Ariana felt her mind go numb. Her usually obedient Melon! How could he have just wandered off? She glanced at Sonia, hoping this was some kind of prank.
“You're joking, right? This isn’t something to joke about,” she stammered.
“| wish | were,” Sonia replied, her face a portrait of genuine anxiety.
Awave of dread washed over Ariana, seeing Sonia’s obvious distress.
Quick to act, Sarah said, “We need to check the security footage right away. Melon can’t be far.” “You're absolutely right,” Betsy chimed in.
“The front desk should be able to access all the building’s cameras. We'll find him.”
“Then let’s move,” urged Sonia, grabbing Ariana’s arm to lead her toward the lobby. Sarah and Betsy followed, their strides filled with purpose.
Angela’s Library As they collectively sped to find Melon, they burst into the expansive lobby.
Ariana had planned to ask the reception staff about a young boy wandering alone. But then a crowd of people around a man caught her eye. The man was making his way towards the exit.
In that fleeting moment, as he turned his head, a familiar silhouette seized Ariana’s attention, pinning her to the spot. That jawline, that nose. She would recognize them anywhere.
“Theodore!” Her voice involuntarily shouted his name. Ariana lunged after the crowd, but security guards swiftly intervened, blocking her path.
Her eyes reddening, Ariana struggled against their hold, straining to see as the man disappeared into a waiting vehicle.
Finally, her energy spent, she stood still, her gaze fixed on the departing car. After a moment to regain her composure, she asked the guards quietly, “Who was that man?”
Assuming she was just another woman captivated by Holden’s allure, the guards offered nothing more than a curt “no comment” before walking away. Many were captivated by him these days and hoped to rise socially through him.
Sonia arrived, her face fraught with worry. “What just happened?” she asked, taking Ariana’s trembling hands into her own.
Holding Sonia’s hands with a grip that bordered on painful, Ariana whispered, her voice shaky, “I saw him. | saw Theodore. | know it was him. He's alive!”
“You need to calm down and think rationally,” Sonia advised gently, her voice a calming balm.
“You've missed him so much, it’s understandable that your mind might play tricks on you, making you see things.”
Hearing Sonia’s reasoned words, Ariana teetered on the brink of emotional collapse.
How could she have imagined it? She was certain she had seen him.
His familiar profile was etched into her memory. She couldn’t be mistaken.
Almost in a trance, murmuring more to herself than anyone else,
Ariana insisted, “It's unthinkable for two people to look so identical, unless they were twins. But Theodore never had a twin brother.”
Observing Ariana’s near-hysterical state, Sonia felt a blend of frustration and empathy. In a soft yet firm voice, she said, “Enough. If Theodore is truly alive, why hasn't he reached out to you all this time? You’re degrading yourself, chasing his ghost like this.
Look at yourself! Maintain your dignity. Would you want Melon to see you come apart like this? Kids pick up on everything Ariana found a semblance of stability at the mention of her son.
“You're right. Let’s focus on finding Melon,” she said, forcing her tears back.
With renewed resolve, Ariana straightened her shoulders and walked purposefully toward the front desk, exuding poise. Watching her regain composure, Sonia let out a heavy sigh. Her heart weighed down with concern.
While everyone else had long accepted Theodore’s demise, Ariana alone clung to fragile tendrils of hope.
If Theodore were indeed alive, yet had forsaken Ariana so inexplicably, Sonia privately vowed to make him regret it. With that thought, she took a deep breath and followed her friend.
Access to the security footage required authorization, so Sarah and Betsy went off to coordinate that. Growing impatient, Ariana and Sonia searched the club, scouring every corner for any sign of Melon.
After a fruitless lap around the premises, Ariana was about to regroup with the others when she heard a familiar, warm male voice from behind her.
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