"Anyway, why are you calling me in the middle of the night?”

Ariana didn't dare let her tongue get the better of her, knowing that Sonia liked to gossip. She bit her tongue for fear of accidentally revealing something that would make Sonia suspicious and lead her to find out that Theodore was responsible for the report.

The most ridiculous part of all of this was that Theodore reported the novel because of words that had unintentionally slipped from her mouth. She did not need her mouth to get her in trouble again.

"Nothing," Ariana put on her most casual voice at the risk of sounding fake, "I just want to know if you were asleep. Since you're not, I'll leave you to it." After that, she hung up, effectively ending the conversation before Sonia could find out more.

Sonia stared blankly at her phone and scratched her head. What was wrong with Ariana? Did she really call her just to ask if she had gone to sleep?

Ariana sighed in relief as she hung up. She jumped as her phone vibrated in her hand. It was a friend request from Theodore.

She accepted it in an instant and then converted his alias into Pursuer #1 after a moment of hesitation.

Glancing at the name, she found it fitting for him, which made her giggle. She didn't stop giggling for a while.

The two didn't exchange any trivial conversations over the phone. Instead, they merely texted goodnight to each other. The simple words made Ariana feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Even though they were not under the same roof, Ariana was unprecedentedly relieved because it felt like he was by her side at the moment.

The next day rolled around and Ariana woke up with a faint smile on her face. The weather had a slight breeze that pleasantly cooled the warm atmosphere. Ariana sighed dreamily from her love bubble. She was in love after all. She combed her hair into a sleek high ponytail, displaying her delicate face and rosy cheeks to the world.

She slipped on a pink woolen skirt with an apple-shaped collar, which complimented her figure, making her look adorable and elegant.

She went to the company with a bounce in her step and a smile that never seemed to fade. However, that all changed when she walked into the company doors. Her bright mood dimmed significantly and her smile was immediately wiped off her face.

Ariana frowned and looked around. Something with wrong.

Normally, the company was bustling with colleagues who were too busy to notice anyone they didn't know. Only in the presence of acquaintances would they pause for a few seconds to utter a greeting,

However, that was not the case today. The moment Ariana entered the company, she felt dozens of eyes tracking her every move. Everyone was staring at her, and not just the people who knew her, but everyone. She wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but she could have sworm that some of the stares were tinged with sympathy.

What happened?

As she walked to the elevator, Ariana was more certain that the strange feeling she had just had was not just in her head. All the passers-by were looking at her.

Their eyes expressed different things, from curiosity to sympathy to even mockery.

As Ariana waited for the elevator, a girl she usually exchanged greetings with walked up and patted her on the shoulder. The girl said in a low voice, "Ariana, I think you should check the company's internal forum. It's all about you."