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, "What brings you here today?"

"I simply wanted to drop by," Adrian replied, his gaze scanning the room, sensing Holden's enigmatic mood. Then, he inquired, “I saw the news online. How's your wife? Is everything alright?"

"She's fine. She's resting upstairs," Holden reassured Adrian.

“Oh, that's great to hear," Adrian responded with relief. Then, leaning in slightly, he brought up the current buzz. “But what's been going on lately? The internet is abuzz with the news. Have you figured out how to handle Sadie yet?"

"She won't be able to stir up trouble soon, but for the sake of the child, I can't afford to be too harsh," Holden admitted, a hint of annoyance creeping into his tone at the mention of Sadie's name.

"Well, I understand you," Adrian said, giving Holden's shoulder a reassuring pat. "But is it true that she's dating Zayden? It seems quite obvious. How could she have the audacity to cheat on you?"

Holden's eyes narrowed with a trace of disgust as he spoke. “She's not my partner, so I don't care who she's with. But it's surprising how little she seems to care about Adele." He then scanned their surroundings, ensuring privacy, before he finally broached the topic.

“How much do you know about my relationship with Helen five years ago?"

Adrian's brow furrowed in confusion. “Why are you asking about this now?"

"Didn't you all say that Helen used to chase after me relentlessly?"

Holden paused, the words catching in his throat. After a while, he continued, "Has she succeeded in the end?"

"What?" Adrian's 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, "I don't 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."

Adrian pondered it for a while before adding, "But I also think it's possible that she had already succeeded, and you had not told me out of shame."

Holden's 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. "Why are you suddenly asking about this, though?"

Holden took a deep breath and shifted on the sofa. "I have a suspicion that Sadie is Helen."