Frederick had already made up his mind. Nancy didn’t deserve the late she was getting. If she said yes, he would gladly be her
safe harbor.
He had liked her from the beginning. But out of respect for her relationship with Jayson, he had never crossed the line. Now that he knew they weren’t officially together, why shouldn’t he try?
Nancy didn’t look the least bit surprised, as if she was used to this kind of situation. She looked at him calmly. “Mr. Swanson, thank you for liking me, but I think we’re better off as friends.”
Besides, Jayson never even liked Ariel. There wasn’t a trace of feeling there. So how did anyone think she could actually hold onto that position?
Still, Nancy hadn’t completely shut the door on Frederick. After all they were all part of the same circle, bound to cross paths again. They might even work together in the future.
Frederick picked up on that. He knew Nancy had high standards. But when it came to love, he was no less than Jayson. At least he could give Nancy a proper title.
Nancy didn’t elaborate. “Mr. Swanson, thank you for coming. It’s rare to have someone stand by you when things are rough. But Jayson and I aren’t what you think. There’s nothing improper between us.”
With that, she turned and left, not caring how he interpreted her words.
Frederick frowned. So… was it Ariel who was refusing to divorce?
Ariel had already arranged her next checkup with Liam the night before.
She didn’t hear about the news until the following day. She had been working on the proposal since she returned home the previous night.
When she arrived at the office, the first thing she saw was Janice practically skipping toward her, her face beaming.
“Karma’s real! I scrolled through posts bashing her until like 1:00 am last night. Some of her personal info even got leaked. Everyone’s speculating she tried to break you two up.”
Then Janice pursed her lips. “But because the clip showed Jayson publicly introducing you as his wife, people assumed your relationship must be solid. So now Nancy’s getting the heat.”
Ariel set her bag on the table and asked in confusion, “When did this break?”
“Last night. When my friend forwarded it to me, it was already close to 11:00 pm.”
Ariel thought for a moment. “Has it been taken down?”
Janice nodded, then added angrily, “I was still scrolling past midnight yesterday. It must’ve been taken down later. Jayson’s really protective of Nancy. There’s not a whisper about it now. Some other big entertainment scandal has already taken over the trending spots.”
So it had trended for a few hours.
Ariel hadn’t expected Jayson to let it run that long before shutting it down. For someone like him, it should have been resolved
with a single call.
Bluum Corp’s PR department wasn’t known for being slow.
But Ariel wasn’t bothered by the fact that Jayson had cleaned up the scandal.
Online hate was one thing. In their circle, even if the posts were gone, the damage was done. Everyone in that world already knew what was up.
Chapter 445
+25 BONUS
“It doesn’t matter. Anyone who matters already knows what kind of person she is,” Ariel said as she gave Janice a pat on the head.
“Whether it’s taken down or not doesn’t change mucli. She’s not celebrity. People online will forget about it soon enough either way. But it’s a different story for those who work closely with Nancy of interact with her regularly.
It was, in a way, a kind of social death.
Janice found that made sense and immediately felt a lot better. “Te. It was up for a few hours yesterday anyway, and she definitely got her fair share of backlash.”
Some people had even started calling her an intellectual femme fatale.
This kind of situation was enough to make someone like Nancy, who had been carefully maintaining her image, suffer a real blow. That crushing sense of contrast could eat a person alive.
“Alright, back to work. I need to edit my proposal,” Ariel said.
She had no time for petty gossip. Affairs among the upper class happened all the time. What made Nancy’s case different was how high–profile she had been and the wrong impression she left on the public. So when the truth came out, her fall from grace was all the more humiliating.
Now that the deadline was closing in, Ariel had to focus on the military fighter jet project.
Her WhatsApp was already flooded.
Her ex and current business partners were all sending shocked messages, trying to confirm Ariel’s identity. No one had ever guessed she was married to Jayson.
Gossip was human nature, after all.
Ariel chose not to respond.
Just after 3:00 pm, Cassidy walked in. “Ms. Walker, someone’s here to see you.”
Ariel looked up. “Who is it?”
Cassidy was still stunned. She swallowed hard and said, “A Ms. Cavell. She said she’s your mother–in–law.”
Surprise flickered in Ariel’s eyes.
Once Evelyn was brought in, Ariel stayed composed. She turned to Cassidy and said, “Bring in a cup of tea, please,”
It was Evelyn’s first time visiting Faye Technologies and her first real look at Ariel’s work environment. Lately, Ariel had been a hot topic, and nearly all the attention was positive.
This Ariel was nothing like the woman she had once known.
Ariel sat across from Evelyn, calm and graceful. “What can I do for you?”
Evelyn studied her. She still looked mostly the same, but something had changed. Ariel now carried less softness and reserve. Instead, there was a calm confidence in her eyes that took people by surprise.
It seemed like this had always been who she really was.
This was the first time Evelyn had taken a proper look at Ariel.
“You seem to be doing pretty well,” Evelyn said, her gaze drifting across the room. Ariel’s desk was covered in her handwritten drafts.
Ariel looked at her quietly, unmoved by what seemed to be a compliment.
2/4
Chapter 445
+25 BONUS
At this point, whether she was doing well or not had nothing to do with anyone else.
Evelyn got straight to the point. Her poised features were tinged with coolness. “You probably know why I’m here. What happened these past two days caused quite a stir.”
“I didn’t start it. You know that. Coming to me won’t change anything,” Ariel replied bluntly.
Evelyn held her gaze for a moment before saying, “Betty spoke up for you, and that’s what triggered all this. This whole situation will likely become gossip for a while, and it affects the Larkin family’s image, especially Jayson’s. I want all the rumors and negative talk to stop. So…”
After a pause, she continued, “Ariel, I want you to publicly clarify that Nancy isn’t that kind of woman. It’ll be convincing coming from you.”
