Jayson finally turned and looked at the executive. “What happened?”


    Frowning, Nancy looked over as well. What kind of trouble could she be in?


    The executive’s expression wasplicated. After some hesitation, he finally addressed Nancy. “Ms. Stanton, have you recently misappropriated your dividends?”


    The moment those words dropped, Nancy’s expression paled.


    Ariel and Chad both heard it clearly and exchanged a quick nce. Something clicked instantly between


    them.


    Chad suddenly smirked. “Ms. Stanton, are you running low on cashtely? Didn’t Mr. Larkin give you any allowance?”


    Nancy’s face darkened even more as she clenched her fists.


    Even Frederick and Matt were stunned. What was going on?


    Frederick understood the gravity and quickly said, “That can’t be right. Why not sort this out internally first? Why bring it up here?”


    Jayson was the first to react. He nced at Nancy and then asked the executive, “Are you sure about this?”


    The executive nodded. “We found the problem during a sudden audit.”


    Nancy tried to stayposed but couldn’t hide the change in her face.


    She had already dealt with this. Yes, she had temporarily used part of her personal dividends early on, but she had replenished them as fast as possible. How was this suddenly being gged now?


    “Jayson…” Nancy took a deep breath and stepped forward. “I admit it, but I made it right by the third day. There were no tax vitions involved.”


    Jayson lowered his gaze and said slowly, “Okay, we’ll discuss thister.”


    Then he looked toward Ariel. “We’ve got some internal matters to settle here. Have you driven here? Do you need a ride back?”


    Ariel understood that Jayson was clearing the room. He wanted to handle this quietly within thepany.


    Ariel thought for a moment. She gave Jayson a cold, mocking nce, then tugged Chad’s sleeve. “Chad, let’s head back first.”


    At least now they knew Nancy’s problem.


    Next…


    Ariel quickly adjusted her ns. She decided to change her original n for today.


    Chad and Ariel were on the same page and didn’t linger any longer.


    Jayson quickly had the area cleaned up to keep the issue under wraps. Many outsiders remained confused about what had happened.


    Still, the staff maintained order as usual, making everything appear calm and orderly.


    Jayson took Nancy upstairs.


    Matt and Frederick stayed out of it.


    As they walked upstairs, Nancy’s heart pounded heavily. She said quietly to Jayson, “Jayson, the next dividend payout from Veyo is due next week. I didn’t use the funds illegally.


    “I just made temporary reallocations with proper records. Westvale Gallery has been pressuring me hard. Cash was tight, and I didn’t want to trouble you, so…”


    She had nned it carefully. She made sure to repay quickly, so if the issue came upter, she could avoid serious responsibility.


    But why was it suddenly exposed today?


    And having Ariel catch it stirred an unspeakable shame and frustration inside her.


    Jayson finally nced at her. He showed no anger. Instead, he reassured her, “It’s okay. The major shareholders are just us and your mother. Thepany just needs to go through the usual procedures to wrap this up.”


    Nancy felt more at ease with Jayson’s words.


    She understood the loopholes she could work with.


    She had picked a critical moment, made a quick fix, and intended to mortgage her house. However, Evelyn’s threats had cut off that option, leaving her no way out. Plus, Dn’s pressure was relentless.


    She had no choice but to resort to this.