Shane put his feet up on the coffee table again and said, "She most probably does. But who cares? She has no one to blame but herself for being so blind. It's even more ridiculous that she got scammed when she's an investor herself!" Sage was speechless."That man, York, whom you planted in the Shekdotters' company, signed a huge project in the last two days. Was that your doing?" asked Shane lazily.Sage didn't plan to keep Shane in the dark about these matters, so she said, "I'm just giving her a taste of her own medicine.""Sage, I love how you're taking revenge! Don't worry. I'll surely help you!"Back in her own office, Sage called Henry to ask if there were any updates on Shekdotter Inc. over the past two days. If Ivy had found out about Shane, then she definitely knew that Sage was connected to the incident too. Who knew if she would suspect Henry? Sage and Henry had been close before this and there were transaction histories between them. Ivy would find all the eviden

Shane was already waiting for Sage when she and Giselle returned to the office in the afternoon after meeting with a client."Do I really have to go?" Sage asked.He responded, "Yes."Sage was at a loss for words.The duo drove to an exclusive private restaurant in Haldon that required reservations to dine in and wasn't open to the public. The waiter led them to a private dining room upstairs, but Simon hadn't arrived yet.Sage sighed as she thought about the uncomfortable situation she was going to be in. There was nothing between her and Shane, so why did she feel like she and Shane were a pair of lovebirds who were about to be forced to break up?Shane noticed her resignation and nervousness. "Don't worry, I've prepared some pepper spray for you. If things get hairy, just whip it out and use it!" He then handed her a pen. Sage was taken aback. "Isn't your older brother an official? Why do we need pepper spray?"Shane frowned uncharacteristically and explained solemnly, "Y

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 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

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