Holden’s voice was deep and magnetic, and his features were strikingly handsome. There was an air of cold elegance about him, making him seem almost unapproachable.
None of the classmates dared to act too casually around him-maybe because his presence was just too commanding.
Vicky was stunned: This guy is Sarah’s husband?
Compared to Ronald, Holden was on a whole different level. If Ronald was a glittering gem, Holden was the moon in the sky. You could dig up plenty of gemstones from a mine, but there was only one moon.
If Sarah had married a man like this, it made perfect sense that she had genuinely forgotten about Ronald.
Meanwhile, David was sulking. Why’d Holden have to take my seat? Why not Merry’s? What, do I have ‘easy target’ written all over me?
Still, once David and Merry saw Holden in person, they understood exactly why Sarah never brought up Ronald again. This guy wasn’t just good-looking-he was ridiculously good-looking. It wasn’t fair for a man to look that handsome!
Ronald’s expression turned dark the moment Holden entered and stole the spotlight.
Ronald said coldly, “This is a class reunion, full of our memories. Shouldn’t family members be off-limits? If too many people show up, what if we run out of food?”
Holden gave a faint, amused smile. “First time I’ve heard of a class reunion banning plus-ones. And who are you to make the rules? I’ll cover today’s tab. Your classmates can order whatever they want, as much as they want.”
A few classmates who had brought their spouses and kids looked relieved. They had felt awkward at first, like they were freeloading by bringing family members. But now, with Holden clapping back at Ronald, they relaxed.
Ronald, however, was fuming. He’d just wanted to express his dislike of Holden being there, but now it sounded like he was stressing over the bill. His face twisted with frustration. He wanted to leave, but if he stormed out, the others would definitely talk about him behind his back.
Everyone knew that whoever skipped out on a reunion became the prime target for gossip.
Sarah watched the two men clash, utterly unimpressed. This was nothing like what she read about in books-where Ronald would show Holden utmost respect, and Holden would mentor Ronald to climb the social ladder.
Nope. A real boss like Holden dominated no matter what. His presence alone was overwhelming.
It didn’t take a genius to see the tension between Holden and Ronald.
Ronald, usually the one commanding attention, was desperate to regain face in front of everyone. But he wasn’t stupid-crossing Holden outright was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. If he openly antagonized him, Holden could retaliate however he wanted, and no one would bat an eye.
Elisa sneaked a glance at Holden, biting her lip nervously before raising her glass. “Mr. Holden, Ronald spoke out of turn. I apologize on his behalf. I’ll punish myself with three shots.”
Without hesitation, Elisa downed three glasses of wine.
The alcohol must’ve hit her hard, because her eyes turned red. She looked at Sarah with a mix of guilt and regret. “I’m sorry, Sarah. I shouldn’t have come here with Ronald. If he hadn’t come, you’re so busy-you probably wouldn’t have come either.”
Her words were laced with ambiguity, as if implying that Sarah had only shown up because of Ronald. And as she spoke, her gaze lingered just a little too long on Holden, her eyes fixed intently on him.
Holden didn’t even glance at Elisa. His eyes stayed locked on Sarah, dark and unreadable, as if lost in thought.
Sarah felt a chill run down her spine. She was already regretting coming to this stupid reunion. People could talk all they wanted-like she hadn’t been gossiped about before. But what really made her regretful was telling Holden about the reunion and dragging him into this mess too.
She didn’t know why she felt guilty, but she just did.
Taking a sip of her orange juice, Sarah said, “David and Merry are here, and I came to hang out with my friends. As long as those two are around, I’ll show up. Elisa, you’re overthinking this.”
Elisa gave her the most pitiful look. “I’m sorry, Sarah. Whatever you say.”
Sarah clenched her jaw. Elisa’s fake sweetness made her want to slap her right there.
But Holden’s appearance shifted the mood unexpectedly-suddenly, some classmates were starting to take Sarah’s side.
Before Holden arrived, Elisa had been quietly spreading rumors about how Sarah had married some old, ugly guy, making everyone pity the former “dream girl” for ending up with an ugly old guy. Now, seeing Holden in person, it was clear Elisa had been full of it.
Nobody believed that, after meeting someone like Holden, Sarah could still be hung up on Ronald.
Besides, that was high school drama. Out here in the real world, who even cared about that stuff anymore?
Some of the married women in the group were also put off by Elisa’s behavior. Talking like that in front of Sarah’s husband? That was straight-up stirring the pot.
When the reunion wrapped up, Sarah and Holden walked toward the underground parking lot together.
Elisa could tell from the cold look in Holden’s eyes that her little comment had hit a nerve. She was sure that once they got home, Holden and Sarah would fight. Maybe their whole relationship would unravel. The thought made Elisa feel smug-until she turned around and saw Ronald driving off alone in his Porsche, leaving her behind.
The classmates who were still there exchanged amused glances.
“Elisa, where’d Ronald go?”
“Looks like you’ll have to grab a cab downstairs. I think we’re all headed in different directions.”
“You know what they say-marrying rich comes with its share of compromises.”
“…”
Elisa’s fake kindness snapped under the weight of their jabs. She shot them a sharp glare. “What are you even bragging about? You’ve been out of school for years, and your husband’s still driving a ten-thousand-dollar car? Sounds like he’s not doing too hot.”
Of course, Ronald wasn’t doing much better either. Compared to Holden, Ronald was leagues behind in wealth and status. Holden’s car-the one he just drove off in-was something Elisa had never even seen before.
******
The whole ride home, the air in the car felt heavy.
Holden was in a foul mood, his face so cold it was intimidating. He kept overtaking other cars like he had a personal vendetta against every driver on the road.
Sarah nervously sent a message to Butler Ted: [Your boss is in the mood to kill someone today.]
Ted replied almost instantly, [Thank God I’m not next to him right now.]
Sarah, […]
Holden spoke in a low, detached voice. “That crush of yours doesn’t seem all that impressive today.”
Sarah winced. “Uh…”
“He looked kinda cheap. Average face, no sense of style,” Holden said, his lips curling in a cold sneer. “Is that the kind of thing I’m supposed to say?”
Sarah blinked and realized something was off. This wasn’t the route home. Holden had taken them onto the highway.
The road was eerily empty this late at night, and the speedometer climbed past 200 km/h.
Sarah started to worry they were going to get pulled over-and worse, end up broadcasted live on the evening news.
“Mr. Holden… Where exactly are we going?”
Holden gave a sharp, humorless laugh. “To hell.”