“What's that in your hand?" Theodore demanded abruptly, his piercing gaze trained on her.

Ariana froze, realizing that she still clutched the business card in her hand. Hastily, she balled it up and tossed it into the nearby wastebasket, feigning nonchalance.

“Nothing, just an advertisement flier that was handed to me while I was out," she replied, hoping her voice didn't betray her nervousness.

“You went out today?" he asked, his tone inscrutable.

“Yes, I went out for a walk." As Ariana tried to suppress her guilt, she swallowed hard and summoned the courage to ask about Theodore's well-being.

“How are your legs?"

Theodore was taken aback by her concern, and a rare smile graced his lips. His response, however, was dripping with arrogance.

"It's none of your business."

With that, he wheeled his chair away, leaving Ariana feeling unsure of what to do next.

Yet, she couldn't help but feel relieved that Theodore didn't pry any further, as she was certain she would have slipped up and revealed her interview.

The unexpected exchange left Ariana feeling uneasy and out of sorts, causing her to lose interest in investigating Holden's background.

After returning to her room, Ariana was eager to check the results of the interview from the BRD Group.

But as she read the short, polite message of rejection, her heart sank.

1 : f At first, she was disappointed but then found the whole situation funny.

She chided herself for ever thinking Adrian was interested in her. She was back to her unlucky life, and failure was just a part of it.

*

The next morning, Ariana went down for breakfast and saw that Darian and Jasper had joined them at the table.

She sat beside Theodore and glanced at the trio.

Theodore's face was an enigma, but Jasper was grinning from ear to ear as if he had won a game.

With the confusion in her heart weighing her down, Ariana wordlessly poured herself a glass of oat milk. As she was about to take a sip, she chanced upon the empty plate in front of Theodore.