The dim, twinkling lights cast a soft glow on her peaceful sleeping face; her breathing was even and light, and a faint blush colored her cheeks. Her long eyelashes created a small shadow on her skin.
Holden leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead.
Butler Ted only saw Holden come out alone, without Sarah, and he felt a wave of panic. As a middle-aged man, he didn’t really understand the feelings of young people; he just worried that if Holden went off the deep end, he might end up harming his wife. After spending so much time with Sarah, Butler Ted still viewed her as a little granddaughter.
Holden spoke calmly, “I don’t want to see Ronald and his family in City N anymore.”
Butler Ted understood immediately. “Got it. I’ll make arrangements for them to leave tomorrow. But it’s late; shouldn’t Lady be going to bed?”
Holden headed upstairs. “Bring me the contract we signed this afternoon. I need to take a look.”
Butler Ted nodded quickly. “Sure, I’ll get it right away. Oh, and I just remembered we had a shipment of ready-to-wear clothes and jewelry airlifted from Paris today. Should I have Lady come try some on?”
“Also, send up a cup of coffee.”
Butler Ted said, “It’s late, and the doctor doesn’t recommend coffee. I could bring you some milk instead. Lady usually likes a glass of warm milk at night; should I heat some up for her?”
Holden smiled slightly. “Do you think I’m going to do something to her?”
Butler Ted didn’t dare to answer.
“I told you, I’m not like him.”
No matter what, Holden would never hurt the person he cared about.
Even though his father, Thomas, once thought the same thing, the outcome for him and his wife was ultimately tragic.
Holden didn’t want to go down that path. He just wanted to keep Sarah in his own little world, a place where only he could see her.
When Sarah woke up, she felt a bit dizzy. The last thing she remembered was getting out of the car and feeling something prick her wrist, and then everything went dark.
Thinking back to what Ronald had said made her heart ache a little. She didn’t know if what he said was true, but it probably was. If it was true-then Holden really had a rough life.
Nobody loved him as a child, he witnessed the tragedy of his parents, and as an adult, he had to deal with deception and fighting over inheritance. His world seemed to lack any warmth.
In Sarah’s eyes, Holden was a really good person.
She didn’t know how he treated others. All she knew was that he was good to her. Very good.
Even if the whole world accused him of being mentally unstable, he never treated Sarah poorly, and she couldn’t let that go.
The door opened, and Holden walked in, pulling Sarah into his arms.
Her eyelashes looked a bit damp, and her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying recently.
Holden’s long fingers brushed against her eyes, and his voice was low and laced with a cold smirk. “Living with someone as dangerous as me day in and day out, are you scared?”
He knew a normal person’s reaction would be to flee from danger, but he would never let Sarah go. After all, she had said she loved him.
Making a promise to a demon leaves no room for take-backs.
But in the next moment, Sarah wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.
He was soft and tender, like a rose petal, sweet and fragrant.
Holden’s body froze instantly.
Sarah wasn’t sure how to put it into words.
She rubbed her forehead against Holden’s chest and after a long pause, she said softly, “In my heart, you’re the best.”
The coldness in Holden’s eyes faded a bit. “No regrets?”
Sarah shook her head.
She’d always been someone who loved fiercely and hated just as strongly. If she loved someone, she loved them; if not, she didn’t.
But-
Sarah curiously lifted her hand. “What’s this thing you put on me?”
A chain?
From years of reading novels, she knew there were plenty of male leads with some s/m tendencies, but Holden definitely didn’t fit that bill.
To Sarah, he was more of a gentle, restrained type of domineering CEO, not someone with unusual preferences.
Holden suddenly realized he shouldn’t look at Sarah through the lens of normalcy. Her quirky mind always seemed to be thinking about something he couldn’t quite figure out.
She was smart, sure, but sometimes she just couldn’t see things clearly.
Sarah had no idea that after all her hard work, transitioning from a cliche side character to the sweet leading lady, she was just a step away from becoming a captive little bird in a story about forced possession.
There were two thin golden chains locked around her wrists. The length didn’t hinder her comfort while sleeping in bed, but it was just enough to ensure she couldn’t escape.
Holden unlocked the chains on her wrists. “It’s nothing.”
Sarah sat up, feeling a bit sore from sleeping.
The bedroom was on the second level of the basement, decorated in a low-key, luxurious black-and-white style, with a wine cabinet by the bed-it was clear this was Holden’s private space.
She was feeling a bit hungry now and wanted to go upstairs to eat the breakfast Lucy made.
Meanwhile, on the first floor, Butler Ted was practically in a panic. He had no idea what Holden might do.
But with his rich imagination, he pictured a scene where Mr. Holden and Mrs. Holden were playing a game of chase, full of deep, tortured love, and the wife, locked away, would surely refuse to comply, crying pitifully and begging him to sneak her out without Holden knowing.
Butler Ted paced back and forth in the large living room. If Lady did ask him for help, what would he do? Would he let her go or not?
If he let her go, he was sure Mr. Holden would kill him and turn him into an old man pancake!
If he didn’t let her go, then Lady would be way too pitiful, and he’d feel guilty about their long-standing friendship.
Butler Ted was so worried he felt a few strands of hair turn gray.
Just as he was sighing and lamenting, Holden came over.
Butler Ted respectfully greeted him as usual, “Good morning, sir! …Uh, Lady?”
Sarah rubbed her eyes, following Holden. “Good morning, Butler Ted.”
Butler Ted’s brain short-circuited. “Morning.”
After all these years, he’d seen it all, but he had never witnessed a scene like this.
Shouldn’t Sarah normally be locked in a basement behind layers of doors? When did she decide she didn’t want to escape anymore and finally got let out of that little dark room?
Sarah glanced at Butler Ted. “Mr. Holden, this is the first time I’ve seen Butler Ted’s eyes this wide.”
Butler Ted quickly tried to normalize his expression.
Holden usually ate slowly and elegantly, but unfortunately, he didn’t eat much; once his plate was clean, he left for work.
Sarah was definitely feeling a bit hungry, especially since she hadn’t been eating well while filming recently, and she wanted to try everything. By the time Holden left, she still hadn’t finished sampling everything.
Butler Ted stood nearby, eyeing Sarah.
Sarah took a sip of juice. “Butler Ted, is there something you want to say?”
Lucy placed a freshly baked cherry pudding tart in front of Sarah.
Butler Ted suddenly realized, “I’m just a little worried, Lady. If you eat so much, won’t you gain weight and not look good on camera?”
Sarah asked, “Is that all?”
Butler Ted replied, “Of course not.”
What he really wanted to know was how Sarah had gotten out of that little dark room. After all, Mr. Holden wasn’t exactly a saint.
After thinking it over, Butler Ted decided not to ask and changed the subject instead. “Shall I bring you a cup of coffee?”
Once Lucy left, Sarah lowered her voice and asked, “What’s going on with Mr. Holden’s parents?”
A hint of sadness flashed in Butler Ted’s eyes. “Well-“