Chapter 64
Wendy noticed Ariel and greeted her with a smile, “Come join us. We’re all family, after all.”
Technically speaking, she was Ariel’s sister–in–law, so there was nothing wrong with the remark.
Lucas raised a brow. “Sure. Since my wife said so, care to join us, Mr. Hockney?”
Chad glanced at Ariel, who knew it would seem pretentious to decline now, so she gave him a nod.
Everyone took their seats. Jayson and Nancy sat side by side, while Lucas and Wendy were barely inseparable.
As Ariel hesitated over where to sit, Ryan and another executive had taken the seats opposite Lucas and Wendy. She now had no choice but to sit directly across from Jayson and Nancy.
Nancy gave her a quick glance. She’d long sensed Ariel’s underlying intentions.
Ever since Ariel changed jobs and partnered with Chad, the stage was set for these inevitable encounters. Nancy wondered if this was Ariel’s backdoor approach to fighting her battles.
The conversation at the table revolved around technological projects. Ariel had no intention of joining in and simply ate in silence.
That was when she learned that Jayson had just finalized his partnership with Lucas. The deal had officially been secured today.
Yet, projects of such scale involved a great deal of confidentiality. She wondered if Jayson had completely hidden everything from Nancy.
Was he nurturing her for her development, or had he started treating her like the future lady of the Larkins?
Just then, the cafeteria manager came over to deliver drinks made by the head chef as a courtesy gesture.
Everyone took a bottle until only three remained–one mango juice and two coconut juices.
Ariel didn’t like the taste of coconuts and reached out for the mango juice, but Jayson was a step ahead in placing it in front of Nancy.
Nancy smiled sweetly. “You’re so good at remembering what I like. It’s really sweet.”
Ariel paused. Her mind flashed back to all the times she accommodated Jayson’s preferences. Whether it was about cooking herself or directing Georgia in the kitchen, it was always about his favorite dishes.
He probably still had no idea what she liked. Or rather, he had never been interested in finding out.
Her hand hung awkwardly in midair before she picked up a bottle of coconut juice and set it beside her, untouched. The last bottle naturally went to Jayson.
The conversation about work carried on for some time before Ryan suddenly glanced at Chad and Ariel. “Ms. Walker and Mr. Hockney… are you two what we think you are?”
All eyes turned to them as Lucas shot Jayson a glance but said nothing.
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Ariel calmly replied, “No.”
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Chapter 64
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Ryan looked surprised. “Oh? You two seemed quite in sync. Must’ve been my mistake then? You look so young, Ms. Walker. Are you married?”
The table fell silent, and even Nancy frowned.
She knew Ariel wouldn’t dare tell the truth, not with so little to stand on. Even so, the question annoyed her.
Jayson showed no reaction and cast Ariel a cool, indifferent glance.
Ariel set down her cutlery and calmly answered, “Divorced. Widowed.”
Ryan froze.
“Pfft-” Chad couldn’t hold back a laugh and quickly coughed. “Sorry. My bad.”
Jayson looked across the table at Ariel’s composed face. Her delicate features betrayed no emotion, but there was something hard to read flickering in her eyes.
Nancy frowned and looked away. Sure enough, the arsenal of a powerless woman was sharp words masked by a show of empathy. It was a transparent attempt to shield Ariel’s injured and desperate ego.
Ariel said nothing else and believed she hadn’t said anything wrong.
The impending divorce was a fact. But Ariel considered her three years of being made to feel invisible and utterly neglected had already been a form of living widowhood.
