<b>Chapter </b><b>434 </b>
That <b>voice </b>cut through the tension like a de.
All the judgmental, hostile, and condescending eyes that had been locked on Ariel suddenly shifted to the back of the crowd.
Even Nancy turned to look.
When she saw Betty standing there, tall andposed, her face went pale.
Perry suddenly understood exactly how this was going to y out. Lips pressed together, he turned his gaze to Ariel.
Matt’s smirk disappeared instantly. His
whole turned
serious. A chill ran <i>straight </i><i>up </i>his spine.
“Mrs. Larkin Senior?”
Frederick had met Betty a few years ago. The moment he saw her, he straightened up with respect.
His grandfather had told him before that Betty used to be a force to be reckoned with. As the eldest daughter of a powerful family, she was sharp–minded and shrewd.
After marrying Jeffrey, she had helped build the Larkins into what they were today.
But now<b>… </b>
What had she just said?
Everyone had been thrown off by the new information<b>, </b>leaving them visibly confused. Most of them thought they had just heard it wrong.
The moment Ariel heard Betty’s voice<b>, </b>her heart skipped a beat. She instinctively clenched her fingers. At that moment, she knew that some things were bound to change today.
Betty walked through the crowd without any expression, radiating authority.
Jayson’s eyes narrowed slightly. He spoke first. “Grandma, you haven’t left yet?”
Betty stepped forward and stopped directly in front of Ariel. Her frame was slim<b>, </b>but her presence wasmanding. “If I had left, I would’ve missed this show.”
Her sharp gaze cut toward Nancy<b>, </b>scanning her from head to toe with cool indifference.
This was the first time Betty had seen her in person.
Nancy’s palms were slick with sweat. Under Betty’s gaze and with everyone still watching, she pressed her lips together, then greeted Betty with practiced grace, “Mrs. Larkin Senior.”
Frederick<b>, </b>seeing Nancy’s unsettled look, assumed she was still heartbroken from finding Ariel alone with Jayson.
He quickly stepped in. “Mrs. Larkin Senior, what happened tonight isn’t Mr. Larkin’s fault. We all know what kind of person Ariel is. She probably came here on purpose to mislead everyone<b>. </b>There’s nothing going on between them, really. Please don’t be upset over this.”
The moment Frederick said that, Nancy’s face darkened even more
Zach frowned deeply. With that “wife and mistress<b>” </bment earlier and everything he thought he understood about Jayson and Nancy<b>, </b>things weren’t adding up.
Weren’t they not married yet?
Matt, standing nearby, tugged on Frederick’s sleeve with aplicated look. “Mr. Swanson, maybe don’t say anything right
now.”
<b>He </b><b>was </b><b>just </b><b>making </b><b>things </b>worse.
Ariel <b>looked </b>at <b>Betty</b><b>. </b>Sure enough, her expression had grown ever more intimidating<b>. </b>She turned a cold gaze <b>on </b>Frederick<b>. </b><b>“</b><b>You know </b><b>what </b>kind <b>of </b>person Ari is? And who are you to know her that well?<b>” </b>
<b>Frederick </b>froze<b>. </b>
Zach and everyone else looked stunned as well.
Ari? Why was Betty referring to Ariel so intimately?
Then Betty turned to Nancy, whose face had gonepletely pale Ms. Stanton<b>, </b><b>I’m </b>standing here now. Why don’t you go
ahead and tell everyone what exactly you were nning tonight? Aproposal? To whom? And under what title?<b>” </b>
Nancy pressed her lips tightly. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. “1-1 sorry, Mrs. Larkin Senior. There’s been a misunderstanding. Tonight wasn’t”
“Misunderstanding? Oh, it’s definitely a misunderstanding.” Betty’s gaze turned sharp. “Ms. Stanton, you’ve got a steel–ted ego. You actually had the nerve to propose to my granddaughter–inw’s husband right in front of her. What is this, Ms. Stanton? Are you trying to get Jayson charged with bigamy?”
Nancy’s face went sheet–white. She never imagined Betty would be so blunt.
The entire room sucked in a breath at those words.
Zach and Frederick both turned to Jayson in shock as he stood by Ariel’s side.
Jayson was married? And to…
Every single gaze swung to Ariel, whose expression had remained cold from the beginning.
Not one person could believe it.
Matt, too, looked at Ariel with a troubled look on his face. This was going downhill.
Jayson looked down at Ariel’s emotionless face.
The situation was already out of control, and Betty was clearly furious.
He slowly raised his head and looked at the crowd calmly. “Allow me to introduce her. This is my wife, Ariel Walker.”