The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 208

He probably wasn't trying to save her money, but rather feared another drunken spectacle. Nova had seen firsthand just last night how poorly he held his liquor.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll end up like yesterday?” Holden found her more and more intriguing. The little woman claimed to be scared of him, yet she possessed an undercurrent of composure that was a fascinating contradiction.

Nova didn’t look up. “I am. So you’ll have to drink in moderation, Mr. Covington. Control yourself.”

She ordered two carafes of the restaurant’s specialty sake.

Holden wasn’t a picky drinker—red, white, imported, he drank it all—so he accepted without protest. Nova, on the other hand, didn’t touch a drop. He’d tried to coax her into having some, but when she refused, he didn’t press the issue.

As he drank, Holden grew quieter, his mood visibly darkening. Seeing her chance, Nova began to steer the conversation toward seemingly innocuous topics.

“Mr. Covington, you put so much of your energy into work. Have you ever considered getting married?”

The question was a bit abrupt, but Holden, softened by the alcohol and relaxed by their idle chatter, didn't seem to notice.

“No girlfriend. Who would I marry?”

“Last night, I happened to see a photo of a woman in your wallet… Is she not your girlfriend?” As Nova spoke, her gaze dropped to the table, a dull ache spreading through her chest.

The woman in the photo was a dear friend, like a sister to her. The one who had saved Nova when she was on the brink of death, beaten by her own father. She had been the one to whisper, over and over, that hope was never lost. No matter how bleak things seemed, as long as you were alive and brave, there was always a way forward.

She had been a beacon of light in Nova’s darkest hours, a constant source of strength and support. And then, just like that, that light had been extinguished forever.

Nova refused to believe she would have taken her own life. Not even over a broken heart. It wasn't possible.

Holden’s hand, holding his cup, froze. The drunken haze in his eyes sharpened for an instant before being swallowed again by intoxication. He smirked. “Her? She’s just… someone from the past.”

“Someone from the past?” Nova’s nails dug into her palms. She forced her voice to remain steady. “Was she important to you? Where is she now?”

Holden was silent for a moment, then tilted his head back and drained his cup. The alcohol amplified the raw emotion in his heart, and for a rare moment, a look of profound, complex pain flickered in his usually calculating eyes.

Holden looked up at her, a faint smile on his lips. “What, are you offering to add a little challenge to my life?”

“I’m just curious,” Nova said, lowering her eyes. “For someone like you, what is it that you want most?”

Holden didn’t answer right away. It was a question he often asked himself. He never would have expected to hear it from Nova.

After a long pause, he answered quietly, “Probably… wealth, freedom, and happiness.” Three vast, ambitious desires, fitting for a man who wanted everything.

“Happiness?” The word was a sharp sting. “Isn’t happiness easy for you to find, Mr. Covington?”

“I don’t mean conventional satisfaction. I mean… family, a partner, friends. Like Ramona has, with the Jordon family as her rock.”

Holden suddenly stared at Nova, the smell of alcohol thick on his breath, but his words were more earnest than she had ever heard them. She could tell he was speaking the truth.