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
Tiana sounded cool over the phone. "He'll be off work early tomorrow. I'll ask him by then."She added, "I have something to do now. Let's meet over dinner if you're free tomorrow!""Sure." Sage stretched after ending the call with Tiana and headed to the bathroom.She wanted to admire her new cool and sassy self in the mirror. However, she only saw a woman with tousled hair in her reflection. Her face appeared clean, with only some makeup residue in the corners of her eyes. She had fallen asleep in the car last night, so she assumed that Ian had hastily wiped her face with a towel after carrying her into the room. Being a man, he clearly had no idea how to properly remove makeup.Even so, she couldn't believe that he had done this. He was obviously in a foul mood at the bar last night. It was already a miracle that he didn't confront her. Why would he patiently clean her face for her?But then, she told herself that she didn't have anything to thank him for. After all, she had
"Wow! Mrs. Holcomb is stunning! That's strange… I can't believe I hadn't noticed how beautiful she was before," Calvin mumbled. "I mean… it's not that she wasn't attractive before. It's just that she didn't have this kind of confidence and personality."Ian remained silent. In the video, Sage had on a bright smile and looked like she was enjoying herself. It was a side of her he had never seen before. The way she twirled her drumsticks was especially captivating. It was as if she had shed all of her inhibitions. Her soul seemed to radiate an unbridled sense of freedom. "Holy shit, Ian, check out these comments!"Calvin excitedly read out one of them. "The person who filmed this must have a crush on her. Most people would focus on the surroundings, the technique, and the drummer's skill. But the person who filmed this only filmed the drummer's smile and the twinkle in her eyes. It's hard to believe otherwise."After he finished, he continued scrolling excitedly. "Look! There are
Ian felt uncomfortable when he heard Calvin's questioning. He was vehemently opposed to both divorce and remarriage.He hadn't thought much of it when Sage brought up the subject of divorce a month ago. He was prepared to let her have a divorce if she wanted one. After all, it would save him a lot of trouble. But now, his feelings had taken a complete turn."Well?" Calvin asked after a while."I haven't thought about that," Ian said with a frown. "I'm just used to having her as my wife since we've been married for over a year. My grandmother is also pleased with her. There's no need to go so far as to get a divorce."Calvin nodded in understanding. So Ian didn't want to get divorced! "Have you ever thought about marrying someone else after the divorce?" he asked.Ian snapped, "Why would I want to go through it all again?"Calvin remained unflinching, and he noted that Ian had not developed feelings for anyone else despite his issues with Sage.He let out a soft sigh. "Ian, if yo
Calvin pointed out, "Ian, regardless of what she did afterward, the fact is that you left her there and took off with another woman."Ian didn't get what the big deal was. "Ivy's injury was severe. I didn't have time to attend to Sage. Plus, she wasn't injured anyway. Why couldn't she go home on her own?"Calvin sighed inwardly. How could Ian ever win his wife back with this kind of mindset? He was hopeless."Mrs. Holcomb is a woman, Ian, and an accident happened at the banquet. I'm sure she must've been scared, even if she wasn't physically hurt. How could you leave her behind? "Did you even think about how she felt? There were so many of your employees and business partners there too. Didn't you think they would have laughed at her?" Ian's forehead creased when he heard that. He instantly thought of the photo of Sage standing on the dance floor attached to that viral post. Her face was crestfallen, and her large eyes were dull as she stood alone in the crowd. The post also c
"Did Mr. Holcomb give you a hard time when he picked you up last night?" Michael asked.Sage felt a little embarrassed when she remembered how Ian had swept her away in public. "No, he didn't.""That's good to hear." He fell silent after saying that.She assumed that he was just nervous about the upcoming preliminaries, so she smiled and offered him a few words of encouragement.However, Michael replied solemnly, "Ms. Joyner, I might not be able to help you out right now, but please know that I will support you in whatever you do."Sage felt warm when she realized that Michael was concerned about her. "Don't worry. I'll manage just fine. Please just focus on your competition."Sage made her way to the sports complex after hanging up. There, she practiced kickboxing and the self-defense moves that Michael had taught her. Her punches had become more powerful. Even her coach noticed her rapid progress.Sage had been eating and sleeping well, and she could feel that her physique had
Henry hastily reached out and ended the call when he heard the dial tone. "What's the meaning of this, Ms. Joyner?" He expected Sage to be ashamed of herself after being caught red-handed. Why did she call Ian herself?"Isn't it obvious? I wanted to give him a little scare just to see where I stand with him," she lied through her teeth. He fell silent when he heard that. He had looked into it even though Ivy hadn't told him anything and refused to allow him to probe further. He was aware that Ian didn't care about Sage, so he assumed she was using him to get back at him and hurt Layla at the same time. After all, he had the means to do so.Hence, he didn't mind helping Sage test Ian."So, you're not attempting to ruin my relationship with Layla… you're just using me?" he asked.Sage chuckled. "Sure, whatever floats your boat. However, you're right about one thing—I don't want you to be with Layla because I don't think you're good enough for her."His expression changed slightl
Ian said calmly, "I just got back from a business trip and came by to check on Sage."Giselle didn't ask more questions. She explained to Sage, "I just saw Selena over there. I went to her and clarified that this was my idea. Selena said it was okay."Seeing Selena's calm and relaxed demeanor, Sage didn't have the energy to pretend to be friendly with her.She said to Giselle, "I'm going back to the ward," and then headed to the elevator.Ian was at her heels. "Sage, if you're too tired, just lean on me."Sage stayed silent and didn't respond to Ian, just staring blankly at the numbers on the elevator panel.In the hospital room, Tiana had been waiting for Sage for a while.Seeing Ian, Tiana was equally surprised and asked, "What are you doing at the hospital? Weren't you on a business trip away from town?"Ian succinctly said, "I came back once the task was done."Tiana looked at Sage. "How did it go?"Sage nodded numbly. "Pretty good."Tiana could tell from Sage's expressi
Sage paused slightly in her steps and turned to look at Shane. Her voice was slightly hoarse as she asked, "Is there anything else?"Shane felt an indescribable discomfort as he watched Sage's unsteady appearance.But he didn't know why he had to call out to Sage, especially since he didn't remember anything about her."Since you say we are good friends, and I got hurt because of you, why can't you visit me more often?" Shane questioned, finding a reason.“Sorry, she won't be available.”As soon as Shane finished speaking, the door to the hospital room was suddenly pushed open.Sage turned her head and saw Ian's tall, upright figure.He was wearing a custom-tailored black suit, looking like he had rushed over from somewhere, carrying an air of exhaustion.Ian had been on a business trip for the past two days. Why did he suddenly show up now?Sage glanced toward the doorway but didn't see any signs of Giselle.Sage had a faint guess about who was behind this. She gave a self-d
Shane's thought process was quite logical.Sage calmly replied, "You were worried that she was only momentarily taking a step back, so you couldn't fully trust her and wanted to observe for a while."Shane also mentioned that when Sage came to the hospital room two days ago, the way she spoke to him was very familiar. It wasn't like how typical business partners would interact.Sage admitted that they were not just business partners but had become good friends through their interactions."But I wouldn't take a good friend to my mother's grave," Shane suddenly said.Sage was taken aback upon hearing this. Had Giselle told Shane about this, too?Seeing Shane looking at her, Sage calmed herself. "You were deceiving Giselle."It's not just this, but also some of our daily interactions. You embellished the details and even went out of your way to act nice to me in front of her."Shane indeed did that before. Sage wasn't at all diffident to talk about it.Shane could see it, too. "S
Taking a deep breath, Sage knocked on the hospital room door.Giselle walked over, glanced down the hallway, and asked with a puzzled expression, "What took you so long? Where did you go?"Sage forced a smile. "There were a lot of people waiting for the elevator."Giselle saw how broken and fragile Sage looked. Thinking she was worried about meeting Shane alone, she couldn't help but gently pat her on the shoulder."It's okay. Take your time talking with Shane. If Selena returns, I'll tell her that everything was my idea."Sage didn't have the energy to explain further to Giselle. She simply said thank you and then walked into the hospital room.Shane sat upright at the head of his bed, dressed in a hospital gown, with bandages still on his head.His handsome face looked a bit thinner than before. Under the hospital room's lighting, he had the delicate appearance of a frail young nobleman.Shane was also quietly observing Sage as she walked over.She had a slender and delicate
Selena nodded. "It's understandable, Ms. Joyner. However, before you go to see Shane, could you take a moment to hear me out?"Sage was aware that Selena had been deliberately waiting for her.Sage sent a message to Giselle saying she would be a few minutes late, and then followed Selena to the stairwell beyond the emergency exit.The stairwell was brightly lit, with gleaming floors and an overall quietness that inexplicably added a sense of oppression.Sage asked, "Ms. Morrison, what do you want to talk to me about?"As soon as she finished speaking, Selena suddenly knelt down in front of her."Ms. Morrison, what are you doing?"Sage hurriedly went to help Selena, but the injuries on her back hadn’t fully healed yet. The movement caused her wounds to hurt, and she winced in pain, furrowing her brow."Ms. Joyner, please don't help me up. Let me finish speaking."Selena's face showed determination, and her almond-shaped eyes, similar to Shane's, had a hint of tears."I know Sh
Since Giselle already knew, Sage didn't deny it. She asked directly, "So what do you think? Are you planning to go abroad with Shane?""Do you even need to ask? Of course I'm not going!"Giselle was somewhat annoyed. "Nothing's going on between Shane and me! Why would they suddenly want me to go abroad with him?""But your brother thinks this is a good opportunity for Shane to develop feelings for you," Tiana said.Sage also shared Marcus' analysis with Giselle. "Your brother hopes that you and Shane will end up together in the end. If you still have some feelings for Shane, this could be a good opportunity.""I couldn't care less about such an opportunity!" Giselle said. "No matter how much I liked Shane, that's all in the past now."I'm not a martyr. I would never degrade myself just to win a man's affection. Besides, even if I gave him everything, what I might get in return could be resentment, not love.""Giselle, you are truly wise and perceptive!" Tiana couldn't help but s
"However, Elle has become more thoughtful and no longer acts willfully now. I believe that Shane will change his opinion of her."With them spending so much time together, there's a high chance that Shane will develop feelings for Elle."Sage fell silent. People were naturally fragile when they were alone and were easily moved by the care and warmth shown by others, especially considering they would be in a foreign country.Therefore, it seemed highly likely that what Marcus mentioned could happen."Even though my parents agreed to dissolve Elle's engagement, they are quite satisfied with Shane. They watched Shane grow up and know him well."If our two families could be united through marriage, it would be a joyous occasion for everyone."Ms. Joyner, I know that Shane likes you, but he has currently forgotten you. You also understand that it is very difficult for the two of you to be together."Even if Elle didn't accompany him for the treatment abroad, Mr. Morrison Senior would
Marcus put down the gift he was holding and said tactfully, "I've heard about your situation from Elle. I just visited Shane, and I thought I'd drop by to see you as well."Sage thanked Marcus and invited him to sit down. Then, unable to hold back, Sage asked, "How is Shane doing? Is he okay?"Because Shane didn't remember her, and the Morrison family wouldn't allow her to visit, Sage hadn't been able to see Shane in person for the past couple of days.Marcus said, "He's doing okay, more or less. He has multiple injuries, and his hand and leg are not very functional. On top of that, he frequently gets headaches, and his mood is quite unstable.""He probably remembered you, right?" Sage asked intentionally.She could definitely guess that Shane remembered Marcus. However, she wanted to know if Shane still harbored the same hostility toward Marcus.Instead of asking directly because it didn't seem appropriate, she decided to ask a different question instead.Marcus knew what Sage
George acknowledged her with a slight nod, while Simon asked bluntly, "What are you here for?""I heard Shane has woken up and came to check on him," Sage said honestly.Simon's tone was stern as he said, "Ms. Joyner, you should be aware of the current situation with Shane.""We won't hold what happened between you and Shane against you anymore, but we hope you'll stop bothering him in the future and completely cut ties with him."Before Sage could speak, Giselle's voice rang out. "Mr. George, Simon!"Seeing Giselle, Simon's attitude softened a bit.George also had a kind smile on his face. "Have you come to see Shane, Elle?"You see, even though Shane has forgotten so many things, he remembers everything about you very clearly. That shows he still cares about you," joked George.Giselle glanced at Sage and replied with a hint of playfulness, "Mr. George, you really shouldn't joke with me like this."Shane hasn't completely lost his memory, so it's perfectly normal for him to