After all, Sadie was his publicly acknowledged fiancée, and even though he harbored no genuine feelings for her, his conscience
compelled him to take action. However, his personal feelings also dictated that he couldn’t offer her unwavering support. Thus,
he instructed Shawn to just quell the situation.
In that moment, Shawn added, “By the way, I’ve located the address you asked me to investigate. It’s right here in Eleymond,
tucked away in a remote corner not marked on any map. It’s a modest tailor shop in a quiet town, run by the son of an elderly
lady who’s been in business for over four decades. However, their livelihood doesn’t depend on the shop; it’s only occasionally
open.”
Shawn handed over a handwritten address, and Holden accepted it, his gaze contemplative.
At that moment, Holden’s phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and saw that it was Sadie.
A subtle furrow formed on his brow before he picked up the call.
Immediately the call connected, Sadie’s voice quivered from the other end.
“Have you seen the news going around the internet?”
Before Holden could utter a word, she broke down in tears. Her voice trembled as she hurriedly explained, “Don’t believe any of
it. It’s all fabricated. Someone is intentionally framing me. I haven’t committed any wrongdoing..”
“That’s enough,” Holden interjected sternly.
“I have no interest in verifying these allegations. However, you must confront your own truth.”
A N G E L A ‘s L I B R A R Y
With that, he abruptly ended the call.
Afterward, Holden felt a twinge of unease.
He was very aware that the way he felt about Ariana was different, and that he had no emotional connection to Sadie.
In fact, he had no recollection of Sadie from his past. Nevertheless, out of respect for his family’s expectations and his
obligations to Adele, he couldn’t just dismiss Sadie’s predicament.
During a moment of introspection, Holden grappled with strange emotions, and it left him feeling kind of degraded. As the pride
of his family, he had never felt such feelings.
“Mr. Fredrick.” Shawn’s voice broke the spell of Holden’s thoughts.
Holden refocused and remarked, “You can head back now. I require some time alone.”
Without further questions, Shawn left, leaving Holden with a steaming cup of coffee.
Holden lingered in his office for a while, contemplating. He eventually opted to leave alone in another car.
Meanwhile, Ariana and her friends had reveled late into the night, having more alcohol than they should have. Among the group,
the only one still sober was Sarah’s assistant.
The assistant had coordinated their departures and had even arranged for a car to pick up Ariana.
However, because Ariana was drunk, the assistant had concerns about her safety during the journey home. Consequently, she
made the decision to personally accompany Ariana.
With the assistant’s support, Ariana stumbled outside, trying to push her away while slurring, “I’m alright, you don’t have to..”