"You!" Layla's face flushed with anger. "I heard from Henry that you reached out to him in private. Are you interested in him or something?"Henry had simply mentioned it casually. But even if he hadn't, Layla had seen their chat history with her own eyes. In retrospect, Layla realized that things were a little fishy when Sage readily agreed to Henry's invitation in the parking lot despite holding a grudge against Layla. Sage had even offered to foot the bill. Sage was also present at the sports complex Henry routinely attended. The increasing amount of coincidences made Layla suspicious."Won't you listen to yourself?" Sage jeered. "Use your brain for once. Don't listen blindly to what others say. What would I gain from talking to him in private?"Then, Sage handed her phone to Layla and urged her, "Take a good look at my chat history with Henry."Layla's eyes swept past the screen and noticed that Henry had initiated contact multiple times. Although he acted courteously, anyo
Sage's grin didn't anger Ian in the slightest. It had been a while since she smiled so brightly at him. Usually, she only gave him cold smirks and an occasional gleeful laugh when she pranked him.Sage's smile might have been fake, but it stirred something in him. Her smile, once common, had become rarer lately. He struggled to get used to its absence. "Don't worry. Your card might still be with me, but it's technically still yours," she added in the face of his silence."Sage, don't be childish," he said with a snort. "Didn't I say that you have the freedom to do anything with the gift I gave you? I'm only here to tell you this before I leave: Terry has taken care of the incident last night. It will not happen again." With that, Ian left in great strides, leaving her frozen in shock. Ian's behavior was unusual. Why did he defend her, and why wasn't he angered by her provocation?She decided to put her thoughts behind her. She had never managed to read his mind anyway. Nonethele
Sage nonchalantly leaned back in the face of the trio's mockery. "Why would I want to establish myself in the Holcomb family?"Susan inquired quizzically, "Layla said you wanted a divorce from Ian."Sage chuckled. "Aunt Susan, you always think that only Layla deserves to marry Ian. She won't stand a chance if I don't get a divorce."You should support my divorce and get Layla to try harder. It will be easier to ask for his help if he becomes your son-in-law.""What did you say?" Owen was infuriated. "We'll be a laughingstock if two daughters from the Joyner family marry Ian one after another. Don't you dare dream of divorcing him! Your grandpa might dote on you, but I will not hesitate to knock some sense into you!"Sage didn't want to get into a fight with her relatives at a restaurant. She couldn't do much if they refused to listen. All that mattered was she made her stance clear and received Donald's support. No one could stop her from getting a divorce.…Sage paid a visit t
Michaal explained to Sage, "We met these people when we were singing in bars."Sage smiled. "You may be young, but you sure have plenty of experience."When they approached the stage, Kai and the others spotted Sage and greeted her. The mood in the bar was cheery.After some chitchat, it was time for Michael and his bandmates to perform. They took their seats onstage and started playing. As the lead singer, Michael garnered the most attention. Dressed in a simple yet stylish black T-shirt, he had his hair up, baring his forehead. He sang in a deep and emotional voice as he gazed at the audience, looking princely.After performing two slow numbers, the group decided to spice things up with a few drum beats. The change in energy made even Sage want to perform.When she was ten, she picked up drumming for a few years to relieve her stress from studying. Her drum teacher praised her for being a fast learner with a good sense of rhythm.In her freshman year, she attracted much atten
Sage flicked her hair coolly. "Ain't that right? Don't I have that rizz?"Michael was tickled by her cheeky remarks. He nodded and praised her. "Gosh, you're so sassy and smart on stage. You can even hold a candle to a professional drummer.""You have good taste!" Sage patted him on the arm. "Come! I'll buy you some drinks.""Miss, what about us? We want drinks too!" Michael's bandmates crowded around her.Feeling in her element, she generously waved them over. "Join us! I'll buy drinks for everyone!"The group sat around Sage in a spacious booth. They ordered a load of snacks and drinks as they showered Sage with compliments. "I can't believe that a tiny woman like you can drum so well!""Right? She's so cool when she plays with the drumsticks. Miss, why don't you join our band?" Kai suggested. "You can play the drums alongside Nail. I'm sure the audience will succumb to the charisma of you two!""Agreed! If you join us, you'll be more popular with the fans than Michael!"Mi
"Miss, your phone's ringing!" someone told Sage as she was goofing off with Kai.She checked her phone. It was a call from Wanda. "Wanda, what's up?" Sage asked after accepting the call. Wanda, perhaps a little taken aback at the noise in the background, paused before cautiously asking, "Mrs. Holcomb, where are you? It's a little noisy on your end."Sage wandered over to a quiet corner and answered, "I'm with some friends at a bar. Why did you call?"After some hesitation, Wanda wondered aloud, "Mrs. Holcomb, it's nearly 11:00 p.m. now. When are you going to come home?"Before Wanda went to sleep, she'd occasionally check what time Sage was coming home. Sage replied, "I don't know. Wanda, just go to sleep. Don't worry about me.""Um, one more thing, Mrs. Holcomb," Wanda added. "Mr. Holcomb couldn't find his usual pajamas.""Well, he can always wear other pajamas. Does he want to make me go home just to search for his pajamas?""But he isn't used to the other sets. You woke up
Michael lifted his glass. Sage had toasted to him and was ready to down the contents of her glass when someone suddenly snatched it away from her. When she turned around, she found Ian staring at her.He was dressed in the same black suit from lunch. Standing up straight and exuding elegance, he attracted much attention from the guests in the bar.Sage frowned. "Why are you here?"His expression was unreadable. "I can't find my pajamas. I need your help at home."She looked puzzled. Although she was tipsy, she was not delirious. She knew he had shown up at the bar because he was angry that she had hung up on him."I am not obliged to do anything for you." She reached out for her glass. "Now give me back my wine glass!"He stared at her with furrowed brows. "You've had too much to drink. You shouldn't drink anymore."Most people at the bar had met Ian before. The last time, Ian had insisted on dragging Sage away. This time, they weren't about to simply watch as he harassed Sage.
Sage was confused by the fuss Tiana kicked up. She asked, "What do you mean?" She thought her drunk incident had blown over."Someone shared a video of you drumming at the bar last night. Everyone's talking about you! They say you're pretty and sassy!" Tiana, eager for Sage to see the news, urged, "Go watch it on your tablet! Now!"Speechless, Sage turned on the tablet and quickly found the video of her drum performance going viral online.She tapped on the video, which was edited to show only the climax of her performance. The clip lasted for around one minute.In the clip, she spread her arms and drummed as she immersed herself in the music. From this perspective, she did appear lovely and cool. In the comments, netizens showered her with compliments."She's so cool!""Dazzling!""I'm in love!"Sage was glad that people liked her and her performance. Still, she knew not to take her fame too seriously because online love was always short-lived. Instead, she regarded her accide