Before Ariana could think about it any further, Melon suddenly asked,

“Mommy, do you like Adele?"

Ariana was caught off guard by the question, and an image of Adele's adorable little face flashed through her mind.

The thought tugged a smile on her lips as she nodded, "Of course, I like her."

Her gentle tone carried a hint of wistfulness as there was a pang of melancholy in Ariana's heart at the memory of her own daughter.

How wonderful would it be if she could have protected her daughter back then? If her daughter were still alive, she would be as lovely as Adele, and she would play alongside her and Melon and share their cheerful laughter.

Then, Melon piped up again, “Oh, by the way, Mommy. The man who helped me with my hurt just now was the same masked man from last night."

Ariana's heart skipped a beat at this revelation, and it took her a few seconds to process it.

What?! Holden had attended the auction last night, too? And she danced with him without knowing?! The mysterious masked man from last night turned out to be Holden, of all people?!

This completely blindsided Ariana and her heart wanted to deny it.

“No way. Really? Are you sure?" Ariana's wide eyes gazed at Melon in astonishment.

A part of her hoped he was mistaken.

“Absolutely. Melon sat up straight and crossed his arms over his chest in a rather mature manner. He looked quite sure of himself and muttered, “The masked man looked a lot like Daddy."

Ariana was taken aback for a moment when she realized that this wasn't the first time she heard her son say this.

Moreover, Melon had seen pictures of Theodore before and, despite his young age, was good at recognizing people.

A feeling of dubiousness came over her as her mind desperately scrambled to find a mental image of what Holden looked like.

But then it dawned on her that she had never seen him in person.

Did they really look so alike?

However, Melon was unperturbed and raised his chin to look at Ariana with a nonchalant smile, adding, “But I know it's not Daddy. Many people share a resemblance, but my Daddy is a great hero who's not like anyone else. He'll be back soon."

Melon went quiet, a happy grin on his face as he stared at the road ahead.