Chapter 9

Nancy didn't seem to notice Ariel. She smiled gently at Renee and said, "You can call me whatever you want, Renee."

Jayson glanced up, irritation clear in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Ariel met his cold gaze and understood immediately. He had misunderstood something.

Sure enough, Jayson's friend, Matt Crosby, noticed Ariel and scoffed. "Ms. Walker, quite the skill you've got. You've managed to track Jayson all the way to our private gathering spot. We're all respectable people here. Don't you feel awkward?"

What else could Ariel be here for?

To catch Jayson in the act, of course.

"It's kind of pathetic, isn't it? You know Jayson doesn't like you," Matt continued, shaking his head, acting as if he had everything figured out.

After Ariel had slept with Jayson, she arranged for reporters to secretly take photos. If Jayson hadn't stopped it in time, the Larkin family's reputation would have been ruined.

In Jayson's friends' eyes, she was a woman who used her purity and reputation to climb the ranks.

None of them had any respect for her.

Ariel was used to the sharp words and cold stares of Jayson's friends, all of whom looked down on her for what they considered her "shamelessness".

Nancy, sitting comfortably next to Jayson, poured juice for Renee with a serene expression. She never once glanced at Ariel. Her elegance and confidence were palpable.

She wasn't fazed by Ariel at all.

Ariel understood perfectly what this was about. Nancy was confident because she was the favored one.

"Nancy, you're not upset, are you?" Renee asked nervously, eyeing Nancy. She was concerned that Nancy might feel uncomfortable with Ariel, the woman who had taken Jayson from her, showing up.

Nancy didn't respond but offered a gentle smile.

Jayson, perhaps worried that Nancy might misunderstand him, turned to Ariel and coldly said, "If you've got something to say, let's talk outside."

Ariel lowered her gaze, no longer wanting to look into the private room.

Once they were in the hallway, Jayson looked at her with a measured calm. "How did you know I was here?"

His tone was even, but it carried a hint of suspicion, as if he assumed she was deliberately stalking him.

Ariel met his gaze, her chest tightening.

"You're overthinking it. I didn't come looking for you. I don't care who you're with."

They were getting divorced anyway. She wasn't going to interfere anymore.

"Since you don't care, then why go to the trouble of taking sick leave to avoid handling Nancy's PR issue? Seems a little emotional, doesn't it?" Jayson's tone was flat.

Ariel had an ill uncle. How could she afford to quit her high-paying job? Unlike Nancy, she didn't have a prestigious education to fall back on.

Jayson's indifferent gaze made her lose any desire to explain herself.

She took a step back. "Please move forward with the divorce."

She didn't want to engage with him any further. She had only come here because Renee had purposely disappeared, but that no longer mattered.

When Renee had seen her earlier without surprise, Ariel realized that Renee was intentionally toying with her.

There was no point in explaining, especially since Renee wouldn't admit it.

Ariel just hoped to finish the divorce proceedings as soon as possible.

But Jayson paused. His eyes locked onto hers like he was shocked.

Ariel didn't understand what he was surprised about. Hadn't she already sent him the divorce papers?

She turned to leave, but just then, a waiter rushed past and collided with her shoulder. Ariel lost her balance and fell backward, only to land in a strong, steady embrace.

The familiar scent of sandalwood filled her nose.

Three years of intimacy had made this scent feel like it was etched into her bones.

She looked up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

Jayson, however, noticed the faint scent of medicine on her. He frowned. "Are you not feeling well?"

Ariel's heart skipped a beat. If Jayson found out about her cancer, with how cold and indifferent he was toward her, he wouldn't help her keep it a secret.

When Katie and Leonard asked about the divorce, he would probably say it was because she didn't have much time left to live and he didn't want to be burdened.

"What are you doing here instead of in a hospital?" His calm words stunned her.

Even though she no longer cared, hearing it from him still stung.

Before Ariel could respond, Jayson's lips twisted into a slight smirk. "Nice little game you've got going. Playing hard to get, huh?"

She had stormed out of the house, acting like she wanted a divorce. Now she showed up here, playing hard to get.

Ariel froze. She understood that Jayson had misunderstood her again.

She wanted to explain. But before she could, he pushed her away with a frown and turned to leave.

Ariel felt a tightness in her chest. Her lipstick had been bitten off in the stress, revealing her pale lips, and a dull ache started to form in her abdomen.

She didn't want to seem weak. She needed to leave.

But as she turned to go, she bumped into a tall man coming the other way.

He looked her over with a smirk before tossing a comment her way. "If you're stupid, you should do some reading."

Ariel frowned. Before she could reply, the man walked into the private room.

This was one of Jayson's friends, Perry Houston.

It was clear he had seen the earlier scene and misunderstood, thinking she was throwing herself at Jayson, only to be pushed away in disgust.