As Ariana exited, refreshed, she wandered close to the terrace. And there, in a fleeting moment, a familiar silhouette caught her attention.

As Ariana caught sight of the recognizable silhouette, her astonishment bubbled forth.

"Judy?" she breathed out.

Judy, recognizing the voice, spun around. A wave of astonishment washed over her features, quickly replaced by tears of emotion.

Without a second thought, she rushed to Ariana, wrapping her in a heartfelt embrace.

It had been half a decade since their last meeting, and Judy's heart had ached for Ariana throughout. Fate, however, had kept their paths separate until this serendipitous moment.

Ariana, equally moved, struggled to hold back her own tears.

“How did you come to be with the Chadwicks?" she inquired.

Drying her tears, Judy replied, “After the Anderson mansion was sold, we, the staff, were all let go. But fortune smiled on me when a friend introduced me to the Chadwicks. I've been serving as their housekeeper since then. Life's been kind. How about you? How have you been after.. after everything?"

Judy hesitated before touching upon the delicate subject of Theodore.

"Five years is a long time, Ariana. Haven't you considered moving on?"

A shadow of sorrow clouded Ariana's features.

"No," she whispered.

Holding back her own tears, Judy softly said, "I miss him too. But we need to live for the present. Life still has so much to offer."

Sensing Judy's intention to offer her solace, Ariana steered the conversation to lighter topics.

They chatted for a while, catching up on each other's past experience.

Realizing that she had left Melon alone for a while, Ariana exchanged numbers with Judy, promising to reconnect soon.

Back in the banquet hall, Melon sat alone, his gaze Lingering on the tantalizing spread. However, due to health reasons, he couldn't partake.

Catalina, spotting the lonely child, felt her heart soften.

Approaching him, she inquired gently, "Why are you all by yourself?