“I found it strange too. This person messaged me out of the blue,” she remarked.
“When I asked who they was, they wouldn’t reply.
I almost thought that they was in cahoots with the kidnappers, and was trying to set us up.”
Ariana glanced at the phone number. There were several 9s in it. She immediately felt that the number looked familiar. However,
she couldn’t really tell who it belonged to.
“I guess you didn’t have anything to eat at the hospital, did you?
Just wait a moment, okay? I’m almost done cooking,” Sonia said suddenly as she hurriedly walked back to the kitchen.
Angela’s Library
After Sonia left, Ariana and Melon sat on the couch. Melon snuggled into Ariana’s arms and confessed in a low voice, “Mommy,
this morning I called Daddy secretly.”
Ariana was taken aback. She had only recently known that her wealthy online friend was actually Holden. If Melon had indeed
called the online friend, it meant he had contacted Holden!
With this realization, Ariana suddenly had an epiphany. She remembered the phone number from earlier.
She pulled out her own phone and entered her contact list. Then, she began to compare the numbers with that of the mysterious
helper. She eventually discovered that it was Shawn’s number that had sent Sonia the address. She had taken Shawn’s phone
number when they first met.
If it was Shawn who sent the address, then the one who had actually offered them assistance was undoubtedly Holden.
Ariana had unveiled the mysterious figure working in the shadows, leaving her emotions in a tangled web. She was gripped with
restlessness and unease.
Holden had come to her aid on numerous occasions.
Reflecting on the sudden surge in their vote count during the online voting, Ariana had meticulously investigated potential
benefactors, yet none of them were behind it.
Besides her circle of friends, only Holden possessed both the ability and financial resources to instantly pour millions into
supporting her during the vote.
Though lacking concrete proof, Ariana’s instincts and analysis pointed to Holden as her secret benefactor.
Frustration etched across Ariana’s face as she sank into the couch.
She was acutely aware of the risk in her association with Holden.
Even the request for him to pose as Melon’s father had been made in ignorance of his true identity. Had she known he was
Holden, she would have opted for someone else.
After all, Holden was engaged and had a child. Ariana was aware that he was her wealthy online friend so she refrained from
initiating further contact, to avoid complicating his family life.
Despite her disdain for Sadie, Ariana didn’t wish to cause conflict in another person’s family.
However, now that Holden was assisting her again, she felt uncomfortable. She was unsure of Holden’s intentions, but these
morally vague connections weighed heavily on her conscience.
The thought of texting Holden to cut all ties with him crossed her mind.
But every time she wanted to do so, an inner voice reminded her, “Melon said that Holden has a striking resemblance to
Theodore. And there is an uncanny similarity in their voices. Does it suggest that Theodore might still be alive? Isn’t the idea of
meeting this look-alike worth considering, even if only as a substitute?”