Having read the room, Sage didn't budge. She repeated herself, informing the men that she had money and that she could offer them a higher payment. "Why should I believe that you have money just because you said so?" Then, a middle-aged man with an undercut walked over from the parking lot. His outfit made him look like a big shot. The two men with the batons nodded politely at him. They addressed him as "Mr. Tony" in a flattering manner. Tony Andretti looked Sage up and down. In Elstinian, he said, "Pretty women like you cannot be trusted with their words." He studied Sage with a gleam in his eyes. "Not unless you can whip out tens of billions this instant," he added avariciously. Naturally, Sage wasn't able to offer that amount. Even if she had cards or cash on hand, they wouldn't be enough to satisfy him. A muffled cry came from the warehouse. Ivy had probably heard Tony's voice from inside and tried to cry out for help. Tony took a quick glance through the doors, be
Sage, shocked by the two figures who charged at her, stumbled aside. However, she had nowhere to escape to as she was in front of the wall.Still, she would give the two men a run for their money, even if she was beaten up in the end. Before the batons fell on her, she screamed with her eyes shut and attacked them with pepper spray."Ouch!""Stop it!"The two men screamed at the same time. She also heard a stern chiding from Ian.Although one of the men missed the mark, Sage still felt a blow to her shoulder. After struggling to open her eyes due to the pain, she found Ian standing by the door.Clad in a suit, he seemed to have arrived in haste. There was a worried look etched on his face. Beside him stood a few men in black who looked combat-trained and a few local cops.When the police barged into the place, the two men who attacked Sage scurried away while covering their eyes. The men who were on top of Ivy noticed something amiss and picked up their weapons instinctively.
Meanwhile, Sage's cheeks were flushed from the suffocation. She had a vacant look, perhaps from fear or a reaction to Tony's words just now.Ian felt sorry and worried for her. He stated, "I'm not fooling you. Release her, and I'll give you anything you want!"Tony merely guffawed at the offer. "I don't believe a word from you Elstians! If I release her, you'll have me arrested right away. Even if I die, I'll drag her along!""How about you take me hostage instead?" Ian offered."You are tall and muscular, and I can tell you're good at fighting. Do you take me as a fool? Why would I swap my hostage with you?"Ian then made another suggestion. "We'll not stop you. You can head to your car. You can leave any time if you don't hurt her." After that, he motioned for everyone present to step away and make way for Tony and his gang to leave.Tony dragged Sage with him until he was out of the warehouse. Although the police were equipped with guns, they could not make a move for the ho
A look of surprise flashed across Tiana's eyes when Sage inquired about Shane but not Ian.Observing the fear etched on Sage's face, Tiana chose not to tease her about it and answered, "Shane must be doing some health checkups. I'm not sure about the details of his injuries, but his life is not in danger."Sage let out a sigh of relief. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to Shane."Take your medicine. You can visit him in his room later." Tiana helped Sage to lie down and gave her the medicine. Then, she informed Sage that Tony had fed her a potent drug similar to a sedative, which placed the recipient in a deep sleep. That was why Sage had slept for 10 hours.Sage woke up a few times during her long slumber, but she was unconscious and therefore had no memory of it.Sage fretted, "It's not addictive, is it?""No, it's not. But you'll suffer from some long-term effects. You'll also feel unwell in the short term." Tiana felt sorry for Sage. "By the way, you nee
Ian claimed that he cared for Sage and vowed to win her heart. Yet, he had shown that he cared for Ivy the most. He would act on his heart at the moment of life and death. Sage questioned if the decision to help Ivy return to Bolton Investment and the effort to find Ronald a doctor was fully Leo's wish."Don't overthink." Tiana mistakenly thought that Sage was fretting over Henry's death. "I'll confirm the news later."Sage did not bother to explain herself. She nodded and shut her eyes. Tiana seemed to have something to say, but she held her tongue when she noticed the fatigue on Sage's face.…The sky was dark when Sage woke up again. The dizziness seemed to have subsided. After having some food, she decided to visit Shane.Shane laid in his bed with the blanket covering him from the chest down. She could vaguely make out the bandages on his body. His handsome face was devoid of his usual roguishness. Instead, he looked lifeless and pale.Sage was instantly weighed down wit
The visitor was Ian. He was in a wheelchair and dressed in a patient's robe, looking as pallid as Shane. His eyes were a sea of mixed, intense emotions—regret, fear, and thrill. She paused.According to Tiana, "they" had all sustained injuries. If Shane was grazed by bullets, did Ian suffer from gunshot wounds? Was this what Tiana had hesitated to tell her?"I don't welcome you here. You're only going to pollute the air I breathe." Shane turned hostile when he saw Ian.He couldn't get over Ian's refusal to share the information on Sage despite fully knowing that he was in Toledon looking for Sage. When Shane arrived with reinforcements, Ian was already there.More than anything, he couldn't forgive Ian for placing Sage in that dangerous situation. But Ian wasn't angered at Shane's aversion. He fixed his longing gaze on Sage. Sensing that Ian had something to say, Sage told Shane, "Have a good rest. I'll drop by in a while.""When will that be?" Shane questioned with a tinge of
"I trust your word." Ian put on a ruthless expression after hearing Sage's words. His eyes glimmered coldly. "I'll offer you an explanation.""Will you, Ian Holcomb?" she mused. "Ivy saved your life when you were young. You two grew up together. Are you sure you'll steel up when she cries?"Her smile and her words were filled with mockery. She did not believe in him at all.Feeling a dull pain rising in his chest, he said sternly, "Sage, whoever hurts you will need to pay the price."She stared at him. "Fine then. I'll wait. I hope you walk the talk."At that moment, someone arrived with updates. "Mr. Holcomb, Ms. Shekdotter is awake.""Got it." Facing Sage's disdain, he said, "Sage, I'll explain everything to you after I'm done taking care of Ivy's matters."After Ian and his men left the room, Tiana returned. She confirmed with Sage, "I got the confirmation that Henry was the Elstian victim last night."From what I learned, he wanted to kill Ivy, but she accidentally killed h
Sage rolled her eyes at Tiana's question and refused to answer."Okay. I'll do this another way. You asked about Shane when you woke up. Did you not worry about Ian at all?" Tiana asked.With a self-deprecating grin, Sage thought, "What's the point of worrying over Ian? I shouldn't be wasting my time and energy on him."Tiana continued staring at Sage in curiosity. Sage blurted out, "Dear Tiana, why don't you tell me if you'd prefer seeing me with Shane or Ian?"Tiana giggled, knowing how gossipy Sage was. "I was curious! I wanted to know if you still have Ian in your heart. If you don't, you can give Shane a shot!""No. Definitely not Shane Morrison!" Calvin's voice echoed outside the room. Soon, he appeared in front of the ladies.Tiana questioned, "Why are you here?""Of course, I need to drop by after what happened to Ian and my sister-in-law. Tiana, why didn't you tell me you were visiting? I could have offered you a ride!"Tiana replied, "Sorry. I was in a hurry and didn'