Hearing the knowing lilt in her friend's voice, Ariana couldn't help but laugh, a sound tinged with amusement and resignation.

"Why call me using an unfamiliar number?"

Sonia's voice dripped with exasperation.

“Ugh, my old number got leaked, and I was inundated with spam calls all day. I switched to this new number to escape the madness and wanted to ensure you had it."

"Oh," Ariana said with an amused smile.

After a brief catch-up conversation, they bid each other farewell.

As Ariana ended the call, the doorbell chimed. She placed her phone facedown on the couch and hurried to answer the door.

It was the delivery service with a package. While she was signing for it, her phone rang once more.

Melon's gaze flicked between his mother at the door and her buzzing phone. After a moment's hesitation, curiosity got the better of him.

He reached over and pressed the green button.

"Apologies for the late call. Meetings all day," a genial male voice flowed through the speaker before Melon could utter a word.

Melon held the phone against his ear, listening attentively, as the man on the other end spoke. When the man finally finished speaking, the boy seized his chance.

“I'm sorry, sir, but my mother can't come to the phone right now," he piped up politely in his young voice.

“May I ask who's calling?"

Only silence greeted his query. Melon waited several long moments, but the man didn't say anything. Thinking that the call had been dropped, he said in a tentative tone, "Hello?"

Just as he was about to take the phone away from his ear, the man spoke again, his voice unexpectedly soft, “Is. is that you, Max?"

Melon's brows furrowed, his confusion evident.

"Who are you? Why do you know my name?" As he said that, he quickly glanced down at the phone's screen to see whether he knew the digits or not. But it offered no identifying details.

Once again, silence was the sole reply.

The boy's patience started waning, and Melon stated matter-of-factly, “Well, sir, if there's nothing more, I'll be going. Then, bye-bye."