As Sadie nervously rambled on, Holden sat beside her, smoking and patiently listening to her.
The more she talked, the colder Sadie felt.
When Sadie stopped, Holden extinguished his cigarette and asked calmly, âDid Zayden call you before the car crash? After leaving Eleymond, where did he go? Has he been in touch with you?â
Sadie was so nervous that she could hardly speak.
Holden gave her a quick look and said calmly, âHeâs my cousin, remember? I can overlook your past with Zayden.
â
Even though Holden never seemed to care about their past, Sadie couldnât help but feel like he was upset about this.
It seemed like he was ready to forgive her.
She told herself that maybe she was just imagining her fear.
âI will tell you!â Sadie quickly changed her tone, sounding repentant.
âHolden, if you can forgive me, Iâll tell you everything.
â
Without hesitating, Sadie revealed everything about Zayden she knew.
âHe called me before the car crash.
He said he went to Conata and had been staying there.
He had someone report you for arms smuggling in Mistlyn just to get you out of Eleymond, but I donât know what his plan was beyond that.
He also mentioned that his main base is in Conata, and he plans to rebuild his power from there.
â
When Holden heard Conata being mentioned, he recalled it was a notorious country for illegal activities like human trafficking.
Thinking about the video of Ariana that Zayden had shown him, he frowned, realizing he had a clue now.
This explained why his men had searched Eleymond thoroughly but had found no trace of Ariana.
After her confession, Sadie looked at Holden hopefully, thinking they could move past this.
Holden nodded, saying, âGood.
â
But before Sadie could relax, Holden brought up the previous topic.
âSince you are Helen, how could we have fallen in love?â
âWe just did,â Sadie replied, defensively.
âIâve always loved you, Holden.
Iâve loved you for a long time.
â
âHow about me?â Holden asked.
âYouâ¦â Sadie hesitated.
Then, she continued, âYouâve always wanted to be with me, so you agreed to be with me.
Weâve known each other for a long time; you just forgot it.
You didnât want to pressure me, so we kept it quiet.
Weâve been together secretly for a long time.
â
Holden almost Laughed out loud hearing her obvious lies.
Not only was he not the type to keep a secret lover, but Sadieâs personality hardly matched someone who would be content with being in a secret relationship.
Did she honestly think he would believe this?
Seeing Holdenâs amused expression, Sadie grew increasingly uneasy.
Holdenâs expression then turned serious, and he asked in a cold tone, âSo, is Adele really your child?â
Sadie felt her heart drop, her mind reeling from the intense way Holden looked at her.
It was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
Hands trembling, she grabbed the edge of the table, trying to steady herself.
Somehow, she forced the words out.
âOf course, Adele is my daughter.
â