Chapter 9: An Accident?

Three years had passed. Ever since three years ago, when Jayla Letherdale married Holden Duffus and, as compensation, Darren Letherdale's father, Lu Aiguo, handed the CEO seat of Letherdale Brewery to Jayla, Damian Letherdale's branch had made Darren's family swallow every slight and humiliation they could. Nearly three full years of cold sarcasm and open contempt. Aya Showyer had never seen Damian this furious. Watching Damian's face twist like he had just swallowed something vile, Aya felt a rush of satisfaction so sharp she almost laughed. For once, she even found herself looking at Holden with a little less disgust. Jayla, on the other hand, did not dwell on it. After Damian's family stormed out of the conference room, she finally could not hold back her curiosity. "Holden," she asked, "how did you even meet Kyla Showyer?" Aya and Darren were just as curious. They turned to him, waiting. "Uh…" Holden had no idea how to answer without sounding ridiculous. *I tried to tell you yesterday, but you wouldn't listen. And you even…* He did not dare say that out loud. He had finally earned a sliver of goodwill from his mother-in-law, and he had no intention of stepping on a landmine. So he kept it simple. "Yesterday afternoon. Not long after you left. Juliana and I were about to go get the car. On the way, I saw a billboard on Cloudbliss Building fall out of nowhere. It almost crushed Kyla and her daughter. I reacted fast and pulled them out of the way. That's how we met." He did not tell the whole truth because what happened had been far too dangerous. The fact he had walked away alive already felt unreal. Explaining the rest would only invite more questions, so he flattened it into something easier to digest. Jayla and the others finally understood. "So you basically saved her and her daughter," Jayla said slowly. "And to repay you, she agreed to give us a chance to work together?" "Yes." Holden nodded. That made sense. Otherwise, with Holden's status, he would never have crossed paths with Kyla Showyer in his entire life, just like Damian's family had sneered. "Hmph." Aya's mood soured anyway. Today had helped her save face, but it also meant she had one less excuse to push for Holden and her daughter to divorce. She clicked her tongue. "Must've stepped in some kind of lucky dog crap." Holden could only give a helpless, bitter smile. Jayla looked at him seriously. "Holden, even if you did save her, she and you still live in different worlds. This time she gave us an opportunity, and that repays the favor. After this, don't go looking for her again. People will think you're trying to cash in on what you did. Money from Showyer Group isn't that easy to make. Understand?" Holden's thoughts drifted to the black card in his wallet, and to the things Kyla had told him. For a moment, his mind went blank. Then he smiled and nodded. "Alright. I get it. Don't worry." After that, Jayla and the others began preparing for tomorrow's negotiations. Seeing he was no longer needed, Holden left the company and headed home. When he walked out of the conference room, the way people looked at him had changed. The usual contempt had turned into wary disbelief. Every other time, it had been Darren's family leaving with faces dark enough to explode. Why had it flipped today? What had happened? Holden ignored the stares. Ever since he noticed the changes in his body, his personality had been shifting too. He still did not know whether that change was good or bad, but so far, it felt… not bad at all. Outside Soaring Dragon Venture, something else surprised him. Juliana had not left. He walked over, pulled open the car door, and slid into the passenger seat. Before he could speak, Juliana blurted out, "I saw Uncle Damian and them storm out with faces like thunder. Boss and the second brother had slap marks on their faces. What happened? What did you do?" Thinking of that whole family hopping around like clowns only to get smacked in the face made Holden want to laugh. But it was too complicated to explain, and he did not feel like unpacking it. "It's nothing," he said. "Boss and the second brother screwed up. Uncle Damian got mad and slapped them." Juliana had arrived at Showyer Group after the two brothers had already left, so she had no idea what had led up to it. She did not really believe him, but she had something else on her mind. Earlier, she had been too angry to think about it. Sitting alone in the car, it had come back to her, and she could not hold it in anymore. "Oh, right." She turned to him. "That ten million Hazel Ferdinando gave you. What are you planning to do with it?" Holden froze. Only then did it hit him. Right. Ten million. He was a ten-millionaire. With that money, he no longer had to worry about his sister's medical bills. And with the Supreme Mystery Scripture, healing her was only a matter of time. So… did he still need to stay with the Letherdale family? As soon as the thought surfaced, Jayla's face flashed through his mind. He went distant without meaning to. "Hey." Juliana frowned. "I'm talking to you." Ten million was not pocket change. The Letherdale family's total assets were only a few tens of millions, and most of that was tied up in property. In cash, they would be lucky to scrape together a few million. Of course she cared. Holden came back to himself. After a moment's thought, he shook his head. "I haven't decided yet. But the first priority is using it to treat my sister." Juliana opened her mouth, then closed it again. In the end, she said nothing. What could she say? He had earned the money himself. Jayla might have a claim to half of it, but what did that have to do with Juliana, or with the Letherdale family as a whole? After a beat, she asked, "And Hazel Ferdinando said she'd grant you one more condition, right? Have you decided what you're going to ask for?" For some reason, her heart tightened as she spoke. She suddenly remembered the things the bystanders had said. "What if he asks to marry Hazel Ferdinando? Would she agree?" "The Ferdinando family only has one daughter. If he marries her, wouldn't that mean he gets the whole Ferdinando family?" Would Holden leave the Letherdale family and marry Hazel Ferdinando? What did that have to do with her? She wanted him gone. The sooner he disappeared, the sooner she could stop hearing people gossip behind her back. And yet… If he really left, just like that… Why did she suddenly not want him to go? Juliana's thoughts tangled into a mess. She did not even know what she was thinking anymore. She only knew she was terrified he would say the one sentence she least wanted to hear. Holden glanced at her. Her face was blank, but her unease practically seeped out of her skin. He found it strange. "I remember you telling me I'm not in the same world as Kyla Showyer," he said. "You told me not to take what she said seriously, that people like her look down on people like me. Hazel Ferdinando's status isn't much lower than hers. Why do you think she'd look at me any differently?" Juliana stared, stunned. She had not expected him to say that. When she did not answer, Holden chuckled. "Alright, alright. I've heard your speech a thousand times. Relax. I know my place. I'm not going to go looking for her. I don't feel like getting thrown out the door." Juliana's lips lifted before she could stop them. The tight knot in her chest loosened in an instant, dropping back where it belonged. She still forced her face into a scowl. "Good. At least you know. You… use your brain, okay?" She had been about to tell him not to dream of eating swan meat when he was a toad. Then she suddenly thought, *What if he just hasn't considered asking to marry Hazel? And what if he asks, and Hazel actually agrees?* The words caught in her throat, and she hurriedly changed course. Holden was honestly scared of her moods. He quickly shifted the topic. "So where are we going?" Juliana checked the time, her eyes spinning with an idea. Excitement lit her face. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat!" Holden's stomach had been growling for a while too. He wanted food, but the look on her face made him instantly wary. "Then let's go home. I'll cook for you." "What?" Juliana protested at once. "What's wrong with you? You're a ten-millionaire. You can't treat me to something better?" "What do you want to eat?" Juliana blinked, then, for the first time in front of him, flashed a playful, sweet smile. "I want to go to Midcoast Dining House." Her smile was sweet. She looked beautiful. The words coming out of her mouth, however, made Holden suck in a sharp breath. Midcoast Dining House was the most high-end Chinese restaurant in all of Midcoast. The minimum spend there started at $1,000, and that was without alcohol. Anyone who could casually eat there was at least a core member of a second-rate family. A small, insignificant family like the Letherdale family only dared to go once when they had an important guest to entertain. Juliana had not even graduated college yet. There was no way she would ever pay for that herself. This woman… "Are you a demon?" Juliana grabbed his arm, her voice turning syrupy. "Brother-in-law… take me, okay? Please?" Holden opened his mouth, then sighed. "But I haven't even cashed the check yet…" Juliana's lips curved. A barely-there look of triumph flickered across her face. "That's easy. Give me the check. I'll cover it first, and you pay me back later." Holden stared at her, dumbfounded. "Are you kidding me?" "Ugh." Seeing his reluctance, Juliana did not bother arguing. She reached straight into his pocket. "Hey, hey, hey. Don't mess around!" "Don't move," she snapped. "If you touch me, I'll go tell my sister you got handsy with me!" "…." Holden could only watch as Juliana fished the check out of his pocket. She held it up and admired it, flipping it back and forth like a trophy. Holden wanted to cry. *Damn it. I didn't even get to warm it in my pocket first.* "Hmph." With a satisfied little huff, Juliana tucked the check carefully into her shoulder bag, clicked her seat belt into place, and giggled. "Let's go. Fancy meal time." She started the engine, shifted into gear, and turned on the left signal. Her red Four Rings rolled forward. The front of the car had barely edged out of the parking space by less than a foot when Holden suddenly heard a violent roar of an engine behind them. "Brake!" he shouted. Juliana saw the incoming car in the rearview mirror and slammed the pedal. "Screeeech!" "Ahhh!" Metal shrieked against metal in a piercing grind. The car jolted hard, rocking side to side. When it finally stopped, a silver Benlor sat right in front of them. "Juliana, are you okay?" Juliana sat frozen, drenched in cold sweat. After a long moment, she stammered, "I… I'm fine." Seeing she was only frightened, Holden finally let out the breath he had been holding. He looked up through the windshield. Five young men with that greasy, street-punk air climbed out of the Benlor, swaggering like they owned the place. They checked the right side of the cars first, then walked to the front of Juliana's car. One of them stomped a kick into the front bumper and roared, "You stupid piece of shit. Get the hell out!" "Ah!" Juliana screamed again, terrified by his vicious look. Holden rubbed the top of her head and murmured, "It's fine. It's fine. When I get out, lock the doors. Don't come out, no matter what. Got it?"