Hearing her name, Ariel scanned the crowd until her gaze landed on Leroy, flanked by the rest of the GPI team.

"Hey, where did you disappear to?" Leroy asked as he approached her, a hint of concern in his voice.

A flush of color tinted Ariel's cheeks as she recalled her recent encounter with Jasper. She shifted her gaze uneasily. "I was getting a drink," she replied, though her eyes darted towards Mr. Warner, who was now mingling in the crowd.

What was he doing out there? And who was he with?

Leroy followed her gaze and then looked back at her with an air of skepticism. "A drink, huh? When did Jasper come into the picture?"

"Later," Ariel urged, giving him a pointed look that signaled she wasn’t ready to discuss it further.

A small, knowing smile spread across Leroy’s face, but he wisely chose to remain silent.

"Ah, Mandy," Mr. Warner said as he approached the medium with an air of sudden realization, as though he had just noticed her absence.

Mandy, who had been deep in conversation with John, blinked at the playwright as he interrupted, "We're all together now, shall we find our places? The announcement will be soon."

There was a weak murmur of agreement, which Mr. Warner accepted eagerly. "Excuse us, Miss Marlowe."

With that, he escorted Mandy into the gathering crowd. Taylor shot a disdainful glance at Miss Marlowe, who shimmered in her long white dress like a Magnolia in full bloom, before snorting haughtily and following Mr. Warner's lead. Jasper nodded his head toward Miss Marlowe.

"Good evening, Miss Marlowe."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The tension in her posture eased slightly, and she waved her head in response. "It was good to see you again, Evans-san."

She then lifted her gaze and caught Ariel’s eye, offering a small smile. "And you as well, Ariel."

Ariel managed a strained smile in return before linking her arm with Leroy’s and stepping into the throng that was now converging around the stage. As they moved, Ariel glanced back at the theater heiress and realized that the mysterious woman from last night’s festival had been Miss Marlowe herself.

Her familiarity was due to the picture—she resembles her mother...

"Lost in thoughts of Jasper?" Leroy prodded, misinterpreting her silence as indicative of only one thing.

"Please, Leroy," Ariel protested, sending him an exasperated look.

"Well, you give me little to work with. One minute you're here, then you're gone, and the next, you show up with Jasper of all people. It leads a guy to think. Though, you could help and fill in the blanks..."

Ariel regarded Leroy thoughtfully. "How about a trade? You fill in my blanks, and I’ll fill in yours."

Leroy was silent for a moment, considering her offer. With a slight smile, he nodded. "Fine. You first."

Ariel made a face and poked him in the arm. "You. I really should be hearing this from you for free anyway."

With a slight frown, Leroy rubbed his arm. "Okay, fine," he relented. "Just leave my shoulder alone, will you?"

Ariel smiled sweetly. "Sure thing—now spill."

The monk crossed his arms and appeared to be deep in thought. "Let me see, where were we...ah yes, some of the guys at the meeting started asking Noah how he was going to propose to you—"

"We were past that," Ariel interrupted impatiently.

Leroy raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, excuse me...let's skip ahead then. How about Jasper storming past me and John and marching out of the room—"

"Leroy—" Ariel protested, growing anxious, "quit being impossible and just tell me what Jasper said—"

"Welcome to Magnolia Midlands!" a voice suddenly boomed over the festival grounds, followed by a roar of applause.

No! Why now?

Ariel shot a fierce glare at Leroy as the crowd around them erupted in clapping. Grinning, Leroy held a hand up to his ear and shrugged, unable to hear or be heard over the deafening noise.

That Leroy.

Standing closer to the stage than the previous night, Ariel found she could now see without Leroy’s assistance. A bright young woman, holding the microphone, stood smiling out at the crowd. Ariel frowned at her, feeling a mix of frustration and resignation.

You just had to start when Leroy was about to tell me everything...