Chapter 433
As soon as Ariel stepped inside, she didn’t see Betty anywhere.
Just as she was about to head further inside, she turned and spotted Jayson on the balcony, talking on the phone.
He turned around right then and looked directly at her. His eyes reflected a subtle gleam under the night sky. He didn’t seem particularly surprised to see her and simply ended the call.
Ariel, on the other hand, was visibly caught off guard. She glanced around the lounge. After confirming that Betty was definitely not here, she frowned.
Jayson noticed her expression and started walking over. He seemed to have already understood the situation. “Grandma asked you to come?”
Ariel took a step back. “Has she left?”
Jayson didn’t answer. He just watched her guarded posture and said, “Don’t worry. She’s fine.”
After hearing that, Ariel didn’t bother pressing further about what was going on. She had no intention of saying anything more to Jayson. She simply turned and walked toward the door without the slightest hesitation.
Jayson didn’t try to stop her. He just stood there, watching her walk away.
Even though it was his birthday, he didn’t say a single word to make her stay.
But just as Ariel opened the door, she was met with a wave of noise–footsteps, chatter, laughter–coming down the hallway.
Up ahead, just past the corridor, was the terrace area with a pool. The hotel had arranged for the party to be held there.
Ariel was just about to step out when a group of people came to a sudden halt in front of her.
“Ariel?” Frederick frowned instinctively when he saw her. “What are you doing here?”
As he said that, the people behind him began filtering into view.
When Nancy reached the door, lifting the hem of her dress, her expression immediately darkened. And it was simply because she saw Jayson standing just a few steps behind Ariel inside the private lounge.
They had been in the room alone together. What had they talked about? What had they done?
The dozen or so people who witnessed the scene were all stunned. Had Jayson and Ariel just been hooking up?
Even Zach’s expression shifted. His gaze toward Ariel now was mixed with disbelief.
Frederick was the first to notice Nancy’s sour expression. He looked at Ariel and snapped coldly, “Ariel, what the hell is wrong with you? Mr. Larkin is Ms. Stanton’s boyfriend.
“She went out of her way to plan this entire night to propose to him. How could you bring yourself to do something so disgraceful?”
From his perspective–and everyone else’s–Ariel had been alone in the room with Jayson because she had thrown herself at
him.
Ariel’s brows drew together. Propose?
Perry and Matt came up from behind just then. When they saw what was happening, a mix of shock and complicated emotions flashed across their faces.
Jayson’s eyes swept over the growing crowd outside the door. His face didn’t show a flicker of emotion as he finally stepped
forward toward the door.
Zach shared Frederick’s opinion. He had recently been trying to let go of his old bias against Ariel, like Liam had suggested. But
now, he walked in on her seducing a man who was about to be proposed to.
“Ms. Walker, care to explain yourself?” Zach demanded sternly.
“Wait, isn’t that Ms. Walker from Faye Tech? Doesn’t she know M Stanton is Mr. Larkin’s girlfriend?”
“Wow, never thought she’d be this bold. She actually followed Mr Larkin into his private lounge? Was she trying to make people think there was something going on between them?”
“Wasn’t there supposed to be a proposal? I feel sorry for Ms. Stanton…”
Dozens of eyes zeroed in on Ariel. The whispers and judgment spread like wildfire.
Someone even swung their live stream caméra toward Ariel and Nancy.
Ariel hadn’t expected to end up the target of everyone’s judgment. Her expression turned cold as ice.
She turned to Nancy. Her voice was sharp with mockery as she asked, “Did I ruin your relationship?”
Nancy kept a cold expression and didn’t respond, which felt like a silent confirmation. She didn’t lose her composure by demanding to know why Ariel had done it.
To the others, she appeared gracious.
But Ariel knew Nancy had no way to answer that sharp question.
Watching Nancy, Frederick suddenly felt a stab of sympathy for her. All that emotion quickly turned to anger, and he lashed out again at Ariel. “Ariel, you owe Ms. Stanton an apology for ruining her proposal!”
How could a woman trying to come between them still have the nerve to challenge Nancy with a question like that?
That line practically made Ariel a public disgrace.
Just as she was about to retort with sarcasm, a powerful voice rang out from the back of the crowd. “Since when does the real wife owe the mistress an apology?”
