Henry was an expert at leading people on. Instead of jumping at the opportunity right away, he responded coolly, "Why don't you send me the location, Sage? I'll check it out."Sage smiled. "Sure."After hanging up the phone, she sent over the name of the gym. After all, she had to get to know him better to keep track of his and Layla's progress. It would be even better if she could get him to work for her.Henry replied almost instantly. "Thanks, Sage.""You're welcome. By the way, I would appreciate it if you refrain from calling me by my name since you and Layla haven't made things official yet. You should address me as Ms. Joyner instead.""I understand, Ms. Joyner. Have a nice evening!" …Meanwhile, Ivy sat on the hospital bed with a hardened expression. Her forehead and arms were wrapped in bandages."Whoa, this ward is pretty nice. The young man of the Holcomb family seems to be treating you well," Sandra remarked as she looked around.Ignoring her comments, Ivy asked c
Sandra's eyes sparkled as she held the debit card. "Don't worry, Henry will definitely up his game. He actually planned to rescue the damsel in distress yesterday. Unfortunately, that girl had to bail. He's already planning his next move, though. He'll win that woman over!"Ivy didn't press for further details. Instead, she just said, "Don't drop by unannounced. I'll come to you IF I need anything in the future." She made sure to emphasize the second part.Sage and Ian had spotted Sandra at her place last time. Even though she and Sandra were family, Henry was currently attempting to get close to Layla. If Sage and Ian found out, she would undoubtedly be dragged into the fray. Hence, it was better to proceed with caution.Sandra tucked the card away. "Oh, Ivy, I genuinely came to see how you were doing. It must be tough for you to be all alone in the hospital."Ivy propped her chin up. "Tell the nurse I passed out. She'll know what to do."Realization dawned on Sandra. "That's tru
"Mr. Holcomb! Ms. Shekdotter has just fainted! Please come over as soon as possible!" the person on the other end of the line said urgently.Ian's forehead creased when he heard that. "Alright." He then put his phone away and glanced at Sage. Without a word, he changed quickly and walked straight out the door.Sage was close by and heard everything that had been said. Of course, she knew exactly where he was going.Her grandfather had asked her to give their marriage another chance because he could tell Ian cared about her. But why the hell would she want to give another chance to a man who dropped everything for another woman just because of a damn phone call?…Meanwhile, in the hospital, Ivy clutched her bruised elbow and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry to bother you at this hour. I just wanted to stretch my legs a little, but I got dizzy and fell. I only passed out for a few minutes, but the nurse made a big deal out of it."Ian's brows knitted. "There are nurses everywher
"Uncle Ron really liked the wine I gifted him last time. I'll have someone deliver a few more bottles to him.""Ian—""Rest well. I'll be going now." He then got to his feet and left the ward.…Sage woke up the next day feeling refreshed. She was so tired from practicing self-defense with Michael the day before. After a refreshing and soothing bath, she climbed into bed and drifted off into a deep slumber. Sage stretched her arms and yawned. She was about to reach for her phone to catch up when she found a deep red brocade box on the nightstand. Intrigued, she opened it and found a pair of delicate diamond earrings nestled inside.The earrings were simple yet elegant, with just the right amount of sparkle. It was perfect for everyday wear without being too ostentatious. She had never bought such earrings before. Plus, it was placed on her nightstand, so it was clear that it was meant for her. Did Ian leave them here? Had he returned last night? She had slept so soundly that
"Ian Holcomb, you're the one who's picking a fight with me!" Sage snarled. "If you don't want to give me anything, don't force yourself to! I'm not a recycling bin. I don't need things that have belonged to someone else!""Could you stop being so damn difficult, Sage?" Ian was afraid that she might snap if he mentioned that Ivy was the one who had picked out the earrings. So, he gritted his teeth and said, "The earrings are brand new. It still has the tag on it. Where did you get the idea that these belonged to someone else?""Oh, so just because it has a tag means it's brand new?" Sage sneered. "Ian, if you wanted to make things right, perhaps you should've found out what I liked first! Otherwise, just do what you always do and ignore me altogether!"Ian ran out of patience in the face of her accusations and sarcasm. "Fine! Forget I ever gave you anything then! Who gives a damn about what you want anyway?" He then stormed out of the room.Sage was so furious that she threw the box
Calvin realized that he had gone too far when he noticed the look in Ian's eyes. He cleared his throat and joked, "What I mean is, I get where you're coming from, but your delivery needs work. Why don't you put yourself in her shoes for a second? "Would you be thrilled if she dashed off to the hospital in the middle of the night to see some guy and returned the next morning with a present that was meant for someone else?"Ian frowned and said impatiently, "Look, she used to pester me for gifts. I figured bringing it back for her would get her off my back.""But you can't be so perfunctory," Calvin responded. "Wouldn't you be upset as well if she gave you a gift that was bought by another guy?""Shut your trap." Ian snapped. "What other guy? Where the hell would she find another guy?"He accidentally let his tongue slip again. Calvin smacked his forehead. "I was just giving you an example, Ian. Look, even the example makes you uncomfortable. Don't you think it would make her uncom
"He was already dissatisfied when I decided to split up the company. He assumed that taking away the technology would bring me down. He was waiting for me to fail so that he could reclaim Mimosa. He never imagined I'd turn Mimosa around."I've been very careful with the quality of the products we sell. The people who stayed behind were mostly employed by my father. He couldn't stir the pot from inside, so he spread false rumors instead.""Has anyone been sent to see the poisoned victims? What's the situation?" Sage asked.Priscilla informed her that she had sent a trusted aide to the hospital, but the victim's family refused to let them in. In addition, they demanded a whopping one million dollars in compensation and threatened to sue if they did not get it."We absolutely cannot compensate them. If we do, it would only validate their rumors.""Exactly," Priscilla agreed. "I flat-out refused their unreasonable demand. But if this standoff drags on or ends up in court, it would dam
To be honest, everyone at Mimosa could have thought of it. But because they had all been panicking, their natural instinct to play it safe prevented them from thinking clearly."I have to admit that it's a rare treat to see you blush," Shane remarked.Sage couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. "Well, are you satisfied with this solution, Mr. Morrison?""Eh, it's alright." He rose to his feet. "Since we're done here, you're coming with me.""Where are we going?""To talk outside." Shane straightened his coat and walked out of the office. Sage said goodbye to Priscilla and followed him outside. Sage, still a little peeved about Shane's earlier behavior, said coldly, "So what's with all the secrecy? Where are we headed? Just so you know, we're not exactly friends, so don't come to me for anything unrelated to work.""The feeling's mutual." Shane cast a disdainful glance at Sage. "I've got my eye on a new project, and I want you to take a look into it."She hadn't officially joi