Dead at Heart (Ariel and Jayson) novel Chapter 695

Ariel turned to Elsie. "Did you bring your laptop?"

Elsie looked slightly puzzled but nodded. "Of course. What do you take me for? I always have my laptop with me."

The corners of Ariel's mouth lifted. "Have you compiled the data I've been sending to your email almost every day for the past month?"

Elsie seemed to catch on to something. "I've compiled them…"

Ariel shifted her gaze to Gary. "I kept an extra copy of the data with her. I know it's sensitive information and we're not supposed to leak it.

"Elsie has no idea what the data actually is since I shuffled and rearranged it randomly. The original data can only be restored by following a certain pattern. These are the real results we gathered from testing, and they should match the data collected from the tests run at the base the other day."

Samson stiffened, frowning slightly as he glanced at Ariel.

Meanwhile, Jayson tilted his head, studying her. He had always known Ariel had a habit of keeping backups of her work.

Normally, they couldn't store multiple backup copies of sensitive military data, making it imperative to perform their work with absolute caution. No errors were tolerated at any stage of the procedure.

With others having witnessed Ariel and Elsie's purely professional relationship, it was clear Elsie wouldn't help Ariel in fabricating a new data set.

The extra copy of data not only highlighted Ariel's meticulousness but also demonstrated her trust in Elsie, as she had entrusted her with its safekeeping.

Elsie's eyes widened. "You kept all that from me too? You should've told me about your plan. I was worried sick for nothing!"

She immediately pulled out her laptop and uploaded the encrypted emails Ariel had sent her, allowing them to be assessed for the investigation.

Yet, as Elsie did so, she subconsciously glanced at Samson across from her. She vaguely recalled he was the only one she'd seen before submitting the data.

Gary wasted no time instructing his men to check. Soon, they confirmed that Ariel's data matched the results from the most recent testing, as well as the records stored at the agency in Ulyndor under Jayson's request.

There wasn't a single error. The data was precise and almost flawless.

Up until now, Ariel had never once mentioned that possibility. She only requested an investigation at this point. Clearly, she had her reasons.

Faced with such an incident out of nowhere, Ariel chose to wait, giving the perpetrator time to expose their true intentions. Now, everything was crystal clear.

The problem lay in the attempt to monopolize the market in Croinia and the Solara region. That was the real motive.

Ariel's gaze flicked toward Samson before she rose and walked over to Jayson.

Jayson lowered his eyes, waiting for her to speak.

Ariel turned back to Gary. "I understand you have your own considerations when choosing between Bluum Corp and Yeager Group. But I'd like to remind you of one thing.

"When I was developing the U.N2 a few years ago, the prototype only succeeded because someone provided crucial material at the time. It perfectly resolved the flaws in the drone's exterior. With Jayson's help, that reconnaissance and strike drone became as well-known as it is today."