Sarah felt a headache coming on.
Why couldn’t this annoying male lead go to bother Elisa instead?
She didn’t dare say that in front of Holden, though. “Give it to me, I’ll answer.”
Holden’s finger flicked, and he ended the call. “Oops, slipped.”
Sarah, “Uh…”
Holden checked the time. “It’s nine o’clock. I’m going to bed. My dear wife, if you make a sound after I’m asleep, I’m docking two months’ pay.”
Sarah’s mind was stuck on her forty million. “Didn’t you used to threaten just one month?”
Holden smirked. “I’m the one who pays you. I get to decide.”
Sarah watched him walk away, fuming quietly.
Big deal, you pay my salary!
Holden suddenly turned back.
Sarah instantly straightened up, acting all sweet and obedient.
Fine.
It was a big deal.
At least he had the money to back it up.
Sometimes, you just had to bow your head when you were under someone else’s roof.
Holden chuckled lightly and left the room.
Sarah sighed, went downstairs, and poured herself a glass of ice water, adding a couple of mint and lemon slices for the vibe, trying to drink away her frustrations alone.
Butler Ted gave her a curious look. Lady always complained the air conditioning was too cold, but no matter how chilly the house got, she always drank cold water late at night.
“Lady, would you like me to pour you a warm drink instead?”
Sarah hushed him, lowering her voice. “Shh, don’t say anything.”
Butler Ted asked, “What’s going on?”
Sarah sighed softly. “Mr. Holden’s trying to sleep. If I make any noise, he’ll dock my pay.”
Butler Ted, who had lived most of his life without ever seeing Holden go to bed at 9 PM while fully awake, found this hard to believe.
Sarah sighed quietly. “Butler Ted, have you guys ever had your pay docked?”
Butler Ted shook his head. “Our pay is too small for Mr. Holden to bother with that. In fact, he even gives us big bonuses during the holidays.”
Sarah joked, “If Mr. Holden ever divorces me and I can’t find a job, I’ll apply to be a maid here. At least it’s room and board, plus an annual trip abroad. You’re in charge of hiring, right? We’re on such good terms-you’d have to hire me.”
Butler Ted chuckled but shook his head. “That’s not possible. Even though your education meets the requirements, your field of study doesn’t match. I can’t bend the rules for you.”
Sarah asked in disbelief, “You need specific qualifications to be a maid in the Smith family?”
Forget it.
You had to give Mr. Holden credit for managing such a luxurious estate and the entire staff. If the house belonged to Sarah, she’d probably end up getting the utilities cut off for non-payment.
Sarah and Butler Ted kept chatting, figuring that with her downstairs and Holden upstairs, the house’s good soundproofing meant he wouldn’t hear anything.
But then, suddenly, Butler Ted fell silent.
Sarah looked up to see Holden staring at her.
Half-scared out of her wits, Sarah quickly stood up.
Before Holden could bring up docking her pay, she downed her glass of ice water in a few gulps and then hurriedly followed him upstairs. “Mr. Holden, don’t be mad. I’ll sing you a lullaby and make sure you fall asleep.”
Holden snorted and turned to his room.
Sarah, sensing the mood, quickly followed him and slipped into his bed. “I can sing a lullaby. Want to hear one?”
Holden had no intention of sleeping this early. His bedroom was connected to his study and a small underground room where he usually handled work-related matters. He actually had some work to do.
Sarah asked, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
Holden started walking toward his study. “Not every CEO is like your precious Ronald, sneaking around and slacking off.”
Sarah, “Uh…”
Though it wasn’t nice to attack someone personally, Holden kind of had a point.
As the CEO of a multinational conglomerate, Holden was incredibly busy. He was up every day before seven, with a packed schedule, often flying abroad for meetings in his private jet.
Meanwhile, in the novel, Ronald had the male lead’s plot armor. No matter how much he slacked off at work, he always succeeded, earning the admiration of bigwigs like Holden, who invested heavily in his projects.
In reality, Holden had the skills and competence that matched his position.
Bored, Sarah scrolled through some sweet romance stories about a domineering CEO and his tender-hearted wife. Before long, she fell asleep, face down on the pillow.
At 11:30, Holden emerged from the bathroom, wearing a dark robe. He instinctively reached for a cigarette but, seeing her half-asleep form on the bed, decided to put it back.
Sarah was like a human sleeping pill, and before long, Holden had drifted off into a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, he woke up feeling crowded and annoyed. When he opened his eyes, he found Sarah had somehow rolled into his arms, her body trembling slightly. His irritation vanished instantly.
Holden gently shook her shoulder. “Sarah?”
Sarah was in excruciating pain, cold sweat beading on her forehead as she bit her lip. She hadn’t realized how severe this body’s menstrual cramps could be.
In her old world, even though her body looked the same, she’d stayed active and kept warm, so she rarely suffered from cramps, even though she ate a lot of cold food.
But the original Sarah had made so many sacrifices for beauty-she had a strict diet, poor circulation, and wore thin dresses even in winter, not to mention Sarah’s love for ice water and cold food. Now the pain was unbearable.
“Painkillers,” Sarah whispered, her face pale as snow. “Do we have any painkillers?”
Holden called Butler Ted, who brought a painkiller, and after Sarah took it, Holden said in a serious tone, “I should take you to the hospital, or get a doctor to come here.”
Sarah sipped some warm water, a little color returning to her lips. “The hospital would just give me a pain shot or more pills. The meds will kick in soon.”
She lay back down on the bed, still weak.
Holden, though it was his first time dealing with a situation like this, wasn’t clueless-he had the life experience and age to know what was going on.
Seeing Sarah lying there, he lay down beside her. “Don’t walk around barefoot again. That’s how the cold gets in.”
Sarah’s face, already pale and delicate, looked even more fragile now, tinged with both sickness and a kind of innocent vulnerability that made her seem even more pitiful.
With teary eyes, Sarah looked at Holden. “Sorry for disturbing your sleep… You’re not gonna dock my pay, are you?”
Holden sneered. “Is that all I am to you? A money-grubbing businessman?”
Sarah shook her head. “Not at all. First and foremost, you’re a handsome guy.”
Holden raised an eyebrow. “So, who’s more handsome, me or Ronald?”
Sarah was speechless.
How insecure do you have to be to compare yourself to Ronald?
The difference is like the world’s most handsome guy trying to compete with the cute guy next door.
Can’t you just take a look in the mirror?
But Sarah stayed silent, remembering her love for twenty million-no, for Ronald.
A moment later, with tears in her eyes, she whimpered, “My stomach hurts… it really hurts.”
Holden smirked. “Serves you right.”
Then, without warning, he pulled Sarah closer, placing his large hand on her abdomen. “Is it here?”
A man’s body temperature is higher than a woman’s, and Sarah, feeling weak, was cold all over. Holden’s broad hand covered nearly her entire slim waist, warming her.
Sarah had initially thought this might be inappropriate, but the warmth from his hand really did ease the pain.
She thought, If you can take advantage of a capitalist, you should.
And if the guy’s hot, even more so.
Some wise person once said, Only a fool don’t take advantage when they can.
She’d been his bedtime companion for so long-why not let Holden be her human heating pad for once?
Sarah snuggled closer to Holden, slipping her cold feet against his legs. As the painkillers started to work, her body gradually warmed up, and she drifted off to sleep against Holden.
Holden’s eyes darkened, showing no hint of light.
If Sarah had seen the expression on his face at that moment, she would have been terrified and never dared to stay in the arms of such a dangerous man.
But life doesn’t come with “what ifs.”
Holden watched her sleep, his hand unconsciously moving to her neck. Her pale neck looked so delicate and fragile. He wondered if, by just applying a little pressure, she might sleep in his arms forever, forgetting all about Ronald.