Jayson finally lifted his gaze. “Sure.”

Ariel didn’t notice when Jayson and Nancy left their seats.

Up ahead, guests had started lining up to present birthday gifts to the host. More people continued arriving in

waves.

Chad gestured subtly toward a few areas. “These are the key contacts we should be networking with today.”

Ariel knew tonight’s birthday party was drawing in major players from across the industry.

In high society, connections were everything. Deals often started in places like this. In business, adaptability was key.

Ariel had already skimmed through profiles and names, getting a sense of who was who. With a glass of champagne in hand, she followed Chad into the crowd.

Chad looked around and said, “Omnivance Technologies was one of the early pioneers in this field, with a solid track record. Meeting their CEO, Callan Clements, could really give our next phase a boost.”

Ariel nodded in understanding.

She could only try her best to look for him.

As she reached one corner of the room, she spotted Jayson and Nancy standing in front of Callan.

Jayson had beaten them to it.

Chad noticed it too. He frowned at once. “Looks like Jayson’s already introducing Nancy around as the face of Veyo Solutions.”

The company hadn’t even launched yet, and they were already laying the groundwork.

With Jayson pulling strings and sharing his network, Nancy’s future with Veyo Solutions was already on solid footing.

Back when Faye Technologies was just starting out, they had built everything from the ground up. Their success came entirely from solid knowledge and relentless effort.

Veyo Solutions, on the other hand, had Jayson behind the curtain. It wasn’t hard to imagine what kind of spectacle their launch would be.

He really had covered every angle for Nancy.

“It’s fine. We’ll just talk to someone else first.” Ariel quickly made up her mind.

After all, Jayson had invested in Veyo Solutions. It made sense that he would bring Nancy along to represent the company in front of major corporations.

Chad checked his watch. “Then let’s split up. We’ll cover more ground that way.”

Ariel nodded. She had her eye on Kieran Hyde from an optics components firm. She approached with a polite smile. “Mr. Hyde? Nice to meet you. I’m Ariel Walker, an engineer with Faye Tech.”

Kieran, who was clearly in a rush, paused when he heard her name. “Ariel Walker?”

He had heard the name mentioned in connection with Faye Technologies‘ latest hit project but never before that. He assumed Ariel was probably just a relatively low–profile rising talent at the company.

If that were the case, he could always circle back and talk to Chad directly later. He gave her an apologetic smile. ” I’m sorry, Ms. Walker. I’ve got something I need to handle. Can we catch up in a bit?”

Ariel hesitated but could only nod. And then she watched Kieran stride straight over to Jayson and Nancy.

He shook Nancy’s hand warmly. “Ms. Stanton, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Ariel saw it happen but didn’t flinch. Her expression stayed even.

Since they were nearby, Nancy had noticed Ariel trying to introduce herself to Kieran.

Too bad, Kieran had better options.

Nancy turned back to him with a soft smile. “You’re too kind, Mr. Hyde.”

Ariel didn’t miss the look in Nancy’s eyes. Still, she didn’t dwell on it. She turned and walked away.

In these circles, people judged others by status. It was just how things worked. And with Jayson standing next to Nancy, everyone naturally focused on leaving a good impression on him first.

Not to mention, Ariel hadn’t revealed her true identity yet. To them, she simply didn’t measure up, and that didn’t surprise her.