Elisa walked right up to Holden. “Mr. Holden, I forgot my wallet today. Would you mind treating me to a meal? I’ll pay you back, I promise.”
Holden didn’t even bother to look up. “No.”
Annoyed after getting rejected repeatedly, Elisa bit her lip. “Well, could you at least keep your wife in line? She’s into my boyfriend, and it’s causing me a lot of trouble.”
Holden’s tone turned ice-cold. “When did they meet again?”
Seeing Holden care so much about Sarah and Ronald, Elisa’s hope rose. Of course-men hated women who were unfaithful. Men liked loyal women like her.
“Oh, many times,” Elisa replied, looking hurt. “She treats Ronald so well, stirring things up between him and me, and then going to ‘comfort’ him. Sarah even told Ronald that she’s only with you for your money; the one she really loves is Ronald.”
Elisa started to tear up and leaned toward Holden for sympathy.
Holden narrowed his eyes. “When was the last time they saw each other?”
Elisa whispered, “Last Thursday.”
Last Thursday, though, Sarah had been home all day, resting after returning from a film set. Lucy had been feeding her endless varieties of homemade desserts.
Holden’s gaze turned mocking. “Get lost.”
Elisa froze, stunned he’d say something like that.
A man of Holden’s status was never without security nearby, even if they kept their distance. He made a small gesture, and a group of men at a nearby table stopped what they were doing. One of them walked over, grabbed Elisa’s shoulder, and with a loud “crack,” dislocated her arm.
Elisa cried out, “What are you-what are you doing?!”
Restaurant staff and the manager rushed over, but they were held back by the rest of Holden’s security.
Holden’s voice dripped with disdain. “Not a single brain cell, and you still think you can approach me?”
This time, Elisa was genuinely scared. She suddenly realized that Holden was nothing like Ronald-this man had absolutely no patience for her games.
Holden noticed Sarah coming over out of the corner of his eye. He gave another signal, and his security team popped Elisa’s dislocated arm back into place and moved to a nearby table.
Elisa’s tear-streaked face turned towards Holden, full of fear.
The moment Sarah saw Elisa, she rushed over. She was genuinely worried Elisa might try something on Holden, making him as gullible as Ronald had been.
Elisa’s eyes were all teary, making her look almost pitiful.
Sarah crossed her arms. “What’s wrong? Can’t afford food? Came over here to beg?”
Elisa’s tears started flowing even faster.
Sarah gave Holden an incredulous look. “I didn’t even bully her-I just said one sentence, and now she’s crying!”
Elisa shot Sarah a hateful glance before running off.
Holden ordered a few dishes. “You don’t seem to like Ronald’s girlfriend very much, do you?”
Sarah just couldn’t stand Elisa, that was all. Maybe it was a personality clash, or maybe, deep down, she was worried Elisa would somehow push her back to her old path-a tragic end with everyone around her glad to see her go, no one left to care.
She took a sip of juice. “If I died one day, horribly, would you be a little sad?”
She knew Merry and David wouldn’t have to face their original tragic fates, and they’d certainly miss her. But beyond those two friends, the Brown family seemed almost eager for her to fall; her downfall might even please them.
And Holden? She could never read his thoughts completely. He probably cared about her… right?
But with Mr. Holden, his feelings were like secrets locked in a vault-no one could really tell until he outright said it.
After dinner, they headed to the parking garage.
Some paparazzi, buzzing with excitement, had followed them. They’d actually come out to follow Grace, who was rumored to be dating a male star, and they’d expected to catch them at the same hotel. But to their surprise, they stumbled on Sarah with a young man instead.
Holden’s security car had been trailing close behind and easily spotted the tailing paparazzi. They called Holden to ask if he wanted them to shoo the paparazzi away, but Holden’s expression remained calm. “No need.”
When they arrived at the hotel, Holden opened Sarah’s door.
As she got out, he gently brushed her hair back behind her ear. “You think I’d be sad?”
Sarah nodded. She couldn’t help but believe it. She was always hoping for the best.
They stood by the car, Holden towering over her even with her in heels. He leaned down, kissed her forehead, and then moved down to kiss her lips.
The paparazzi nearly fainted from excitement-they’d hit the jackpot!
A major star in a private hotel garage, kissing an unknown man? That kind of scoop would dominate the trending lists for ages.
At first, they considered sending the photos to Sarah, hoping to extort a hefty sum. But these rookies, working for a small agency with no real connections, quickly decided Sarah might not have that kind of cash. They figured they’d make more by just releasing the story directly. That evening, they put out a teaser.
By then, though, the internet had grown tired of believing anything these small-time paparazzi teased.
“Top female star? Ha! She’s probably the kind of nobody that nobody recognizes in a hundred people.”
“Even the smallest things are getting leaked; do they think we’re just some dogs to follow around?”
“……”
The next day, the paparazzi dropped those explosive photos and videos on their social media accounts.
Sarah’s fans had just celebrated a victory the day before, all feeling great until they opened Twitter and saw a whole line of trending topics about their girl.
“Sarah’s Romance”
“Sarah Kissing a Stranger in a Parking Garage”
“Sarah Meeting a Handsome Guy at a Hotel”
“……”
Fans were clutching their chests, feeling like they were about to faint. But when they clicked on the trending topics and saw the pictures, they surprisingly found they could accept it.
The paparazzi had shot from too far away, so the photos weren’t very clear. But even with the blurry videos and pictures, it was obvious that the guy was unbelievably handsome.
He looked more than six foot three, towering over most of the male stars in the industry. Dressed in a tailored suit, he exuded charm and style, far more captivating than most male models.
Though his face wasn’t clear, you could sense his superior bone structure and aristocratic aura.
The comments section was buzzing with shock.
“This guy looks super rich! Is there anyone like him in the industry?”
“I think he could debut-who cares if he can’t act or sing?”
“Wow, Sarah’s got great taste! Finally, it’s not a beauty with a monster-like husband. Can they make a hundred episodes of a drama? I want to see the drama!”
“Why didn’t they get closer for the shot? I want to see some clear kissing pics of them.”
“……”
Everyone had been shipping this couple for a while when they suddenly realized that Sarah seemed to be married.
Sarah’s fans had always thought her husband was a rich but ugly, greasy old man, which was pretty much how gold diggers looked. So when they saw the news, their hearts suddenly dropped.
What if Sarah wasn’t happy with her old husband’s looks and had suddenly cheated with a hot guy?
The fans of other celebrities, who’d just been on the receiving end of a brutal beatdown from Sarah’s fans, were now reveling in the drama.
“Your girl’s cheating, huh?”
“LOL! Looks like after becoming famous, she wants to ditch her monster-like husband and run into a handsome guy’s arms. Can’t wait to see her get revenge from her husband.”
“Waiting for Sarah to lose her resources and endorsements after the divorce.”
“……”
Right at that moment, Sarah looked at the trending topics filled with her name and thought she must still be dreaming.
She rubbed her eyes and checked the trending topics again, then glanced over at Holden.