Dead at Heart novel

Ariel couldn't quite explain how she fell. It was complicated. She had never planned to make her past relationship with Jayson oblic because the last thing she wanted was more entanglement. But now, Betty didn't know they were divorced, and the terms of the divorce prevented Ariel from saying anything about it. Now that the truth was out, she and Jayson would likely become the center of attention. That divorce agreement Jayson had drawn up was too clever. Every clause tied her hands. She couldn't even clarify that they weren't together anymore.

"Everyone, please turn off your phones." Matt was the first to recover. He glanced at the celebrities and influencers he had invited and quickly said, "I hope no one reads too much into what happened today. It was all just a misunderstanding." He rushed to handle the mess. This involved Jayson, after all. He didn't want things to spiral out of control. But one of the heiresses who did livestreaming for fun looked a little guilty as she said, "I forgot to turn off my stream just now. I think it went live." Matt frowned at those words.

If it had already been livestreamed, the clip might already be circulating online. Nancy realized the same thing, and her expression turned even uglier. Betty's gaze swept the crowd with calm authority. "In that case, to avoid any further misunderstandings, we won't be keeping you here any longer, Ms. Stanton. Please see yourself out." Those words were no different from an outright dismissal. Everyone could tell that Betty was protective of Ariel. Of course, even though Betty had called it a "misunderstanding", everyone knew the truth.

The word "mistress" she used earlier had already branded Nancy. It was clear to everyone now that she was the one who had no rightful place in this. With the way things had unfolded, there was no need to spell everything out too bluntly. After all, both sides still had some dignity to preserve. But one thing was crystal clear now- -the Larkins didn't favor Nancy. "Matt, take Nancy home," Jayson finally spoke. His expression was still às unreadable as ever. Matt knew that if they didn't clear the scene now, this mess could get worse. Nancy said nothing. Her hands were clenched tight.

As she turned to leave, she cast Jayson a deep look. She still believed he would take care of things. But... As her gaze landed on Ariel, it turned cold, laced with bitterness and a mocking edge. Ariel must have done this on purpose. She had set the stage to ruin her plans and publicly humiliate her. Now Jayson had been forced to confirm their relationship in front of everyone. Ariel's moves were nastier than she thought. Absolutely low-class Ariel didn't even glance at her. She didn't care what Nancy thought "Now that everything's been cleared up, you can get back to the party.

The Larkin family is covering everything tonight. Don't Het a little interruption spoil the fun," Betty said, switching back to a gracious tone. The crowd quickly echoed their agreement. But Ariel didn't feel like staying another minute . She looked at Betty " Grandma , I think I'll head out first," Betty took her hand . "Come home with me , Ariel figured she wanted to talk. After all , the truth was out now. There was no going back to pretending nothing had happened. Then Betty looked over at Jayson, who had remained calm through the entire scene. "You too." Jayson didn't argue.

He turned to Perry, who was still by the side. "Matt will be back in bit. You guys enjoy the party first." Perry's gaze flicked briefly toward Ariel. "Okay." "Okay." Ariel walked past Zach and Frederick without sparing them a glance. She treated them like they didn't exist. The two of them looked extremely pale. It was obvious that they were still struggling to process the reality of it all.