Was Frederick out of his mind?
Ariel noticed how furious Janice was and gently squeezed her hand. “You should talk to him about
it later.”
Janice was practically grinding her teeth. If Frederick really wanted to marry Nancy, she would wipe that menace out of the Swanson family herself
When Matt and Perry arrived, they immediately spotted Ariel across the museum.
Matt was surprised. “What’s she doing here? Doesnt she feel awkward being here? Nancy, did she come to piss you off?”
After all, Nancy was the host of today’s exhibition. It was quite rude for Ariel to show up like this.
Standing beside Jayson, Nancy replied without emotion, “It’s fine. If she wants to be here, let her.”
She didn’t mention the fact that Sarah had sent the Walkers an invite.
To those listening in, it sounded like Ariel had crashed the event uninvited.
Perry, however, kept his eyes on Ariel a little longer
A lot of people in the industry already knew about Ariel’s presentation at Ashford University.
Perry was surprised, but at the same time, it kind of made sense if it was Ariel. He had clearly underestimated her. He had no idea she was this capable.
Jayson didn’t say anything. He just kept his gaze on the team inside doing the final setup. He didn’t even spare a glance in Ariel’s direction.
Nancy caught that clearly.
She gave a faint smile and then said, “Jayson, there’s going to be a short interview segment during the second half of the event. Would you mind doing it with me? My mom will be holding a casual session to talk about her creative process.”
Jayson glanced down at her. His calm eyes carried a quiet indulgence that moved her. “Sure.”
Even though Nancy spent plenty of time with him, moments like this still made her heart skip a
beat.
He was even willing to appear with her in public interviews. No one could compare to how well Jayson treated her. Anyone with eyes could see just how much he supported Nancy.
Ariel, on the other hand, wasn’t paying any attention to what was going on with them.
While Janice stepped away to call Chad, Ariel checked the time and started calculating how long until she could start acting.
She had a few paintings in her car. Once everyone important arrived, she could begin setting things
1/3
Chapter 484
+15 BONUS
in motion.
The venue was massive. Outside the art museum was a wide open lawn decorated with elegant setups. As she walked along the edge, her mind was busy figuring out the best approach.
“Ms. Walker?” a familiar voice called out from behind.
Ariel turned and saw Perry approaching.
Meeting Ariel’s rather cold gaze, Perry pressed his lips together before finally saying, “It’s been a while. I’ve heard about everything that’s been going on. Are you holding up okay?”
With Jayson and Nancy still appearing together, the public was bound to have some opinions about Ariel.
Ariel didn’t answer. She just looked at him calmly. “Do you have something to say, Mr. Houston?”
Perry clenched his hands. He did have something to say.
Lately, he had come to realize that feelings couldn’t be decided purely with reason.
News about Ariel had been pouring in nonstop–some surprising and some impressive.
During this time, he found himself thinking about the same question over and over.
He realized that he couldn’t forget Ariel. And he wasn’t sure he could get over her either. He wanted to ask her if she hadn’t married Jayson, would she…
“Mr. Houston, if there’s nothing you want to say, I’ll be going.”
Ariel didn’t care what was going on in his head. She had already repaid every favor she owed him, so she had no intention of keeping any ties.
Just as she turned to leave, Perry’s gaze sharpened. He stared at her retreating figure and blurted out, “Are you thinking about getting a divorce?” 1
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