Ariana grappled with a dual tug within her, one fueled by moral condemnation, urging her to distance

herself from Holden, and the other, driven by her personal desires, tempting her to remain close to him.

Ariana had wrestled with her thoughts for a long time, but it appeared she had finally made a decision.

Although she found her own thoughts somewhat absurd, she was resolute about meeting Holden. She

believed seeing him would bring her peace of mind.

In her determination, Ariana reached out to Shawn directly, asking about the partnership proposal and

when she could arrange to meet Holden.

Shawn’s response took a while, and it simply stated, “Mr. Fredrick says the proposal needs a few

corrections. Please make the necessary changes.”

Ariana didn’t respond for a while and eventually replied with, “Alright.”

That night, Ariana’s frustration led her to burn the midnight oil, tirelessly revising the proposal. When

she finally completed it, her mind was hazy from exhaustion. In her fatigued state, she accidentally sent

the document to Holden instead of Shawn.

Meanwhile, in his study, Holden, who had yet to retire for the night, was taken aback when he received

the proposal from Ariana. An unexplainable uneasiness gripped him.

Did Ariana now know his true identity?

Holden’s grip on his phone tightened slightly. He knew all too well that Sadie was still between them.

Despite having no genuine feelings for her, the public still viewed her as his fiancée.

Anxiety gripped Holden as he feared that Ariana had uncovered his true identity and might sever their

ties because of it.

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He pressed his lips tightly together. It was an unexpected dilemma for him.

Throughout his life, Holden had confronted internal power struggles within the Fredrick family and the

loss of Aldus, who had protected him in troubled times, without a hint of fear. Even formidable

adversaries hadn’t shaken him. Yet, the mere possibility of Ariana dismissing him left him

apprehensive.

He scolded himself for his irrational behavior. Even Shawn had noticed his inability to maintain

composure when it came to Ariana.

Holden struggled to comprehend his own actions.

His relationship with Ariana was a complex web which required him to be discreet in his interactions

with her. He would need a plausible excuse to even get any close to her.

Adding to the complication was Sadie’s presence in his life. Despite his lack of emotional attachment or

memories tied to their past together, she was Adele’s birth mother and it was impossible for him to just

cut ties with her.

But he understood that letting these unresolved tensions Linger wouldn’t be fair to Ariana. He

wondered how it would affect her.

Holden’s mind was in disarray, and after a brief pause, he opted not to directly inquire whether she had

discovered anything. Instead, he responded with just a question mark.

When Ariana noticed Holden’s message pop up, she suddenly realized she’d messaged the wrong

person. She felt embarrassed and rushed to come up with the right response.

She had stayed up revising the partnership proposal, and her tired mind had failed her after a long day

of being trapped at a warehouse.

Annoyed, she tried to unsend the message but couldn’t.

After some inner struggle, she reluctantly replied, “Haha, my bad! It wasn’t meant for you.”

Holden raised an eyebrow when he read her response. Was Ariana testing him, or did she genuinely

not know his identity?

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