Ariana wondered if he was avoiding her following the unsettling incident, or perhaps he was engrossed in probing the recent fire. Either way, for the ensuing days, only Horace and Judy were at her side.

In the wake of Theodore's unexpected episode, an unspoken consensus emerged among Ariana and the others to steer clear of that topic. Ariana didn't bring up any questions about Marley or Helen either.

Her focus, instead, was on her impending ankle surgery and recovery. She kept her mind from wandering and concentrated on her health.

Mitchel was in charge of the surgical plan. The procedure went remarkably well. It was so seamless that Ariana barely noticed when it was over.

It was a success, much to the delight of both Judy and Horace, and Ariana, too, could breathe a little easier.

Post-surgery, she anticipated seeing Theodore, but instead, she was greeted by Horace bearing flowers when she exited the operating room.

Ariana glanced at the floral arrangement next to her bed and let out a soft sigh, feeling a twinge of disappointment.

She reminded herself that despite his penchant for secrets and playful taunts, Theodore was a man of his word.

He had promised to explain everything to her, and now, all she could do was wait patiently.

Idly scrolling through her phone, a news alert caught Ariana’s eye, causing her heart to lurch.

It seemed like she had stumbled upon some disheartening news, rather than receiving the explanation she'd been waiting for from Theodore.

While casually checking the latest buzz on celebrity happenings, Ariana's eyes landed on a bold headline emblazoned across the front page, "Tyler, the New Rising Star, Spotted in a Foul Mood On Set."

Accompanying the news was a photo of Tyler, a cloud of gloom etched on his face, standing in solitude. The caption under the picture insinuated that the newfound fame had inflated Tyler's ego, accusing him of ignoring the lead actor, not collaborating with the crew's promotional activities, and expressing displeasure at the event.

Ariana's brows knitted as she delved deeper into the news. Upon examining the selectively chosen screenshots, she noted that Tyler seemed less enthusiastic with Cole than with others, but his demeanor was normal otherwise.

Her intuition suggested that Tyler was a victim of malicious editing and manipulation.

During her absence over the past days, she had entrusted Tyler to the director, never anticipating such turmoil to ensue.

Without hesitation, she dialed Tyler. He quickly took the call and began to stammer his way around the issue, insisting that he was okay and that it was just the media blowing the situation out of proportion.

“Don't worry about it, just concentrate on getting better."

Tyler's words sounded slightly muffled, perhaps due to a poor connection, and Ariana cut him off.

“you don't need to comfort me. I've seen the trending news. It's clear to me that someone's purposefully causing trouble." Ariana spoke with an unyielding tone.