Upon landing at the airport, Sonia greeted Ariana. Sonia glanced at the lively Melon and scooped him up. "My darling's back! Let me give you a hug and check if you've slimmed down," she teased with a smile.

"I'm stronger now!" Melon exclaimed proudly, goofing around with Sonia.

Ariana smiled, watching them. Hand in hand with Melon, they strolled out of the airport, chatting along the way.

Once they were in the car, Ariana said to Sonia, “Could you swing by a mobile store first? My SIM card's acting up. I need to replace it.”

"Sure thing." Sonia nodded, starting the car and spilling some gossip.

“By the way, paparazzi snagged shots of you and Mitchel in Melcorn.

Rumors are rife that you two are an item. Do you want to set the record straight?"

Knowing this, Ariana sighed and shook her head. She said, "The more we try to clear it up, the murkier it gets. And if it gains traction, explaining it will be even tougher."

“You are right." Sonia quipped, “But keep me posted in real-time. If you two actually hit it off someday, I better be the first to know Ariana smiled resignedly, saying nothing.

Sonia chuckled and casually turned on the radio, landing on the news about the rising star Sadie joining the Fredrick family soon.

Sonia listened to the news on the radio with rapt attention. She had always loved gossip, so she enjoyed every juicy detail of the news.

As Sonia listened to the news on the radio, she remarked in a tone of mischievous glee, "Let me tell you, Sadie's supposed marriage is currently causing huge waves in the entertainment industry. That brazen woman has trumpeted to everyone that she was getting married soon. The news of her upcoming nuptials has been making tabloid headlines."

Sonia suddenly paused and let out a mischievous laugh before continuing, "Meanwhile, the Fredrick family is stubbornly maintaining an ironclad veil of secrecy. Holden hasn't made a single statement to confirm or refute the rumors. Damn, he doesn't give us any information to satisfy our curiosity! It's as if all this is nothing more than a fanciful rumor created from thin air."

After a pause, she added, "For Sadie, having the chance to marry a Fredrick is a golden opportunity. It's her ticket to the big leagues.

She better tone down her insolence and behave like a true high society lady from now on. Instead of constantly causing trouble, she should enjoy her new life of wealth and her new status. If she maintains this rude temperament of hers, hardly any reputable company would be willing to associate with her. The only reason she might get some partnership deals might be because she is backed by the Fredrick family."

"I really can't understand what Holden likes in a brash woman Like Sadie. He clearly has no idea just how duplicitous she truly is," she remarked.

As Ariana silently listened to Sonia's comments, she felt a wave of emotions within her.

Over her time in Melcorn, Ariana had done her best to stay away from any news concerning Holden. She had constantly scolded herself for her stupid thoughts and tried as best she could to put an end to them. Holden could never be her Theodore.

Ariana breathed a sigh of relief when Sonia finally moved on to other topics. They chatted as they went to collect Ariana's repaired SIM card.

After getting the SIM card, Ariana inserted it into her phone and turned on her phone. She was shocked by the number of missed calls that appeared on the screen. There was also a barrage of notifications from social media that came with loud pings. Several people had apparently tried to contact her, including Holden who had left her a series of messages. He had called her insistently and left messages on her social networks. He had clearly been worried about her.