Ariel knew that Betty had always liked her cooking.

After the soup was ready, Ariel stayed with Betty as she ate and chatted for a while. Then Betty asked Ariel to go to the bedroom she shared with Jayson to get the gift she had prepared.

As Ariel walked into the living room, she spotted Jayson drinking soup in the dining area. He was calmly finishing it while browsing his tablet.

Ariel hadn’t expected him to be back, and he had even finished the soup she had just made. Didn’t he already eat with Nancy?

Noticing Ariel’s gaze, Jayson looked up slowly. “What’s wrong?”

He was confused about why she was staring.

Ariel frowned but said nothing. Instead, she turned toward the bedroom to get the gift.

The room hadn’t changed one bit. Her personal items from earlier were still there.

Betty’s gift was a diamond–studded ladies‘ watch. Ariel knew the brand and guessed it wasn’t cheap.

Since it was Betty’s heartfelt gesture, Ariel didn’t hesitate to accept it.

Just as she stepped out of the bedroom and opened the door, she heard Jayson’s low voice down the hall. “Yeah, there’s a lot to do during the preparation phase.

“The Stantons? Her mother invested 50 million dollars. Along with Nancy’s technical shares, that’s 40% equity. Reserve 20% for an option pool. I’ll arrange for additional management to come on board later.”

Ariel came to a halt. She was surprised that Sarah had actually invested that much money in Nancy’s company.

It made sense, though. Starting a company without capital investment and relying solely on Jayson’s funding meant that Nancy’s technical shares would require professional valuation. It might not give her a major stake.

Sarah clearly considered that. That was why she heavily invested in it.

Jayson’s chess move after Faye Technologies ousted Nancy was enormous.

Now, Nancy had turned the tables and become a boss in her own right. She could finally sit at the same table as Chad and the others. Things were truly different now.

While Ariel was still thinking, Jayson ended the call and turned around. His eyes locked on her expression.

He leaned lazily against the wall.

“Did you hear everything?” he asked, indicating the call.

Ariel lifted her gaze and pressed her lips together, choosing not to respond. She didn’t ask questions, nor did she feel curious or angry.

Even though she knew Jayson was helping the Stanton family start a company to compete with Faye Technologies, she didn’t bother arguing with him about it. At this point, questioning it was pointless.

Ariel looked at him. “Do you need me to remind you when the cooling–off period ends? I want to schedule a time to go to the courthouse.”

She pressed on with the question he hadn’t answered on the phone. This was crucial and couldn’t be vague. They had to communicate clearly.

Jayson gave her a cold, deep glance.

After a moment, he glanced at his watch. “Just contact Colton.”

Ariel sensed he wanted to end the topic, but she still felt uncertain. “What if I can’t reach Colton?”

This wasn’t the first time. Colton, like Jayson, was very busy with many tasks. Besides, he often ignored her calls

in the past.

Having learned from experience, Ariel had to be cautious.

Jayson had now come beside her. He paused at her words and glanced at her. “Do you need my number?”