Chapter 686

Chapter 687
Ariel lowered her gaze, deep in thought. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure everything is handled properly. Quite a few people assisted me with this project, so they’ll also be questioned. Perhaps the issue arose somewhere during
the process.”
“Give it some time. I’ll talk to Gary and see what else I can do. You shouldn’t worry too much.” Carlos didn’t
know all the details, but he was certain Ariel wouldn’t make such mistakes.
Ariel hummed in acknowledgment. For original chapters go to
There were many people on her team, but the one who had helped her most with important tasks was Elsie.
Ariel had reviewed the data before Elsie submitted it.
That meant something must have happened in the short window between her review and Elsie’s submission
that caused the blunder.
Besides, Elsie had little reason to be a suspect. She wouldn’t gain anything from tampering with the data, while
Ariel, as Jayson’s legal spouse, stood to bear the heaviest scrutiny.
Ariel also didn’t believe Elsie resented her enough to take such a huge risk just to bring her down.
If Elsie were caught, all the opportunities she had worked so hard to earn would be lost.
After Ariel ended the call, Chad turned his gaze to her. “Do you have any idea what actually happened?”
Since Ariel was under investigation, her work at the 719 base had been suspended. For a fair inquiry, she was
also barred from entering the base until the investigation was complete.
With her access revoked, Ariel couldn’t even try to prove her innocence. All she could do was wait.
Ariel shook her head. “I have some clues, but I can’t say for sure yet.”
Chad had a pensive look on his face. “Could Jayson have something to do with this? Perhaps the batch of materials he had you test was already problematic.”
He didn’t know the specifics of Ariel’s team’s workflow or whether anything had gone wrong during their interactions with Jayson’s team. But it was undeniable that Ariel had run into trouble precisely when handling a
project connected to him.
Chad was familiar with how the military ran projects. Mistakes like this were rare, since every step followed
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Logically, the problem might have come from Jayson’s side, especially given how strained his and Ariel’s
relationship was. And would someone like Jayson really not hold a grudge against Ariel over what happened to
their baby?
From what Chad had heard from Janice, the two had argued that day, and things hadn’t ended well.
It was clear Jayson had cared about the baby, yet he must have believed Ariel had stubbornly chosen to abort it.
Would someone as shrewd and calculating as Jayson really not blame her?
Chad knew he was being suspicious, maybe overly so. But as one of Ariel’s closest friends, he couldn’t bring
himself to fully trust Jayson after seeing how much Ariel had already suffered these past few years.
Ariel shook her head. “No. There were no issues with the data that I had reviewed. The alterations happened
right before the submission–that’s what caused the incident. The problem didn’t come from Jayson’s side.”
She knew Jayson well enough to be certain. He wouldn’t stoop to such cheap tricks, no matter how much
resentment he felt.
Jayson had always confronted his enemies head–on, and even then, they stood little chance of winning against
him. He had no need for underhanded methods.
“The data was altered? Who would dare do something so outrageous?” Chad was stunned. “If that’s true, the
situation becomes even more complicated.”
Still, he noticed how calm Ariel remained. She hadn’t lost her composure in the slightest.
Time and again, Chad was struck by her strength and mental resilience.
Since there was nothing more they could deduce for now, Chad and Ariel decided to head back.
As Chad started the engine, Ariel’s gaze drifted in a particular direction.
Jayson’s car was still there. He was clearly still being questioned and wouldn’t be out anytime soon.
Ariel never received a call from him afterward.
The next day, Ariel got a call from Samson, asking to meet up.
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Curious about what he wanted to say, Ariel agreed, and they met at a cafe near her neighborhood.
As soon as Samson walked in, he drew the attention of several young women. But his eyes went straight to
Ariel, and he strode toward her.
“Have you been waiting for a long time?”
“No. Have a seat.” Ariel had already ordered a cup of black coffee for him.
After taking his seat, Samson studied her with a faint frown, his expression tinged with worry. “Are you
alright?”