The timeline of events, the angle of the photos, the timing of the netizen's discovery of the wine bottle, and Mimosa's feminist statement all seemed to be too perfect to be explained by coincidence.…Sage was fast asleep on the bed when Ian walked into the bedroom. There was half a glass of water on the nightstand, and her phone lay next to her pillow.Her face was flushed, and she didn't seem to be sleeping very well. Her brows were knitted together, and she still smelled faintly of alcohol.His frustration boiled over as he looked at the state of her and recalled her actions earlier that evening. He yanked Sage out of bed and demanded, "Get up! Stop pretending to be asleep!"Sage opened her eyes grogily, her gaze unfocused and confused. Her lips puckered, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared blankly at Ian's stern expression for a moment. "W-Why are you so mean to me even in my dreams? You're such a jerk, Ian! You're a big jerk…"Then, she buried her head in the p
Ian's expression hardened on hearing her words. "I dare you to!"However, Sage couldn't comprehend his words at all. Hugging the pillow, she started sobbing. "I forgot… I can't even use his money. He's so stingy… he wouldn't even give me a million dollars…"Ian couldn't be bothered to talk to Sage anymore. He retrieved a towel from the bathroom and wiped her face roughly. He then sat her up, picked up the half glass of water from the bedside table, and placed it near her mouth. "Drink up," he ordered.Sage was much more docile after her previous outbursts. She lowered her head and took a sip. However, she started coughing and spat out the water as soon as she swallowed, wetting Ian's clothes."Sage Joyner!" he snapped. "Are you doing this on purpose?"Tears instantly welled up in her eyes after being scolded by him. "I don't want to drink water. I want hot chocolate…" she sobbed. "I waited in line for over an hour to get it. Why did you throw it away? Give me back my hot chocola
"Ian Holcomb? Seriously, don't you ever get tired of this?" Sage asked.Ian raised his head, his frown deepening. "Are you seriously picking a fight first thing in the morning?"Sage ignored him and got out of bed. "From now on, don't sleep in this room. I'm not interested in acting like a normal couple with you.""Do you think I wanted to sleep here?" Ian sat up urgently. "Remind me, who was it that messed up my clothes last night? Who was it that insisted on me paying them back with my body?""You're not going to give it back to me, huh? Fine, then let's settle it with your body!"Her cheeks burned as she remembered that line from the night before. She must've been watching too many corny videos lately to come up with such a cringe-worthy line."I was wasted. I don't remember a thing." Sage tried to maintain her composure. "None of this would've happened if you hadn't woken me up in the middle of the night!""Isn't it obvious why I woke you up?" he asked coldly.Sage figured
What was she on about? Realization dawned on Sage the next moment. Wanda must've misunderstood because she cried and made a scene last night."Wanda, we didn't…" Sage started with a slight blush. "I caused a ruckus last night because I was drunk."The middle-aged woman assumed she was just shy, so she said softly, "Mrs. Holcomb, you should've shared a room with Mr. Holcomb a long time ago! It's good for your relationship!""Well, what are you waiting for? Get over here and eat," Ian said indifferently, ignoring Sage's awkwardness. "That's right, Mrs. Holcomb. Hurry up and grab a bite. I'll head to the kitchen first."Sage glared at Ian after Wanda left. "Why didn't you help me clear things up?"He glanced at her. "I'm useless, remember? So what's there to say?"She thought about what a jerk he was, frustrated that he'd used her drunken words against her.Sage was so embarrassed when she thought about what she whispered in Ian's ear last night that she wanted the ground to swal
She knew that he had a reason for visiting. Sage looked at Shane suspiciously. "What brings you here, Mr. Morrison?"The man casually crossed his legs and responded with a grin, "Remember our bet, Ms. Joyner? I said I'd invest if you could restore Mimosa's reputation. So here I am, keeping my word.""Mr. Morrison's willing to invest in Mimosa according to the terms you told me about before, Sage," Priscilla added.Sage hadn't expected Shane to act so quickly. She couldn't believe he was already approaching them for investment when Mimosa had only started gaining traction the night before. Moreover, he wasn't taking advantage of the situation by demanding a higher shareholding ratio."Are you sure about this, Mr. Morrison? Mimosa is doing better now, but no one knows what will happen in the future," she reminded."Oh?" Shane looked Sage in the eye. "Are you doubting yourself or Mimosa, Ms. Joyner?""I have faith in both myself and Mimosa!" she responded confidently.He chuckled.
Ivy's eyes misted over when she heard his words. "Ian, I know you're still upset about the photo I took last time. I admit I did have an ulterior motive when I took it. You've always said that the noodles I cooked taste better than anyone else's, so I thought I'd take a picture and share it on my Twitter."But I noticed you've been keeping your distance from me lately. I thought you didn't like me posting that picture, so I deleted it right away. I didn't expect Sage to stumble upon it and save it. Ian, I know her all too well, and I couldn't care less what she thinks of me. But I don't want you to get the wrong impression… and I definitely do not want to lose our friendship."Ian couldn't help but feel touched by her words. Hence, he lowered his voice and said, "Don't overthink it. I didn't misunderstand you. Sage brought it up yesterday, and I had no idea what was going on, so I figured it was better to ask you about it.""Okay." Ivy dabbed her eyes with a tissue and let out a sig
Sage figured that he was talking about how she got drunk to help Mimosa gain exposure last night. "It's alright. I'm sure it's normal for people like you from prestigious families to look down on others.""Why do you sound like you've gone through a lot of hardships?" Shane clicked his tongue. "To be honest, it's because you look too much like a vase," he added bluntly.Sage was rendered speechless by his bluntness. "You sure have a very special way of complimenting someone, Mr. Morrison.""You deserve to be complimented." Unfazed by Sage's response, Shane curled his lips into a smile. "So… regarding last night's drama, were you about to be abandoned by Ian, or was it just an excuse to call him out?"Sage wasn't going to satisfy his curiosity because she knew he was just being nosy. "My apologies, but that's quite personal. I'd rather not talk about it."Shane didn't seem too bothered. He leaned back in his chair lazily and smirked. "It looks like you're serious about taking down
Sage read the message several times before concluding that the message was from Ian. Did he have a screw loose? Why did he ask her about it when he knew she was mocking him? Since he asked, she didn't hold back. "The doctor said your condition is too serious. He suggests that you see a neurologist first."Even though she noticed he was typing, she didn't receive any messages for a while. Just then, Michael sent her the address for the barbecue. Sage then turned off her phone.After saying goodbye to Priscilla, Sage drove to the address Michael had sent her. When she arrived, she saw Michael and his friends already there.The group had spread blankets on the field and set up makeshift tables and chairs. A variety of beverages and snacks were on the table, and a barbecue grill was set up not far off. Someone was eagerly tending to the fire.The lads were all young and full of energy, even when doing such tedious tasks. Everyone was laughing and chatting away."Ms. Joyner! Over her