Feeling a bit uncomfortable with the idea of owing someone, Ariana quickly sent another message.

“How about this—let me treat you to dinner sometime?"

Theodore chuckled when he saw Ariana's text and replied, "A meal won't do it. I have something else in mind."

Ariana knew that he was not easily satisfied. After a moment of hesitation, she still offered, "Okay, I owe you. Let me know when you come up with something.”

Apparently, this satisfied the man as he replied with a dancing kitten emoji.

Ariana felt a mix of annoyance and regret. She realized that she had opened a can of worms by bringing up the subject of repayment. If she had known the outcome, she wouldn't have said anything. However, she couldn't change the past and would have to deal with the consequences.

Ariana felt a pang of regret and hit her forehead with her hand.

As the time passed without a response from Ariana, Theodore grew increasingly worried and sent a series of questions.

“Have you found a place to stay? Are you still at a hotel? What are your plans for the future?"

Finally, he typed, “Don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything.”

Ariana didn't want to be a burden, so she updated Holden on her current situation.

"I'm staying at a friend's place for now.

I'll evaluate my options and make some plans tomorrow. I'll be okay. Don't worry about me."

After a few seconds, he replied, “Okay.”

Ariana noticed Holden's response was a bit delayed and figured he might be a bit upset. She tried to steer the conversation in a different direction by asking, “How does the BRD Group have such a professional search and rescue team? I've never heard of it before."

Ariana waited for a long time before she got a reply.

“The team was established by my maternal grandfather when my mother and I ran away from home. He created it to find us, and never dissolved it even after we were found."

Ariana felt that there was a lot of family drama and secrets hinted at in his words, and she didn't want to be rude by asking too many questions. So she came up with a reason to end the conversation.

Afterward, she scrolled through her phone's newsfeed and found that the video of her altercation with the reporters had become a trending topic.

In the video, Sarah had a breakdown and disclosed her wish to leave the entertainment industry and the variety show.