Elisa tried to probe about Holden. “Ronald, the man Sarah married, is he a bit richer than you?”
Ronald’s face darkened at Elisa’s words.
“A bit?” he thought bitterly.
Holden wasn’t just a little bit richer. Even if Ronald’s net worth multiplied a hundred times, he still wouldn’t compare to Holden. Ronald’s family ran a big company, but Holden’s family owned a whole business empire, with immense influence both domestically and internationally.
Ronald found it more astonishing that Sarah had managed to snag Holden than Elisa getting together with him. He had always assumed Holden was an oily middle-aged man, but after meeting him, Ronald’s slight sense of superiority vanished.
In terms of looks and charisma, Holden clearly outshined Ronald.
Feeling annoyed, Ronald snapped, “Why? Are you curious?”
Elisa shook her head. “I was just thinking, Sarah loves money. If that guy’s richer than you, no wonder she left with him.”
Ronald’s heart ached at her words.
He sneered, “You think Sarah will fall for Holden? No way.” He wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince himself or what, but he repeated, “Absolutely not. She’s known me for so many years.”
“When she went abroad, she had no choice. She couldn’t make decisions in her family…”
“In high school, she would always sneak glances at me during class.”
Elisa was stunned for a moment.
She remembered how Sarah was the dream girl in the school, adored by all the boys and acknowledged as the prettiest girl in school.
Whenever boys from other schools boasted about their attractive classmates, the mention of Sarah’s name and a glimpse of her photo would always make them concede.
Sarah had a pure and delicate face, and long golden hair, and even in her school uniform, she captured the hearts of many.
Especially with Merry, the ugly duckling, tagging along, Sarah’s beauty stood out even more, like moonlight shining in everyone’s hearts.
Back then, Sarah had a secret crush on Ronald but was too proud to confess. Even when Ronald dated other pretty girls to provoke her, she never admitted her feelings, only bullying those girls with Merry.
During every class, Sarah would secretly glance at Ronald. Elisa had always thought Ronald was unaware of Sarah’s glances. She assumed Ronald, harboring his feelings for Sarah, was oblivious to Sarah’s affection.
But men have egos too. Knowing that the girl everyone admired was looking at him wasn’t something any boy could ignore.
Jokingly, Elisa said, “Ronald, did you know I was also sneaking glances at you during class?”
Ronald frowned. He barely remembered Elisa from their school days. Besides, there were too many girls sneaking looks at him back then. How could he remember them all?
Ronald replied, “I kind of forgot what you looked like back then. Maybe I should look at our graduation photos.”
Hearing that Ronald wanted to see old photos, Elisa panicked. “No need to trouble yourself.”
Ronald suddenly realized he had never seen Elisa’s past photos.
Merry and David were adamant that Elisa had changed, saying she not only copied Sarah’s style but also had surgery to look like her. Ronald had never investigated if this was true.
Elisa hugged Ronald. “Ronald, don’t worry. Sarah gave you up for money and her studies, but I’ll never do that. I’ve always loved you the most, then and now.”
Hearing this, Ronald felt his heart soften. Elisa really was different from those other girls chasing after money and fame. Letting go of Sarah was the right decision.
******
It suddenly started raining on the way.
By the time they arrived at Holden’s mansion, the rain had finally stopped.
Sarah got out of the car and took her suitcase.
Merry was a bit dazed. “Sarah, your husband really lives here? It looks huge from the outside.”
Sarah sighed. Of course, a CEO should live in a big house. Especially for an international-level CEO, it has to be a mansion that looks like an estate, right?
Merry said, “With an environment this nice, no wonder the starting price for these mansions is 800 million dollars.”
Sarah asked, “How much?”
Eight hundred million dollars?
She did some mental math. If she used to make two million per movie after taxes, and filmed two movies a year, Sarah figured she was mid-tier in the industry, but compared to the general public, she was definitely high-income.
Now, she realized that even if she worked for 200 years without spending a cent, she might still be able to buy a house here.
However, without spending a penny, she was already living in a top-tier mansion.
Butler Ted had been waiting for Sarah’s return. Seeing the two women get out of the car, he quickly went over to help with the luggage.
“Lady, let me help you,” Butler Ted said.
“Is he home today?”
“Young Master hasn’t returned yet,” Ted smiled. “Unlike the Smith family’s old house, it’s just me and a few servants here. They’re very discreet and never inquire about Young Master’s affairs.”
Sarah understood. “Butler Ted, don’t worry, I won’t disturb Mr. Holden either.”
“That would be best.”
Butler Ted had never liked Sarah before, because she used to look at him with a disdainful gaze, subtly conveying an upper-class contempt for the lower class.
No one likes being looked down on.
But now-
Sarah said seriously, “Butler Ted, we’re all working for Mr. Holden’s salary. If I do something wrong, could you please remind me?”
We’re all workers here, let’s not abandon each other.
Butler Ted almost lost his composure as a butler.
“Don’t worry, Lady, I will remind you if necessary,” Butler Ted said. “Since you’re married to Young Master, you’re the mistress of the house. I will be more careful.”
Sarah, “Um, can I ask you a question?”
Butler Ted smiled, “Go ahead.”
“Am I the first woman your Young Master brought home? Did you notice he smiles at me differently…?”
Like the classic novel scenes of “The First Time We Saw Young Master Bring a Woman Home,” “The First Time We Saw Young Master Being So Gentle with a Woman,” “The First Time We Saw Young Master Smile.”
Butler Ted, “No.”
Mr. Holden’s company also had female executives. It was normal for them to occasionally come over for emergency meetings.
As for smiling at women-regardless of his true nature, Mr. Holden always maintained the demeanor of a gentleman, making many people feel at ease.
Sarah, “I knew it.”
As the vicious supporting character in a novel, she wasn’t destined to be the heroine who could make the big boss treat her differently. She decided to focus on her tasks and earn her high salary honestly.
Sarah was still assigned to her previous bedroom. It was close to Holden’s, so Butler Ted reminded her, “Young Master has trouble sleeping, so once he comes home at night, you mustn’t make any noise.”
Sarah nodded.
Seeing Sarah was genuinely different from before, Butler Ted’s attitude towards her softened. “Lady, a word of advice: do not provoke Young Master. He is not someone you can handle.”
Butler Ted spoke from the heart. He had witnessed Mr. Holden’s methods. The more courteous and refined he appeared in public, the more ruthless and inhumane he was in private.
Men who reached Mr. Holden’s level were dangerous.
While the Brown family seemed wealthy to ordinary people, to a family like the Smiths, they were insignificant.
If Sarah ever did something to displease Mr. Holden, he could easily deal with her.
Though Butler Ted knew he was speaking for Sarah’s good, it sounded like he was warning her not to pursue his master.
He was prepared for Sarah to be offended, but instead, she nodded in agreement.
Holden came home very late, and it seemed he was often away at night.
Sarah didn’t see him for two or three days.
She had a habit of getting up at night for water.
One night, she went to the fridge, and as she passed the living room, she saw a dark figure on the sofa, nearly scaring her.
Looking closer, Sarah realized it was Holden asleep on the sofa.