The next morning, the Larkins' housekeeper, Lily Hill, arrived with Jayson's younger sister, Renee Larkin.

The 17-year-old had a striking figure and a sharp attitude. The moment she walked in, she tossed her bag onto the couch.

"Where's Ariel Walker?" She blinked up at Jayson.

Jayson finished adjusting his tie and shot her a look. "Don't be so disrespectful."

Renee pouted. "You don't even like her. Why should I respect her?"

Her mother, Evelyn Cavell, always said Ariel had married above her station. She should be grateful to them and serve them without question. What was the term again? A glorified maid?

Jayson saw right through her. "Alright, what do you want this time?" His voice was cold.

Renee's eyes darted mischievously. "Jay, you're busy today, right?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Mom's at a fashion show, Dad's overseas, and Grandma isn't well. No one can make it to my parent-teacher meeting.

"Can you ask Ariel to go? She spends your money and doesn't do anything anyway. Might as well put her to use," Renee said coyly while swinging her legs.

Jayson hesitated. "Ask her yourself."

Renee scoffed. "Please. She's always trying to get on your good side. She dotes on me like crazy, just like those scheming women in online novels. Just tell her she has to go."

Lately, she'd been obsessed with Nancy's aerospace lectures overseas, and her grades had taken a hit.

She didn't want her family at the meeting. Ariel, on the other hand, didn't matter to Renee. She didn't mind Ariel taking the teacher's scolding.

And to please Renee, Ariel definitely wouldn't rat her out to Jayson or Evelyn.

Jayson thought for a moment, then shrugged on his coat. "Fine. I'll give her a day off."

…

Ariel woke up with a pounding headache and a low-grade fever. Her immune system had been unreliable for a while now, so her body could break down at any moment.

She'd already taken sick leave the day before. She could go to the hospital today to confirm her treatment plan.

By the time she reached the hospital lobby, her legs had gone weak. She barely took a few steps before the world tilted.

"Ari!"

Ariel heard a woman's startled cry. Then, everything went black.

When she woke up, she saw her best friend, Janice Swanson, sitting by the hospital bed.

The moment she opened her eyes, Janice let out a relieved breath, then immediately started scolding, "What the hell did that bastard Jayson do to you? The doctor said you collapsed from exhaustion! You just barely broke your fever!"

Ariel tensed instinctively, worried that her illness had been discovered.

"What's wrong? Did the fever fry your brain?" Janice gasped in shock. "Doctor! She—"

"Don't shout. I'm fine," Ariel said. Her head throbbed from all the fuss. She quickly stopped Janice.

Luckily, Janice didn't know. Otherwise, with her loud nature, news of Ariel's cancer would spread across Eldoria in less than a day.

By then, Katie and Leonard would find out as well.

"What are you even doing at the hospital?" Ariel asked.

Janice shrugged. "My idiot brother drank himself into alcohol poisoning. I came to check if he was dead or not. Anyway, you look awful. Is it because of Jayson and his mistress?"

Janice had seen the live stream.

Hardly anyone knew Jayson was married, so people were obsessively rooting for his so-called perfect love story with Nancy.

That shameless couple disgusted Janice.

Ariel felt a brief moment of daze, but no anger stirred in her. "We're getting a divorce soon."

Once the 30-day cooling-off period was up, this whole ridiculous chapter of her life would finally be over.

Janice froze. Then her eyes widened in fury. She misunderstood. "He's making that bitch his wife?"

When Ariel married Jayson, she gave up her dreams and career entirely. She even turned down her lecturer's rare recommendation to join the aerospace research institute.

Instead, she devoted herself to being the perfect wife, taking care of Jayson's every need.

She loved that scumbag to the point of obsession.

To outsiders, there was no way Ariel would have been the one to ask for a divorce. It had to be Jayson who dumped her.

But Ariel shook her head. "I filed for it."

Janice stared at her, speechless for a full two minutes. Then, suddenly, she clapped her hands together.

"Finally! That's what I'm talking about! A badass, talented woman like you should be focusing on your career. Ditch Bluum Corp and join Faye Tech. How about taking an equity stake with your expertise?"

Faye Technologies specialized in cutting-edge drone technology, and Janice was one of the major shareholders.

She had no idea about the technical side of things. After all, she'd been a terrible student all her life.

But she knew one fundamental truth—money talked, and she was willing to spend a lot of it.

At the mention of Faye Technologies, something in Ariel's pale face finally lit up.

If Ariel had stayed on the path she originally wanted, she would have ended up in aerospace engineering.

Drones were among the most important technological advancements of the era. They were used in military operations, civilian industries, and agriculture.

The only reason she had gotten a glowing recommendation to the research institute back then was because of her own achievements.

She designed and oversaw the development of U.N, a reconnaissance and strike drone that featured long-range capabilities, heavy payload capacity, high speed, and automated operation.

Ariel's breakthroughs had overcome key technological barriers, and the drone was now actively deployed in military operations.

In the aerospace field, it was considered top-tier.

But marriage had cost Ariel everything. Now, she was physically and mentally wrecked, staring down a cancer diagnosis at a young age, with no idea how much time she had left.

Yet, if nothing else, she had learned one thing. One should always put oneself first and live for oneself.

Even if she couldn't be cured, Ariel refused to spend what little time she had left in regret.

She wanted to return to her field and focus on nurturing her dreams.

Janice didn't understand the tech side of things, but Faye Technologies had a real heavyweight running the show, Chad Hockney.

Janice provided the funding, while Chad and a team handled the research. In just a few years, Faye Technologies had skyrocketed to prominence, becoming a dark horse in Eldoria's tech scene.

But…

"You know how it is. When I got married, Chad cut me off completely. He's the one running Faye Tech now. I doubt he'd even let me through the door," Ariel said.

The lecturer who had once written her recommendation letter was Chad's father. The father and son had trusted Ariel and went out of their way to support her. They truly believed she was destined for greatness, perhaps even something that would make their country proud.

But after she got married, she let them down.

Janice scratched her head. "Chad's all talk. You know how he is—stubborn as hell but a softie deep down. Let me set something up and get you two to talk it out. He actually misses you, you know."

Ariel smiled bitterly.

If Morgan hadn't schemed to get Ariel into Jayson's bed and forced her to give up everything she loved, her life might have turned out very differently.

Just then, her phone buzzed. Renee was calling.

Ariel frowned and declined the call.

She and Jayson were about to get divorced. She had no reason to entertain Renee anymore.

But Renee was relentless. There was an unmistakable arrogance to it.

By the fifth call, Ariel pressed her lips and finally picked up.

"God, you're so annoying! Can't you see my name on your screen?" Renee shouted.

"What do you want?"

"My school has a parent-teacher meeting at 10:00 am. You'll go in Jay's place. If anyone asks, just say you're our maid. Got it?"

Jayson had just gone public with Nancy. The last thing Renee wanted was for people to misunderstand Nancy.

Ariel replied calmly, "I'm not your mother, and I'm not your sister-in-law anymore. Find your legal guardian. And one more thing. You're old enough to understand what basic respect means."

Then, she hung up.

She felt exhausted.

Renee had never liked her. Young people were perceptive. They picked up on the way adults treated people.

She had grown up thinking Ariel was some desperate gold digger who had forced her way into marrying Jayson. And for the past three years, every time she had a school break, she had made Ariel's life hell.

She demanded food and made Ariel do her laundry. She always found new ways to push her buttons.

And when things between Jayson and Nancy had started heating up, Renee had deliberately kept Ariel busy to make sure she couldn't interfere with their dates.

She was 17. She should know better.

Ariel had no obligation to put up with Renee anymore.

Seeing that Ariel was truly standing her ground, Janice was finally convinced of her determination to divorce. Without wasting any time, she left for Faye Technologies to try to talk Chad into meeting with Ariel.

Ariel waited for her IV drip to finish.

By 5:00 pm, her phone rang again. It was Evelyn.

After some hesitation, she answered it.

"Where did Renee go? Didn't she ask you to attend the parent meeting? The teacher said you didn't show up, and Renee took the day off too. Now, no one can find her!" Evelyn's tone was sharp, and her impatience was evident.

Ariel frowned. She hadn't expected this.

Evelyn had never liked her. She practically despised her. If Ariel hadn't "forced" Jayson into marriage back then, he would've married someone of proper status.

"I don't know," Ariel replied.

"You bailed on her first! Now you're trying to wash your hands of this? Not that it's surprising. You couldn't even have a kid in three years. Why would you have any sense of responsibility toward someone else's?"

"Alright, calm down. You know how Ari is," came a weak voice from the other end. It was Jayson's grandmother, Betty Stewart. "Renee's not a child anymore. And she's not Ari's responsibility."

Betty was the only person in the Larkin family who had ever treated Ariel with kindness.

For three years, she had protected Ariel as best she could. Jayson had only agreed to marry her in the first place because Betty's health was fragile, and she couldn't handle stress.

And their families had history. Ariel's grandfather had once fought alongside Jayson's. Betty had always liked her. That was why she agreed to the marriage.

Hearing Betty get dragged into this mess, Ariel weighed her options and finally said, "I'll try to get in touch with Renee."

She had let Renee get away with too much in the past. Today, she had drawn a line, and it had embarrassed Renee.

Renee was at an age where rebellion was second nature. A young woman wandering around alone wasn't exactly safe. Not to mention, Ariel had been the one who had shut her down earlier.

After pulling out her IV, Ariel swayed slightly as she forced herself upright.

She called Renee several times, but each call went unanswered or was quickly ended, as if Renee were deliberately toying with her.

But three years in public relations had taught Ariel a thing or two. She was skilled at paying attention to details. She carefully searched through Renee's social media posts.

Eventually, she pinpointed the location of a pool club.

When she finally got there, she spotted several familiar faces in one of the private rooms. And at the center of it all were Jayson and Nancy.

Renee was practically glued to Nancy, bombarding her with questions about Ashford University.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Ariel. Immediately, she latched onto Nancy's arm.

"Jay loves you so much. So I guess I can stop calling you Ms. Stanton now. How about just Nancy? I'm already treating you like my sister-in-law."

Nancy didn't seem to notice Ariel. She smiled gently at Renee and said, "You can call me whatever you want, Renee."

Jayson glanced up, irritation clear in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Ariel met his cold gaze and understood immediately. He had misunderstood something.

Sure enough, Jayson's friend, Matt Crosby, noticed Ariel and scoffed. "Ms. Walker, quite the skill you've got. You've managed to track Jayson all the way to our private gathering spot. We're all respectable people here. Don't you feel awkward?"

What else could Ariel be here for?

To catch Jayson in the act, of course.

"It's kind of pathetic, isn't it? You know Jayson doesn't like you," Matt continued, shaking his head, acting as if he had everything figured out.

After Ariel had slept with Jayson, she arranged for reporters to secretly take photos. If Jayson hadn't stopped it in time, the Larkin family's reputation would have been ruined.

In Jayson's friends' eyes, she was a woman who used her purity and reputation to climb the ranks.

None of them had any respect for her.

Ariel was used to the sharp words and cold stares of Jayson's friends, all of whom looked down on her for what they considered her "shamelessness".

Nancy, sitting comfortably next to Jayson, poured juice for Renee with a serene expression. She never once glanced at Ariel. Her elegance and confidence were palpable.

She wasn't fazed by Ariel at all.

Ariel understood perfectly what this was about. Nancy was confident because she was the favored one.

"Nancy, you're not upset, are you?" Renee asked nervously, eyeing Nancy. She was concerned that Nancy might feel uncomfortable with Ariel, the woman who had taken Jayson from her, showing up.

Nancy didn't respond but offered a gentle smile.

Jayson, perhaps worried that Nancy might misunderstand him, turned to Ariel and coldly said, "If you've got something to say, let's talk outside."

Ariel lowered her gaze, no longer wanting to look into the private room.

Once they were in the hallway, Jayson looked at her with a measured calm. "How did you know I was here?"

His tone was even, but it carried a hint of suspicion, as if he assumed she was deliberately stalking him.

Ariel met his gaze, her chest tightening.

"You're overthinking it. I didn't come looking for you. I don't care who you're with."

They were getting divorced anyway. She wasn't going to interfere anymore.

"Since you don't care, then why go to the trouble of taking sick leave to avoid handling Nancy's PR issue? Seems a little emotional, doesn't it?" Jayson's tone was flat.

Ariel had an ill uncle. How could she afford to quit her high-paying job? Unlike Nancy, she didn't have a prestigious education to fall back on.

Jayson's indifferent gaze made her lose any desire to explain herself.

She took a step back. "Please move forward with the divorce."

She didn't want to engage with him any further. She had only come here because Renee had purposely disappeared, but that no longer mattered.

When Renee had seen her earlier without surprise, Ariel realized that Renee was intentionally toying with her.

There was no point in explaining, especially since Renee wouldn't admit it.

Ariel just hoped to finish the divorce proceedings as soon as possible.

But Jayson paused. His eyes locked onto hers like he was shocked.

Ariel didn't understand what he was surprised about. Hadn't she already sent him the divorce papers?

She turned to leave, but just then, a waiter rushed past and collided with her shoulder. Ariel lost her balance and fell backward, only to land in a strong, steady embrace.

The familiar scent of sandalwood filled her nose.

Three years of intimacy had made this scent feel like it was etched into her bones.

She looked up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

Jayson, however, noticed the faint scent of medicine on her. He frowned. "Are you not feeling well?"

Ariel's heart skipped a beat. If Jayson found out about her cancer, with how cold and indifferent he was toward her, he wouldn't help her keep it a secret.

When Katie and Leonard asked about the divorce, he would probably say it was because she didn't have much time left to live and he didn't want to be burdened.

"What are you doing here instead of in a hospital?" His calm words stunned her.

Even though she no longer cared, hearing it from him still stung.

Before Ariel could respond, Jayson's lips twisted into a slight smirk. "Nice little game you've got going. Playing hard to get, huh?"

She had stormed out of the house, acting like she wanted a divorce. Now she showed up here, playing hard to get.

Ariel froze. She understood that Jayson had misunderstood her again.

She wanted to explain. But before she could, he pushed her away with a frown and turned to leave.

Ariel felt a tightness in her chest. Her lipstick had been bitten off in the stress, revealing her pale lips, and a dull ache started to form in her abdomen.

She didn't want to seem weak. She needed to leave.

But as she turned to go, she bumped into a tall man coming the other way.

He looked her over with a smirk before tossing a comment her way. "If you're stupid, you should do some reading."

Ariel frowned. Before she could reply, the man walked into the private room.

This was one of Jayson's friends, Perry Houston.

It was clear he had seen the earlier scene and misunderstood, thinking she was throwing herself at Jayson, only to be pushed away in disgust.