“What about the others? Is there no one else at home?” Ariana asked in surprise.
She couldn’t believe it. Was Holden really sick with nobody here to look after him?
Besides, Devin and the other servants were nowhere to be found. The last time she was here, there were plenty of them around. Where did they all disappear to?
But Ariana didn’t dwell on these thoughts. Her main concern was Holden’s health.
Melon shook his head and replied, “I’m not sure where everyone is. It’s just Mr. Fredrick and us here.”
Ariana pushed aside her other concerns and decided to check on Holden upstairs.
But as she approached the stairway, she realized she had never been to the upper floors of the
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Fredrick family’s home before and didn’t know which room was Holden’s.
She asked Melon, “Do you know which room Holden is resting in? I need to see him.”
Melon and Adele seemed excited by the question. They ran ahead, with Melon leading and gesturing eagerly to Ariana. “Mommy, this way! Mr. Fredrick is here!”
Ariana found their cheerfulness a bit odd but assumed they were just glad to see her. So, she didn’t overthink it and followed them upstairs.
Upon reaching the room, Ariana noticed the door was slightly open, leaving a small crack, and the room was silent.
She lowered her head and silently signaled the children to be quiet.
Then, she gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Approaching the bed, she noticed a shape under the covers. It was Holden, apparently asleep.
Initially, Ariana had thought to surprise him by jumping on the bed, but seeing him seemingly in deep sleep, she hesitated, not wanting to disturb him. Was he actually sick?
She became more worried now.
She was about to shake Holden awake to check on his condition. But before she could even reach for the blanket, the two kids behind her darted onto the bed and started tickling Holden. With a giggle, Melon exclaimed, “Mr. Fredrick, stop acting. Mommy’s here.”
Holden couldn’t contain his laughter and soon was chuckling along with the children, wrapping them in his arms.
Ariana realized now she had been tricked, but seeing the three of them happily playing, she couldn’t help but smile. She put her hands on her hips and pretended to be mad. “Hey! How dare you team up to deceive me like this?”
She pretended to walk away. But just as she was about to Leave, Holden reached out and pulled her into his arms.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, rested his head on her shoulder, and rubbed against it, breathing in her scent. With a playful smile, he said, “I didn’t lie. I do have a headache. Feel for yourself if you don’t believe me.”
The two kids tagged along and surrounded Ariana, tugging at her clothes. Melon glanced up at her and said, “Yes, he’s got a headache from missing you too much.”
Adele also nodded in agreement.
Surrounded by the three of them, Ariana couldn’t move. She looked into Melon’s and Adele’s innocent eyes, feeling resigned.