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Chapter 4
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2021-09-14 11:54:19Holden’s fingers finally stopped. He didn’t lift the veil from her face.
Instead, he looked quietly at the girl sleeping on the bed.
Innocent, yet charming.
His gaze drifted to the faint red marks on her neck. Her skin was delicate — he had only touched her lightly, yet it bruised.
With an unreadable expression, Holden turned and went back to the sofa, sitting down silently.
His insomnia had grown worse by the day. Her silver needles alone could not cure him.
And earlier, he had actually fallen asleep in her hands — a luxury he hadn’t felt in years.
Even if it lasted no more than ten minutes.
Ten whole minutes — something he hadn’t achieved in a long time.
Holden’s eyes drifted back to her small figure on the bed.
The next morning
Elena sat in the dining room, sipping the red date and lotus seed soup the maid served her.
“As soon as I saw you, Elena, I liked you!” Old Madam Lu beamed. “Holden won’t bully you anymore. If he does, tell Grandma — Grandma will help you beat him up! Drink more soup, drink! We must have a little great-grandchild soon. Grandma will hold Mr. Holden in one hand and Lady Elena in the other…”
Elena hid a smile. Mrs. Lu’s hair was gray, but she was energetic, sincere, warm — Elena genuinely liked her.
“Master, good morning,” the maid suddenly announced.
Holden came downstairs.
Elena turned her head. Holden wore a white shirt and black trousers, simple yet expensive enough that anyone with an eye for quality would know they were custom-made.
Beside Mrs. Lu stood a cheerful woman.
Mrs. Lu happily handed out red envelopes.
Elena recognized the woman — she was the one who delivered “evidence” of last night’s consummation.
Holden stopped beside Elena. One hand slipped casually into his pocket as he lowered his body slightly.
“I did it,” he murmured, voice low. “The mark won’t appear again. Yours is still… intact, right?”
Elena froze, her cheeks burning instantly.
Holden leaned in even closer, as though they were a newlywed couple glued together.
Mrs. Lu covered her eyes.
But between her fingers, she was absolutely peeking.
“You’re not even twenty yet,” Holden whispered. His brows lifted slightly, adding a wicked charm to his matured face. “Nineteen… and untouched? No man before me?”
Elena’s cheeks flushed scarlet. Nineteen — young, inexperienced, and completely overwhelmed.
While Holden, at twenty-seven, was the picture of mature male charm.
His breath brushed her ear, warm and dangerous. Instinctively, she leaned away, but he pressed forward again — closing the distance.
“Eat.”
Flustered, Elena quickly scooped up the soup and shoved the spoon into his mouth just to shut him up.
“Young lady — that’s your spoon!” the butler gasped.
The young master was a severe clean freak.
Everyone froze.
Holden lifted his brows slightly — and swallowed the spoonful of soup.
The butler nearly fainted.
Had he forgotten his cleanliness obsession?
Mrs. Lu nodded proudly. Even at her age, she recognized a good match instantly.
“You two shared a bowl of red date and lotus seed soup! My great-grandson must be on his way already!” she chattered joyfully.
Elena stared at the half bowl of soup in front of her.
Holden sat down, narrowed his eyes at her, and said coolly, “Why did you stop? Eat. It’ll get cold.”
“…”
He was doing this on purpose.
This was practically… a k!ss.
“Elena, finish it, dear. Eat quickly,” Mrs. Lu encouraged.
Elena gulped down the remaining soup in a hurry.
Holden watched her pink cheeks, her flustered expression, and the corner of his lips lifted slightly.
Good mood achieved.
After breakfast, Mrs. Lu asked, “Elena, are you going out today?”
“Yes, Grandma. I want to visit my family.”
“That’s fine. Holden, go with her — take gifts. A son-in-law must be courteous.”
Before Elena could refuse, Holden answered calmly,
They exited Green Garden Mansion together.
“Get in.”
“Grandma isn’t watching anymore. No need to act. I’ll take a taxi home,” Elena said softly.
Holden arched a brow.
So domineering.
But when he accepted her “peace agreement” last night, she was secretly relieved.
Elena stepped into the luxury car obediently.
The car sped down the road. Silence filled the space. Elena turned her face to the window, avoiding his eyes.
In the reflection of the glass, Holden’s silhouette appeared — broad shoulders, long fingers controlling the steering wheel with steady, confident motions, shifting lanes with ease.
A luxury steel watch adorned his wrist — worth tens of millions.
Elena still didn’t know who he truly was.
But the agreement between them made it much easier for her to survive in the Xia family.
Soon, the car stopped in front of the Xia residence.
Elena reached to unbuckle her seatbelt — but it wouldn’t budge.
“I’ll do it.”
Elena froze.
His scent — clean, cool, masculine — drifted over her.
Her body stiffened as he worked on the buckle.
Last night, he had already memorized her scent.
And now, with their bodies close again, her soft fragrance lingered beneath his nose once more.
Bab terbaru
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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