Sarah’s legs nearly gave out, worried he might follow up with “Next month’s twenty million is gone.”
“No, no, no! Marrying you is my good fortune,” Sarah quickly corrected, genuinely.
After all, it wasn’t every day you found a rich boss like Holden. She definitely wanted to keep enjoying that fortune.
Holden glanced upstairs.
Sarah got the hint, grabbed the pillow she was holding, and headed up. “I’m going to warm up the bed for you, boss. If you need a drink companion, just call me. Five million per session, but I’ll give you a fifty percent discount since we’re familiar.”
With that, Sarah hurried upstairs to Holden’s room to resume her role as the bedtime companion.
Holden watched her retreating figure thoughtfully.
Butler Ted stood silently by.
“Marrying her used up all my good fortune from eight lifetimes?” Holden mused.
Butler Ted quickly replied, “Absolutely not, sir. Your good fortune is just beginning.”
******
Soon after, Sarah received a call from the director, who wanted her to undergo two months of training before joining the film crew.
Although her performance during the audition impressed the director, Sarah was still a newcomer. Since the movie was a big production, the director’s team hired specialized trainers.
Sarah’s character, a princess, had a dance scene, so she needed to train for that as well.
She had no objections, but the training meant staying in a hotel and being away for a while.
Thinking about all these things, Sarah unconsciously fell asleep on her pillow.
When Holden came in later, he found her dozing on his pillow.
She was wearing a sky-blue silk nightgown, with a matching short robe that had slipped off her shoulders, revealing a fair expanse of her back. Her golden hair cascaded over it, half-covering and adding a touch of elusive allure.
Holden couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed.
Suddenly, Sarah’s phone rang, and she answered with a frown, “Hello?”
Mr. Brown’s voice was stern, launching into a barrage of accusations, “Viola’s your sister. How could you make her cry?”
Sarah, still groggy from sleep, didn’t immediately recognize that it was her so-called father on the other end.
Mr. Brown had never liked Sarah. Her mother was proud and cold, never giving him any respect. Even though she was beautiful, she was an icy trophy wife who offered no man the dignity he desired.
When Mr. Brown met Monica, he finally understood what true love was. The daughter they had together, Viola, was the obedient daughter he’d always wanted.
Sarah, who looked just like her mother-innocent and delicate on the outside but cold and calculating on the inside-had been an unwanted child from the start.
But when her mother left the country, Mr. Brown had no choice but to let Monica raise her, since abandoning her to an orphanage was something the Brown family couldn’t stoop to.
Even though Monica appeared to be a kind stepmother but was harsh behind closed doors, and Mr. Brown turned a blind eye.
Thankfully, Sarah knew where she stood, realizing the Brown family had raised her, so she listened to them obediently. She was even grateful for the scraps they threw her way, believing that her father and stepmother loved her.
All these years, whatever they told Sarah to do, she did it without question. She excelled in school and was good at everything, except for one thing: she married Holden, the super-rich man Viola had her eyes on.
From childhood, whatever Viola wanted, Sarah was expected to give up for her.
Since Holden didn’t like Viola and couldn’t marry her, the money he gave Sarah was expected to be spent on Viola as compensation.
Mr. Brown, barely containing his anger, scolded her, “All those years of schooling, and this is what you’ve learned? Viola’s your real sister, and that’s how you talk to her? If it weren’t for you, Viola would’ve married Holden. What are you so proud of?”
Sarah was stunned.
Mr. Brown continued, “The family’s going through a tough time. Send all the money you have to Viola. If you do well, we will still love you.”
Sarah’s brows furrowed. “You’re barking up a storm in the middle of the night. Are you sick?”
Now it was Mr. Brown’s turn to be stunned.
Sarah, who hadn’t slept well and was in a foul mood, spoke with the softest voice but the coldest words, “You think I care about your love? Even if no one in this world loves me, I’ll still be fine.”
Holden crossed his arms, his cold eyes observing the seemingly delicate girl in front of him.
She continued, enunciating each word, “I’m only good to people who deserve it. You’re not worth it.”
With that, Sarah hung up the phone, only to see Holden standing in the doorway.
She choked slightly, “Do all you capitalists like eavesdropping on people’s calls?”
Holden’s voice had a hint of laughter, “This is my house, my room. It’s only natural I hear what goes on.”
Sarah cursed him in her mind as a heartless capitalist.
Holden’s expression turned colder. “My dear wife, the ‘people who deserve it’ you mentioned-was it Ronald?”
Sarah, “???”
She really didn’t want to insult her own taste, but she also didn’t want to lose next month’s twenty million, so she reluctantly nodded.
To Holden, it looked like she was seriously confirming the truth of it all.
Holden poured himself a glass of whiskey, swirling the liquid inside.
Butler Ted stood nearby, hesitating to speak. After a long pause, he finally said, “Young Master, the doctor advised you not to drink at night. If you can’t sleep, you could take another pill.”
Alcohol had a strong effect on the body.
Holden just smiled, not denying the “heartless capitalist” label Sarah had slapped on him.
In a low, smooth voice, Holden asked, “Butler Ted, do you know what the heartless capitalists love doing the most?”
Butler Ted was confused, “Making money?”
“Wrong,” Holden replied. “They love taking what isn’t theirs and making it their own.”
Holden was the kind of man who would snatch up anything he found interesting, whether it was his or not, whether he even liked it or not.
On the surface, he seemed like a polished gentleman, charming and witty. But inside, there was darkness only he knew-like a mysterious sea monster lurking in the deep, stirring up storms and swallowing ships whole.
Butler Ted couldn’t focus on anything else; all he could think about was the glass of whiskey in Holden’s hand.
“Young Master, the doctor really said no alcohol…”
Faced with Holden’s cold stare, Butler Ted quickly backed down.
Ever the diligent butler, he suggested with a hint of desperation, “Maybe Lady could come down and drink it for you? You’d only have to pay her five million. Plus, you know each other, so you could get a fifty percent discount.”
Holden’s face darkened.
Did they really think his money was that easy to earn?
Sarah had called him heartless.
“Tell her it’s fifty thousand, take it or leave it.”
Was Sarah the kind of woman who would bend for fifty thousand?
It turned out, she actually was.