It was summer, and City N had been experiencing frequent rain, especially at night.
Holden’s status meant he shouldn’t be exposed to the elements, but Sarah noticed he was drenched.
Butler Ted was elderly and likely asleep, so he hadn’t noticed.
Even though other staff were on night duty, no one had advised Holden to change into dry clothes, which puzzled Sarah.
She poured a glass of water and brought it to Holden.
She gently nudged his shoulder, “Mr. Holden?”
Holden seemed deeply asleep, his thick eyelashes casting clear shadows under his eyes. Even in the dim light, his features were strikingly handsome, more perfect than many Greek statues Sarah had seen.
Sarah thought he must have been utterly exhausted.
After all, a boss who focuses on his career differs from a domineering CEO like Ronald who goes through emotional turmoil.
But just as she finished speaking, Holden opened his eyes.
Holden’s gaze was completely different from what Sarah was used to. His eyes were as cold as a knife, and his demeanor had changed. It was like going from spring to winter in an instant.
More precisely, it was like seeing a gentle prince suddenly turn into a bloodthirsty beast at night.
Sarah took two steps back, her hands shaking as she held the cup of water.
Holden glared at Sarah, “What are you doing here?”
Sarah replied, “Four days ago, you agreed to let me move in.”
Holden’s mind was in chaos; he couldn’t remember if he really agreed to such a request from Sarah.
At that moment, he didn’t want to see anyone. He knocked the water cup from Sarah’s hand with a loud slap.
The cup shattered into pieces.
Butler Ted hurried down when he heard the commotion. He seemed accustomed to such scenes and showed no extra expression on his face. He spoke in his usual tone, “Lady, Young Master is drunk. Please return to your room and rest. Young Master, please continue sleeping on the sofa. I will clean this up.”
Sarah didn’t smell any alcohol on Holden; he didn’t seem drunk at all. But under Butler Ted’s watchful eyes, she returned to her room.
Butler Ted cleaned up the broken glass and then went back to his room without checking on Holden further.
Sarah thought about his wet clothes and hair, worried he might catch a cold. Normally, anyone in that condition would have a fever or pneumonia the next day.
For a monthly salary of $2000, I’m the boss’s parent; for $20, 000, the boss is my parent; for $20, 000, 000-if the boss coughs, I worry he might drop dead.
Honestly, even if Sarah wasn’t being paid, she couldn’t stand seeing him in that state.
The air conditioning at home was always set to 16 degrees Celsius, requiring a blanket to sleep comfortably. Sarah sneaked out and adjusted the thermostat to warm.
The next morning, Sarah went to the dining room for her usual breakfast, which was like a five-star hotel experience.
Except today, it was set for two.
Holden sat at the table. He wore a black shirt and black trousers, all custom-made, making him look even more handsome.
Compared to last night’s icy demeanor, today he seemed warm and gentle, like a completely different person.
“Morning.”
Sarah was a bit dazed. “Uh, good morning.”
Butler Ted smiled, “Lady, please have your breakfast.”
Sarah obediently sat down. She didn’t mention anything about the previous night.
Holden quickly finished his breakfast and left.
Once he was gone, Sarah’s curiosity got the best of her. “Butler Ted, does Mr. Holden have a split personality? One persona during the day and another at night?”
Butler Ted coughed and raised his eyebrows, trying to signal something to her.
Sarah asked, “What?”
Holden, holding a cup of coffee, looked at her with an amused expression, “My dear wife, are you so curious about me?”
Sarah made a motion of zipping her lips shut, then looked down and took a big bite of her sandwich.
Holden watched with amusement as she took a big bite of her sandwich and then started choking, her face turning bright red.
Butler Ted tried to suppress his laughter as he went to get her a glass of water, but Sarah grabbed her milk instead and took a sip. It took her a while to recover.
Holden thought this woman, although a bit foolish, did have her uses. For instance, she made him smile.
Holden smiled, but Sarah felt like crying. She knew her luck was terrible. Stuck in this terrible book, becoming a character doomed to a miserable end, and now she even choked on her breakfast.
Just then, Sarah’s phone rang. The screen showed “David,” and Sarah answered.
No one in the dining room spoke, and David’s loud voice echoed clearly for everyone to hear.
“Sarah, Ronald’s birthday is coming up. What are you planning to get him?”
Sarah glanced at Holden’s expression.
Holden had never shown any reaction to his “newlywed wife being hopelessly in love with another man.” As long as she wasn’t obsessing over him like the crazy Linda, he didn’t seem to care.
Sarah suppressed the words “a coffin” and said, “I’m still thinking about it.”
“What are you thinking about? If you take too long, that bitch Elisa will secure her place even more.” David shouted, “I found out Elisa’s schedule. Should we kidnap her so she misses Ronald’s birthday?”
Sarah, “What???”
In the original story, the second female lead and her two sidekicks did indeed engage in many borderline criminal activities.
According to the original plot, on the eve of Ronald’s birthday, Sarah and David bribed someone to kidnap Elisa and leave her in an abandoned warehouse for a day and a night, making her miss Ronald’s birthday party.
When Ronald’s birthday arrived, Sarah sowed discord by saying Elisa didn’t care about Ronald, as she had forgotten his birthday. Ronald was furious, and no matter how much Elisa explained afterward, he didn’t believe her.
Following this, Sarah stuck to Ronald like glue, offering warmth and comfort, almost successfully replacing Elisa.
David, seeing Sarah’s silence, added, “Or we could just kill her?”
Sarah was shocked. Bro, you realize in real life, you’d end up in prison for that, right? Although David’s fate in the novel was indeed a prison.
Sympathizing with her fellow doomed character, Sarah decided to help him as much as she could.
In front of Holden, her husband, she couldn’t outright say she had no interest in Ronald anymore. If Holden knew she didn’t love Ronald, given his suspicious and narcissistic nature, he might suspect she had fallen for him and stop giving her the generous allowance.
Sarah hesitated, “David, Ronald has always seen me as a pure and kind dream girl. Doing this might ruin that image… I’m afraid he’ll be angry with me.”
Hearing the words “pure and kind,” Holden’s eyes twinkled with amusement.
David was silent on the other end of the line.
Sarah continued, “Ronald’s birthday is important. I’ll prepare a special surprise for him, better than anything Elisa could do. I’ll use my sincerity to win him over, don’t worry.”
David didn’t respond and quietly hung up.
Sarah looked at her phone and barely let out a sigh of relief.
Holden set down his coffee cup and smiled. “Watching others struggle with love is truly…”
He paused, searching for the right words. He didn’t want to say anything too harsh to a lady.
“Truly entertaining.”
Sarah clenched her fists at his mockery but then let go.
Fine, she couldn’t blame him for laughing at her. She thought her situation was pretty ridiculous too.
Sarah said, “Mr. Holden, maybe you’ve never loved anyone or been loved, so you find it funny.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Sarah noticed Holden’s expression changed, resembling the look he had last night.
His whole demeanor shifted.