âWhat a coincidence! Iâm actually heading to your place right now.
We can discuss everything in person.
â
Holden agreed and hung up the phone.
In the study, Holdenâs fingers traced delicate patterns on the lollipop stick, his gaze fixed on the window as he was lost in a sea of thoughts.
As Adrian entered, Holden gestured gracefully for him to take a seat on the plush sofa.
He then asked everyone else to leave.
Only when they were undisturbed did Holden finally turn to Adrian, ready to delve into their conversation.
Holden hesitated briefly before he asked, âWhat brings you here today?â
âI simply wanted to drop by,â Adrian replied, his gaze scanning the room, sensing Holdenâs enigmatic mood.
Then, he inquired, âI saw the news online.
Howâs your wife? Is everything alright?â
âSheâs fine.
Sheâs resting upstairs,â Holden reassured Adrian.
âOh, thatâs great to hear,â Adrian responded with relief.
Then, leaning in slightly, he brought up the current buzz.
âBut whatâs been going on lately? The internet is abuzz with the news.
Have you figured out how to handle Sadie yet?â
âShe wonât be able to stir up trouble soon, but for the sake of the child, I canât afford to be too harsh,â Holden admitted, a hint of annoyance creeping into his tone at the mention of Sadieâs name.
âWell, I understand you,â Adrian said, giving Holdenâs shoulder a reassuring pat.
âBut is it true that sheâs dating Zayden? It seems quite obvious.
How could she have the audacity to cheat on you?â
Holdenâs eyes narrowed with a trace of disgust as he spoke.
âSheâs not my partner, so I donât care who sheâs with.
But itâs surprising how little she seems to care about Adele.
â He then scanned their surroundings, ensuring privacy, before he finally broached the topic.
âHow much do you know about my relationship with Helen five years ago?â
Adrianâs brow furrowed in confusion.
âWhy are you asking about this now?â
âDidnât you all say that Helen used to chase after me relentlessly?â
Holden paused, the words catching in his throat.
After a while, he continued, âHas she succeeded in the end?â
âWhat?â Adrianâs eyes widened in surprise.
He stared at Holden and picked his ears, thinking he must have misheard him.
After Holden gave him a pointed look, Adrian said, âI donât think so.
That woman wanted to drag you to die together in the end.
Given her personality, if she really made it, she would have threatened you with her child.
â
Adrian pondered it for a while before adding, âBut I also think itâs possible that she had already succeeded, and you had not told me out of shame.
â
Holdenâs expression darkened at that.
He instinctively reached for a cigarette in his pocket, but he only found a lollipop.
In an attempt to finally quit smoking, he had thrown away all the cigarettes he had.
Knowing that it was going to be a struggle for him, Ariana had prepared lollipops as substitutes.
Holden unwrapped the lollipop and put it into his mouth.
Adrian grabbed the candy on the table for himself before leaning back in his seat.
âWhy are you suddenly asking about this, though?â
Holden took a deep breath and shifted on the sofa.
âI have a suspicion that Sadie is Helen.
â
âWhat?â Adrian was taken aback.