Shane responded coldly, "Why else? You wanted to stand up for Giselle, so you did this to warn me!"Marcus chuckled. "What good would it do to me to spread rumors about you two? Elle wants to marry you. Don't you think my family would consider that?"Shane was stumped by what he had said. Unless he didn't want Giselle to marry him, he had little reason to do that. However, he didn't quite believe that Marcus had nothing to do with it. Marcus was a cunning man, and his way of doing things was enigmatic. He wouldn't go to the club for no apparent reason and get spotted by Sage. But if Marcus was telling the truth, who else could've planned Ron's retaliation and subsequent escape?"You don't seem surprised that I came to you, and you seem to know about what happened last night," Shane narrowed his eyes and said. Marcus responded calmly, "Because I read the news and figured you would get the wrong idea."I went to the club yesterday to meet a friend. He had to leave, so I followed
"I'll be leaving Haldon tomorrow. I doubt I'll be able to persuade Elle to come with me. No matter what, she's my sister. Even if she's made mistakes, you can't bully her," Marcus said.Shane rolled his eyes. "She asked for it. That's on her, not on me."Marcus walked to the entrance without saying another word. Ultimately, he turned around and said, "Shane, whether or not Ms. Joyner's baby is yours, I advise you not to push too hard. Otherwise, Mr. Morrison might not be as lenient as I am.""Are you threatening me right now?" Shane arched his brow.Marcus responded coolly, "I'm just offering you some advice." He then strolled off. Shane watched him walk away. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about Marcus, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.…Meanwhile, Sage sent the caregiver home to get some rest that night, but she found herself lying in bed, unable to sleep. Even though the ward was decent, it was still a ward. The lingering scent of dis
Was he here to settle the score? Sage was well aware that she couldn't take on Ian alone. Her drowsiness had almost completely disappeared then. Quietly, she stretched out her hand and intended to ring the bell to call a nurse to drive Ian away. But before she could fully extend her hand, Ian grabbed hold of it. Wasn't he drunk? Why were his movements so precise?"What do you think you're doing?" he asked with a sneer.Perhaps he was drunk. He was speaking slower than usual, and his gaze was more assertive than usual. He looked like someone who was not to be trifled with.Sage certainly wasn't foolish enough to confront him head-on. Hence, she came up with an excuse. "I'm thirsty. I need the nurse's help."Ian stretched out his long hand and brought the cup on the bedside table to her front. "Drink up."Sage didn't dare to struggle since her hand was still being held tightly by him. So, she said softly, "It's cold. I want something hot."A wicked grin crept onto his lips when
Sage whimpered in agony as a sharp pain shot through her body. Ian, on the other hand, was consumed by an intense fervor and began to suck and nibble on her long neck. His ragged, hot breath tickled her ears. It made her feel like a helpless prey that had been ensnared by a ravenous predator that was licking and biting her. Ian had shed all traces of his usual composure at that moment. His mouth, hands, and body were scorching hot. Sage was afraid that she would awaken his primal instincts further. She neither dared to nor had the strength to resist or squirm away. She could only watch him as he ravaged her.Soon, Ian was no longer content with just kissing her. His hands started to knead and caress the small of her back. The slightly rough pads of his fingers pressed against her skin, sending waves of tingling sensations through her body as if she were being jolted with electricity. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, as though he wanted to fuse her into his very bein
Sage panted heavily as she gazed at Ian coldly. "Tell me. Do you want to be on top of me or beneath me?" Ian swiftly stripped off her pants and pressed his hard member against her through his trousers.Sage was mortified by the humiliating position they were in and the lust on his face. She couldn't contain her anger any longer and shouted, "Ian Holcomb, stop pretending to be drunk! You know damn well you can hold your liquor!"He didn't even flinch when he drank with Shane the other night. How could he be this drunk tonight?"Since you won't tell me which position you want to be in, I'll decide for you!" Ian pinned her down mercilessly with one hand and unfastened his belt with the other. Sage noticed the madness and obsession in his eyes. "If you lay a finger on me tonight, I'll despise you for the rest of my life!""Then so be it. After all, you never planned to spend the rest of your life with me anyway!" His eyes glinted coldly as he discarded his belt and closed in on her
Tiana didn't insist either. She set down the cream and said, "The nurse on duty told me that Ian came here in the middle of the night. "He said he was going to accompany you and didn't want anyone to disturb you guys. Then, he came out from your ward about an hour later and asked for a hospital gown and some ointment."Tiana couldn't help but grumble, "Luckily, he didn't do anything to you. Otherwise, your bun in the oven would've been toast!"Sage said through gritted teeth, "If he had done anything to me, I would've reported him to the police!" Then, she realized something. "But how do you know we didn't…"Tiana responded, "Ian was afraid that I'd drag you off for a full-body check-up, so he didn't hide it from me."Realization dawned on Sage. She was in no state to get a full-body check-up, after all. "Ian is such a strange man. If he cared about you, he wouldn't have come over in the middle of the night to disturb your rest. "But if he didn't care about you, he wouldn't h
Sage and Tiana hadn't expected Ivy to come over. Sage frowned, adjusted her clothes, and said curtly, "No, you can't. You're not welcome here."Ivy didn't seem the least bit offended. She motioned for the caregiver to wheel her into the room anyway and smiled gently as she said, "Mrs. Holcomb, I've been suffering from severe back pain for the past few days, so I couldn't get out of bed to visit you. How're you feeling?"Tiana couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Wow, you've got some nerve. Sage clearly said you weren't welcome here.""Ms. Shekdotter, I heard you got injured because you tried to save Mrs. Holcomb." The caregiver beside Ivy asked softly, "So why aren't they grateful to you? Why are they treating you so poorly?"Ivy felt a little awkward about the caregiver's sudden interjection, but she graciously thanked her. "Could you please step out for a moment? I need to speak with Mrs. Holcomb.""Sage has nothing to say to you. Get out of our sights right this instant!" Tiana co
"Okay!"…That afternoon, after Tiana applied the ointment for Sage, she had something to do and left. Sage then received a call from Shane. He said he'd found a lawyer for her and asked if they could meet at a café near the hospital tomorrow morning. Sage readily agreed.Sage called Zachary since she still had plenty of time. She hadn't been in touch with him ever since they had dinner at her grandfather's place the other day. Also, she wondered how he was faring at Maven Corporation."What's up, Sage? Why are you calling me at this hour?" Zachary sounded a little surprised. "Well, I was wondering how things are going for you at Maven Corporation lately."Zachary smiled warmly and said, "It's going quite well. Mr. Joyner seems to trust me, and the people at the company are also cooperative.""That's good to hear." Sage was relieved."However, there's something I should probably let you know." He continued, "I've learned about the situation at Maven Corporation recently. Whi