Something felt off-the bed she was lying on seemed smaller than the one she’d fallen asleep in, and she was still wrapped snugly in that soft blanket.
Instinctively, Sarah pulled back the window shade and glanced outside.
She pinched her cheek, wondering if she was still dreaming.
There was another bed nearby, and on it, Holden was lying with his eyes closed.
She quietly crawled over and gave his shoulder a little poke. “Why are we in the sky?”
Holden wasn’t asleep-just resting with his eyes shut. He responded in his usual calm tone, “Going abroad.”
Sarah rummaged around but couldn’t find any of her things-no wallet, no ID, no passport, just her phone.
Great, she thought. Traveling with a big shot means you don’t need documents to fly around the world.
But then-
Her voice softened. “If I piss you off, are you gonna toss me out on the way back?”
Holden let out a small chuckle. “You can try.”
Being stuck on Holden’s plane meant there was no choice but to follow his rules.
Though Sarah felt a bit excited by the sudden trip, her fever was making it hard to enjoy the ride.
Wrapped in her blanket, she shivered slightly from the cool air. “Can I drink this water?”
Holden didn’t open his eyes. “Help yourself.”
Sarah noticed her phone battery was nearly dead, and it’d be hours before they landed. Worried she might pass her cold to Holden, she decided to tiptoe back to her seat.
But Holden reached out, pressing her shoulder down, and touched her forehead to check her temperature–still hot.
Sarah blinked at him. “I should probably sleep in my seat, right?”
The two small beds were just unfolded single seats. Originally, Holden had thought about putting her in the double bed in the plane’s suite. But since he hadn’t felt like sleeping earlier and was handling some business, he’d left her in one of these smaller seats to keep an eye on her.
Now, though, with her fever and the cramped space, the two of them squeezed in together. Holden, who had been struggling to fall asleep earlier, suddenly found the idea of rest more appealing with her nearby. No way was he letting her leave now.
He covered her eyes with his hand. “Stop talking.”
Sarah felt like she’d been demoted to a live-in sleep aid-too scared to complain, she obediently closed her eyes.
She wasn’t in great shape anyway. After days of high-pressure filming, she’d lost several pounds, and her body hadn’t adjusted yet to the sudden shift in routine. Getting sick just made recovery even harder.
When Holden woke up, he touched Sarah’s forehead again and found that her fever still hadn’t gone down. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips looked pale.
He vaguely remembered that time when Sarah kissed him to give him medicine. Though the memory was a bit hazy, he did recall it feeling… soft.
Holden owned plenty of overseas properties, and whenever he took time off, he avoided hotels for the sake of privacy and security. He had a large estate nearby, though it was a bit out of the way from the city. Driving there wasn’t too much trouble.
The estate had a medieval castle, but Holden wasn’t particularly fond of its interior. In fact, the only times he had ever used it were for a few grand events.
Since Sarah was still groggy and half-asleep, Holden didn’t want to take her to a hotel, so he decided to bring her to the estate instead.
Aside from his bodyguards, two assistants had accompanied him on this trip. These two usually handled only business matters and didn’t deal with anything personal. They knew Mr. Holden was married, but they had no clue what his wife looked like.
When they arrived after a ten-hour flight and the local time was night, the assistants saw their boss carrying a girl in his arms, completely wrapped in a blanket. Even in the dim light, it was clear how effortlessly he carried her.
One of the bodyguards, clueless, offered to take over, but Holden refused without hesitation.
Holden gave Sarah some medicine, left instructions with the estate staff to take care of her, and headed out for the night with his team to deal with some business.
******
The next morning, Sarah woke up in a large bed, feeling way better after a solid sleep. She had been so out of it that she hadn’t stirred even once during the night.
Standing by the window, she looked outside and wondered if she was dreaming-or if she was on the set of some fairy-tale movie.
Her phone was set to international roaming, and she had no idea what Butler Ted might be up to at the moment.
She snapped a picture of the castle and sent it to him with a message, “I think your boss is shooting a European castle movie and cast me as the princess.”
Butler Ted, always on standby, replied almost immediately, “???!!!”
Butler Ted, “Looks like you’ve gone mad dreaming about being the lead actress.”
Sarah typed back slowly, “You just don’t get it.”
Every wicked side character dreams of being the lead someday.
Her morning ritual was to check the news to see if anyone was spreading rumors about her. This time, though, she saw Elisa trending online.
Modern netizens sure have short memories. Elisa’s new show was about to air, and the trailers were really eye-catching. People were instantly hooked, clamoring to binge-watch it.
It was no surprise-Elisa always had main-character energy. Anything she did instantly captivated people.
The trending post was a photo of Elisa, showing off her new purple hair. It was a total departure from her usual style, giving her a cold, aloof vibe.
Sarah felt her temper rise.
Seriously? Copying her again this fast?
Sarah had dyed her hair purple for a role, and now Elisa was doing it for a role too?
The show Elisa was promoting was a fantasy drama where she played a phoenix-a character inspired by mythology.
Sarah grumbled to herself, “I’ve never seen a phoenix with purple feathers.”
Still fuming, she turned around and bumped into a tall, slender woman in her forties.
The woman had brown hair, and green eyes, and wore a black uniform. When she spoke, it was in a language Sarah couldn’t understand.
Sarah blinked, totally confused.
Realizing that Sarah didn’t speak the language, the woman switched to slow, deliberate English, “Miss, would you like breakfast brought to your room? My name is Jane.”
Sarah nodded.
After breakfast, Jane was worried Sarah might get bored, so she took her for a walk around the estate.
When they returned, Sarah noticed a few black Bentleys parked outside.
Jane said, “Mr. Holden must be back.”
Jane had no idea what Sarah’s relationship with Holden was-she didn’t even know Holden was married. But since Holden rarely brought guests to the estate, and it was the first time he’d ever brought a woman, Jane naturally assumed something romantic was going on.
However, when they met, the mysterious, pretty little princess didn’t throw herself into Holden’s arms for hugs and kisses, nor did she sweetly cling to him. Instead, she cheerfully poured him a glass of milk at the dining table.
Jane was confused.
Wait… is she not his girlfriend?
Could she be… a housekeeper?
Has the domestic help industry really evolved to the point where they all have perfect curves, long legs, and tiny waists?
After fawning over him for a bit, Sarah finally asked the question she’d been dying to ask, “Mr. Holden, can I borrow your estate for a bit?”
Holden chuckled. “Do whatever you want.”
Sarah knew Holden wouldn’t care about something like this. Her eyes lit up immediately. “Thank you, thank you!”
It wasn’t like Holden cared about the estate-whether she threw a party or sold everything in it to shop outside, it didn’t matter to him. But seeing her so thrilled and hearing only a simple thank you left him feeling oddly unsatisfied.
He raised an eyebrow. “Just a ‘thank you’? That’s it?”
Sarah thought for a second. She’s just taking a few pictures. Does he expect her to offer herself up or something?
She grinned mischievously. “How about I give you a kiss, then?”
Holden smirked. “Where?”
Realizing she’d lost this round, Sarah gave in, grabbed his hand, and planted a small kiss on his finger.
The soft warmth of her lips felt like a feather brushing over his skin, causing Holden’s eyes to darken slightly.
He knew that if he wanted to, he could keep Sarah here forever, and there would be no way she’d escape. But instead, he only smiled.
“That’s not enough,” Holden said casually. “We’ll settle this later.”