Marcus declined. "It's alright. I have something else to do, and I need to leave now anyway."Shane replied nonchalantly, "Fine. Let's meet again next time."Glancing at Sage, Marcus questioned, "Shane, Elle complained a few times to me claiming that you've fallen for another woman. Is that woman Ms. Joyner?"Marcus must have been close with Shane to ask such a direct question. Sage had no problem acting like Shane's lover in front of Giselle, but she felt a little guilty doing that to Marcus. "Mr. Rosethorn, Shane and I—""Yes," Shane said before she could explain. "She hasn't fully accepted me, but you know me well. I wouldn't have kept her around if I wasn't interested."Sage felt ashamed at Shane's lie. Shane went on with a hint of irritation, "Marcus, please help me work on your parents. I really have no feelings for your sister. I hope they give up on the marriage."Marcus then shifted his attention to Sage. "Ms. Joyner, do you know of Shane's feelings?" He carried an intim
Right as Sage was about to fall into Shane's arms, someone forcefully tugged on her arm and pulled her away. She fell sideways, knocking into a man's chest. She looked up when she smelled the familiar woody scent and was shocked to find Ian Holcomb in front of her."Are you okay?" His dark eyes betrayed a hint of fury, but he sounded genuinely concerned for her.Straightening up, she assured him, "I'm fine.""Yo, Mr. Holcomb! What a coincidence to have run into you! Are you here for a fun night too?" Shane remarked in amusement.Ian shot him a cold look and pulled Sage closer. "Why are the two of you here?"One of Shane's colleagues poked his head out of another lounge and cried, "Mr. Morrison, come join us for a round of drinks!""Coming," Shane yelled back. Then, he arched his brow quizzically at Sage. "Shall we?""Sure." Sage was about to leave when Ian reached out to hold onto her shoulder.Ian addressed Shane impassively, "She is a lightweight, so she won't go with you."
Did Shane Morrison make Mrs. Holcomb work at Farsight Investment? On top of that, he invited Ian to the company event. What was he playing at?Ian appeared calm despite the shocked faces. "Please look after my wife." Then, he held Sage and settled down on one of the couches.Since they were in public, Sage did not struggle against him. She only discreetly brushed his hand off her shoulder."What are you guys standing there for? Let's toast to Mr. Holcomb!" Shane drawled with an unserious look."Oh, right!" One sensible employee immediately poured a glass of alcohol for Ian. He stated, "Mr. Holcomb, I'll drink to you on behalf of all my colleagues!"Ian folded his legs casually, not bothering to even look at the man. He also did not appear willing to accept the drink.The employee stood there awkwardly with the drink. Sage, fearing that her colleagues might criticize her later due to Ian's actions, decided to take the drink instead. Seeing that, Ian finally budged and accepted the
Before Ron could pour the alcohol over Sage's head, she went ahead and splashed her tea on his face. Caught by surprise, he trembled in shock and lost his grip on the wine glass, which crashed onto the floor.He seethed. "Filthy bitch! How dare you throw your tea at me?" Infuriated, he raised his arm to slap her in the face."Stop it!""Ouch—"Just as Ian yelled from the door, Shane grabbed Ron's wrist. Ron yelped in agony, twisting and turning as he pleaded for mercy. "Ouch, that hurts bad! Mr. Morrison, it's all my fault… Ouch—"Ron was cut off when Ian kicked him away. His round body collapsed and rolled across the ground.The other employees froze in shock when they witnessed the crazy scene. Ian paid no attention to them. Instead, he marched up to Sage and pulled her closer. "What just happened?"She shook her head and placed the empty cup on the table with lingering fear. Had Shane not intervened, Ron would have slapped her.Ian probably pieced the puzzle together. He con
Shane had no objection. After the Farsight Investment employees filed out of the lounge, Sage rose from her seat too. "Well, I shall leave now."Shane immediately looked annoyed. "What are you leaving for? We threw a welcome party for you. It's only fair that we get it done properly! I'll get someone over to join the drinking session!"Sage explained, "Mr. Morrison, I think this is enough for the day. We don't have to keep going."He lifted a brow skeptically. "What if Mr. Holcomb doesn't think it's enough?" He cast a suggestive look at Ian. "Mr. Holcomb, do you want to continue drinking?"Ian flashed a smile at him, but his emotions were unreadable. "Mr. Morrison, I'll entertain you since you're in the mood, but it's not fun to just drink. Why don't we make a drinking bet?"That immediately piqued Shane's interest. He wondered, "What bet?"Ian replied, "If I win the bet, you'll have to leave Haldon City and return to Northeria.""That's a daring bet." Shane let out a deranged c
Ian, sitting straight, held the glass of whiskey and downed it. His movements were like performance art. In contrast, Shane sat lopsidedly and waited lazily for the waiter to deliver his drink.The two men finished another ten or so drinks in that manner, throughout which Shane stayed the same. Sage didn't think much about it because Shane had always been a spoilt rich kid who indulged in fun.However, she was taken aback by Ian's composure. He got tipsy at the Holcomb family gathering last time. In her past life, she even saw him lying on the couch drunkenly. Did the type of alcohol make a difference? Sage then recalled that Ian got drunk on vodka at the family gathering. So, she suggested, "Hennesey is not as concentrated as vodka. This back-and-forth is taking up too much time. Why don't we switch it to vodka?"Ian glanced at her, seemingly reading her mind. The look on his face was mixed with cold disdain and anger. He turned to Shane. "What do you think, Mr. Morrison?"Shane
Logically, even if Ron was a valued senior employee who sacrificed a lot for Farsight Investment, he wouldn't have had the audacity to repeatedly challenge Shane. Besides, Ron seemed to fear Ian. Sage couldn't understand why Ron would return to take his revenge instead of leaving. Did Ron really have nothing to lose, or was there another reason behind his impudence?"Wow, you're still here. Great. It's time for us to settle the score!" Ron said when Sage was still deep in thought. The men who came with him filled the lounge and locked the door behind them. The waiter hid behind the couch out of fear while Ivy stumbled backward. Ian immediately marched over to Sage and shielded her. Shane went up to Ron with a frosty expression. "Ron, what are you doing?""Hah! What do you think?" Ron said arrogantly. "I warned you that you'll regret your actions. Do you finally feel afraid now?""Leave with your men, and I'll forgive you this time. Otherwise, you'll pay the price," Shane warne
Ivy, sounding weak yet determined, stated, "No, I won't! There are too many of them. I can't watch you get injured."At that moment, a thug threw a punch at Ivy's face, prompting a scream from her. Ian quickly pulled her closer and kicked the man away.Although it was not the right occasion to laugh, Sage couldn't help but let out a wry chuckle. She thought, "Turns out that Ian isn't exclusively protecting me. He would do the same for Ivy when she's in trouble."While Sage was distracted, the man who collapsed from Ian's beer bottle earlier scrambled to his feet. He charged at her with a murderous look.Noticing his approach, she quickly hit him with the metal rod, causing him to stagger backward. However, he was stronger than her, and she hadn't used all her strength on him.The man, after touching the trail of blood coming on his forehead, grew even more menacing. He came at her like a madman and snatched the metal rod out of her grasp. The rod made a clanking noise as it hit th
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