Sage decided not to eat the food they offered and instead chose to pick up a stalk of green beans for herself. "Thanks, but I'll just pick what I want."Shane grumbled, "I've never been so thoughtful to a woman before, Sage. Yet, you're not even going to give me a chance?"She glared at him, and he immediately surrendered. "Alright, alright. You do you."Ian pursed his lips and remained silent, while Simon continued to eat as if nothing happened. Simon remained tight-lipped about Sage and Shane's relationship throughout dinner. Sage had a feeling he was well-informed about her background and her relationship with Shane. Thus, the gathering wasn't the uncomfortable situation she had feared, but rather his roundabout way of telling her that she wasn't compatible with Shane.She didn't have any desire to pursue anything with Shane anyway, so Simon's actions held no weight with her. As the gathering drew to a close, Sage felt as if she had accomplished her mission. She was abou
Sage was caught off guard. Shane added, "If it bothers you when Ian and I fight every time we meet, I'll try to restrain myself from now on."He sounded genuine and a little hurt. It tugged at her heartstrings. She even wondered if she had been too harsh on him. After all, she had played a part in Giselle's decision to call off their engagement, and she felt responsible for the fact that he had to deal with all of these problems."Shane, I—""Well, well, would you look at that, Sage? You can't help but want to talk to me, after all!" Shane teased."You're such a jerk, Shane!" Sage couldn't help it anymore. She punched him squarely in the chest. To her surprise, he didn't move out of the way. He clutched his aching chest and groaned out in pain. Sage had trained for a while, so her punch was nowhere near weak. She had assumed that he would dodge her attack. She had no idea that he would let her hit him. "Are you okay?" she asked, leaning in to check on him.Shane looked u
Sage wasn't the least bit surprised to see Ian outside her door. He probably came to inquire about her relationship with Shane. No matter what her relationship with Shane was, she didn't feel the need to explain anything to Ian. Hence, Sage decided to ignore him. However, Ian started knocking on the door, causing enough disturbance to warrant a complaint from the neighbors. Soon, property management personnel arrived to persuade him to stop. However, Ian played the victim and said, "My wife is mad at me and won't open the door."The people outside must've been fooled by his appearance because they started knocking on the door for him. "Ma'am, it's normal to have a lover's spat. I'm sure you'll be able to talk this out. Please open the door for your husband! If you don't, it'll disturb your neighbors' rest."Sage eventually opened the door, and there were two property management staff members standing outside, along with Ian, who was wearing only a shirt and had his coat drape
Over the next few days, Ian didn't show up in front of Sage again. Shane was also tied up with work and couldn't spend much time with Sage. During this period, Sage and Giselle finalized CureX Pharmaceuticals' investment proposal and ironed out all the details. Now, all that was left was the official signing.Michael invited Sage out for lunch the day he was heading to Mimosa to discuss the endorsement deal. Both parties had clear intentions to collaborate, and the negotiations proceeded without a hitch.Sage invited Priscilla and Dave to lunch with Michael. During the meal, Dave tactfully mentioned that Michael had been doing well lately and that his fan base had been stabilized. "He's on the rise in his career at the moment. As long as he stays clear of scandals and gossip, I'm confident he'll go far."Sage understood what Dave was getting at. At the banquet the other night, Michael had been attentive to her and even made a point of wearing the suit she had purchased. Dave m
Sage barely had a chance to dwell on it before Linda took her hand in hers. "My bad, I've said too much. Sage, since Ian gave you the brooch, just accept it. After all, he never gave you anything in the past. Consider this his way of making it up to you!"Sage replied absent-mindedly, "It's alright, Grandma Holcomb. To be honest, he gave me a lot of things, including jewelry."Even though she bought them on her own, she used his card. In a way, he gave them to her. Besides, Ian had also given her a panda-shaped bracelet in Southbend County."That's alright. Just accept one more of his gifts then," Linda continued knowingly. "Did he upset you again? Is that why you've returned the brooch to me, and you don't want to see him?"Sage shook her head and smiled. "Nah. It's just not right for me to receive such a valuable gift from him anymore."As they chatted, a housekeeper's voice came from outside. "Mr. Holcomb." Sage's brows drew together as she figured out that the car she had
Sage asked, "So, what did you want to ask me?"Ian continued, "Grandpa Joyner mentioned that your mother was a talented perfumer and that you've inherited her talent. I was wondering if you've ever heard of similar cases and if you could create a scent that could help alleviate Sandy's condition?"Sage had to admit that she had never heard of such a thing before. Even though it was challenging to craft fragrances, it was only manageable for custom-made perfumes since the requester could articulate their needs. In Sandy's case, there was no way to start."I don't know her well enough, and I don't know what she likes. It might be difficult," she admitted candidly.His eyes dimmed when he heard that. "I understand."Initially, she intended to comfort him, but she thought of their current relationship and decided against it. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now.""Yeah."Sage walked to her car, opened the door, got in, and sped away. Ian watched her car disappear before
She had clearly warned him not to get any ideas about Layla. He was also aware that it was a lost cause. So why did he still want to see Layla? Why did he ask her to give him another chance?Sage briefly comforted Layla and told her she didn't have to pretend to be in a relationship with Henry anymore. If she found him annoying, she could just ignore him.After hanging up, Sage gave it some thought. Recently, Henry had only contacted her twice, saying that everything was fine. Even though Ronald was receiving treatment from doctors abroad, some of his nerves had died because he wasn't treated in time. Hence, he would have to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.Ivy had probably been demoted recently and was back to working at Bolton Investment. Sandra said she hadn't stirred up any trouble. Thus far, she hadn't noticed anything amiss with the project Shekdotter Incorporated had signed. Sage felt as if something was wrong as she reflected on the recent events. After all,
"The contract carries legal weight once it's signed. How could he simply demand an amendment?" she asked.Henry explained with a troubled expression, "The manager at Shekdotter Incorporated thinks so too, but the client is very adamant. "They're saying they'd just breach the contract if we don't agree. After all, it's not their loss."Sage didn't want the other party to breach the contract, as this would delay the Shekdotter family's demise. But she couldn't help but wonder why the other party was being so stubborn. Henry had no clue and said he was in a pinch. He was worried that Ivy would find out, but he couldn't persuade the vice-CEO either. "The best way forward is for us to meet with the client, find out what's bugging them, and resolve the issue pronto," he suggested.Even though his suggestion sounded like a solid plan, she wasn't sold. "I'll think about it and get back to you in a few days.""Ms. Joyner, I've been racking my brain all week, but they're stubborn as mu