Sarah felt a bit regretful.
Holden often seemed cultured and refined, and he looked exceptional; he definitely wasn’t the type to come off as a brute. Most of the time, he acted like a true gentleman. But… some aspects really caught her off guard.
It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that Holden finally let her go. He took some wipes from Sarah’s bag and cleaned her soft, delicate hands.
Sarah’s hands were beautiful-soft and fragile, white as snow, and incredibly gentle to hold, almost like they could be crushed. Maybe they hurt a little or maybe she was just tired, but in her sleep, Sarah instinctively tried to hide her hands.
Holden forcibly held her wrists, wiped them down, and then picked her up to carry her to the car, gathering a few of their things to head back.
By the time they reached City N, it was already starting to get light out.
Sarah slept until the afternoon. When she woke up, her hands felt sore, like Holden had almost worn them out.
She sat on the bed for a while, feeling strangely guilty. She realized she was wrong to doubt that Holden had some kind of hidden issue with erectile dysfunction. As the most high-profile guy in the book, there was no way he could have a problem like that, right?
After taking a shower and getting dressed, Sarah sneaked downstairs. She was nervous about running into Holden again.
Feeling hungry, she decided to sneak into the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat. She looked around cautiously as she passed the sofa, but then she heard footsteps behind her.
Sarah turned around.
Holden was smirking, “So, my dear wife, have you turned to a new line of work?”
Sarah didn’t get it. “A new line of work? What do you mean?”
“Being a thief.”
Sarah froze, realizing that her sneaky behavior did make her look a bit like a thief. But… she hadn’t done anything wrong! Why should she feel guilty?
She tried to sneak into the kitchen again, but Holden grabbed her by the back of her neck. “Are you hiding from me?”
With their height difference, it was clear that he had the upper hand.
He set her down on the couch, and before she could get up, he trapped her, saying, “Sarah, you took advantage of me last night.”
His defined fingers gripped her chin, and though he radiated a cold and fierce vibe, there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. “You just wanna forget about that?”
Sarah couldn’t wrap her head around why she was the one taking advantage of him. But Holden knew how to twist things in his favor, always keeping control of the situation.
She felt like he was the one who had taken advantage of her. But seeing his confidence made her start to question herself. Was it really her who took advantage of Holden?
Sarah hesitated, “So, what do you want?”
He pinched her cheek, saying, “Come back tonight and keep being my personal bed warmer.”
As for what else might happen, that would depend on the mood that evening.
Butler Ted had already prepared some food, handing Sarah a warm glass of milk to help her stomach feel better. However, her hands couldn’t handle anything too hot yet; it still hurt to touch. She worried that if she showed any signs of weakness, Holden would mock her for being too fragile, so she pretended everything was fine.
Holden took the cup from her and fed her a sip. Once she finished, he set the cup down on the table and left the house.
Butler Ted had wanted to exclaim, like all the butlers in those stories, “This is the first time my boss has brought a woman home!” or “This is the first time my boss has fed a woman!” But he felt that would be too cliche and didn’t fit his persona as a worldly, experienced old butler.
Butler Ted cleared his throat and delivered the news more formally, “Director Colby sent over the contract. I had the lawyers go through it, and everything looks good. We’re ready to sign.”
Sarah skimmed through the contract herself and, seeing no issues, signed it.
There were also quite a few business offers that needed sorting.
After Camille’s “strawberry milk” joke blew up on that variety show, the brand reached out, hoping Sarah would endorse their product. Sarah genuinely liked the brand’s strawberry milk and didn’t have any conflicting endorsements, so she was all for it.
But just when the deal was about to be finalized, Elisa swooped in and snatched the endorsement. No one knew exactly what was going on with her. Ronald’s family business was facing a crisis, and Elisa’s latest drama was a total flop, but it seemed like she had found herself some new backing.
Getting your endorsement stolen wasn’t unusual in the industry, but it still annoyed Sarah.
Sarah wasn’t happy with how the brand had handled things and told Butler Ted, “From now on, no more business with them. Don’t accept any collaborations from their group.”
Butler Ted understood completely.
The brand, realizing how hard it was to even get a chance with Sarah, tried to salvage things. Although they couldn’t get her for their most high-profile campaign, they came back offering other opportunities-only to get shut down.
Frustrated, the brand reps figured there were plenty of other celebrities. Who did Sarah think she was, acting like they couldn’t replace her?
Then Sarah turned around and took an endorsement deal from their biggest competitor. That campaign became a massive hit, with sales skyrocketing, nearly giving the first brand’s marketing team a collective meltdown.
Meanwhile, Director Colby gave an interview where he revealed some details about his upcoming film, On My Own Now. He shared that it would be about his grandmother’s extraordinary life, which sparked a frenzy online.
Colby’s grandmother, Janice, had lived through an incredibly dramatic and eventful life, and no previous film had ever managed to capture it accurately. Since Colby was her direct descendant, people believed he could tell her story in the most authentic way possible.
The entire entertainment industry was now abuzz, speculating on who would land the coveted role of Janice.
Sarah’s fans, being the loyal bunch they were, followed the discussion closely.
Sure, their girl was insanely popular, but they knew Colby was a perfectionist. As producer, director, and screenwriter, and given that the film was about his own grandmother, his standards were bound to be sky-high.
While Sarah’s beauty, action scenes, and acting skills were undeniable, playing a literary prodigy? The fans had their doubts. They worried she might become the target of online ridicule if she got the part.
To keep things under wraps, Colby hadn’t revealed who would be playing Janice in the interview, so social media was buzzing with speculation.
Curious, Sarah clicked on a few discussions to see what people were saying.
“I think Nancy would be a good fit. She could totally capture Ms. Janice’s vibe.”
“Are you sure? Nancy’s face is kind of square, but Ms. Janice’s was small with a sharp chin. They’d need someone with an oval or heart-shaped face for this role.”
“Crystal might work. She’s got solid acting skills and could pull off that artsy vibe.”
“Crystal’s too old. She could probably play Ms. Janice’s middle-aged years, but no way could she pull off her teenage or young adult years. Her eyelids are drooping, and even good acting can’t fix that.”
“It’s definitely Phoenix. She’s worked with Director Colby before, and he likes to reuse actors he’s familiar with. She’d be a good fit.”
“??? Are they seriously considering some washed-up actress to play Ms. Janice? This is a leading role! Does she even look the part?”
“…”
Sarah scrolled through hundreds of comments, watching as they named every well-known actress in the industry-but not her. She started to get a little anxious.
Where were her fans?
She had the looks and the acting chops, so why wasn’t anyone suggesting her for the role of Ms. Janice? Did none of her fans hang out on this forum?
With no one else stepping up, Sarah decided to pose as one of her own fans. She quickly typed out a comment:
“I think Sarah would be perfect for this role! She’s talented, and beautiful, and it’s like this part was made for her!”
As soon as she hit send, doubt crept in.
Had she gone too far praising herself? What if someone figured out it was her on a burner account?
But it turned out she’d misjudged the situation. Her fans were everywhere on this forum. Thanks to Heart Throb and The Mysterious Family, she’d built a loyal following that preferred to stay low-key and avoided dragging others into drama.