"I haven't done anything wrong! You called me over to the hospital to grill me, but you still think I shouldn't have left? Do I have to wait for you to pin a crime on me and get on all fours before your Uncle Ron and Ivy to apologize before I can leave?"Ian was stumped. Terry couldn't take it anymore. He frantically signaled to the driver to lower the partition, or he would be caught in the crossfire. Ian's frustration could no longer be suppressed after the partition was lowered. "Sage Joyner, are you saying I've wronged you? Can you honestly say that your fingerprints weren't on that bag of medications? Or that you weren't upset because of Ivy's appearance before we went to the drugstore?"Of course, he had the fingerprints checked. "Ivy's just an employee at my company who was promoted to director because she was qualified for it. I allowed you to pick any position you wanted at my company's headquarters, but you turned it down. Yet, you still can't stand Ivy. What the hell d
Sage could tell he was concerned, but she found it extremely ironic. So, she shut her mouth and remained silent."What else could have happened? It was either caused by gravel or glass shards," said the doctor.Ian thought of something. "Is it the glass shards from the trash can?"Sage chose to remain silent yet again. The doctor chided, "How could you be so careless when you knew you were injured? The scab had just formed as well. You're going to have to go through the pain all over again.""It's my fault. I had no idea she had injured her hand, so I grabbed her hand a bit too forcefully." Ian took the blame upon himself.The doctor adjusted his glasses and looked up at Ian. "Are you her husband? How were you not aware that your wife was injured?"Ian, who had always been high and mighty, was embarrassed at that moment. He cleared his throat and said, "It was pretty hectic at the time.""So you were there, but you have no idea how your wife got injured?" The doctor's eyes widen
Sage scoffed. "What is this? Compensation?"Ian would never use that term ever again after she offered him 10 thousand dollars to accompany her for a month. "If I can't accompany you and Grandpa to another state, I'll cover all of your travel expenses instead," he explained.Sage declined. "That won't be necessary. My family isn't short on money."Her tone made him feel as if there was no longer any connection between them. He suppressed his discomfort and asked lowly, "Should I tag along then?"Sage took the card as soon as she heard that. Even though he might not have meant it, her mood would've been ruined if he decided to join them out of spite. Since he was offering, she would be a fool not to take it.Ian could see right through Sage. He pursed his lips and chose not to say anything. The couple arrived at the Joyner residence several minutes later. Sage draped her coat over her left arm and grabbed her handbag before getting out of the car.Donald was already waiting in th
The driver opened the car door for Ian, who paused as he was stepping in. After giving it some thought, Ian turned around and entered the house.He found Sage and Donald staring at a tablet by the coffee table and discussing the many attractions in Colville. She wore a sweet smile, one Ian had not seen for a while."Grandpa," Ian called out to Donald.Donald turned around. "Ian, aren't you heading back?""Yes, I'm about to leave, but I need to apologize to you for something," confessed Ian. "Sage injured her hand due to my negligence."That was when Donald noticed Sage keeping her other hand hidden in her dress pocket. "What's wrong? Where are you hurt? Let me take a look!"Sage shot Ian an irritated look and displayed her bandaged palm. She reassured Donald, "I accidentally hurt my hand by pressing it against some rocks. It's almost healed now."Donald still felt sorry for her. "You can't take pain. You cry at the slightest extraction. They must have disinfected your hand befor
The driver thought he had misheard, but Ian's deep voice was unmistakable. The driver questioned, "Mr. Holcomb, are you asking me a question?" Ian fell silent.The driver mustered the courage to reply. "Well, my wife has the final say in my household. She'll take care of any emergency, so I have nothing to worry about."Knowing that the driver misunderstood his question, Ian did not bother to explain further. The doctor who treated Sage had come to a hasty conclusion without understanding the situation they were in when Sage got hurt.Besides, this was not the first time Sage had faced off against Ivy. Ian believed that he'd only embolden Sage if he unreasonably sided with her.Moreover, he had no idea that Sage was hurt. When he attempted to learn about the details, Sage was long gone and uncontactable.Therefore, he didn't think he had mishandled the situation. If Sage insisted on traveling to Colville with Donald out of spite, he had no choice but to let her be.Although Ian s
After hanging up on Linda, it was time to board the flight. Sage, Donald, and Dexter passed security and boarded the plane.Two hours later, they landed in Colville. Since it was late in the day, they checked in at a hotel first and planned to visit Donald's friend the next morning at the hospital.Later, Sage brought Donald and Dexter to savor some local delicacies. When they returned to the hotel, she checked her phone and saw a missed call from Ian, which she believed she overlooked because it was noisy at the restaurant.She also noticed that he had texted her, asking, "Have you landed?"Since the text was from an hour ago, she didn't bother to reply to him. She picked some clothes from her luggage and headed to the bathroom.…After Ian returned to Solaris Estate from Holcomb Manor, he was greeted by Wanda in the main hall. She asked if he needed a glass of water, to which he responded with a shake of his head.The estate felt unusually lonely and desolate when he returned
Ignoring Calvin's follow-up text, Ian zoomed into the screenshot. It showed the food photos Sage took and her wefie with Donald, all posted five minutes ago. It could only mean that Sage had been ignoring his texts. At the same time, Ian received the hotel's phone number and Sage's room number from Terry. Without hesitation, he dialed the number.…Sage took a bath with waterproof plastic gloves on and sprayed some medication on her shoulder before settling comfortably in bed.She tapped into her phone's photo gallery to edit some photos for Instagram. She received several of Ian's texts during that time, but she ignored them.Finally, she published the carefully selected photos on her Instagram. She was about to check out the other photos she had taken when the phone in her room rang.Thinking it was a call from the front desk, she picked up. "Hello, what's the matter?"Ian was taken aback by Sage's relaxed voice. Much of his boiling anger seemed to have dissipated at that mom
It was a text from Priscilla. According to her, Benjamin had been released from the police station, and he even went to her home.She wrote, "For some reason, his winery is under investigation. The girl from the orphanage changed her statement and claimed she didn't have voluntary sexual relations with him. Benjamin's like a crazy beast who'd attack at any time, so I chased him away."Sage, I warned him not to try anything funny, but you still need to look out for him because he's got nothing to lose now. Get Mr. Holcomb to accompany you if you're going out."Priscilla thought that Sage's relationship with Ian had improved, as Ian had previously shown up to scare Benjamin away and sent the latter to the police.Sage did not correct Priscilla. She merely assured Priscilla that she was not in town and would not run into Benjamin.Priscilla replied, "I'm relieved to hear that. The police are starting an investigation to collect evidence. If the orphanage girl is telling the truth, Be
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