The Lewis family had been going through a terrible streak of bad luck, drowning in so much debt from a broken financial chain that ten lifetimes wouldn’t be enough to repay it. Nicola had funneled most of her secret savings into helping her brothers, but instead of being grateful, the Lewis family blamed her for not doing enough to keep them living in luxury.
Samuel knew all about Nicola’s recent attempts to take down Holden. Not only had her plans failed miserably, but she’d also lost a lot of resources in the process.
Samuel was terrified that Holden would blame him for his mother’s actions. For the past few weeks, he’d been doing everything possible to avoid Holden, worried he’d end up in the hospital if things went south.
His father didn’t have many days left, and if Holden beat him to death, no one would stand up for him.
The good old days were long gone. Samuel was no longer Holden’s second uncle-he was more like his second grandson now, and Holden could mess with him however he wanted.
Since Holden was in a decent mood, he ignored his unlucky uncle sneaking past like a scared rat.
Meanwhile, Nicola and her two sons were locked in a serious internal feud. Samuel and Reuben blamed Nicola for supporting the Lewis family too much and for Linda’s dumb decisions that let Holden take control of the old Smith estate.
Everyone in the estate had been replaced with Holden’s people, and even if Old Mr. Smith wanted to leave Samuel and Reuben something extra in his will, every move he made was being watched.
The two brothers, who used to be close, now suspected each other of hiding something-wondering if Old Mr. Smith had secretly gifted one of them a large fortune. The trust between them had completely shattered, and now they were always on guard against each other.
Samuel, not as sharp as Reuben, was genuinely afraid of getting screwed over.
After dealing with some business, Holden suddenly remembered the “amazing” fortune-teller Sarah had mentioned. Feeling curious, he ordered someone to bring the guy to him.
The fortune-teller thought Holden had figured out he’d scammed Sarah and was ready to confess, planning to hand back the two thousand bucks without a fight.
But Holden just looked him over and said, “I heard your readings are pretty accurate. I’ve got a few things to ask-how much do you charge?”
The fortune-teller was used to telling people whatever they wanted to hear, and when he saw someone rich, he usually tried to rip them off with a ten- or twenty-thousand-dollar fee.
But seeing the bodyguards standing nearby, looking like they could tear him to pieces, he hesitated. “Uh, it might be a little expensive.”
Holden raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
Summoning all his courage, the fortune-teller said, “It’s ten grand per question.”
He left room for negotiation, in case Mr. Holden wanted to haggle.
Turns out Mr. Holden was far more generous than Sarah-he didn’t even try to bargain.
The fortune-teller, who was really just a smooth-talking scammer, had built connections and gotten by pretty well over the years. He figured someone like Holden would ask about bad omens or upcoming disasters.
He already had a few vague lines prepared in his head, but he kept up the respectful front. “What would you like to ask?”
Holden gave him a half-smile. “Can’t you guess?”
The fortune-teller faltered. “Uh…”
He tried to think fast. In situations like these, people usually asked the least expected questions. Things always worked in reverse.
After a moment of hesitation, he ventured, “Are you asking about… love?”
Holden stayed silent.
The fortune-teller exhaled in relief-looks like he’d guessed right.
Though his fortune-telling skills were mediocre, he was a master at reading people.
He glanced Holden up and down. Yeah, this guy had the looks of someone women would fall for-handsome, powerful, and confident. Any girl would jump at the chance to be with him.
What kind of problem could someone like Holden possibly have in the love department?
The fortune-teller took a stab at it. “The girl you love… she must be incredibly beautiful.”
Still, Holden said nothing.
The fortune-teller wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. Yep, he’d hit the mark.
The fortune-teller kept guessing, “But the reason she didn’t fall for you is probably because she loves someone else.”
Holden’s eyes narrowed.
The fortune-teller, afraid Holden might have his bodyguards beat him up, quietly took two steps back.
“But the guy she loves definitely isn’t as good as you-he’s not as wealthy, and he’s definitely not as good-looking.”
That part was an easy guess-since the fortune-teller had never met a man as good-looking and rich as Holden in his entire career.
“If you buy my-”
“You got it wrong,” Holden cut him off flatly. “I wanted to ask how my grandfather’s doing. Is there any chance he’ll recover?”
The fortune-teller, who had been happily about to pitch his $38, 888 love charms, froze mid-thought. Realizing he’d completely misread the situation, he glanced nervously at Holden’s bodyguards, afraid they might toss him into the nearest pond.
“Well, Old Mr. Smith’s condition…” The fortune-teller’s expression darkened. “It might be a little tricky.”
He honestly had no solutions, and from the looks of it, neither did anyone else. Truth be told, the old man was already past his prime-there wasn’t much medicine could do.
Holden gave a signal, dismissing the fortune-teller.
Butler Ted knew that more trouble was brewing for the Smith family. Once Old Mr. Smith passed, the older generation in the family would likely stir things up.
“Mr. Samuel’s been behaving himself lately. After a big fight with Ms. Nicola, he’s been holed up in his villa, partying with young models. Oh, and sometimes… he sneaks in a few curses about you,” Butler Ted reported. “Mr. Reuben has been secretly meeting with some of the old family members, hoping to strengthen his position through a marriage alliance.”
Back when Old Mrs. Smith was on her deathbed, Nicola had climbed into Old Mr. Smith’s bed. If those two uncles thought dividing the family assets would be easy, they were kidding themselves.
After years of grudges, Holden wasn’t about to let them get off easy.
On their way back, Holden and Sarah bumped into Samuel again.
Samuel, clearly uncomfortable, froze when he saw Holden. There was a time when he would’ve thrown in a snide remark or two, but now, he didn’t dare. Still, leaving without saying anything felt awkward, so he lingered awkwardly in place.
Sarah, remembering how these two lousy uncles used to bully Holden, immediately stepped in front of him.
“What do you want?” she snapped.
Samuel didn’t want anything-except for Holden not to beat him up. But he was so used to being cocky that he couldn’t even manage a polite word, so he slinked away in silence.
Watching him leave, Sarah couldn’t help but wonder, What’s up with this unlucky uncle? Why isn’t he stirring up trouble today?
Holden pulled her closer. “Why’d you get so close to him?”
“I was afraid he’d try to mess with you,” Sarah replied. “I was standing in front of you to protect you.”
If Samuel had dared to run his mouth, she was ready to slap him across the face.
There was no way she and Holden, two against one, couldn’t take him down. And without any security cameras around, she could easily play the part of a villain and beat him up, then run.
Holden doubted her little fists would do much damage.
But still, after all these years, Sarah was the only one who naively believed he needed protection.
The feeling was strange… but unexpectedly comforting.