Before Sarah could react, Holden grew impatient with her just quietly leaning against him. Taking control, he kissed her again.
Sarah frowned slightly. She knew Holden was strong-willed and domineering-if she didn’t satisfy him, he definitely wouldn’t let her off easy.
The living room was silent as they kissed on the spacious sofa. At some point, Sarah had yanked off Holden’s suit jacket and tie, tossing them aside.
After a long while, the alcohol started to wear off, and Holden’s head cleared a little. He squinted down at Sarah beneath him.
Realizing he was sober, Sarah quickly adjusted her clothes and said defensively, “You started it! I didn’t seduce you!”
Holden, now nursing a headache and too tired to argue, just grunted in response.
Sarah pushed her luck. “Well, you have to take responsibility…”
Holden hadn’t expected her to say that. With a casual tone, he replied, “We’re already married. What more responsibility do you want?”
Sarah’s mind went blank for a second.
Right. They were married.
Technically, everything they just did was totally within bounds. Not just kissing-everything was fair game.
Holden pinched her cheek. “You’re the one who hasn’t fulfilled a single marital duty since the wedding.”
Sarah had no comeback for that.
Holden glanced at her rumpled nightgown, slightly disheveled from their earlier encounter. He remembered enough of what had happened and felt no guilt about it-after all, she was his wife.
Since they couldn’t sleep on the couch, Holden scooped Sarah up effortlessly in his arms.
Sarah sneaked a glance at him.
Noticing her gaze, Holden looked down and met her eyes. His lips curled into a faint smirk. “What are you sneaking looks at me for?”
Caught off-guard, Sarah’s heart skipped a beat, but she stayed defiant. “You look good. Can’t I admire you a little?”
Holden never thought his looks had much practical use-he’d always relied on his family name and abilities to get ahead. But right now, it seemed being good-looking had its perks, like making this young girl sneak glances at him.
He placed Sarah on the bed, loosening a couple buttons on his shirt. The slight reveal of his collarbone and chest muscles hinted at a physique that was perfectly balanced-not too bulky like a gym rat, but not scrawny like some pop star. His tall, elegant frame radiated natural charisma, making even simple clothes look like high-end couture.
A few years ago, Holden had attended a luxury fashion show, and the staff mistook him for one of the male models.
Sarah sat on the edge of the bed, her slender legs dangling off the side as she playfully swung them.
Holden tucked her into the blanket, making sure she was comfortable. “I’m going to take a shower. Go to sleep.”
Of course, sleep was the last thing on Sarah’s mind.
She grabbed her phone and texted her love-guru friend, Crystal.
Sarah: [Crystal, if you love a hot guy, how do you get him to fall for you?]
Crystal: [Honey, if I love someone, I just snap my fingers and they come running.]
Sarah: [Queen behavior! But what if the guy’s super arrogant and hard to impress?]
Crystal: [Give me the details.]
Sarah: [He’s hotter than any actor in Hollywood, worth billions, born into a prestigious family, and crazy tall.]
Crystal: [Sweetie, have a bowl of hangover soup and get some sleep. Trust me, when you wake up, you’re going to want to delete this entire conversation.]
Crystal had been slacking off lately, spending her days gaming and partying in her mansion, completely oblivious to the news of Sarah’s marriage. It was the middle of the night, and she was right in the middle of drinking and having a good time when Sarah blew up.
“I’m being serious!” Sarah snapped.
Crystal hadn’t met any hundreds-of-billions heartthrobs before-though she knew of a few with tens of billions. She had met a couple of handsome guys worth tens of millions, though.
“Guys like that are almost always players,” Crystal said matter-of-factly. “If a real beauty throws herself at them, they usually don’t say no. But after have sex with any beauty, they take no responsibility.” She warned, “Honey, if you run into someone like that, my advice is to run far, far away. Don’t let your brain short-circuit from love, or you’ll end up getting played for both your heart and body.”
Sarah tossed her phone aside and buried her face in a pillow, biting it in frustration.
She was doomed. She was turning into exactly the kind of love-struck fool she always despised.
Just then, Holden pushed open the bathroom door.
He wore a long black robe, his dark hair half-dried, and his narrow, deep-set eyes locked onto Sarah, who was squirming around on the bed, still venting her frustration on the pillow.
“Did the pillow offend you?” he asked.
Sarah, “…”
He had tucked her into bed earlier, but now he scooped her right back out of the blankets.
There was something intoxicating about the way her soft, fragrant body felt in his arms, warm and delicate like a prized treasure.
Holden gave her a sly look. “Wanna kiss?”
Sarah’s ears burned a little. She didn’t mind kissing him-if anything, she liked it. After a brief pause, she lifted her hands to cup his face and leaned in to kiss him first.
Holden let out a soft sigh, bracing her shoulders to steady her.
Kissing Sarah was amusing-she hadn’t improved at all. She was still awkward and hesitant, like a little kitten licking someone out of curiosity.
For a moment, he wanted to take charge again, to deepen the kiss. But just as he was about to, Sarah rubbed her face against the corner of his lips and then buried her head in his shoulder, clearly embarrassed.
With a sigh, Holden placed her gently back on the bed.
If she kept teasing him like this, he wasn’t sure how long he could hold back. And if things went further… he couldn’t guarantee he’d stop.
Sarah, still a rookie at love, didn’t seem to have thought that far ahead. To her, cuddling and kissing Holden already felt daring and thrilling enough.
This time, once she was back on the bed, sleep finally overtook her, and she drifted off, resting against the pillow.
******
The chaos within the Smith family, however, was far beyond anything Sarah could have imagined.
Old Mr. Smith, already elderly and frail, had taken a fall on his way to go fishing, landing himself in the hospital in a deep coma.
The doctors made it clear-Old Mr. Smith didn’t have much time left. Even with the best medications and equipment, nothing could stop the inevitable.
But Nicola and the brothers Samuel and Reuben were terrified that once Old Mr. Smith passed, Holden would kick them out of the family. Desperate to keep the old man alive, they resorted to every trick in the book, even flying in some so-called “master” from overseas to perform rituals.
When Sarah and Holden arrived at the private hospital, the whole place was filled with strange charms and runes. Ritual circles were drawn all over the floors, making the hospital look more like a scene from a paranormal movie.
Sarah blinked in disbelief. “Seriously? Rich people are into this superstitious stuff too?”
Holden’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “They believe in it more than anyone else.”
Especially Nicola, who had suddenly risen to a higher status, was now facing the prospect of being knocked back down just as quickly. She believed more than anyone in the twists of fate and was terrified of the unknown.
In truth, Holden didn’t feel a hint of sadness or sorrow over Old Mr. Smith’s condition. Maybe he was just naturally detached when it came to emotions, or perhaps the karma from years past was finally catching up with the old man.
Sarah saw not only monks and witches but also some men in sunglasses who looked like fortune tellers.
Some relatives and friends closely connected to the Smith family were also there visiting Old Mr. Smith, and Holden went over to greet them, making small talk.
Sarah was quite intrigued by all the mystical stuff. She recalled how some celebrities in her circle would hire shamans to bless them or use amulets for luck.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she approached one of the fortune tellers. “Master, how much do you charge for a visit?”