Determined to ensure that everything ran smoothly, Ariana sent a message to the group chat of the crew, acknowledging the notification, and then reached out to Tyler, reminding him not to be late.

Just as she was about to prepare dinner, Ariana's phone rang, and to her surprise, it was Horace on the other end of the line.

Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of the unexpected call. Why would Horace be calling her at this hour? What could he possibly want?

As soon as she answered the call, Horace exclaimed, his voice heavy with anxiety, “Mrs. Anderson, we've lost contact with Mr. Anderson for a whole day!"

Ariana struggled to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

"Lost contact? How is that even possible?" she asked, her voice quivering with concern.

Horace, who was usually unflappable, sounded frantic as he replied, "I've called him numerous times, but he hasn't answered. He was absent from an important meeting this afternoon, and it's already late, but he still hasn't shown up!"

Ariana was stunned and at a loss.

"What should we do?" she asked urgently.

“Mrs. Anderson, I have pressing matters to attend to. I've heard that you live near Mr. Anderson. Can you please go and check if he's there?" Horace pleaded.

"Alright, I'll check right now." Without a moment's hesitation, Ariana sprang into action, determined to get to the bottom of the matter. With a calmness that belied her inner turmoil, she hung up the phone and rushed out the door.

Despite her several attempts to contact Theodore, Ariana was met with nothing but silence.

Her anxiety continued to mount as she made her way down the corridor toward his apartment, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and uncertainty.

As she reached his door, she pressed the doorbell repeatedly, hoping for a response.

However, there was no answer, and her sense of panic only grew more intense.

Suddenly, Ariana remembered that Theodore had mentioned the lock code was her birthday.

Although she initially dismissed the idea as ridiculous, she decided to try it.

To her amazement, the lock clicked open, and Ariana was left dumbfounded.

The idea that her birthday was the password seemed too improbable to be true.

Despite her shock, Ariana knew that she had no time to waste. The most important thing was to locate Theodore as soon as possible.