Benedict's train of thought, a tangled web of emotions and unanswered questions, came to an abrupt halt as the shrill ring of his office phone pierced the silence. He picked up the receiver, his voice a little too sharp.
"Yes?"
"Mr. Rochester," his secretary, Ms. Davies, said, her voice calm and efficient. "Ms. Ariadna Sandoval is here to see you."
Benedict's heart skipped a beat. Ariadna Sandoval. The name sent a jolt of electricity through him, a memory of a chance encounter in Tokyo, a fleeting moment of connection that had lingered in his mind ever since.
"Ariadna?" he repeated, his voice betraying a hint of surprise. "How... how did she know I was here?"
"She called earlier," Ms. Davies replied. "She said it was important."
"Important?" Benedict echoed, his mind racing. He hadn'
