Ariana was shocked.

Her face went from surprise to disbelief, eventually looking resigned.

Awkwardly, she nodded and said, "Um, hello.”

Then, Adrian appeared beside Holden and greeted Ariana, “Hey, beautiful, I'm Westin."

Ariana just stared at them. Were these guys serious?

She turned to leave, but Holden swiftly grabbed her arm, asking with a smile, "The show's about to start, Miss Edwards. Where are you going?"

Ariana turned back with a forced laugh. She was about to respond when Mitchel showed up in the hallway.

Mitchel glanced at them and quickly composed himself, telling Holden, "The show's starting; it's not appropriate to stop her like this."

Holden released Ariana's arm and turned to Mitchel with a fake smile, saying, “Ah, you must be Dr. Chadwick. Your name's been all over the internet. Seems like you and Miss Edwards are quite the talk."

Holden emphasized his final words, his smile lacking any warmth, as the tension in the air could practically be felt.

Caught in the middle, Ariana felt awkward.

She glanced at the floor, wanting to intervene but unable to find the words.

What was happening now? Why had Holden come to the show? And those online trends, he must have seen them, too!

His excuse about a charity auction was clearly a lie.

And there's Adrian! Why had he come back? Clearly, he must have been the one who spilled the beans and planned this. Classic Adrian, never changing even after all these years.

As Ariana fumed silently inside, Mitchel chuckled and said to Holden, “Well, isn't that something? Hope you are, I'm quite pleased by the fans‘ admiration too."

Holden's smile wavered, struggling to maintain his composure. "It's just a rumor, unfortunately."

As Ariana listened to the two men subtly clashing, all she wanted was to escape.

So, she turned and sat down, only to have Mitchel and Holden follow and take seats beside her, one on each side.

Suddenly, Ariana felt all eyes were on her, causing her to straighten up.