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
Steadying herself using the drawer, Sage couldn't help but feel a little silly. She had gone to such lengths to win a game of hide-and-seek. It would've been extremely embarrassing if she had tripped and fallen.Fortunately, no one else was there. Sage sighed in relief and reached out to close the drawer. But then she noticed a wooden box inside with its lid half-open. Inside, she spotted something that looked familiar—a crescent-shaped, light purple crystal hair clip.When she was in high school, she enjoyed wearing all kinds of hairbands, hair accessories, and hair clips. On her 18th birthday, her grandfather had commissioned a designer to create a custom set of crystal hair accessories for her, and one of the clips looked similar to this one.However, she often misplaced things and lost quite a few of them. This crescent-shaped hair clip had been missing for years. Was this her hair clip? Or had someone else purchased a similar one and left it here?Matilda and Linda would n
Sage was bewildered. Leo wanted Ian and Abby to get married? But it kind of made sense. Ian had mentioned that the Suttons were powerful and had a strong background. The union between these two families would definitely bring them to new heights."No matter how long it's been since I've been divorced, she's the only one I've ever truly cared about." Ian's cold voice sounded again. "I wouldn't mind collaborating with the Suttons, but if marriage is part of the deal, then it's off the table.""Do you really think you're all grown up now, Ian Holcomb? How dare you speak to me in that tone?" Leo was furious. "A real man should seize every opportunity to expand the family business. Indulging in romantic relationships will lead you nowhere!""So, you want me to expand our family business through marriage?" Ian said coldly. "Don't you find it disgraceful to use marriage as a weapon?""Watch your mouth!" Leo snarled. "I'm your father, Ian. How could you disrespect me like this? I've turn