Jayson turned to the side to look at Nancy. “Thank you.”

Perry looked at his arm. “Do you need a bandage change soon?” 

Jayson gave a quiet hum in acknowledgement.

Matt let out a long sigh. “You’re really something. You were so worried about Nancy that you didn’t even think of yourself.”

That drone, plus its payload, weighed over 130 pounds. It was heavier than Nancy herself.

It wasn’t surprising that Jayson would throw himself forward without hesitation.

The shock was that he had protected the wrong person in that split second of darkness and chaos. Thankfully, Nancy had come out of it completely unharmed.

Hearing Matt say that, Nancy frowned a little. Her feelings were a complex blend of worry, gratitude, and joy.

Perry, though, still hadn’t fully recovered from the scare. If Jayson hadn’t mistaken the two,

it would’ve been Ariel who got hurt.

At that thought, Perry asked, “What happened at that time? How did you get them mixed up?”

Jayson stirred the soup in the bowl with a spoon. His expression was calm and detached. “The rotor wash was too strong. I couldn’t keep my eyes open and lost my sense of direction.”

Perry gave a small nod.

That made sense. Medium drones were no joke when they spun up.

“Did the doctors say how long you’ll need to stay here?” Nancy asked.

“About a week,” Jayson replied.

He paused, thinking it over. It wasn’t just a deep wound. His bone was fractured too. At the moment, he couldn’t move his right arm at all.

Matt leaned back on the couch and bit into an apple. “As long as nothing critical was hit, you’ll be fine.”

Nancy seemed to hesitate for a moment, then asked, “What kind of specialist is Mr. Spencer?”

Perry looked up. “Why are you asking?”

Nancy was quiet for a beat, then said, “I’m thinking of switching to someone more reputable for my mom’s follow -up care. I’ve heard Mr. Spencer is quite famous overseas, but I’m not sure what he actually specializes in. Perry, you’re quite close to him, right?”

Perry’s expression shifted slightly. He hadn’t expected Nancy to ask that. But he had already helped Ariel set up a follow–up meeting with Liam.

“We’re friends, yeah. But I don’t know the specifics. It’s not really my place to say.”

Nancy’s eyes flickered with a touch of disappointment, but she just smiled. “No worries. I’ll ask around.”

Soon after, she received a work call. She stepped out to take it.

Only then did Matt move closer to check Jayson’s bandaged arm. The moment he got a good look, his scalp tingled. “Is that going to leave a scar?”

Jayson had already opened his laptop. He didn’t seem to care much about a scar. “Probably.”

Matt clicked his tongue. “Ariel’s got some serious luck, huh? You basically took that hit for her. And look at her. She didn’t get so much as a scratch. Talk about luck.”

That drone had come plummeting down hard. The fact that Ariel had walked away completely unscathed was some serious luck.

Jayson tapped at the keyboard with his left hand. He didn’t even bother to lift his eyes as he replied, “Oh, really? I didn’t notice.”

Matt actually thought it made sense that Jayson hadn’t noticed.

In a situation like that, of course he would be worried about Nancy. He wouldn’t have had the headspace to check if Ariel was hurt or not.

At this thought, Matt glanced around. “Wait, she hasn’t been by at all?”

Even Perry looked up this time.

Jayson replied to a few work emails, then answered slowly, “No.”

Matt looked genuinely stunned. “Does she have no conscience? Sure, you meant to shield Nancy, and things went

a little sideways, but even so, the least she could do is come check on you. What’s her deal?”

Normally, Ariel would’ve jumped at the chance, staying by Jayson’s side day and night to take care of him without a second thought.

But she actually let the perfect opportunity slip this time?