Sarah snapped a picture of Holden and sent it. “Did you know your boss is missing?”
Ted responded, “Now I do.”
Sarah, “…”
Sarah, “It’s a thousand kilometers back. You wait for Mr. Holden to drive home.”
While she was texting, Holden stirred awake.
Still groggy, he pressed a hand to his temple, trying to recall how or when he’d driven them all the way to the top of a mountain.
Then again, for someone like him, it wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary.
The car was warm from the heater, and Holden tossed his coat onto the seat beside him.
Sarah handed him the carton of milk from the back. “Um, Mr. Holden… do you remember-”
Holden stuck the straw into the carton and took a sip, his tone casual. “Remember what?”
-Do you remember stealing an innocent girl’s first kiss?
Sarah opened her mouth to say it, but the words got stuck. If she brought it up, she worried Holden might decide to “silence” her for good.
Before nightfall, Holden finally drove them to a hotel, just a little outside City N.
He’d been driving all day and needed the rest. Even though his long limbs had filled up the spacious car, it still didn’t compare to the comfort of a hotel bed, and Sarah was more than ready for a proper sleep too.
At the front desk, Sarah checked them in with her ID while Holden sat on a couch in the hotel lobby.
She was starting to get a bit famous, and as she handed over her documents, a departing guest did a double-take when he recognized her.
“You-you’re Sarah, right?”
Sarah gave him a small nod.
“Can I get a picture with you?”
Sarah wasn’t wearing any makeup and felt a bit worn out after being in the car all day. She had no idea how presentable she looked, but she didn’t turn down the fan’s request. She posed for a quick photo and signed an autograph.
After getting the room key, she and Holden headed upstairs, one after the other.
Sarah tossed her jacket onto the couch, thinking about taking a shower. Her shirt was missing two buttons, and when Holden glanced at her, he noticed several noticeable kiss marks on her neck.
Holden frowned. “Who kissed you?”
Sarah, “…”
Seriously? Mr. Holden really doesn’t remember anything, huh.
There was no way Sarah was going to answer that question. Without hesitation, she bolted toward the bathroom.
Holden grabbed her sleeve and pulled her back, making her stumble right in front of him.
Even with heels on, Sarah was no match for his height-and without them, she felt even smaller.
Holden might look lean, but years of working out made him strong, while Sarah’s slim frame only highlighted the size difference between them.
He pinched her cheek gently. “Tell me. Who was it?”
Sarah sighed. “Who do you think I’ve been with since yesterday?”
Holden gave a low chuckle. “Oh, so it was him.”
Sarah, “…”
Great. He’s playing dumb now. What is she supposed to do with that?
Sarah took a long hot shower and came out wrapped in a bathrobe. She walked barefoot across the carpet, grabbed the hairdryer, and dried her hair before changing into her pajamas.
Holden was sitting at the desk with his laptop open, still working on what looked like some business tasks.
Sarah pulled out her phone and scrolled through the news.
The past few days in the wilderness had left her with spotty internet, so even browsing the latest headlines felt like a small victory.
As she skimmed through, she noticed a post that was blowing up on a forum-it was about her.
Ever since Sarah had risen to fame, her fan base had grown, but so had the haters.
The post read:
“I was checking out of the Hazel Hotel today and saw the newly-famous actress Sarah checking in with a man.”
Attached was a picture of her at the front desk, mid-check-in.
The comments were already piling up like wildfire:
“Who was the guy with her? Be real, there’s no way someone makes it big in this industry without a sponsor. She’s probably being backed by some rich guy.”
“Bet the guy’s some greasy old dude with a bald head and a beer belly-probably Mr. Karl, the CEO of the Upward Group.”
“Honestly, her princess role didn’t need any acting skills. As long as she looked good, anyone could’ve played it. She’s just a pretty face. Bet the role was tailor-made by her sugar daddy.”
“…”
Sarah read through the comments once, then again, in disbelief.
She glanced over at Holden, who was sitting at the desk under the soft glow of the lamp. The light made his sharp features stand out even more, and his slender, narrow eyes looked particularly striking.
Greasy? Bald? Beer belly? Whoever started this rumor was seriously out of their mind.
Annoyed, Sarah logged into a burner account and started arguing back, replying to one comment after another. But before she could even finish typing her last response, she got banned by the forum admin.
Sarah, “…”
Fine. Whatever.
After finishing his work, Holden headed to the bathroom for a shower.
By the time he came out, Sarah was already asleep, sprawled across the pillows.
She was wearing a camisole set, with the shorts ending just above her knees. The soft cotton fabric made her pale skin look even whiter, and her long hair spilled over her shoulders.
Her delicate face rested against the pillow, with her lips slightly parted from the pressure. The way she lay there, peaceful and vulnerable, made her look unexpectedly cute.
In truth, Holden hadn’t entirely forgotten the events of that morning. Just like how he still remembered who Sarah was back then, bits and pieces of the past were starting to surface in his mind.
The room was way too warm. Sarah had kicked one leg out from under the blanket, her small feet soft and delicate, with light pink nail polish adding a playful touch.
Holden picked up her phone, entered the password with ease, and saw the post on her screen.
After reading it from top to bottom, he sent the link to Butler Ted.
“Get in touch with the lawyers.”
Butler Ted’s instincts were sharp as ever. A message this straightforward and cold wasn’t something the Lady, who usually only thought about breakfast, would send.
When Mr. Holden gave orders, it didn’t matter if it was the middle of the night-everything had to be handled quickly and cleanly.
Holden tossed Sarah’s phone aside.
At that moment, she shifted in her sleep, her neck turning just enough to expose the kiss marks, vivid against her pale skin and impossible to ignore.
Holden knew he had left those marks. But it hadn’t been this version of himself-the composed, controlled Holden.
It was still him, but not the part of himself he liked showing, the darker, more ruthless side that he usually kept hidden. He only ever let that side slip out when it was absolutely necessary.
And while that might’ve been the most authentic version of him, this version-the calm, collected one-was just a mask.
Sarah’s phone buzzed again. A text from an unknown number.
“I just saw the news. Who the hell did you check into a hotel with?”
Holden’s expression darkened.
“It’s Ronald. This is my new number.”
“Sarah, please don’t be mad. I know you still love me. I’m breaking up with Elisa. If you divorce Holden, we can be together.”
“I’ll make it worth your while, give you the best resources. I miss you so much.”
“Have you really forgotten how much you loved me? I don’t believe you could ever love Holden.”
Holden, unfazed, typed back with a calm air, “She’s asleep. No matter how desperate you sound, she’s not reading this.”
“…”