My Unexpected Billionaire Husband

Sarah Brown sat groggily on the sofa, listening to the strange man in front of her ramble on, "Sarah, don't be sad. Ronald and that woman are just fooling around. You've always been his unforgettable crush."

"Didn't you notice that her features look a bit like yours?" the man lowered his voice. "I did some digging. To keep Ronald, she had plastic surgery to make her face look like yours. She looks nothing like she did back in college."

Sarah kept her chin in her hand, saying nothing.

The man was a bit confused. Ever since Sarah had been pushed into the pool and pulled out, she hadn't said a word.

Was she really that heartbroken this time?

Actually, the most confused person was Sarah! She remembered being at the beach, but when she opened her eyes, she found herself at a party.

Yes, she had been transported into a book.

Last night, while scrolling through her phone, Sarah had accidentally clicked on a cheesy novel called "CEO's Ultimate Pampering." The name of the second female lead, the "unforgettable crush," was the same as hers, so she decided to take a look.

In the novel, the "unforgettable crush", Sarah Brown, was a wealthy heiress on par with the male lead, Ronald Martin. Ronald loved her, and she loved him back, but they never confessed their feelings.

The "unforgettable crush" prioritized her studies and went abroad for a few years. Ronald was heartbroken, thinking she valued her education more than him.

Reading this, Sarah was puzzled: of course, education is important. If it comes to choosing between love and education, education wins. Even an heiress needs the prestige of a top university. Besides, isn't Ronald a powerful CEO? He could visit her abroad as easily as taking a sip of water.

But Ronald didn't see it that way. He hadn't seen his first love for a few years and during that time, he met the novel's female lead, Elisa Wright.

Elisa had a crush on Ronald since high school and knew he still held feelings for Sarah. So, Elisa deliberately imitated Sarah's style and eventually succeeded in becoming Ronald's girlfriend.

But how could a CEO novel be without some dramatic twists?

Of course, his first love returned!

Seeing the man she once loved now with a girlfriend, the once noble and elegant Sarah turned into a villain, constantly making life difficult for the female lead and scheming against her. She even married another man to make Ronald jealous.

As a result, the female lead, Elisa, was repeatedly misunderstood by Ronald. Again and again, Ronald discovered the truth and saw Sarah's true colors.

The villainous second female leads never have good endings, right? In the end, Sarah fell onto shattered glass, her beautiful face bloodied and mangled, and she plummeted from the 28th floor.

The female lead, Elisa, still with her imitated looks and behaviors, lived happily ever after with Ronald and had three sons with him.

Time-traveling into a novel and having become the tragic second female lead, Sarah needed some time to process everything.

The man talking to Sarah was David, a mutual friend of Sarah and Ronald.

In the original story, David didn't like the female lead, Elisa, because he thought she was too cunning, always imitating his good friend Sarah to become Ronald's girlfriend.

David and Sarah were neighbors, and their fathers were good friends. David used to call Sarah "Big Sis," but as he grew older and realized he looked even more worn out than Sarah, he started calling her by her name.

Because of this, David firmly stood by Sarah's side, believing that she and Ronald were a perfect match. He always acted as her little helper.

Naturally, anyone who disliked the female lead became a victim in the story. David met a miserable end; not only did his company go bankrupt, but his wife also cheated on him with his bodyguard, making him the laughingstock.

Sarah felt complicated emotions. "Are you David?"

David was puzzled. "Sarah, did you hit your head when you fell into the water? We've been friends for years, and you don't recognize me?"

Sarah's feelings grew even more complex. They were both unfortunate souls-one disfigured and fell to their death, the other lost their company and had their wife run off with their money.

"I know you're upset. You've loved him for so many years..." David lit a cigarette. "Damn, that wretched woman's friends are just as bad. They were all targeting you, and then they pushed you into the pool."

As they were talking, Ronald and Elisa walked over, with three other girls trailing behind Elisa. These three girls looked at Sarah with provocative expressions-they were the ones who had pushed her into the water.

Ronald was the epitome of a CEO with his standard looks: more than six feet tall, with broad shoulders, long legs, and chiseled features. He also exuded an aura of dominance.

Elisa, on the other hand, had the standard "innocent girl" look, with shoulder-length golden hair and a white dress. Her slightly furrowed brows made her look pitiful.

Seeing Elisa's somewhat familiar face, Sarah felt a bad premonition. She grabbed David's phone from the table and used it as a mirror.

Sure enough.

Elisa looked a lot like her.

No one likes being imitated, especially when it comes to their face. Sarah now understood why the unforgettable crush always tried to harm Elisa.

Who wouldn't go crazy in such a situation?

However, Elisa's looks were a bit plain, mostly relying on makeup and clothes to stand out. After all, in the original story, Elisa wasn't written as a beauty but as an ordinary girl who rose to the top.

At a glance, Sarah's features were more defined. After falling into the water, all her makeup had washed off, and she was wrapped in a towel with her damp golden hair draped over her shoulders. She looked like a pearl with its own soft glow, seeming to belong to a different world from everyone else.

In the original story, Sarah stepped forward and slapped Elisa, aggressively demanding that Elisa's three friends kneel and apologize. Elisa cried so pitifully that Ronald felt sorry for her, argued with Sarah, and left with Elisa.

David was truly the loyal sidekick to Sarah. If he were a girl, he would've definitely gone up and fought those girls.

He stood up suddenly and said, "Why did they push Sarah into the water? Ronald, you need to explain!"

Ronald frowned. "It's just a little fall into the water, no injuries. It's not a big deal..."

Elisa's friends chimed in, each one speaking over the other.

"We didn't do it on purpose."

"Ronald, you're Elisa's boyfriend. Why invite other women here?"

"Some people just shouldn't be here today. He has a girlfriend, yet she still clings to him."

Sarah's eyes were cold as she gave David a look to make him sit back down. Then she said, "Where are my bag and phone?"

When Sarah fell into the water, she had been carrying a bag. The people had only pulled her out, not her things.

David quickly had someone retrieve Sarah's belongings.

Her bag was a limited edition, which couldn't even get rained on, let alone be soaked in a pool. It was completely ruined. Her phone and other items had been submerged for quite a while; who knew if they'd still work?

Sarah took inventory of her things. Luckily, the brands and prices in the novel were the same as in her real life.

Elisa and her friends didn't understand Sarah's actions.

Elisa knew how important Ronald was to Sarah.

In high school, Sarah had been the school beauty, attracting attention from other schools. Elisa had been average in high school but had undergone a 360-degree transformation to steal Sarah's crush. Surely Sarah must be furious.

Elisa often used such tactics to anger Sarah and make her lose her cool in front of Ronald. She thought Sarah should be confronting her after such an embarrassing fall.

Elisa, thinking to herself, then said tearfully, "Sarah, I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

Elisa's friends were displeased and pulled her back. "Elisa, don't apologize to her!"

"This wasn't your fault!"

"I can't stand people coveting others' boyfriends!"

"Whoever did it should take responsibility. We did it, and we'll admit it."

"..."

Sarah had already calculated the costs in her mind. She smiled slightly. "So, whoever did it should take responsibility, right? My dress costs 269,000 dollars, my shoes 55,000, my bag 490,000, and my phone 18,000. They're all ruined from the water, totaling 832,000 dollars. Whoever did it should pay up."

As soon as Sarah finished speaking, Elisa and her friends were stunned.

How much???

832,000 dollars???

That was enough to buy a house back in their hometown.

Elisa and her friends all came from ordinary families.

To show she wasn't materialistic or greedy, Elisa didn't accept the expensive gifts Ronald tried to give her. So far, she had only asked Ronald to help her dad find a decent, high-paying job.

Elisa knew Sarah's things were expensive, but she didn't realize they were this expensive!

A dress costing over 200,000 dollars?

And a bag worth hundreds of thousands?

Such vanity!

She knew Ronald's family was even richer than Sarah's, and since Ronald was the sole heir, being Mrs. Ronald would make her more glamorous than Sarah...

Elisa's three friends were panicking.

That was over 800,000 dollars!

They had gotten jobs at Ronald's company through Elisa's connections, earning 10,000 dollars a month, which was high for them. But they could never afford to pay that much!

Tears welled up in Elisa's eyes. "Ronald, I..."

David, seeing the opportunity for more drama, stirred the pot. "Didn't you all say you'd take responsibility? Ronald, will you end up paying Sarah?"

Elisa's friend argued, "She's worn those clothes and bags before. There's no way they're still that expensive. Altogether, they're worth at most 20,000 dollars."

David scoffed, "That's already a generous price. Her bag is listed at 490,000 on the official site. It's a limited edition, and even at double the price, you can't find it. It's gone up to a million online. Her dress is new, the latest season, and today's the first time she's worn it."

Ronald stared at Sarah. For some reason, since her fall, she didn't seem to look at him the same way...

Elisa glanced at her three friends. She still needed their help in the future and couldn't alienate them now.

Over 800,000 dollars wasn't a big deal. Ronald had the money, and she could get it from him later.

With tears in her eyes, Elisa said, "They're my friends, so I should take responsibility... I only have 10,000 dollars in savings. Sarah, I didn't know you cared so much about money. I'll transfer my savings to you and write you an IOU for the rest."

"No need," Ronald said, handing Sarah a check for a million.

He felt angry but didn't know who to blame.

Elisa was so naive, clueless about everything. Her friends were also innocent, not understanding high society rules, so they couldn't be blamed. That left only Sarah to blame.

"Sarah, I didn't know you loved money so much," Ronald sneered. "Maybe money is the most important thing to you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone abroad."

Sarah, "..."

Otherwise, what? Without money, you wouldn't be standing here acting high and mighty.

Sarah was different from the "unforgettable crush". She had experienced tough times and knew what mattered in life.

Getting a million-dollar check right after time-traveling here, she didn't feel like staying and arguing with these people.

Sarah slowly said, "If I can't get an apology, getting some money is good too."

Apologies might not be sincere, but money was real.

With that, Sarah left.

David looked at Ronald and said, "Ronald, go ahead and believe them. I think you've lost your mind!"

David quickly caught up with Sarah.

"Sarah, let me take you home," David said. "It's late, and you should go home, take a hot shower, and change your clothes. A million isn't much, but making them feel the pinch is satisfying!"

Sarah said, "A million isn't much?"

She knew the Brown family was wealthy, but she had heard they'd fallen on hard times recently. They weren't so rich that a million was pocket change. Even a wealthy heiress shouldn't be that indifferent to money.

Sarah had carefully chosen her outfit to make a good impression.

She remembered that in the novel, the female lead, Elisa, had a father who loved to spend money recklessly and often begged Ronald for tens of thousands. The most generous gift the male lead, Ronald, ever gave was a diamond ring worth 15 million when they got married, and even that had made the female lead, Elisa, nearly faint with joy.

"It's a lot for us," David said, "but didn't you say your husband gave you a black card? As long as you don't bother him, you can spend 20 million a month with no problem?"

David added, "Ronald is just bewitched by Elisa now. He'll eventually realize that you're the one he loves. When you get divorced, you'll definitely marry Ronald."

Sarah, "..."

She had nearly forgotten that the original Sarah in the novel had a husband. His presence in the story was so minimal and he was a level above the male lead. After the "unforgettable crush" died in the novel, he felt nothing and even helped the male lead in his career, serving as a kind of golden touchstone.

"20 million a month...!!!" Sarah exclaimed. "Why would I divorce a bank?"

David drove Sarah home.

In the original novel, the "unforgettable crush" and the CEO were in an arranged marriage, living separately and only coming together for important occasions.

When Sarah got out of the car, she was stunned by the villa's exterior. The novel described her as living alone after separating, but she hadn't expected her solo residence to be such a massive villa.

She couldn't understand why the "unforgettable crush" would give up being a rich wife to pine after the male lead.

In her original world, Sarah's job had her around a lot of wealthy second-generation types, but she herself had been poor, having to work early to pay for her father's medical bills.

The villa's butler looked momentarily surprised when he saw Sarah, but he quickly composed himself and welcomed her in, "Lady, you're back."

The butler was a typical elderly silver-haired gentleman in a suit, looking very attentive.

The sudden use of that title made Sarah feel like she was acting in a drama. To keep up the facade and avoid raising suspicion, she nodded lightly without saying much.

Once in her room, she let out a long sigh of relief.

No matter what, since she was in this book world, if she couldn't go back, she'd avoid the original Sarah's actions, stay away from the main characters, and live her own life to avoid that tragic ending. She decided to adapt to her new environment for a few days before considering anything else.

The original Sarah's phone was surprisingly waterproof and still worked.

As soon as she turned it on, she received a text from Ronald, "Sarah, reflect on what happened today. I remember you weren't always so money-obsessed."

Sarah ignored him and browsed through her contacts.

To be honest, because the original novel was so long, with one minor character appearing after another, she didn't remember many names besides the key main and supporting characters.

She still didn't know the name of the CEO who gave the "unforgettable crush" an unlimited credit card.

She scrolled through the contacts list, not recognizing many of the names the original Sarah had saved. It wasn't until she saw someone labeled "Smith" that she had a lightbulb moment. She remembered this big shot was from the top-tier Smith family in City N.

The swimming pool had reeked of disinfectant, so Sarah took a shower. Exhausted, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Holden walked in from outside, and as soon as Butler Ted saw him, he hurried over. "Young Master, Lady actually came back today... A young man brought her home."

Holden's cold, narrow eyes showed little emotion, and he just nodded.

Butler Ted knew there was no affection between Young Master and Lady.

There had been a man who liked Lady back when she was in school. After she went abroad, that man got a girlfriend. It was this quality that made his master choose to marry her. They had a prenuptial agreement and planned to divorce after his grandfather passed away.

Butler Ted had served Holden for many years and understood his icy and unfeeling nature.

Holden was like a perfect working machine, focused solely on his expanding business empire, indifferent to most people around him.

Sarah was beautiful, elegant, and had a good background. Plus, she had someone she loved, so she wouldn't cling to Holden. She was the perfect trophy wife.

The two had always lived separately, and Lady rarely came to this residence. For some reason, she had returned today.

In the middle of the night, Sarah woke up thirsty. She got out of bed and sleepily went to find some water.

While going down the stairs, she saw a figure and instinctively grabbed him. "Excuse me, where's the fridge?"

Before she got a response, she heard someone cough. "Lady, follow me. Young Master is going to rest."

Sarah looked up and saw a handsome face with striking features. Unlike Ronald's flashy demeanor, this man's aura was hard to read. His eyes were cold, but he had a steady presence.

Holden gently removed Sarah's slender wrist from his arm. "The kitchen is ahead."

Sarah paused.

Holden smiled slightly. "The room is quite cold. Walking barefoot on the floor isn't good for you."

"Thank you." Sarah glanced at him again.

If she guessed right, this man was the top dog in the book's food chain, right?

Oh, why wasn't he exuding that arrogant, domineering vibe? Instead, he seemed refined and warm, giving off a spring-like aura.

Was he really that big shot?

Sarah took a bottle of cold water from the fridge, twisted the cap, and took a sip. The coolness spread through her chest.

She looked at the butler. "Why did he come back so late?"

Butler Ted's answer was flawless. "Young Master is always busy with work. If you ever need to talk to him, you can call me, and I will relay the message."

From the butler's response, Sarah was now sure that the man she just saw was indeed the Smith family's big shot.

From his demeanor alone, he seemed far more sophisticated than the novel's male lead, Ronald. The original Sarah didn't fancy such an excellent man and instead fell for Ronald, who was easily fooled by the sweet-talking woman, Elisa.

Sarah was curious about the specifics.

Despite her curiosity, she couldn't let it show. If people discovered she was a time traveler, she might be taken away for experiments...

Well, just kidding...

Even though it was summer, the air conditioning was cranked up, and the cold floor made her feel the chill through her bare feet.

Butler Ted spoke up. "It's very late. Lady, you should go to bed now."

"Okay."

As Sarah walked back to her room, she chatted idly with Butler Ted. "He seems to have a good temper."

Butler Ted responded with a simple "Hmm," thinking to himself that Mr. Holden's "good temper" was the kind that could smile while committing atrocities.

As the young master of the Smith family, Holden naturally had the basic courtesy of treating ladies with respect. Those who knew him less would think he was a lofty yet approachable man. The more people knew him, the more they understood his lethal danger.

Sarah was a bit worried about sharing a room with this big shot tonight.

The book mentioned their lack of affection and frequent separations, but it didn't detail their bedroom interactions. Even if she hadn't just arrived, even though the man was more handsome than any celebrity she'd ever seen, she wasn't ready for that.

Sarah pushed open the door to her room. Fortunately, it was empty.

Indeed, this couple slept in separate beds.

Because she had slept deeply, Sarah woke up early the next day.

Although the original Sarah rarely stayed here, there was still a walk-in closet with her clothes.

Sarah preferred comfortable clothes at home, so after washing up, she casually put on a white t-shirt and black pants and went downstairs.

Holden was about to have breakfast. Feeling a bit hungry, Sarah sat down at the table without hesitation.

Butler Ted glanced at Holden, then at Sarah.

To be honest, Lady's appearance was flawless in Butler Ted's eyes. No other socialite in City N was as beautiful as Sarah.

Unfortunately, Mr. Holden was indifferent to beauty, always treating Lady as a mere decorative piece to show off.

The ideal Mrs. Holden had to be beautiful, elegant, and a bit vain-a socialite who would never embarrass the Smith family.

Sarah met all these criteria perfectly. She didn't cling to Holden, which meant he never felt annoyed by her.

Even though Holden didn't show it, Butler Ted knew very well that Holden wasn't pleased with Sarah's presence yesterday. Out of respect for the lady, he didn't show his displeasure.

So, who would play the villain here?

Of course, it was the diligent Butler Ted, who earned a million a year.

Butler Ted coughed. "Lady, when will you be heading back today? I can arrange for the driver to take you."

Sarah was a bit taken aback.

Head back? To where?

Wasn't this her home?

Her mind raced. The original character and the big shot usually lived apart. Could it be that this was the big shot's place, and that fool David dropped her off here yesterday?

Sarah said, "Uh, I'll head back home around noon today."

She drank her milk, finished a toast with butter and blueberry jam, and moved on to some fragrant sausages and cherry tomatoes. At this moment, Sarah noticed that Butler Ted and Holden were looking at her strangely.

Sarah, "???"

If she remembered correctly, the original Sarah wasn't a celebrity or anything.

Before, Sarah used to go hungry because of her idol career. But now, as a wealthy wife who didn't need to work, she couldn't still go hungry, right?

Was it too much for a normal girl to eat this for breakfast?

Feeling justified, Sarah grabbed another spiced fried egg.

Holden wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

Butler Ted chuckled, "Lady, you have a good appetite today."

If Butler Ted remembered correctly, Lady was very picky about food, often taking beauty supplements and barely eating during meals to maintain her perfect figure and skin.

Sarah had just eaten more than she usually did in three meals combined.

Sarah replied, "I was dieting before, but I realized I don't need to anymore."

Butler Ted asked, "Lady, did you go through a breakup?"

This question was odd, especially in front of her husband.

But Holden didn't mind and instead looked at Sarah with a playful gaze. "My dear wife, did you go through a breakup?"

Sarah, "..."

Uh, how was she supposed to answer that?

Did everyone know she used to cling to Ronald?

Couldn't they give her a break?