As soon as Jayson and Nancy arrived, the group of executives welcomed the pair warmly before escorting them into the building. They even showered the pair with flattery.

“Ms. Stanton and Mr. Larkin make such a handsome pair. It’s our honor to have you two as our guests at a Vireon Technologies‘ event.”

11

“Please follow me, Mr. Larkin and Ms. Stanton. We’ve already arranged for your seats.

11

Ariel cut those people off when she called out to Jayson abruptly. For a moment, all eyes were on her.

These men had spent years mingling and building connections with the rich and powerful in their industry. They scanned Ariel from head to toe, but none of them could recall having met her.

One of the executives asked, “Miss, may I know your name…”

Ariel looked at Jayson. Still, she responded to the question, “I’m Ariel Walker, and I’m from Faye Tech.”

Those top executives finally realized who Ariel was. “So, you’re from Faye Tech. Are you and Mr. Larkin well acquainted, though?”

Otherwise, Ariel could not possibly have called Jayson by his first name and even asked to speak to him for a while.

Frankly speaking, Jayson was considered the most important guest at today’s event.

Even if Ariel was an employee working for Faye Tech, someone like her could not possibly be acquainted with someone like Jayson. It was not like she had similar status and background to someone like Chad.

Those men could not help wondering whether Ariel was simply acting out of line or if she was really acquainted with Jayson.

Ariel did not answer the question this time. It was not like she could anyway. She could not possibly just go ahead and tell the others that they were married. Besides, Jayson might not even acknowledge it.

Nancy had an impassive look on her face. An enigmatic smile flickered across her lips. She raised her head and looked at Jayson’s face, which remained unreadable.

She let go of his arm. “Jayson, I’ll wait for you inside.”

Nancy appeared calm and graceful. She could not be bothered to argue with Ariel over something like this.

She did not like that Ariel had tried to show off her connections to Jayson in public. However, it was not that big of a deal for her to get upset over.

Nancy was well aware that Jayson was not someone whom Ariel could easily sway with her words.

Ariel did not look at Nancy. Her expression remained frigid.

Jayson directed his gaze at Nancy and said flatly, “No, I’ll go in with you.”

Then, he looked toward Ariel with those cold, deep–set eyes. “Sorry. I’m not free at the moment.”

Ariel was quite surprised to get an outright refusal from Jayson.

She had never tried to greet Jayson whenever she ran into him in public. Moreover, Ariel had made it clear that she

needed to talk to him. With Jayson’s perceptiveness, he could not possibly not get the hint that Ariel really had something important to discuss with him.

Yet, Jayson refused to do Ariel this favor or even spare her some of his time. It seemed like he did not want to risk having Nancy feel neglected since they had attended the event together.

After Jayson rejected Ariel’s request, Nancy could barely conceal the delight in her eyes despite her efforts to maintain the same expression.

She placed her hand on Jayson’s arm again and said endearingly, “Let’s go in now, then.”

She did not spare Ariel another glance. Nancy simply treated her as if she were invisible.

Jayson nodded calmly.

The two of them walked past Ariel. The shift in the air caused a light breeze to blow in Ariel’s face, and it made her feel as though she was pricked by thousands of needles on her skin.

Vireon Technologies‘ top executives exchanged meaningful glances among themselves after watching the exchange between those three people. They could tell that Jayson could not even be bothered to be courteous to Ariel.

Jayson had rarely responded so coldly to people who approached him to talk about work. Furthermore, he had no reason to turn Ariel down, given how well Faye Tech had been performing recently.

Anyhow, these men would still try to keep things cordial with Ariel. They gave a quick nod almost simultaneously and hurried into the venue.

Ariel did not care about what those men were thinking. After the initial shock, she did not feel anything in particular about how Jayson had treated her.

They had agreed to keep their marriage a secret since the moment they decided to marry. Ariel did not have any specific reasons to reveal the truth about their relationship with the public.