Ariel tilted her head slightly, calmly meeting Nancy’s gaze.

Nancy stood tall in her heels, chin lifted slightly just to look down at Ariel. Despite her elegant posture, the haughty gaze in Nancy’s eyes was unmistakable.

Even when she knew about Ariel’s relationship with Jayson, she’d never addressed her anything but “Ms. Walker“.

As for Nancy’s earlier comment–was she merely claiming the seat beside Jayson, or was she making a statement that the seat of Mrs. Larkin was now hers?

But regardless of what she meant, it was still arrogance at its core.

Ariel didn’t particularly care what Nancy was trying to imply, but that didn’t mean she had the patience to endure Nancy’s silent jabs.

“There’s no need to rush, Ms. Stanton. I’m not interested in competing with you,” she replied coolly, making her stance clear.

Nancy didn’t like the terms-“rush” and “compete“-that Ariel had used.

She’d never once felt threatened by Ariel. Moreover, if Ariel wanted to compete, she’d first need to prove she was in the same league.

Nancy chuckled coldly before slipping into the car. She didn’t shut the door right away.

Instead, she turned slightly to talk to Jayson, her gaze landing on the screen of his laptop. He merely looked up, casting an unreadable gaze at Ariel.

It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, and Ariel didn’t care enough to try. But she’d realized that he didn’t bother shifting his laptop away from Nancy.

Jayson’s guard wasn’t up around her, unlike how he’d done when with Ariel.

Ariel coolly shifted her gaze away, her expression unreadable.

“You should just take another car, Ariel.” Frederick stepped out just in time to catch the scene, misreading the situation. “There are so many cars here.”

Perry glanced over and, seeing that Ariel wasn’t even bothered, remained silent.

“You don’t have to worry about it. Ari is riding with me and Tony.” Chad and Tony walked over. Chad was smiling, yet it didn’t reach his eyes. “We’ve got work to discuss.”

Tony immediately waved and said, “I was hoping to hear more about Faye Tech’s recent project, Ms. Walker. Let’s ride together.”

Ariel nodded slightly. “Alright.”

She didn’t spare a glance at Jayson and Nancy–there was no point wasting her breath on them either.

Ariel then got into the car with Chad and Tony.

Nancy frowned, wondering what Ariel could possibly discuss with someone like Tony when she wasn’t even in the field.

172

Chapost 130

“Don’t you think Mr. Sachman is rather friendly with Ariel?” Frederick asked, noticing something was off.

Tony was mentored by Carlos. And now, he was the top figure of the research institute and a nationally recognized expert in aerospace engineering.

They’d have to show respect to him.

Nancy’s tight–knit frown soon smoothed out. She said dismissively, “Have you forgotten that Mr. Chad is Mr. Carlos‘ son? Tony isn’t being polite to Ariel out of respect for her–he’s just doing it for the sake of Mr. Chad.”

To put it bluntly, Ariel was just riding on someone else’s coattails–that was the only reason Tony gave her the time of day.

Nancy had no respect for women who got ahead by relying on men.

Realization hit Frederick as he found her words reasonable, yet Perry didn’t quite buy it.

He glanced at the car Ariel had just gotten into. If he wasn’t mistaken, there had been a subtle eagerness in Tony’s eyes when he looked at her.

It was the kind of look someone might give a kindred spirit or a rare talent, instead of a polite acquaintance.

A flicker of doubt crossed Perry’s mind as he wondered if he was overthinking it.

Meanwhile, Zach quietly took everything in from nearby.