Ariel didn’t mind.

Throughout the meal, Chad was attentive to her needs by handing her skewers, slicing grilled meat for her with scissors, and passing her a napkin the moment she needed one.

All the meticulous care didn’t go unnoticed by those around them. Even Nancy frowned slightly and glanced at Chad before looking at Ariel again.

What did Ariel do to deserve such treatment from Chad?

Of course, most of the people at the table noticed the dynamic, while Jayson’s cold features betrayed no emotion. It seemed as if he hadn’t seen a thing.

Matt took a sip of beer and scoffed. Then, he leaned in to the group around Jayson and muttered in a low voice, ” Ariel’s playing it smart. She’s obviously using Mr. Hockney to get Jayson’s attention.

“She’s probably trying to show that she’s got men wrapped around her finger and pull every last tactic to win him back.” He sneered mockingly.

Nancy gave a small, almost imperceptible laugh as if she were amused.

No one knew whether Jayson heard it or not; he didn’t react or even glance in Ariel’s direction. His disregard was absolute.

Perry frowned slightly, while Matt continued, “To be fair, Ariel is pretty, but she just isn’t it. If she hadn’t done those shady things back then, she wouldn’t have ended up like this. And she’s dull with no sense of humor. Just plain boring.”

“Eat. It’s getting cold,” Perry interrupted and handed him two beef skewers.

Matt returned his attention to the barbecue.

Meanwhile, Jayson looked up at Chad, who was pouring Ariel a glass of orange juice. He initiated a conversation by saying, “Faye Tech has been on a roll lately. I heard you closed a few major deals?”

Chad responded humbly, “Just riding the wave. Drones are seeing a broader application across industries.”

“You’re too modest. The market is far from saturated. The U.N2 reconnaissance and strike drone you developed five years ago is still cutting–edge. I imagine you’ve moved on to something more advanced?

“When the time comes, I hope you’ll consider Bluum Corp as a preferred partner. Let’s aim for a win–win,” Jayson said, smiling faintly, but his eyes were sharp.

A flicker of emotion flashed in Ariel’s eyes, while Chad gave her a barely noticeable glance.

Jayson sure was cunning. Chad had just brought Ariel into Faye Technologies, and they were pushing forward on a new project, yet Jayson had begun casting an olive branch.

Well, too bad Jayson had no idea that Ariel was Faye Technologies‘ core technology developer.

Chad smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, he shifted the conversation to drone technology innovations.

Nancy naturally saw this as her turf and eagerly joined in the talk with Chad.

As the conversation deepened into more technical topics, Ariel’s interest was piqued. She leaned over to whisper a new front–end integration idea to Chad.

Nancy frowned and shot Ariel a look, clearly displeased by the latter’s intrusion.

This time, Jayson finally turned his eyes to Ariel with a thoughtful expression.

Renee and Matt both noticed Nancy’s reaction. The former immediately assumed Ariel couldn’t stand to see Nancy shining. She thought Ariel must be trying to steal the spotlight again, and that was just so fake!

Matt spoke up. “Ms. Walker, what are you whispering to Mr. Hockney? He and Ms. Stanton are discussing aerospace tech. You don’t know much, so perhaps don’t interrupt.”

Ariel shot him a cool look, and his tone immediately shifted to sound more sincere. “Mr. Hockney is the U.N2 developer and a true leader of the next generation. Even my father can’t stop praising him.”

Having grown up around the military for years, Matt had picked up a little and knew how powerful the U.N2 reconnaissance and strike drone was. It was top–tier in domestic and international combat applications.

Anyone would respect that kind of strength.