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
"Do you think I'm referring to that?""What exactly are you referring to, then?""Sneak some classified information out of Ian Holcomb's laptop for me," Shane requested with all seriousness."Mr. Morrison, it's illegal to steal. I'm a model citizen, you know.""Anyone else doing so would be committing theft. As his wife, all you're doing is getting some information from your husband." His argument rendered Sage speechless.She was familiar with Shane's working style after collaborating with him for a while. He could not seriously be asking for any classified information. She deduced that Giselle Rosethorn was the reason he asked her for help.After a brief moment of silence, she said, "Hasn't Ms. Rosethorn had enough? What do you want me to do?""You're smart," he said. "Giselle heard from someone that you're starting work at Farsight Investment next month. She wants to join you.""So?""I think you need an assistant.""No, I don't!""We have a deal!" With that, Shane hung u
"Sage, what are you worried about? I'm still pretty healthy. I don't need you to hold me," Donald chirped.Sage rested her head on his arm and said, "Well, just think of it as you helping me to walk!"Donald curiously asked, "Sage, is there something on your mind? Why do I feel like something has changed in you lately?"She did not deny it. "Is it a good or bad change?"Feeling sorry, he patted her on the shoulder. "I don't need you to be understanding and obedient all the time. You can live life any way you want as long as it makes you happy."She felt a lump in her throat upon hearing his remark. Tears brimmed in her eyes. Donald had always doted on her. He'd never blame her no matter what mistakes she had made."Why are you crying? What's troubling you?" Donald inquired.She wiped away her tears and shook her head. "Nothing. I just feel sorry. I only had Ian in my eyes and did not pay much attention to you in the past."Donald broke into a smile. "You little fool. I'm happy