Though Frederick said it with a smile, the condescension in his tone was unmistakable. It left an unpleasant undercurrent–sharp, pointed, and impossible to ignore.

Even bystander observers might think his remark was a little too much.

Nancy glanced at Frederick. She knew part of the reason Frederick spoke up was because he’d witnessed how Faye Technologies had once brushed her off. That was why he was standing up for her now.

Without saying anything, she lifted her glass, took a sip, and curved her lips into a graceful smile.

Zach, meanwhile, looked around with some interest.

His first instinct was to glance at Jayson, but he found out that Jayson was completely detached from the moment. He was focused on replying to messages on his phone, clearly unconcerned whether Ariel was embarrassed or not.

Then Zach looked at Nancy. She was speaking quietly to Jayson. Whatever she said, it made the corners of his mouth lift ever so faintly.

Those two seemed to live in their own little world, untouched by what was happening around them.

They didn’t even blink at the awkwardness Ariel faced under Frederick’s sarcasm, let alone try to mediate.

Zach realized then that even if Ariel had feelings for Jayson, the latter remained utterly unmoved, only treating her like thin air.

Chad, on the other hand, frowned for a second, then chuckled. “Mr. Swanson, this isn’t how you catch a woman’s attention. You’re a bit rusty. Maybe you should ask Mr. Larkin to give you a few tips.”

Frederick nearly choked. He instinctively looked toward Ariel.

Catch a woman’s attention? Was he trying to get Ariel’s attention?

As Chad spoke, he tilted his head toward the composed and refined Jayson, then praised, “Look at Mr. Larkin. He’s got a beauty by his side. He must be quite the romantic. Surely it wasn’t Ms. Stanton who had pursued him, right?”

Nancy had just raised her glass when her hand froze mid–air.

She turned to Chad. He was still smiling and looked completely unthreatening, but those words felt vaguely off.

Jayson finally glanced over without much expression. He replied flatly, “Mr. Hockney, you must be joking.”

Chad laughed heartily. “Yeah, it’s just a joke. Don’t take it seriously.”

Ariel arched a brow at Chad.

She knew Chad didn’t actually have that good of a temper. But he always wore that cheerful smile, lacing his jabs with humor, so people chalked it up to him being too unfiltered.

Frederick was at a loss. Chad had been perfectly polite, yet somehow, Frederick still felt attacked.

In the end, Ariel wasn’t the one embarrassed. It was them who were starting to feel uncomfortable.

Ariel didn’t care. She understood people. Once someone formed a prejudice, it was nearly impossible to change. Even if she laid out the facts right in front of them, they still might not believe it.

She had no interest in what irrelevant people thought.

Nancy glanced at Ariel, then turned and said quietly to Jayson and the others, “Faye Tech seems to be making a serious move this time. We happened to run into Mr. Chad dining with Ariel and Mr. Carlos.

If Mr. Carlos really is backing their new project, that says a lot.”

“They were dining together?”

Zach and Frederick both raised their brows in surprise.

If Chad had dinner with Carlos, it would’ve just been a family matter. But bringing Ariel along? That either meant something was going on between them or it was business.

Nancy pressed her lips together and nodded. “If Mr. Carlos is supporting Faye Tech’s project, we should take a closer look at it.”

Zach immediately fell into thought. His mother, Serena, had warned him before to build a good relationship with Chad and aim to secure manufacturing partnerships.

The domestic smart tech industry was far from saturated. If Faye Technologies was really innovating, backing the right bet on them could lead to unimaginable long–term returns.

If what Nancy said was true, that this new project had Carlos‘ involvement…

Jayson could see right through what Nancy was thinking. He leaned closer and asked, “Are you interested?”

Nancy smiled lightly and said openly, “If Mr. Carlos is truly behind it, then yes. I think there’s a lot to learn.”

Jayson nodded in acknowledgment.

Nancy then turned and looked toward Chad, offering him a composed smile. “Mr. Hockney, since Faye Tech is now bringing in funding, you must be in a critical stage to look for talent to build a strong team.”