He immediately apologized, “I'm sorry, Mr. Fredrick, something came up, and I'm late.”

Holden appeared uninterested in dealing with him at the moment. He turned to another director and said, "Please handle everything, Mr. Waterhouse."

With that, he made a hasty exit from the conference room.

As Holden stepped into his private elevator, another elevator opened simultaneously, revealing Ariana and two others disembarking.

Ariana's thoughts were intricate, uncertain about the forthcoming interaction with Holden. She was curious about his appearance and wondered if he would be unmasked this time.