Then, she asked Randell to take Melon home.

She gently stroked Melon's hair, saying, "Be a good boy and wait for Mommy to return, okay?"

Melon gave a nod, showing he understood, and left with Randell.

Ariana hopped into Devin's car, and he drove her to a secluded coffee shop.

During the ride, Ariana pieced some things together and asked Devin, “When I first visited the Fredrick estate, did you recognize me?"

Devin answered without any hesitation, "Yes, I actually saw you five years ago and knew who you were. You just didn't know about it."

After a brief pause, Ariana inquired, "Do you know why he became Holden?"

Devin took a moment before explaining, "Holden's mother, Aimee, was the only daughter of Aldus. Aldus had planned a marriage for her, but she left in a fit of anger. She then met Darian and had Holden."

"Does that mean Darian didn't know Aimee was the Fredrick family's heiress?" Ariana guessed that if Darian had known about Aimee's true background, he wouldn't have treated her the way he did.

Devin nodded and said, "That's right. Darian didn't know. He was only aware that Aimee came with some money. Using Aimee's resources, Darian kicked off his business. Aimee ended up with a considerable sum and shares in the Anderson Group. But then, Darian's appalling actions drove Aimee to madness, and he even locked her up."

Ariana knew what had happened after that. Aimee had given birth to Marley while she had been detained and tragically taken her own Life in front of Theodore.

As their conversation moved on, Ariana brought up Holden's memory loss.

Devin sighed deeply and said, “It's true. Holden remembers nothing. The car crash was serious, and he had to undergo surgery immediately. The amnesia was a side effect of that operation."

Devin then looked at Ariana earnestly and said, "Aldus chose not to tell Holden about his past to spare him further agony. So, I'm asking you, Miss Edwards, not to tell Holden about Aimee's imprisonment by Darian or the things about Marley."

Ariana nodded and replied, "I'm with you on that. If his memories are gone, there's no need for him to carry the burdens of what's happened before." Even if it meant he would forget about her.

After a moment of quiet, Devin broke the silence, saying, "About the car crash, Aldus was really upset when he saw you leave Holden there."

"I didn't leave them behind. I was trying to..." Ariana began, eager to clarify, but Devin cut her off with a reassuring smile. "Miss Edwards, you don't have to justify yourself. I trust your intentions. Given that all communication tools were destroyed in the accident, it's understandable you had to find help on your own. You were also injured, which I assume led to unforeseen complications."

Ariana could only nod in silence at Devin's understanding.

Devin continued, "Holden questioned why I hadn't brought you up in conversation with him. I couldn't reveal it was due to Aimee and Marley, as we wished to shield him from revisiting past connections. My only excuse was that Aldus had his reasons for keeping you a secret."

He paused for a moment before adding, “Nonetheless, Holden holds a great deal of trust in you. He's reached the same conclusion as me, believing you must have encountered some difficulty while trying to get help."