Dead at Heart novel

Chapter 64 Wendy noticed Ariel and greeted her with a smile , " Come join us . We're all family , after all . " Technically speaking , she was Ariel's sister - in - law , so there was nothing wrong with the remark . Lucas raised a brow . " Sure . Since my wife said so , care to join us , Mr. Hockney ? " Chad glanced at Ariel , who knew it would seem pretentious to decline now , so she gave him a nod . Everyone took their seats . Jayson and Nancy sat side by side , while Lucas and Wendy were barely inseparable .

As Ariel hesitated over where to sit , Ryan and another executive had taken the seats opposite Lucas and Wendy . She now had no choice but to sit directly across from Jayson and Nancy . Nancy gave her a quick glance . She'd long sensed Ariel's underlying intentions . Ever since Ariel changed jobs and partnered with Chad , the stage was set for these inevitable encounters . Nancy wondered if this was Ariel's backdoor approach to fighting her battles . The conversation at the table revolved around technological projects . Ariel had no intention of joining in and simply ate in silence .

That was when she learned that Jayson had just finalized his partnership with Lucas . The deal had officially been secured today . Yet , projects of such scale involved a great deal of confidentiality . She wondered if Jayson had completely hidden everything from Nancy . Was he nurturing her for her development , or had he started treating her like the future lady of the Larkins ? Just then , the cafeteria manager came over to deliver drinks made by the head chef as a courtesy gesture . Everyone took a bottle until only three remained - one mango juice and two coconut juices .

Ariel didn't like the taste of coconuts and reached out for the mango juice , but Jayson was a step ahead in placing it in front of Nancy . Nancy smiled sweetly . " You're so good at remembering what I like . It's really sweet . " Ariel paused . Her mind flashed back to all the times she accommodated Jayson's preferences . Whether it was about cooking herself or directing Georgia in the kitchen , it was always about his favorite dishes . He probably still had no idea what she liked . Or rather , he had never been interested in finding out .

Her hand hung awkwardly in midair before she picked up a bottle of coconut juice and set it beside her , untouched . The last bottle naturally went to Jayson . The conversation about work carried on for some time before Ryan suddenly glanced at Chad and Ariel . " Ms. Walker and Mr. Hockney ... are you two what we think you are ? " All eyes turned to them as Lucas shot Jayson a glance but said nothing . 102 Ariel calmly replied , " No. " L die gema 1/2 Chapter 64 +25 BONUS Ryan looked surprised . " Oh ? You two seemed quite in sync . Must've been my mistake then ? You look so young , Ms.

Walker . Are you married ? " The table fell silent , and even Nancy frowned . She knew Ariel wouldn't dare tell the truth , not with so little to stand on . Even so , the question annoyed her . Jayson showed no reaction and cast Ariel a cool , indifferent glance . Ariel set down her cutlery and calmly answered , " Divorced . Widowed . " Ryan froze . " Pfft- " Chad couldn't hold back a laugh and quickly coughed . " Sorry . My bad . " Jayson looked across the table at Ariel's composed face .

Her delicate features betrayed no emotion , but there was something hard to read flickering in her eyes . Nancy frowned and looked away . Sure enough , the arsenal of a powerless woman was sharp words masked by a show of empathy . It was a transparent attempt to shield Ariel's injured and desperate ego . Ariel said nothing else and believed she hadn't said anything wrong . The impending divorce was a fact . But Ariel considered her three years of being made to feel invisible and utterly neglected had already been a form of living widowhood .