Sage laughed. Her Aunt Susan was from a poor family, and she had many siblings. She was the least favorite child.Her life changed after she married Uncle Owen, but her selfish and mean personality still stuck with her. She couldn't stand losing out or being taken advantage of.She wouldn't just let it slide now that she found out Delilah had used her. Although the tax incident was a headache, it showed Aunt Susan Delilah's true colors."We've already sent all the documents to the tax department, and they'll give us a solid conclusion in a few days. Then, we'll explain the whole situation to the public to reduce the impact," said Zachary. "Thanks for the trouble," said Sage sincerely.Zachary smiled when he saw her smile and said, "I'm part of Maven Corporation now. It's what I should do." "But still, thank you. Here's a toast to you!" Sage raised her glass of juice and clinked glasses with him. Zachary raised his glass and did the same.Perhaps Sage was mistaken, but she felt
Sage glanced in her rearview mirror, but she didn't spot anything suspicious. Fortunately, she arrived at the hotel safely. She passed her keys to the valet and went up to her room. She then showered and applied a beauty mask. Just as she was about to sort out the investment plan for CureX, her phone rang. It was Henry York. Sage answered the call. "Mr. York, have you decided to cooperate with me?" Henry no longer sounded pretentious like he used to. He asked directly, "What do you want me to do?" His tech company had toppled, and bad news about them had spread continuously over the past two days. The backlash was getting more serious. Ivy must have known long ago and confronted Henry about it. They had probably had a huge fight, or Henry wouldn't have made a decision so quickly. If they were going to work together, then there was no point hiding the motive anymore.Sage said plainly, "It's very simple. Ask your mother to work as Ivy's housekeeper and report her movements
Henry was more on Sage's side, but he had concerns. Ivy saved him from the consequences the time he had seriously injured someone in a fight. She had told him clearly that she could send him to jail any time she wanted. "I'll help you solve this issue, but not now. Let her keep her hold over you for now," said Sage. Henry did not object and asked, "Ivy already knows that we've been in contact. What should I do if she says that she'll only have me if I go against you?""Give me a heads-up earlier and I'll play along with you." Then, Sage warned, "Don't try to eat out of both our hands or you'll lose your chance at redemption."Henry shuddered. Sage had guessed his intentions. He had underestimated her. Sage wasn't a foolish and lonely rich woman. She was even smarter than him. After the call ended, Henry lit a cigarette. Sandra said, "Can we trust that Joyner woman? Wasn't she the one who got the company into trouble? So why is she trying to make us side with her? Is she tryin
Before Sage could finish her sentence, someone clapped a hand over her mouth. Her phone fell to the ground with a crack.Sage looked up in terror and saw that her attacker was a thin man wearing a cap and a face mask. There was another man dressed in the same way.Before she could process what was going on, the thin man grabbed her by the neck while his accomplice quickly shut the door. Together, they dragged her toward the emergency stairwell. They moved quickly, and Sage was feeling uncomfortable from the man's grip around her neck. She tried to hit them, but she was too weak. When they were almost in the stairwell, Sage heard someone opening one of the doors in the corridor! She let out a muffled scream for help, but she couldn't make a sound. Her captors dragged her into the stairwell.The alarm had stopped blaring and personnel would soon be coming to check. However, she would be long gone by the time they found out what was wrong! Sage suddenly recalled feeling like she
There was a fire exit door at the top of the stairwell that led to the hotel's corridor. Sage wanted to swing the door open and call for help. However, she discovered that the door was locked from the inside of the corridor and that she couldn't open it at all. Just then, the two men who were covered in retardant caught up with her and cornered her. "Who are you people, and who sent you here?" she questioned anxiously. "This is a hotel. There are surveillance cameras everywhere. You can't possibly get away. If you back off right now, I won't hold you accountable!""Shut your trap!" the thin man snapped. "We were paid to get rid of you! Of course, we wouldn't let you go. If you know what's good for you, you'll come with us quietly!" He then lunged at Sage, who screamed."Hold it right there!" Right as she was about to kick the man, a cold, stern voice rang out from above. Sage looked up and spotted Ian. The men in masks were rattled as they noticed Ian, who was dressed to th
Staring at his blood-stained suit, Sage followed after him. Ian remained silent in the elevator, and the air reeked of blood."What brings you here?" she couldn't help but ask. His expression remained cold as he paid her no heed. Sage figured he was still upset about what she had said last night, so she didn't say another word. The elevator reached the first floor in no time. As soon as the couple stepped into the lobby, Terry and a few others rushed over to them. "I hurried back as soon as I received your call, Mr. Holcomb. What happened? Are you okay?"Ian responded apathetically, "Those guys who attacked us are still upstairs. Take them to the police station and look into their background.""Will do." Terry then noticed the bloodstain on his shoulder and exclaimed in surprise, "What happened to your shoulder, Mr. Holcomb? You were completely fine when you arrived at the hotel. How'd you get injured?""He was slashed with a knife when he tried to help me," Sage interjected
Sage immediately lowered her head and peeked into Shane's car when she heard that. Then, she raised her head and asked, "What's with the act? Giselle isn't here."Shane remained silent as he inched closer to Sage. Instinctively, she took a step back and was about to speak up when he swiftly reached out and pinned her against his car. "Do you really think I'm just putting on an act, Sage?" he asked lowly. His action caused her to frown in confusion. Sage looked up and noticed that his handsome face had a mischievous smirk, and his eyes were filled with tenderness. "Shane, could you—" she was about to tell him to cut it out when a loud bang echoed from behind them. Ian had closed his car door, and his driver had hopped into the driver's seat and revved up the engine. As his car zoomed past them, Sage caught a glimpse of Ian, who was sitting upright in the backseat. His profile was cold and stern as he looked straight ahead."Tsk. I was expecting him to get out of his car to b
"What's gotten into you today, Shane? What's with the sarcasm?" Sage couldn't help but ask."What about you?" Shane scoffed. "I thought you divorced Ian already. Yet, you're in such a rush to find him. It's almost as if you're afraid that others won't know about your unfinished business!" Sage was at a loss for words. "Am I supposed to ignore the person who got injured while attempting to save me and just go back to sleep?"What's it to you anyway?" She eyed him suspiciously. "Are you acting like this because you've fallen for me?"Shane smirked when he heard that. He then responded, "That's right. I'm deeply in love with you, and I won't marry anyone else." His voice was low and deep, with a mischievous twang at the end. Sage got goosebumps all over her arms as she listened. She stroked her arms and said, "Don't you think you're overdoing it, Mr. Morrison?"He glanced at her and said disdainfully, "I'd have to be blind to fall for a foolish woman like you!"Sage was rendere
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