Holden, so close to tying the knot, was still keeping tabs on her.

Regardless of her feelings toward Sadie, Holden's behavior wasn't right.

The text got her thinking about the Luxurious food truck on the film set. With a creased brow, Ariana started searching up the Michelin-starred joint the meal hailed from.

As expected, it was under the umbrella of the Fredrick Group.

Holden was likely behind it.

The more she mulled over it, the more it bugged her. Why did Holden, who was about to marry Sadie, care about her so much?

With Sadie at the set, why hadn't he sent them to Sadie? If people found out about this, she couldn't imagine the gossip they would have come up with.

She let out an exasperated sigh, wondering if beneath that polished exterior, Holden was just a smooth-talking jerk.

The connections between Holden and Theodore didn't help. Those blurred lines and hazy intentions were adding to her headache.

In a huff, Ariana opted to ghost Holden's text, hoping that burying herself in work would take her mind off things.

But Holden wasn't done. He sent another text.

"Who's the guy in the photo you posted earlier?"

Ariana raised an eyebrow. She had deleted that post so quickly. How did Holden manage to see it?

Being a big shot CEO, did he have the time to be glued to social feeds?

Ariana decided to play along, tapping out a cheeky response: “New love."

After she sent the message, Holden's side went radio silent.

Ariana felt a wave of relief wash over her, quickly followed by a pinch of regret.

While the idea had been tempting, she couldn't quite walk down that road. Using Mitchel as a prop, especially if she couldn't accept him wholeheartedly, was unfair. It was a move that might end up wounding him.

She exhaled and typed another text: “Just kidding."

Holden responded, "Quite the jest."