Ariel stayed silent and composed most of the time, treating Perry with polite detachment.

He pressed his lips together before saying, “That’s good then.”

She turned slightly to his side and asked, “Mr. Houston, is there anything else?”

“No. I’m leaving,” Perry said; he got the message.

Ariel sat for a while longer and enjoyed the solitude. As it got further into the night, she got up and returned to her

tent.

Just as she got up, she heard footsteps not far away, accompanied by the faint flicker of a lamp. A woman’s soft voice carrying an audible smile sounded behind her. “Is this your tent?”

Ariel looked in the direction of the voice and found Nancy standing beside Jayson. He bent over to enter the tent, while Nancy followed right after, entering the same tent.

They were staying in the same tent.

Ariel’s gaze trembled slightly, and she was surprised by the scene. Jayson clearly knew she was there tonight, but he didn’t bother to avoid her.

Ariel’s fingers tightened around the thermal flask as she turned to head back to her tent.

This was a luxury resort providing top–tier camping equipment. Even the tents were designed like a one- bedroom suite in a hotel, which was complete with a soft mattress, a couch, and a coffee table.

Ariel could barely feel the cold of the night. She slept straight through till morning. It was surprisingly a pleasant experience.

After leaving her tent, she had to pass by Jayson’s and noticed it was already empty. The bedding was neatly made, like it hadn’t been slept in.

She didn’t think much of it and took the shuttle to a restroom, where she could freshen up.

The morning air was refreshing, and Ariel could feel both her body and mind relaxing.

As she entered the restroom, she heard Renee on the phone. “Why didn’t I see Jay anywhere?”

After listening to the reply from the other end of the line, she chuckled. “Oh, so Nancy, you went back to the hotel with Jay in the middle of the night? Now I get it.”

Ariel halted in her tracks as the words snapped her thoughts into focus.

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Jayson and Nancy hadn’t stayed the night here.

Did they feel the tent lacked privacy or proper soundproofing, so it wasn’t ideal for some intimacy?

After all, the two were new lovers. What else could one expect? That seemed the only explanation Ariel could think of.

She stood in silence for a while before heading back to the hotel. Getting her makeup done and freshening up to make sure she looked perfect was necessary.

That was something she had to keep up with since the team–building would continue until the afternoon.

When Ariel came dors, she was told Jayson had left with Nancy. He probably felt that her

the mood, but. Ariel

dn’t care.

She had breakfast and returned to the café to work on the data.

presence ruined

Chad had mentioned that the project they were working on would later be reviewed by Carlos himself, and she dared not take it lightly.

The events of the previous night finally reached Janice, and a wave of remorse washed over her for missing the camping trip and not being there to support Ariel.

Arial had long come to peace with things like this. With her current health, these emotional hurdles would only worsen her condition and shorten her lifespan.

Work resumed in full swing on Monday.

Faye Technologies had several long–term partners and was responsible for technical maintenance down the line.

Chad took Ariel along as they followed up with one of the partners about some post–project technical issues.

When they passed Bluum Corp Tower, Ariel didn’t bother sparing it a single glance. Their partner’s office was nearby.

During their meeting with the host, Hank Lawson, Ariel spotted Colton in another room discussing a separate deal with another group. Jayson had likely sent him here for negotiations.

Colton spotted her and instinctively frowned. Then, he said, “Ms. Wal-”

Ariel didn’t respond and brushed right past him.

W