into a tight line..
At that moment, she straightened up quickly and planted her hand against Jayson’s chest with more force than
necessary.
They broke apart in an instant.
Her expression stayed composed. Even if irritation brewed deep inside her, she wasn’t about to ruin Steven’s beautiful wedding by making a scene.
The bouquet was in her hand. Still on the phone, Ariel looked straight at Jayson, then tossed the bouquet into his chest. “If you want it, you can have it.”
She didn’t bother looking at his face.
She just raised the phone back to her ear and walked off the lawn to continue her conversation with Noah.
After all, he was still burning the midnight oil working on the data. Ariel wanted him to wrap up soon and get
some rest.
The call lasted nearly ten minutes.
By the time Ariel returned, that part of the ceremony was already over.
Guests were now milling around, chatting, drinking, and posing for pictures with the bride and Steven.
When Ariel returned to her table, Chad asked, “All sorted?”
She nodded. “They ran into an issue during testing earlier. It’s been fixed after adjusting a few data points.”
Someone came by to remind them it was time to take a photo with the bride.
Ariel and Chad got up and walked over.
Jayson was standing not far off with one hand in his pocket casually chatting with Steven.
Meanwhile, Nancy had just finished taking her photo with the bride.
As Ariel walked over, she happened to see Nancy rising from the seat beside the bride. And in her hand was the same bouquet Ariel had tossed to Jayson just moments earlier.
The moment Nancy saw Ariel walking up, her polite smile vanished. With a cold, aloof gaze, she walked away without so much as a glance at Ariel.
Ariel didn’t care. She wasn’t surprised that the bouquet ended up in Nancy’s hands.
After all, the bouquet symbolized the passing of happiness. It was only natural for Jayson to give it to Nancy.
Chapter 420
Ariel took a photo with the bride.
As she turned around, she suddenly noticed some media photographers snapping pictures nearby,
Steven’s status was unique. He stood at the top of the pyramid in the field.
While his academic work drew admiration, his personal life was just as much a topic of interest.
As Nancy walked over to Jayson, her gaze lingered thoughtfully on the media photographers nearby.
+25 BONUS
After Jayson finished his conversation with Steven, she finally stepped forward. “Jayson, there are media outlets here. They’ve probably taken a bunch of photos.”
Jayson looked in that direction. “Probably,”
Nancy studied his face. “That scene from earlier might’ve been caught. Jayson, maybe you should talk to them and ask them to delete it if they did.”
She was referring to the moment Ariel fell into his arms.
It had clearly misled a lot of people into thinking Ariel was his girlfriend. Some even started chanting about marriage.
She figured that if any photos of that absurd moment had been taken, it was best to address them sooner rather than later.
Besides, she didn’t like it.
Jayson finally glanced over at the group of photographers.
Ariel had a more in–depth conversation with Steven, who mentioned he would be coming to Eldoria soon. They would have a chance to meet again there.
Having the chance to stay in touch with someone of Steven’s caliber genuinely made Ariel happy.
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