‘It really is her,’ Holden realized.
He took a step closer, studying her features carefully, and confirmed that the woman passed out on his hood was, without a doubt, Wanda Maximoff.
He never in a million years expected to run into the Scarlet Witch in a place this remote.
She lay flat against the metal, her heavy breaths sending waves of stale alcohol straight into his face.
You didn’t even have to be close to know she was completely wasted.
“Ugh…” She let out a soft groan.
“How…
how did you end up drinking this much?” After a brief moment of hesitation, Holden grabbed her arm, draping it over his shoulder to help pull her up.
Limp as a ragdoll, Wanda finally lifted her head.
Her bleary, unfocused eyes peered at him, the edges of her eyelids tinged red from crying.
Noticing the unfamiliar face, she let out a choked sob.
“Who…
who are you?” “Miss Maximoff, you’re drunk.” Holden tightened his grip on her wrist to keep her from sliding right back off his shoulder, pulling her up a bit higher.
“No…
I’m not drunk!” The moment she heard that, Wanda violently shoved him away.
She stumbled backward, crashing heavily against the hood of the car.
Her legs gave out, and she slumped onto her knees in the middle of the road.
Shaking her head as she sobbed, a single, glistening tear rolled down her cheek.
“You just need some rest.” Holden sighed, stepping forward to help her up.
“I know what they think of me…
I know everyone hates me!” Wanda jerked her head up.
Beneath the tangled mess of her blonde hair, her eyes were bloodshot and brimming with tears.
Her voice cracked, heavy with a heartbreaking helplessness that made her look entirely fragile.
Her raw agony made the pieces click into place for Holden.
The fallout from the Lagos incident had clearly taken a massive toll on her.
To prevent a catastrophic loss of life on the ground, she had desperately hurled the detonating Crossbones into the air—only for the blast to rip through a nearby office building, resulting in severe casualties.
She had only wanted to save people, yet her reward wasn’t understanding or gratitude; it was a suffocating avalanche of public condemnation.
“You actually did the best you could…
Nobody hates you,” Holden said gently, stepping closer to support her weight.
In truth, Wanda’s mental state was far more fragile than the rest of the Avengers.
It was inevitable she would break down like this; the relentless media smear campaign had completely shattered her self-worth.
“Really?” Wanda tilted her head up, the sudden movement causing her collar to slip, revealing a generous glimpse of pale cleavage.
“Ahem!” Holden respectfully appreciated the view for a split second before sharply averting his eyes, rubbing his nose as he coughed awkwardly.
It wasn’t that he was a creep—he was just a healthy, red-blooded guy.
When a beautiful woman was right in front of him, ignoring her completely would just be a crime against nature.
“You’re lying to me, aren’t you?” Wanda caught his shifting gaze instantly, her voice sharpening with suspicion.
‘If he isn’t lying, why won’t he look at me?
He’s just saying what I want to hear!’ “Of course not!” Holden met her eyes, his tone absolute.
“Nobody is perfect, Wanda.
You can’t expect to have total control over every single situation!” Sure, she was incredibly powerful, but that didn’t make her a god who could fix everything.
Hell, even that giant purple grape Thanos couldn’t snap his fingers and get exactly what he wanted without consequences.
“You’re…
right.” Wanda took a shaky breath and nodded slowly.
She really had tried her best.
She just never anticipated the collateral damage.
“Don’t overthink it tonight.
The ground is freezing, let’s get you in the car first.” Holden leaned down and wrapped an arm around her, helping her to her feet.
With Holden so close, Wanda gave a compliant little nod.
She didn’t resist at all, allowing him to guide her into the backseat of the Cayenne.
‘I’ll just drop her off at the Avengers Compound,’ Holden thought, shaking his head as he watched her stare blankly out the window.
Who would have guessed he’d stumble across the Scarlet Witch out in the middle of nowhere?
He tucked her legs inside and reached for the door handle, but before he could swing it shut, a cold, slender hand suddenly gripped his wrist.
“What is it?” Holden asked, looking down at her flushed cheeks.
“Did you…
mean what you said?” she whispered.
“Was it really not my fault?” Her trembling eyes looked at him like he was a beacon in the dark.
Ever since Lagos, she had faced nothing but sheer revulsion.
The public despised her, and the government only wanted to use the tragedy for their own political gain.
She had been so lost and overwhelmed that she fled to the suburbs just to drink herself into oblivion.
Yet, out of nowhere, this complete stranger had managed to untangle the knot in her chest.
He was standing firmly by her side.
“I meant it.
You did the best you could,” Holden said firmly.
The next second, a faint wisp of red magic flickered from Wanda’s fingertips.
Before he could react, an invisible force yanked him forward, pulling him straight on top of her.
Caught completely off guard, Holden barely managed to brace his hands on either side of her shoulders as they tumbled into the backseat.
Their faces were inches apart, their breaths mingling in the tight space.
This close, the sharp scent of alcohol faded, replaced by the faint, intoxicating aroma of jasmine and cedarwood clinging to her skin.
Even as an experienced guy, having her stunning face so close made his heart skip a beat.
Wanda’s striking blue eyes locked onto his, pulling him in like a gravitational force.
“Listen—” Holden started to speak.
“Don’t,” Wanda interrupted softly.
She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering in nervous anticipation, completely offering herself to him.
Holden froze.
He definitely hadn’t seen this plot twist coming.
But he wasn’t dense—if he couldn’t read the blindingly obvious signs she was giving him, he might as well have lived his entire life under a rock.
Wasting no more time, he leaned in and captured her lips.
When they finally broke apart, breathless, Wanda looked up at him with misty, shimmering eyes.
Her flushed cheeks and the slight, nervous tremble of her lips made her look impossibly alluring.
‘Well, we’re already here,’ Holden thought.
‘I’d have to be out of my mind to back down now.’ Reaching back, Holden grabbed the door handle and slammed it shut.
He had always lived by one simple rule: if a feast is served on a silver platter, you don’t politely decline.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Wanda gasped softly as he shifted his weight.
“Exactly what you want me to do.” Outside, the last rays of the setting sun cast a golden hue over the black roof of the Porsche.
And for the next several hours, the Cayenne thoroughly demonstrated just how incredible its world-class suspension system truly was—though even it couldn’t completely hide the rhythmic, heavy swaying of the chassis.