Dead at Heart novel

Chapter 198 The faint scent of fir on Jayson was sharply aggressive . Ariel instinctively frowned and lowered her gaze to his hand , which was still clasping her wrist . She was about to say she could manage on her own when Jayson , reading her reaction , casually said , " Focus on the ball , not on me . " So Ariel dropped her gaze . Jayson kept a loose grip on her hand , pulled back , and swung with swift precision . The ball sank cleanly into the hole . Right after that , Ariel stepped away . With a cold expression , she turned and walked off .

Jayson glanced at her retreating figure , catching the chill in her demeanor . Matt was the first to notice Jayson helping Ariel with her swing . He clicked his tongue and instinctively glanced at Nancy . Nancy , composed as ever , eyed the ball before remarking without missing a beat , " Jayson , you lost . Matt and I scored more . " Jayson slipped one hand into his pocket and responded calmly , " Fair enough . I lost . " Matt gave him a look full of meaning . " You were just being held back . Besides , with your skills , you could beat both of us .

You were clearly letting Nancy win just to make her happy . " Only then did Nancy raise a brow and glance at Jayson with a quiet smile . Matt then turned toward Ariel and let out a sigh . " As expected , you really can't compare to Nancy . " His words carried a double meaning . It sounded like he was talking about golf , but the remark ran deeper than that . Jonathan didn't read too much into it , as he was unaware of the tangled dynamics behind the scenes . He waved a hand and said , " It's just a friendly match - no need to take it so seriously . No one here is a pro .

It's about having fun . " Matt chuckled and nodded . " Fair enough . " Ariel couldn't be bothered to argue with Matt . She knew perfectly well that if she pushed back , they would just say she couldn't take a joke . Luckily , she didn't care in the slightest . Just then , her phone buzzed . It was a message from Chad , saying he was almost there . Only then did Ariel relax a little . She picked up her glass to take a drink . " Ms. Stanton , you're really good at golf . Did you train professionally ? " Jonathan asked from across the table , genuinely curious .

Nancy smiled gracefully and looked over at Jayson . " Not exactly . Jayson taught me . " 1/2 Chapter 198 +25 BONUS Ariel's hand paused mid - sip . She suddenly thought of the way Jayson had nearly embraced her while helping with her swing earlier . A ripple of discomfort passed through her , making her frown . Just then , Chad arrived . He came straight over to Ariel and whispered under his breath , " Shit . This is a trap . " Ariel had figured that out already . Jonathan had arranged to meet here to discuss the project plans , yet somehow Jayson and the others just happened to be here too .

What else could it mean ? " Sorry , I'm late . Traffic was brutal . " Chad greeted the others with a smile after talking to Ariel . His face showed no hint that anything was amiss . Jonathan welcomed him warmly . " No worries . We just happened to run into Mr. Larkin and his group , so we were chatting . " Jayson turned toward Chad . " How's the financing coming along for the past couple of days , Mr. Hockney ? " Nancy also glanced over . She didn't believe for a second that Faye Technologies could actually raise 500 million dollars so quickly .

To put it simply , this gathering was just a way to give Chad an easy out . After some conversation , he would naturally end up asking for the investment . Chad glanced briefly at Ariel before replying , " Thanks for asking , Mr. Larkin . It's in motion . So far , so good . " Of course , no one really bought it . Who could find 500 million dollars just like that ? Smiling , Jonathan said , " Mr. Hockney , I'm not familiar with the business side of things , but you can talk with Mr. Larkin about any opportunities to collaborate on Faye Tech's future manufacturing contracts .

" Even if your R & D team doesn't need new members , a large - scale project like this needs the right manufacturing partner . " Ariel understood the subtext perfectly . Since they had rejected Nancy's involvement , Jonathan was asking them to settle for Bluum Corp as the manufacturer instead .