Theodore's face darkened as he unfolded the note.

It read, "I have to go to Ivebridge because of the new variety show. I don't know when I will be back. Take care."

Feeling ticked off, Theodore crumpled the note into a ball. He gritted his teeth.

Was that all she could come up with?

She should have tried harder to concoct a more believable excuse, What did she mean by she had to go to Ivebridge now because of the show? The crew for the show wasn't even complete yet. She was just trying to avoid him.

*

Sarah sat in her seat on the plane with a pair of sunglasses over her eyes. She frequently turned her head to look at Ariana who was dozing off beside her.

Suddenly, a water bottle fell onto the floor and the clunk awoke Ariana with a start. She rubbed her eyes and sat up straight.

When she realized what happened, she bent down, picked up the kettle, and handed it to Betsy Patton, who was sitting by the left.

Betsy was the assistant that the company had just assigned to work for Sarah. She was a lovely and sweet girl. Ariana decided to take her with them for the shoot. It wouldn't do Betsy any harm to learn the ropes of the job early enough.

Sarah finally saw the opportunity to ask Ariana the questions that had been bugging her mind since they met this morning...

“When did the crew inform you to make the trip earlier than previously scheduled? Why didn't I know anything about it?"

Ariana flashed an awkward smile.

"The shooting begins in a few days. You haven't been on a show for a long time. It's not a bad idea for you to get familiar with the set ahead of time."

Sarah said nothing to that, but she still had doubts. Shows like this were usually recorded in studios. What did she have to get used to when they were going to be indoors most of the time?

The plane finally took off. Ariana put on a sleeping eye mask, intending to take a nap. She also wanted to clear her head. Her mind was a mess now.

Since the kiss yesterday, she hadn't been herself. She couldn't even sleep well last night because she kept having dreams about Theodore.

Ariana knew that she needed to put a stop to these thoughts. She feared that she would fall for him if care wasn't taken.

Theodore had clearly warned her against falling in love with him. It would be disastrous if she had an unrequited love for someone who only put up with her.

Her sour experience with Jasper hadn't brought her any good. She had been rendered homeless, and she wasn't able to say goodbye to her father before he passed. That betrayer even had a hand in her father's death. Ariana's heart was still yet to heal. She was wary of men, thanks to Jasper's betrayal.