Semua Bab Dead at Heart: Bab 111 - Bab 120

"Ari, tell me the truth. Is there something going on between you and Jayson?" Katie's eyes were fixed on Ariel. Her gaze was full of worry.Ariel pressed her lips together, unable to bring herself to tell Katie about Jayson and Nancy.Nancy was Sarah's daughter, after all. If Katie found out, she'd be devastated."He'll come," Ariel finally said, choosing to avoid the heart of the matter.Katie stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "If it weren't for the bond between Jeremy and Timothy as war comrades, I would've confronted Betty myself by now and demanded an explanation."It was Betty who had firmly agreed to the marriage back then, promising that Ariel would never be mistreated. Katie had believed her.But now? What was with this lukewarm attitude?Ariel gently tried to calm Katie. "Grandma, it's late. You should go get some rest."She would handle these things herself. She didn't want Katie getting involved and ending up angry or hurt.Katie seemed like she wanted to say

Lucas didn't head inside until he'd finished an entire cigarette.…After the car was parked, Nancy turned to Jayson. "The way Mr. Sanderson was looking at her felt tense. Did they have a fight?"Jayson was looking at his phone. Without even glancing up, he replied, "No idea."He was truly cold.But Nancy smiled, satisfied. She liked this side of Jayson—the version that couldn't care less about Ariel."Do you want to go up?" she asked with a smile, dropping the subject.Jayson checked his watch. "I've got something to handle at the office. I'll visit your mom another time."Nancy didn't push it. She stepped out of the car and said, "Drive safe.""I will. Go on in."After seeing Jayson off, Nancy headed upstairs and found Sarah reading. As she sat down, she casually mentioned that Jayson had dropped her off and that they'd bumped into Ariel.Sarah turned a page and smiled. "As expected, Ariel really takes after that useless mother of hers—pathetic and dumb. They couldn't even

Ariel felt as though a hole was bored through her chest. A cold, empty feeling rose within her.She looked at the photos Nancy shared. One of them was a photo of a resort villa, where they had finished the decorations for the party venue. The next photo was a photo of an exquisite emerald jewelry set.Ariel recognized the set of jewelry. It was the one Janice had witnessed Jayson spending seven million dollars on at a jewelry shop when he and Nancy went there.The jewelry set turned out to be a gift for Sarah.This somewhat explained why Ariel did not receive any replies from Jayson even after she had contacted Colton. It seemed like Jayson had made his choice from the start.Nancy included a caption along with the photos. "This will be the liveliest and the most extravagant birthday party that we've ever thrown for my mom. There's a special someone whom I feel extremely grateful to… Everyone, please look forward to the fireworks show tonight!"It was obvious who the special some

Lucas narrowed his eyes. There was not a hint of sincerity in his nonchalant voice. "Why don't you try begging me, Ari? Perhaps I'll consider helping you escape from the miserable situation you're in."Ariel could clearly sense the heavy sarcasm in his tone. She simply ignored him and walked away.The smile on his face faltered as Lucas watched Ariel's receding figure.She must love Jayson deeply judging by how she had remained meek and submissive despite having been treated like this.Lucas stared at Ariel from behind for quite some time. Then, he took out his phone and snapped a photo of her from where he was standing. Then, he sent the photo to a WhatsApp chat window, which he had not sent anything to before."Mr. Larkin, Ari might just retaliate if you push her too hard. She's found out that you're celebrating Mrs. Stanton's birthday. The situation might get ugly if she shows up and causes a ruckus at the party."How about this? Let Jadeon Technologies own one percent of Bluu

They rarely shared such moments since the two of them had hardly spent any time together. Moreover, Jayson was not a romantic or affectionate person.Ariel reckoned it was most probably because Nancy did a good job educating Jayson that he turned out to be so considerate now.She accepted the tissue expressionlessly and was about to turn around. However, Ariel tripped on her foot and fell forward."Watch out!""Watch out!"Two voices called out at the same time from her front and back. Simultaneously, two hands caught hold of Ariel's arms.Ariel raised her head and glanced at Jayson and Lucas, who were standing beside her.Jayson had a calm look in his eyes. His voice had remained steady the entire time.Lucas turned his eyes to Jayson. His brows arched. "It seems Mr. Larkin is a kind and caring person too."Ariel was slightly ruffled by those words. Lucas was indirectly reminding Ariel of Jayson's indifference to her all along to mock her.She squirmed free from their grips