Zayden had also caught on, though his face betrayed nothing. "This joke isn't very funny. Look how upset you've made Sadie feel."

Holden's smile persisted, but his eyes betrayed a calculating assessment. "Whether I'm joking or not... You would know better than anyone, right?"

Outwardly, Zayden appeared unfazed. “Let's keep this kind of joke between us men. No need to sully Sadie's reputation over it."

Holden quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? Is that so?" With a sharp command, he called out, “Shawn!”

Shawn emerged from the shadows like a looming guillotine, exposing their fate by flinging a stack of photos to Sadie and Zayden.

The photos fluttered, littering the floor. The photos were illicit images of them together Sadie turned ghostly pale at the sight, paralyzed.

Zayden's eyes narrowed slightly as he examined the photos before turning back to Holden, his expression inscrutable.

Sadie opened her mouth, but before she could utter a word, Shawn produced a listening device, placing it deliberately in front of them.

Holden's piercing gaze bore into both of them. “Thanks to you having her plant that little gift in my study, I've been able to gather all the evidence I need on you two."

Sadie staggered back in shock, her face drained of color as she laid eyes on the eavesdropping device on the table. Her lips quivered, and in a trembling murmur, she repeated, “Impossible! It can't be. I kept it secret!"

Trying to steady herself, Sadie's overwhelming fear sent shivers down her spine. She looked at Holden, her voice faltering. "This is all a misunderstanding. Someone's trying to pin it on me..."

She was unable to even finish her statements because of the extreme fear.

Holden paid no heed to her turmoil, fixing his gaze on Zayden without uttering a word.

Zayden hadn't anticipated Holden turning the tables using the hidden microphone. With incriminating photos stacked against him, any explanation would certainly turn out futile.

Zayden made an effort to remain calm. He secretly wished he had never gotten close to Sadie. It was this woman that he blamed for luring him in!

Struggling to keep his cool, he said, “Maybe there's a misunderstanding? Can't we talk this out. The photos..."

"Enough! I don't want to hear any excuses," Holden interrupted, uninterested in Zayden's justifications. His priority was wrapping things up swiftly to find Ariana.

Without waiting for Zayden's retort, Holden tossed a tiny vial at him.

“No way this is a mix-up, Zayden," he said. “Remember? This medication was cooked up by a pharmaceutical under my label. It makes people gullible with prolonged use."

Sadie widened her eyes in shock, shooting Zayden an irate glare.