Matt noticed it as soon as Ariel left the restaurant. “Why is she leaving already?”

Jayson turned his head slightly and glanced at her table. He saw that the plate of food he ordered remained completely untouched.

“Ha! She’s so annoyingly stubborn.”

Matt shook his head as he found Ariel’s reaction disappointing. “She’s still acting so haughtily even though we’ve tried to be kind to her.”

Nancy remained silent.

She knew exactly what Ariel was thinking.

Ariel was probably affected by her low self–esteem. She was upset about Jayson treating her so unfairly, and she could not bring herself to stay there any longer.

Nancy glanced at Jayson, who had averted his gaze from the table. He was clearly not bothered by what happened.

Nancy smiled. “Can you go shopping with me after we’re done having lunch?“.

Jayson had no other plans. “Sure.”

It was Ariel’s first visit to Halread. Actually, Elena had studied at a university in Halread. Ariel decided to visit that university.

Visitors were required to make an appointment prior to their visit. Ariel spent some time walking around the school compound.

Halread University was one of the top art schools in their country. Elena had specialized in oil painting, and she was the top scorer for the college admission test in the fine arts category. To this day, her work was still displayed in the exhibition hall.

When she found Elena’s painting, Ariel gazed at it for quite some time.

According to Elena, this artwork was not a single piece but rather two elements designed to complement each other. While one painting was put on display in Halread University, the other painting had gone missing. Until now, they had not been able to locate its whereabouts.

Katie had told Ariel that Elena was still thinking about the lost painting even in her final moments. Ariel figured she could help Elena find peace if she could find and retrieve that painting.

Ariel stared at Elena’s painting and the signature, “Elena Walker“, which was located near the bottom of the painting, for quite a while.

There was a hollow feeling in her chest. The feelings of yearning for her mother flooded her in waves. Coupled with the feelings of sorrow and indignation she had suppressed within her for some time, it made Ariel’s eyes grow.hot.

Sadly, Ariel no longer had her mother with her. She had no one to share these emotions with.

Ariel wiped off the tears from the corners of her eyes. She slowly turned around and headed out.

It was usually wet and humid in Halread during their winter season. The sky was dark and cloudy outside. Ariel could tell that it would rain soon. She walked faster as she headed toward the school entrance. At the same time, she got a cab through an e–hailing app.

It started drizzling just as she reached the entrance. Ariel sensed several raindrops hitting her body. She hurriedly raised her hands to cover herself and darted toward the nearest shelter.

Ariel had just found a good spot when she saw Jayson holding an umbrella and walking toward the school entrance with Nancy beside him. Jayson had tilted the umbrella slightly toward Nancy to make sure she was completely shielded from the rain.

The two of them spotted Ariel too. Jayson seemed to have frowned slightly the moment he saw her. The unexpected encounter had probably ruined his mood to enjoy a pleasant date with Nancy.

Sarah had graduated from Halread University too. It was pretty understandable that Nancy would want to bring Jayson here and show him around.

Ariel’s cab arrived just then. She looked away calmly, raised her bag over her head to shield herself from the rain, and got into the car.

Upon returning to the hotel, Ariel noticed she had started coughing a little. In her weakened state, she was prone to falling sick whenever she did not pay enough attention to her physical condition.

Ariel took the targeted drugs first. Then, she got under the covers and took a nap.

She had no idea how long she had been asleep. Ariel woke up and found herself drenched in sweat. She felt light- headed as she reached for her phone.

Ariel was not sure when Chad would be back. She wanted to ask for his help to get some cough medicine before he came back.

She pressed a certain number.

It took quite some time for the line to get through. Ariel furrowed her brows. “Are you on your way back? Can you help me get some medicine? I’m coughing a little. It’s probably bronchitis. You…”

“It’s me.”

Ariel felt like her head cleared the instant she heard that cold voice. She glanced at the screen.

She’d pressed the wrong number.

“Sorry,” Ariel said quickly and was about to hang up.

“What’s your room number?” Jayson asked monotonously.

Ariel answered hesitantly, “1603.”

“Alright.”

Jayson’s voice was devoid of emotion. He hung up first. On the other hand, Ariel was still feeling a bit dazed.

She wondered if Jayson was really going to help bring her some medicine.

Yet, it all made sense to her when she thought about it again. Jayson might be cold to her. However, as long as Ariel had communicated her request and it was not something too much, Jayson would mostly fulfill them out of basic courtesy. It had nothing to do with how he felt about her.

Inside the presidential suite’s recreation room, the others were around when Jayson took the call.