Chapter 1450: Chapter 1460

Putting down the phone, Ariana took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

“It’s all for Adele,” she told herself, trying to find reassurance.

“Trust him.

He wouldn’t lie to you,” she muttered.

She tried to divert her attention to work, yet her thoughts were too scattered to concentrate.

The documents in front of her only increased her restlessness.

Despite her efforts to calm herself, her emotions wouldn’t be silenced.

Exhaling deeply, Ariana slumped onto the couch and began scrolling through her phone.

She noticed a notification for an All-Star recruitment competition for a team-based MOBA game she enjoyed.

With the preliminaries approaching, and seeing it as a potential distraction, Ariana shared the link in her group chat, asking, “Who’s in?”

Sonia promptly responded, “I’m in.

”

Tyler also replied, “Me, too.

”

Sarah showed interest but declined due to her pregnancy.

The others felt they lacked the skills to participate.

They were now two players short of a complete team.

Ariana asked, “Does anyone have friends who might want to join?”

“Wait a minute, I’ll ask my friend,” Tyler responded.

Shortly after, he added, “Cole’s in.

”

They now needed just one more player.

While they worked to fill the team, Holden called Ariana back via video, grinning.

“What are you up to?” he asked.

Ariana glanced at Holden in the video, typing rapidly while scanning the group chat to find another member to join the team.

She inquired casually, “Is everything alright on your side? What about Sadie?”

“I had to soothe Adele just now; she was crying.

I managed to get her back to sleep,” Holden explained, tactfully avoiding any reference to Sadie.

He sent Ariana a picture of Adele, peacefully asleep, with her eyelashes slightly damp and a chubby, soft cheek that seemed to beg for a ki*s.

Instantly, the picture melted Ariana’s heart and eased her annoyance.

Smiling at Adele’s picture, Ariana noticed a message in the group chat and said, “Sorry, got to go; I’m really busy now.

”

Holden quickly asked, “What’s keeping you occupied this late?”

Ariana responded nonchalantly, “Just work-related matters.

”