"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
Sage gave Shane a call after she left the sports complex. Although she hadn't spoken to him since he used her to get in Ian's way, Shane was the best person for the job.Even though both of them were present at Mimosa's contract signing, the crowd made it impossible for them to catch up. In no time, his lazy voice came through the phone. "What's up?""Do you have a minute to meet up?" she asked."What's this?" he asked in a flippant tone. "Have you taken an interest in me now that you've given up on Ian?"Sage rolled her eyes and brooded, "I've just gotten rid of an arrogant guy, and here comes another shameless one. Don't worry. I'm not interested in men anymore, especially thick-skinned and conceited ones like you.""Damn. What's got you all worked up?""I don't have time for this. I've got something important to talk to you about.""Come over to my office then."Sage hung up and went straight to Shane's office. When she walked in, he was still as carefree as ever. He had his
"Hold on, I thought you weren't joining us until next month. Why are you so eager to talk about projects now? Is there something you need from me?" Shane asked with a sly smile.Sage didn't beat around the bush. "Yes. I do need your help with something.""I'm listening."Sage laid out her plans openly.Once she was done, she was surprised that Shane didn't object outright. "Why are you setting them up? Do you have a grudge against them or something?""Can't I just dislike them?" she fired back.He stared at Sage for a few seconds before grinning wickedly. "Of course, you can, and this is right up my alley. But you know, you can come straight to me for this favor. There's no need to use the project as an excuse."Hearing his words, she rose to her feet. "I appreciate your generosity, Mr. Morrison. I'll get started on the proposal then.""Hold on. I have one request," Shane responded.Sage had a bad feeling about his request. "What is it?"His forehead creased. "Why are you giv
Was he out of his mind? He used to be so uninterested in her. He wouldn't even spare her a glance when she walked around him in lingerie. Why was he holding onto her waist and giving her that look now?Sage was so angry that she tried to shake his hand off. However, Ian seemed to have caught on and pulled her closer to him."What the hell are you doing?" she fumed.His expression was unreadable. "Why did you call me? I missed it because I was in a meeting.""Don't worry. I accidentally dialed your number.""Were you upset that I left early at the company party last time?" he asked. There were only inches between the couple. Sage pried his hand away. "Let go of me!"Ian didn't budge. "Answer me."Her expression hardened when she noticed that he didn't seem willing to let go of her. "No. Could you please let me go now?"Her tone was cold, and her eyes narrowed. It contrasted strongly with the smile on her face when she first walked into the room.Ian was annoyed. He released S
Eager to draft a proposal as soon as possible, Sage brought her laptop to the adjacent guest room to avoid bumping into IanAfter several hours of work, she realized she couldn't do it. After all, she had not personally gone to gather information, so she couldn't come up with the necessary data. Everything she wrote felt wrong.Sage felt a shadow looming over her as she wondered whether she should visit Collin tomorrow. Looking up, she was surprised to see Ian standing next to her.Sage was about to close her laptop, but Ian had already seen what she was doing and asked aloud, "Why are you collecting data from Professor Braun's research institute?"She realized there was no point in hiding it now that he'd seen it. "I think their drug has potential. I'd like him to give me the distribution rights," she explained."Huh?" Ian frowned. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?""I'm sure you invested in their institute because you believe their research has potential, right? So why c
Sage was used to sleeping alone, so she wasn't comfortable sleeping beside Ian. Plus, it was too late for Ian to retire to the study. Hence, she resorted to the age-old method of counting sheep to get herself to sleep. When she reached the 800th sheep, she was overcome with drowsiness and slowly drifted off to sleep.Lost in the haze of sleep, she felt herself surrounded by warmth. The oppressive cold from the air conditioner penetrated every corner of the room. However, the warmth enveloping her was immensely comforting, causing her to lean back unconsciously.However, she soon noticed that she was leaning against something stiff and hard. Before she could figure out what it was, she suddenly felt a warm sensation on the nape of her neck. It felt like something was gently sucking on her.Sage tried to move, but she was trapped. She struggled with all her might for a moment and then sat up. Looking around, she realized nothing was holding her down.The room was shrouded in darkne
Why would he call her this early in the morning? He was probably going to stop her from looking for Collin or ask her to join his company's team-building event again.However, she felt like there was not much to say about either of these things. Hence, she decided to ignore his call. He used to ignore her calls as well. It was time for him to feel the same frustration.Sage silenced her phone before heading out. Sage spotted a familiar figure when she arrived at Collin's research facility. It was Ivy. Sage hadn't seen Ivy since she was injured at the Holcomb Corporation's party. She hadn't expected to run into her here.Ivy wore an elegant dress and a tailored blazer. It made her look professional, yet gentle. She had her bangs down, presumably to cover the wound on her forehead. Even with makeup on, she looked frail.Sage couldn't believe how dedicated Ivy was, or that she had only stayed in the hospital for a few days and was already back at work after being hit by a chandelier