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Chapter 9
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2021-10-15 13:22:34Holden’s pupils contracted. “Remember this—this is the price for making me say it a third time.”
“Domestic violence, Mr. Lu?” Elena asked, gaze lingering on his firm jaw.
“You dared to come in even knowing I was about to lose control,” Holden replied while applying the bandage. “Are you really that brave?”
“People may fear you, Mr. Lu, but I don’t.” Elena smiled sweetly.
“Go out. Leave me alone.”
He then helped her stand.
But Elena reached out with her pale, delicate hand and wrapped her arms tightly around his trim waist.
At once, Holden’s rigid body tensed. She felt as soft as a boneless kitten pressed against him, her small face nestled against his chest like a timid little cat.
Her faint scent filled his lungs, soothing the storm inside him.
“Mr. Lu… don’t be alone,” Elena murmured. “Let me stay with you.”
The blue veins on his forehead slowly receded, and the suffocating darkness in his eyes faded. He lifted a hand and gently embraced her back.
Her scent… it felt strangely familiar. Sweet, warm—perhaps from the strawberry jam dessert she’d just eaten.
Elena stroked his tense back, fingertips brushing his shoulder blades. “If you’re still uncomfortable… you can bite.”
“You want me to bite you? Aren’t you afraid it’ll hurt?”
“I meant it figuratively…” she whispered, leaning up on her toes—
Then suddenly bit him. Hard.
Blood immediately seeped through his white shirt.
She had bitten deep—nearly drawing a mouthful of flesh.
Holden’s muscles jumped from the sharp pain. He instinctively stepped back, pulling her with him. Elena’s leg caught on the sofa edge, and the two of them tumbled into the cushions.
“Are you taking revenge now, Mrs. Lu?” Holden braced himself over her, the haze in his eyes slowly clearing.
“You pushed me earlier. I bit you. Now we’re even,” she said, brows raised in challenge.
She tried to get up, but Holden placed a hand on her shoulder, pinning her lightly against the wall beside the sofa.
Their position was… ambiguous.
Elena looked up, straight into his burning gaze—two crimson sparks igniting under those deep eyes as if she were a tempting prey.
“What are you doing, Mr. Lu?”
“You smell good,” he murmured. “Did you tell me what perfume you used last time?”
“I said I don’t use perfume.” Elena blinked playfully. “You’ve been hung up on that question for so long. Should I assume you’re flirting with me?”
Holden had always found her eyes beautiful—now, when she challenged him, they were even more irresistible. He leaned closer, lowering his voice.
He closed his eyes and kissed the bandage on her forehead. “Here? Does it hurt? I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
Hearing this domineering man whisper apologies made Elena’s scalp tingle.
This devil of a man!
“It’s fine, Mr. Lu. We’re even. Now let me go first.” She pushed lightly against his chest.
Holden didn’t move. Instead, he cupped her little face with one hand.
His lips brushed from her forehead downward, and his fingers slid through her hair.
Elena’s long lashes trembled. She didn’t dare move.
What is he trying to do…?
Their breaths mingled as he leaned in—
Just as his lips were about to touch hers, Elena swiftly pressed a silver acupuncture needle into one of his meridian points.
Holden collapsed to his knees beside her, eyes shutting at once.
Elena stared up at the crystal chandelier, heart pounding.
He didn’t admit it, but his actions spoke clearly enough.
Elena scowled. “No way.”
Whatever he meant by that moment, they were only bound by a peace-agreement marriage. She had no time or energy to be distracted by him.
She tried to stand, but a strong arm tightened around her shoulders.
Holden, even unconscious, refused to let her go.
She attempted to pry his hand off, but his grip was unyielding. She didn’t dare wake him forcefully, so she had no choice but to lie down again.
The study’s sofa was small; with both of them on it, there was barely any room. Elena curled sideways, trying not to take up space.
After some time, a melodic ringtone chimed.
Elena reached over quickly. She didn’t want to answer—
Her father.
Still lying in Holden’s arms, she whispered, “Hello, Dad.”
“Elena, what happened today?” Zander demanded. “Mr. Wang agreed to fund Xia’s medical treatment, but I heard you offended him. He left the negotiation table. You must apologize tomorrow, or everything will fall apart.”
“Dad, did Yuna not tell you what happened?” Elena asked coldly. “Should I inform you that Mr. Wang agreed to invest only if your daughter slept with him?”
Yuna immediately interjected, “Zander, yes, I was preparing to send Elena to Mr. Wang today. Xia’s treatment fund is short—we urgently need money. Elena is part of the Xia family. She should contribute.”
“Auntie,” Elena hissed, “you have two daughters. Jasmine and Yoselin are also daughters of the Xia family. Why don’t you send them?”
Yuna stiffened. Jasmine was her pride.
The Xia family had academics and medicine in their bloodlines. Zander respected Jasmine greatly—she had a natural medical talent, elegance, beauty, and charm. She was praised as Darenvil’s first lady of grace and intellect.
People admired Yuna for having such a daughter.
Elena and Jasmine had been close once. Elena used to be equally gifted—until she was exiled to the countryside for ten years.
“What’s the point of comparing them now?” Yuna sniffed. “Stop degrading Jasmine.”
Zander’s tone turned severe.
“Elena, tomorrow night, you will go to Bar 1949 and apologize to Mr. Wang!”
Latest chapter
The Rich Man's Proxy Marriage Chapter 150
Elena woke up before dawn.The pain was no longer sharp. Just present. A dull reminder that her body had survived something her mind was still unpacking.The room was quiet.Too quiet.She turned her head and saw Holden sitting in the armchair by the window, jacket still on, tie loosened but not removed. He hadn’t slept there again.He hadn’t slept much at all since the attack.“You should rest,” she said softly.He looked up immediately, alert, as if he had been waiting for permission to breathe.“I’m fine.”She almost smiled at the lie.“You say that every time,” she murmured.“I need to.”That was the truth.Holden stood and came closer, careful, always careful now. He adjusted the blanket even though it didn’t need adjusting. Straightened the glass of water. Checked the IV like he didn’t trust the nurses.Obsessive wasn’t the right word.Terrified was.Elena studied him—really studied him—and saw the fractures he didn’t realize were visible. The tightness in his jaw. The way his e
The Rich Man's Proxy Marriage Chapter 149
Distance, Elena discovered, was not created by miles.It was created by rules.Within forty-eight hours of their argument, the rules appeared.They arrived quietly—like dust settling on furniture no one remembered moving.Her office access card no longer opened the executive elevator. Her calendar showed meetings she hadn’t approved and absences she hadn’t requested. People still greeted her with respect, but something fundamental had shifted.She was no longer inside.She was adjacent.Elena stood in the hallway outside the boardroom, staring at the frosted glass.Holden was inside.She could see his silhouette through the blur—still, authoritative, absolute.The door did not open for her.She didn’t knock.She turned away.That was the moment she understood: Holden hadn’t pushed her out in anger.He had done it calmly.Deliberately.As if he were amputating something he loved to save the rest of his body.At home, the atmosphere was worse.Holden was everywhere and nowhere at once.
The Rich Man's Proxy Marriage Chapter 148
Distance, Elena discovered, was not created by miles.It was created by rules.Within forty-eight hours of their argument, the rules appeared.They arrived quietly—like dust settling on furniture no one remembered moving.Her office access card no longer opened the executive elevator. Her calendar showed meetings she hadn’t approved and absences she hadn’t requested. People still greeted her with respect, but something fundamental had shifted.She was no longer inside.She was adjacent.Elena stood in the hallway outside the boardroom, staring at the frosted glass.Holden was inside.She could see his silhouette through the blur—still, authoritative, absolute.The door did not open for her.She didn’t knock.She turned away.That was the moment she understood: Holden hadn’t pushed her out in anger.He had done it calmly.Deliberately.As if he were amputating something he loved to save the rest of his body.At home, the atmosphere was worse.Holden was everywhere and nowhere at once.
The Rich Man's Proxy Marriage Chapter 147
Elena learned, slowly, that recovery was not the same as freedom.Her body had healed enough to move without pain, to breathe without effort, to sleep without medication. But something else had tightened around her life—something invisible, relentless.Holden.He controlled nothing openly.That was the most frightening part.He didn’t forbid her from leaving the house. He didn’t raise his voice when she spoke to board members. He didn’t place guards directly at her side.Instead, the world rearranged itself around her.Cars arrived before she called for them. Meetings were “rescheduled” moments before she confirmed attendance. People hesitated before answering her questions—then glanced past her shoulder, as if seeking permission from the air.From him.The realization settled like a bruise beneath her skin.This wasn’t protection.This was containment.One evening, she tested it.She left without telling him.No security notice. No assistant. No destination shared.Just her coat, her
The Rich Man's Proxy Marriage Chapter 146
Elena woke before dawn.Not because of pain—her body had finally begun to obey her again—but because of the quiet. The kind of silence that pressed too close, too aware.Holden was awake.She could feel it without opening her eyes.His presence had become that familiar: a weight in the room, steady and unyielding. When she finally turned her head, she found him sitting in the chair beside her bed, sleeves rolled up, phone dark in his hand, gaze fixed on her face as if she might disappear if he blinked.“How long have you been watching?” she asked softly.“All night.”She closed her eyes again.“That’s not normal.”“It’s necessary.”The same word.Always the same word.She pushed herself upright slowly. He moved instantly, hand hovering near her shoulder, ready to catch her if she swayed. She didn’t.“I can stand on my own,” she said.“I know.”“Then let me.”He hesitated—just half a second—but withdrew his hand.That hesitation told her everything.Breakfast was silent. Holden barely
The Rich Man's Proxy Marriage Chapter 145
Elena had always believed healing would feel like returning to herself.She was wrong.Recovery felt more like inhabiting a version of her body that no longer belonged entirely to her—every movement monitored, every decision questioned, every silence filled by someone else’s vigilance.By Holden’s.He accompanied her everywhere now.Not obviously. Not openly.But always there.When she took calls, he stood close enough to hear her tone. When she read documents, he watched her reactions more than the words. When she slept, he timed her breathing like a countdown he was afraid would end.“Do you ever stop?” she asked one evening as he followed her into the study.“No.”It wasn’t defiance.It was confession.She closed the door behind them.“You don’t trust me to be alone.”“I don’t trust the world to leave you alone.”“That’s not the same thing.”“It is when the world has already tried to kill you.”She leaned against the desk, arms crossed.“And what happens when I want something yo
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