Semua Bab Dead at Heart: Bab 311 - Bab 320

Jayson looked at Ariel.Her color hadn't fully returned, and even with light makeup on, a clear trace of exhaustion remained beneath the surface.Frowning, he stood up.Chad understood Ariel didn't want certain people lingering around. Even though he was worried about her condition, he still managed a polite smile and turned to Jayson and the others."Thank you for coming, really. I'll take care of Ari from here. I'll treat you all to a meal sometime to show my gratitude."It was a clear sign they were being shown the door.Zach would always show Chad a measure of respect. He glanced at Ariel. "Okay. If you need anything, just say the word, Mr. Hockney."He agreed that it wasn't right for them to linger.With all the medical checks, Ariel clearly wasn't at ease either.Jayson simply gave a quiet hum of acknowledgement. Without looking at Ariel again, he turned and walked out. There was no hesitation or lingering concern.Watching his straightforward exit, Nancy let out a fain

Jayson's voice was calm and steady.His words landed squarely in Ariel's ears, leaving her stunned for several seconds.Outside the door, the nurse looked at the striking man in front of her in surprise. A few of the younger nurses nearby couldn't help sneaking glances his way.Jayson lowered his gaze to the nurse. "I need to speak with the doctor from last night. Do you know what time his shift starts?"ER doctors rotated shifts. When it got busy, they were almost impossible to track down.He still had no idea what exactly was wrong with Ariel.The nurse had just opened her mouth to respond when the door in front of her swung open.Ariel stood in the doorway, looking unwell. Her expression was unmistakably displeased. She stared straight at Jayson.He looked down at the sound and met her eyes calmly."Good morning. Do you still feel sick anywhere?" he asked before she could say anything.With a composed expression, he sized her up.It stopped Ariel cold, cutting off the que

After the pause, Carlos said, "Good. Now that you're done with him, it's time to focus on yourself."About the postgraduate admissions exam, thanks to your work on developing U.N2, I recommended you for a preliminary exemption. So, just prepare your paperwork and go straight to the final exam. It's mostly a formality."Ariel was stunned.But Carlos didn't give her a chance to ask anything. He hung up on her—classic grumpy Carlos behavior.Still, the news was a pleasant surprise.If she had followed the typical timeline for the postgraduate admissions exam, she wouldn't have been eligible until next year.Ariel suddenly thought of Nancy. The latter seemed to have plans to take the same exam as well.Ariel didn't know how far along Nancy was or what her plans were. And honestly, she didn't care. Other people's goals were theirs.All she wanted was to pursue what truly mattered to her. At the very least, she didn't want to be left with any regrets.…Chad had forced her to take

Nancy might think Faye Technologies had made some questionable hiring choices—one in particular—but she wasn't blind to the overall talent pool.Any random engineer here could probably outshine the average.Ariel finished organizing her notes. Without sparing Nancy another glance, she stood up to leave.When she walked past Jayson's seat, he turned toward her. "Are you feeling better now?"The first thing out of his mouth was concern, but his tone carried zero warmth.Ariel stopped, her expression icy and distant. "You want to talk about what I said to threaten Nancy, don't you? Why beat around the bush?"Jayson tapped a finger against the table, not denying it. He just stared at her.Ariel hated situations like this, especially Jayson's stance, which clearly showed that he was siding with Nancy. It disrupted her peace."Relax," she said coldly. "I don't have the time to deal with her now. But that could change."As long as Nancy didn't cross her, she had no interest in stirri

Was this art exhibition always part of the plan? Or was it Jayson's way of retaliating after she "threatened" his precious Nancy the other day?Ariel tore the invitation clean in half and tossed it in the trash."Chad, let's move on to the system programming first."She wasn't going to waste time getting worked up over things she couldn't change. All it did was burn energy and stir up pointless frustration.Sure, she had wanted to strip Sarah of that fake artistic genius halo. She had tried once, and Jayson had shut it down without blinking.Chad looked over at her with concern. Even as a bystander, he felt how infuriating this all was.But Ariel didn't look out that window again. She simply lowered her head and quietly got back to work. She had no intention of letting anything delay what she was here to do.By dusk, Ariel went over the flight control system code she had written that afternoon with Noah and the team.And when she glanced up again, she could still see the glow a