Samson looked genuinely shocked as he met Jayson’s gaze. “Isn’t it a good thing I found her so quickly<b>? </b>What exactly are you implying, Mr. Larkin?”
Jayson turned fully toward him, his expression calm but his presence radiating danger.
“There’s no need to dance around the truth,” Jayson said, a contemptuous smile curling his lips. “Let’s
speak inly.”
Realization flickered in Samson’s eyes. “Are you suggesting I had something to do with this?<b>” </b>
He chuckled, his tone light but edged. “Mr. Larkin, I won’t deny I like Ariel. But I’d never stoop to such
tactics just to impress her.”
“You and I both know what your true intentions are.” Jayson’s voice was low, his eyes sharp and prating.
“You arrived at the perfect moment–just before I did. And right after Ariel was rescued, she heard Bluum
Corp had won the bid. You’ve improved a lot since west met two years ago.”
Despite Jayson’s words about the past, Samson’s eyes held a clueless, innocent look. He offered no response, simply staring back without a word.
“If you choose not to believe me, that’s your choice,” he said smoothly. “Prejudices destroy more than
they solve. I have no reason to make an enemy of you, Mr. Larkin.”
Samson shrugged. “Besides, I’m sincerely worried for Ariel.”
Jayson knew there would likely be no evidence to tie Samson to today’s events. Some truths lived only in
shadows, known to a select few. But this was also the day Jayson made his stance clear.
He flicked his lighter open and closed, his hand resting casually in his pocket. “It’s a shame for you, though. Faye Tech didn’t lose the project. Bluum Corp and Faye Tech both secured wins this time. The onlypany that came out empty–handed was Yeager Group.”
Samson’s eyes narrowed,
Jayson made one final remark. “Mr. Pryce, you still have a long way to go.”
He didn’t need to spell out his intentions–Samson would pay for what had happened today.
Jayson walked away, his figure receding down the corridor.
Samson turned, watching him go. His face betrayed nothing, though his mind lingered on Jayson’s words -about Bluum Corp and Faye Technologies shared sess, and about himself still having “a long way to
go“.
<b>1/3 </b>
<b>+15 </b><b>BONUS </b>
A sharp ringtone broke his thoughts. Samson nced at the caller ID and answered.
Cecilia’s imperious voice came through immediately. “Where are you? Dad came to see me, told me to return to Merinia immediately. He even sent bodyguards to watch me. Is he nning to keep me under
close surveince?”
Her irritation was palpable; she couldn’t escape her escorts for even a second.
Samson listened in silence, letting her vent. Then, without a word, he ended the call.
He turned his gaze toward Ariel’s ward, fingers brushing against the pearl earring he still held.
Jayson had pulled him out of the room before he could return it.
Samson studied the earring for a moment, then slipped it into his pocket and strode off.
Inside the ward, Ariel turned to Chad as soon as Jayson left. “Can you talk to the doctor? Ask them to share my test results and updates with you instead. I… I don’t want Jayson involved.”
A quiet dread gnawed at her. She wondered if any of the tests would reveal her illness. Blood tests alone wouldn’t show much, but the others might.
Chad frowned, puzzled. “Ari, if the doctor finds anything serious, he’ll definitely tell Jayson. We won’t be
able to hide it from him. What’s going on?”
Ariel couldn’t answer. Words failed her as unease twisted inside her.
She could see what Jayson had been trying to dotely, and the thought of him discovering her chronic condition made her chest tighten. She didn’t want to be bound to him any further.
“I…”
The lingering chemical in her system surged, and a wave of nausea overwhelmed her. Her head pounded,
her throat burned.
Ariel bent forward abruptly, about to vomit into the dustbin.