Chad pressed his lips into a thin line, worry flickering in his eyes as he glanced at Ariel.

But Ariel wasn’t shaken by what Alan had said because she knew that it was the truth.

Perry hadn’t left yet. He walked over to Ariel and said, “Don’t worry. Jayson will be fine.”

Pressing her lips together, Ariel turned to the dark bloodstain on the ground. It was obvious that Jayson’s injury wasn’t minor.

She rubbed her temples wearily, then finally said, “Thanks.”

The Spencer family moved fast to contain the incident..

After a quick inspection, it was confirmed that the navigation system had malfunctioned, which led to the drone losing control.

Jackson soothed the guests and gave a final order. “Keep this quiet. We’ll apologize to Mr. Larkin in person another day.”

After leaving the Spencer residence, Ariel was still frowning. She glanced at the time. It was already 9:30 pm.

She didn’t know which hospital Jayson had been taken to and how badly he was hurt.

For something like this to happen at such a critical moment, she couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.

They had spent three years together, and yet this was the first time she had ever seen Jayson so disheveled.

Whether or not he had meant to save Nancy and grabbed the wrong person in the chaos, the truth was, he had shielded Ariel from injury. And in her current physical condition, a hit like that could’ve been devastating.

After some hesitation, Ariel decided to call and check on Jayson.

But Jayson’s phone never connected.

Eventually, the automated voice came on, saying, “The number you have dialed is busy. Please try again later.”

Ariel guessed someone must have cut the call on purpose. She didn’t try again. Instead, she pulled up her calendar.

Tomorrow was the day they could receive their divorce certificate.

But now, with Jayson in the hospital…

Frowning, Ariel sent Perry a message on WhatsApp, asking which hospital Jayson had been taken to.

At the hospital, by the time Jayson was wheeled out of surgery and transferred to a ward, Nancy had already been waiting for over two hours.

Matt and Perry had both come to keep her company earlier

At some point, Betty had heard about Jayson’s injury and called to confirm. She was already en route from Larkin Manor.

Not wanting a crowd, Jayson had sent Matt and Perry off first and told them to take Nancy home.

His right arm required 23 stitches, and the bone was fractured. He would need to stay in bed and rest for quite

some time.

When Betty arrived, Jayson was already propped up in bed, going over some documents on his laptop.

The gauze on his arm was thick, and even his palm and fingers were covered in scrapes.

Betty’s face changed the second she saw him. “How are you? What did the doctor say?”

Jayson closed the laptop and replied calmly, “I’m fine. I just need some time to heal.”

“You had surgery, and you call that fine?”

Betty was furious. “Don’t even think you can fool me. Jackson already called and told me that you’re quite seriously injured. He also said…”

She took a deep breath, her expression growing darker. “He said there was a Ms. Stanton beside you. Jayson, you’d better explain what the hell is going on.”

Jackson must’ve given her a summary. And of course, he mentioned Ariel.

But Jackson’s original words were, “Mr. Larkin meant to protect Ms. Stanton, but there was a mix–up in the chaos.

Betty wasn’t stupid. She could guess the rest.

Jayson met her gaze and remained silent, not trying to explain.

His silence only fueled her anger.

Her heart ached over his injury, yet she was also upset that he had some other woman with him. “Listen carefully, Jayson. I don’t care who this Ms. Stanton is. You deal with her yourself. Don’t you dare hurt Ari!”