However, Ariana was too irritated to indulge in a chit chat with him.

She simply replied, “Not bad," and ignored any further messages.

Sensing she was in a bad mood, Holden sent another message.

"Okay to call?"

Ariana wanted to decline, but his call already came through.

Ariana found herself hesitant, staring at her phone screen, a whirlwind of emotions within her.

"Hello?" When she finally made up her mind to answer, a soothing voice greeted her from the other end, causing her heart to take an unexpected emotional rollercoaster ride. It was a voice that tugged at her heartstrings, making her grip her dress's hem in an unconscious display of her inner turmoil.

In the depths of her mind, she whispered reassurances, "It's not Theodore, but Holden."

Ariana's racing heart calmed somewhat, and she replied, “What's up?"

The man on the other end seemed to have caught wind of her somber mood. After a moment of heavy silence, he gently probed, "Something wrong? What's got your goat? What happened? Do you need my help?"

His gentle tone carried an air of caution that left Ariana feeling flustered.

She had been managing her composure until this moment. However, when he spoke, his voice resembled Theodore's so much, and her grief burst like a tidal wave.

Her hands clenched involuntarily, and she had to remind herself to keep calm. Sniffing back her emotions, she mustered a composed response.

"No, thanks."

But the man detected the tremor in her voice, and for a fleeting moment, panic crept into his own tone as he inquired, “What's the deal exactly?"

Ariana gathered herself, wiping away a stray tear from the corner of her eye, and retorted coolly, “Nothing much. Just some work stuff."

The man attempted to dig deeper, but Ariana didn't afford him that opportunity. She said, her tone ice-cold, “If it's nothing, I've got to go."

Ariana terminated the call after allowing two seconds for a response.

Holden's countenance darkened in the car as he stared at the phone screen displaying the abruptly ended call.

His brow furrowed, and he turned to Shawn with a troubled expression.