"I already had someone look into it. Although my father gave you a lot of money to do things for him, he had nothing to do with the kidnapping in Toledon. He doesn't even know what you did!" said Ian.A look of panic crossed Ivy's face. She had indeed planned to implicate Leo in this, but she never expected Ian to investigate his own father! "Who else was behind the kidnapping?" demanded Ian.Ian had always found the recording implicating Ivy very suspicious, but he couldn't find the source. He had asked Ivy if anyone else was behind the kidnapping, but she had denied it.Logically, Ivy would have jumped at the chance to blame someone else. So why had she denied it? That was why Ian suspected that other people wanted to hurt Sage besides Ivy. Ian could still throw Ivy in jail easily regardless of his father's involvement, but he couldn't feel at ease if he didn't catch her accomplice."There's no use trying to hide the truth anymore. The recording of you kidnapping Sage has bee
Shortly, a woman's screams echoed throughout the mental institution. It wasn't a strange thing to happen at a mental hospital. People screamed all the time. That night was anything but peaceful.…The next day, Sage received a phone call from Shane right after she came out from her shower. He said that he was about to reach her place and asked her to wait for him downstairs when she was done. He would take her out for breakfast. Tiana overheard their conversation and teased, "Shane can't survive a day without seeing you now, huh?"Sage rolled her eyes and said, "Don't think I didn't hear you last night. You were talking on the phone with Calvin."Tiana took it calmly. "We call all the time. It doesn't prove anything. You didn't tell me anything about your uncle's birthday. Are you hiding secrets from me?"The night before, Sage had felt overwhelmed and sad after what had happened with Ian. Tiana had been chatting happily with Calvin, so she didn't want to disturb her. Sage j
Sage bit into a croissant. It was crunchy and fragrant. When she saw that Shane wasn't eating, she said, "Hurry up and eat. Don't you have a meeting with the investment bankers at your office later?" Shane put a slice of chicken pie on her plate and said, "I already told my secretary to postpone the meeting to tomorrow.""Why?""Shekdotter Inc. is in serious trouble lately. The project you asked Henry to secure has gone south and dragged the whole company down with it. They're in chaos now and it's the perfect time to buy the company."Was Shekdotter Inc. really going to topple that easily? Hadn't Ian's dad been supporting them the whole time?Besides, hadn't Ivy done anything to save the situation even after knowing that something was wrong with the project? Sage was a little taken aback."This morning, I even received news that Ivy broke one of her fingers at the hospital last night. When they brought her in for surgery, they found that she was more than two weeks pregnant,
It was Giselle and Marcus. Giselle was dressed in a simple professional suit. She no longer looked like a pampered young lady and instead exuded the air of a professional businesswoman. Marcus, on the other hand, was dressed in a tailored, bespoke suit. His eyes were deep and calm, and his presence was overwhelming. Giselle's eyes widened in surprise when she noticed Sage and took the initiative to greet her. "Are you guys dining here as well, Sage? What a coincidence!"Sage smiled. "Yeah.""What are you doing here?" Shane asked, peeved."I had no idea you'd be here!" Giselle promptly responded. "My brother offered to take me out for dinner. I hadn't expected to run into you guys!""I chose this place, Shane. It has nothing to do with Elle," Marcus chimed in.Shane snorted and said nothing more."It's been a while, Ms. Joyner." Marcus then greeted Sage with a faint smile.Sage responded cordially, "It has indeed been a while, Mr. Rosethorn.""Since we've run into each othe
"Also, you had better help me explain to Sage that there's nothing between Giselle and me. That 'engagement' before was just a farce!"Sage shot Shane a look. "That's enough." She had never gotten the wrong idea about his relationship with Giselle. She could tell that he only emphasized that because he was worried that Giselle hadn't given up on him. Shane wasn't upset at all when she scolded him. Instead, he closed the distance between them and flashed her a devilish smile. "Yes, Ma'am. I'll zip it."He had been acting all high and mighty just moments ago, but he was now a meek lamb. This sudden shift caused both Giselle and Marcus to look away. Sage was rendered speechless.Dinner went relatively well. Shane would occasionally place food on Sage's plate like an attentive and devoted boyfriend. Halfway through dinner, Shane went to the restroom to wash his hands. Giselle, coincidentally, stepped out to find a waiter, leaving Sage and Marcus alone.Marcus smiled at Sage. "Ms.
Giselle glanced at Sage when she spotted Ian in the reception room. Ignoring Giselle's suggestive look, Sage's brows subtly drew together. It seemed that Shane was right. Ian was indeed planning to personally oversee this deal. Ian was anything but idle. He was engrossed in reviewing the documents that Terry handed him as he sat in the reception area of CureX Pharmaceuticals. "Welcome, Ms. Joyner. The conference room is ready. You may proceed to the conference hall," an employee at the research institution told Sage.Upon hearing this, Ian looked up. His dark eyes were deep, his handsome face was stern, and his presence was intimidating, probably because he was working. When he noticed her, his gaze flickered, but he didn't utter a word."Mrs- Ms. Joyner." Terry corrected himself and addressed her as the employee did. Sage nodded at him before she headed to the conference room with Giselle. As soon as she reached the door, Abby walked toward her cheerfully. "Ms. Joyner!"S
There was still some time before dinner, so Sage decided to drop Giselle off at the office first. "Sage, your ex-husband still has feelings for you. I can't believe he's even personally overseeing a small project like this," Giselle teased."Oh? And how do you know that?" Sage inquired."Of course, I know! Even though he acts all aloof and cold, his eyes were on you the whole time you spoke. He looked so smitten," Giselle said. "If we weren't in such a serious setting, I would've recorded it and sent it to Shane."Sage couldn't help but roll her eyes at Giselle. "You know the two of them don't get along. Don't make things worse.""How am I making things worse? It'll stop Shane from feeling overconfident!" Giselle then asked, "Wait… Does that mean you know why they don't get along?"Sage nodded. "Shane took me to his mother's grave the other day."Giselle was momentarily taken aback when she heard that. Then, she leaned back in her car seat, as if she were intrigued. "Shane wa
Shortly after, a housekeeper's voice sounded. "Welcome back, Mr. Holcomb."Sage's brows knitted. Why was Leo here? She hadn't run into Leo during her previous visits to Holcomb Manor, and she assumed he wasn't on good terms with Matilda, so he wouldn't come over. But here he was."Let's take a picture, Sage!" Sandy called out cheerily. Sage didn't want to dampen Sandy's mood, so she joined her with a smile.About half an hour later, Matilda came out to look for them and brought Sandy some water and her medications. Sandy obediently took them but was still in high spirits and suggested playing hide-and-seek with Sage.Sage hadn't expected her to suggest such a childish game. After all, the last time she played it was in elementary school.With a smile, Matilda explained, "A few of the housekeepers here treat Sandy like a child and have played hide-and-seek with her when she was feeling well. She probably thinks it's fun and wants to play it with you."Sage was willing to play