Dead at Heart (Ariel and Jayson) novel Chapter 719

Jayda fumed, but she swallowed it down.

She knew all too well what Jayson was capable of. Back then, he had left them with no chance to breathe and practically exiled them for years.

That fear of him still lived in the pit of her stomach, so she didn't dare utter a word now.

The angriest of all was, of course, Cecilia.

She had come today in good spirits, but she hadn't expected Jayson to be even more cutting than before.

All her life, she had been the one admired, praised, and held aloft. Yet with Jayson, she was embarrassed again and again.

And now, to have him use a word like "secondary wife" to describe her was pure humiliation.

Shane pressed his lips into a tight line. Anger burned inside him, but he forced himself to keep his composure. "Jayson, Ms. Pryce is a guest here."

But Jayson had already walked past him. The polish of his usual restraint had curdled into venom. "If you still can't see the situation clearly, you can go back to Isbell for a few years and figure out who you are trying to call the shots for."

Each word cut sharper than the last.

Shane's gaze darkened.

Evelyn finally saw it clearly. Ariel's illness had thrown Jayson completely off balance. After all, he usually kept his temper hidden and unreadable.

But now, he had no intention of sparing anyone's pride. Not even hers.

And that frightened her.

Because she realized that her brilliant and calculating son had lost himself completely to one woman. Enough that he might just overturn the whole order of things.

Jayson had no patience for anyone else's chatter. Once he confirmed Betty was fine, he turned and left.

He had plenty of ways to deal with Cecilia.

After he was gone, Evelyn turned to Cecilia and said, "I apologize, Ms. Pryce. Don't take it personally."

Her tone was mild.

Without another word, Evelyn turned and headed back to Betty's room.

…

Humiliated by Jayson, Cecilia drove back with a stony face, flooring the gas. Along the way, she kept scratching at her neck, as if trying to ease the anxiety crawling under her skin.

By the time she stormed into Samson's villa, he was just coming down the stairs.

Cecilia's expression was ugly. She downed a glass of ice water, then kept clawing at her arm as she looked up at Samson with a cold stare.

Samson could guess what was behind her state. "You're still not giving up?"

"Then tell me, what else am I supposed to do?" Cecilia was furious at that remark about "secondary wife", but deep down, she couldn't help envying Ariel.

Why was a man like Jayson so unwaveringly devoted to her?

Cecilia had grown up with everything handed to her. Even in the art world, Kristen had paved the way, smoothing every path.