The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 163

“I don’t remember anything from last night…”

Nova bit down hard on her lower lip, so hard that blood beaded at the corner of her mouth. Holden’s brow furrowed; he reached out and gently wiped it away.

“It doesn’t matter whether you remember. I do.”

His gaze dropped, cold and unreadable, as he studied the smear of bright red on his finger. He drew in a slow breath.

Last night, he’d gone to Nova’s apartment—at first, just to toy with her a little. Ramona’s most trusted employee mixing things up with him? That was amusing.

He hadn’t expected Nova to be so skittish, dodging him as if he were the plague. Holden had never met a woman he couldn’t charm, not even when he jokingly offered Nova a wad of cash to leave it all behind and come to him. She hadn’t hesitated for a second before turning him down.

She could have taken the easy way out, but she refused. Was he really that off-putting? Did he not even register in the eyes of a broke girl like her?

That thought, absurd as it was, sparked something competitive—and predatory—in Holden.

He used the excuse of an infected wound to force Nova into caring for him all night. When she finally collapsed from exhaustion and drifted off, he’d quietly undone a couple of buttons on her pajama top, pulled her into his arms, and snapped a few intimate photos.

It was all supposed to be a twisted little game, but Nova proved even more naïve than he’d expected.

When Holden claimed they’d slept together, she actually believed him. Whether she was pretending or really that gullible, Holden didn’t mind playing along.

“Mr. Covington, even if something did happen between us…it was just an accident. There’s no way you’d be interested in someone like me. I saw you the other day, across the street—you already have a girlfriend!”

Nova hadn’t wanted to say it, but Holden left her no choice. She forced herself to call it out.

Something flickered in Holden’s eyes.

Girlfriend? She thought Nadia was his girlfriend? Hadn’t she seen Nadia’s face?

“Girlfriends are replaceable. Lately, I find myself drawn to your…type.”

Holden’s long, elegant fingers slid into Nova’s thick hair; he cupped the back of her head, forcing her to meet his hungry, relentless gaze.

“Well, I’m not interested in you, Mr. Covington,” Nova snapped, jaw tight.

“Not interested? Then why are you always running from me? Why do you flush and panic whenever I’m near? Afraid someone might find out about us?”

As the words left his mouth, Nova’s eyes widened. She’d reached her breaking point.

Taking advantage of a moment when Holden let his guard down, she shoved him away as hard as she could and scrambled out from beneath him.

“I would never betray Ramona. And if you try to use whatever happened between us against me…I’ll go to the police. I’ll accuse you of rape!”

Holden had those compromising photos. Nova, still an innocent at heart, felt mortified to the point of despair. She knew Holden didn’t actually care about her; he only wanted to use her against Ramona.

Nova had agonized all night over what to do, but now seeing Holden’s true colors, she decided to face it head-on.

“Go ahead. Report me if you want. But do you actually have any evidence? If this gets out, who do you think will survive the scandal, me, or you?” Holden straightened his sleeves, his voice icier than ever, without a backward glance.

“Nova, I’ll give you some time to think. Consider your mother and your brother. Ramona is just your boss, not your family. She can’t really help you. In the corporate world, there are no permanent alliances. If you’re useless, you’ll either be abandoned or become someone else’s burden. In the end, everyone is responsible for themselves.”

Nova knew that going up against Holden was like throwing herself against a brick wall. But she didn’t let him finish. She’d already walked out.

Back at the party, Ramona immediately noticed something was off. Nova had been out of sorts all day.