Ariel’s words were stuck in her throat.

Frowning, she looked up at him. “You’re overthinking it, Mr. Larkin. I wasn’t going to ask you for it.”

Jayson didn’t answer right away. He simply stared thoughtfully at her face.

From his angle, he noticed her slightly sharper chin. Her once delicate face now seemed even slimmer. It made her eyes appear even bigger.

Suddenly, he reached out and pinched her chin, lifting her face to get a better look. His hand hovered near her waist.

“Did you lose weight?” Jayson asked.

Ariel’s waist had definitely gotten smaller.

His tone was cool, but there was a hint of something else in his eyes. “Or has something been making you lose your appetite?”

Ariel avoided his gaze. She was surprised that Jayson noticed the change. But that was probably where his concern ended. If he knew about her condition, he probably wouldn’t care at all.

She steadied herself and moved to push him away. “Can you let go now?”

She didn’t respond directly to his question.

Jayson didn’t press her. He let go and stepped back, allowing her to regain her balance.

Ariel propped her arm against his chest briefly for support. As she was about to pull away, she noticed Zach coming down the hallway, clearly catching her in the act of stepping out of Jayson’s embrace.

Zach’s expression turned complicated.

Not long ago, Jayson had casually given up 1% of his profit to Spencer Group for a painting worth less than one million dollars. It was clear that Jayson and Nancy were a couple.

So why was Ariel clinging to Jayson?

Zach’s look was full of unspoken thoughts. Ariel knew exactly what he was thinking. But there was no easy way to explain this.

Back when they were still married, Jayson had never let her acknowledge their relationship publicly, let alone now.

“Mr. Larkin, what’s going on here?” Zach asked with a smile as he approached them.

Jayson remained expressionless. “Just discussing some things.”

Zach nodded in understanding. “Got it. I won’t interrupt, then.”

Before he left, Zach glanced at Ariel once more. His expression was complex.

He was surprised. Earlier, when Frederick had spoken about Ariel, he’d never imagined her to be that kind of

woman.

+25 BONUS

After all, Ariel came across as calm and composed with a steady gaze. She didn’t seem like a shallow woman. And she was undeniably beautiful.

Zach had a fairly good impression of her.

But now she was openly flirting with someone else’s boyfriend. He really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

Ariel didn’t pay much attention to Zach. She raised her gaze to Jayson. “I wasn’t asking for the painting. You can give it to Nancy, but would you mind if I took a few photos of it?”

Even if she couldn’t get the actual painting, photos would still be useful.

“Sure, I’ll send them to you,” Jayson agreed without hesitation.

Ariel was taken aback but breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

Upon hearing that, Jayson looked at her for a few seconds with an unreadable expression. “Well, that’s quite polite of you.”

With that, he turned and walked off.

Ariel couldn’t tell whether his words were praise or sarcasm, but she didn’t bother to think about it.

As long as Jayson was willing to send her the photos, everything would fall into place once she found Elena’s painting.

Meanwhile, Zach had returned to the lounge area.

Frederick, who had just finished greeting someone, immediately approached him. “Mr. Quinton, you’re finally back. Ms. Stanton was planning to talk to you about your company’s new materials.”

Zach took a sip of his drink. His gaze landed on Nancy, who was happily chatting with someone.