Layla was always on her phone, talking to her friends about clothes and handbags. She paid no attention to Henry's attentiveness and only saw him as an ordinary pursuer.It was obvious that Henry must have done something else later on to make Layla change her mind about him."Hey, Layla, check it out! Your cousin's handbag looks exactly like the limited edition one they're selling online."The woman suddenly exclaimed with envy, "Regular folks can't get their hands on these handbags! They're exclusively reserved for high-profile clients!"She spoke so loudly that even Henry, who was playing billiards, couldn't help but look over.Layla said with a hint of jealousy, "It's no surprise that she has so much money to spend. Not only did she marry into a wealthy family, my grandfather even gave her 100 million dollars when she got married!"Sage didn't deny that she was rich. When the waiter came over, she took out the black card that Ian had given her.Amidst a chorus of envious gaze
Henry immediately followed up with a message. "I'm grateful for your kind gesture. However, I feel uncomfortable taking this money from you, although this sum might be nothing to you."Sage let out a chuckle, surprised at Henry's quick wit.Despite his obvious greed, he still managed to portray himself as someone above taking small favors.Sage accepted the money and replied, "I'll be the one treating next time."Henry replied, "I'll not be so reserved next time, then!"Sage put her phone away.She had casually flaunted her wealth earlier and used a black card to show Henry how rich she was.Given how greedy Henry was, he would definitely try to curry favor with her.As a result, he wouldn't be as attentive to Layla.Besides, Henry was obviously Ivy's lackey, and he might be useful to her in the future.…Sage bought two sets of the latest season's dresses at the mall, as well as some jewelry and several pieces of gold.In the past, she used to think gold was tacky, but now
No wonder Ian had been busy lately. It turned out that he was busy kissing up to the Shekdotters.It must have been difficult for him. After all, he needed to do extra work on top of his regular workload at the company."Mrs. Holcomb," Ivy politely greeted when she saw Sage.Being a sensible woman, she said to Ian, "Now that my job here is done, I'm going back to Bolton Investment.""Okay."Once Ivy left, Ian glanced at Sage, who had come here empty-handed. He seemed to be silently questioning her as to why she didn't buy anything for him.Sage ignored his look as she asked coldly, "Where's the antique inkwell?"Ian frowned, not understanding why Sage's demeanor had changed even though she had been friendly to him over the phone earlier.He recalled Ivy's presence in his office just now, so he decided to be patient with Sage for once. "Ivy was here earlier to give me a report on tomorrow's banquet—""Your relationship with her has nothing to do with me," Sage interrupted. "Hur
Calvin decided to drop a piece of advice for Ian out of the kindness of his heart. "Ian, it's best if you explain to Mrs. Holcomb as soon as possible. Women usually get angry over just one matter. "But if you don't offer them any explanations or comforting words, they'll definitely lump every little thing that ticked them off in the past together. It'll be difficult for you to coax them by the time their grudge against you deepens."Ian couldn't care less about how difficult it was to coax Sage. Heck, he couldn't be bothered to do that.He no longer wanted to listen to Calvin's nonsensical rambling, so he stated coldly, "Are you done with your project proposal? You can head to the meeting room now and explain every single detail to everyone there."Calvin instantly shut up at that order, clearly not expecting the sudden change in topic. He plastered a pitiful look on his face as he asked, "Can you spare me this once, Ian?"Ian wasn't fazed in the slightest. "No."Calvin cried,
"You really are cheeky." Donald poked Sage in the forehead. "I'd never have thought you'd be that wary of your own uncle."Sage could never trust Owen. After all, he had replaced the entire senior management in the company with his own subordinates.It wasn't as though Donald was ignorant of Owen's antics. He was just playing dumb the whole time.Sage giggled daintily before admitting the truth. "I'm wary of everyone but you, Grandpa. By the way, Layla seems interested in traveling abroad. Why not suggest to Uncle Owen about letting her study in a university abroad for two years?"Sage didn't bring up her meeting with Layla. "She keeps failing her subjects, after all. Maybe she might be able to study well in a new university."As long as Layla was abroad, Henry wouldn't be able to pester her. Perhaps she'd be able to escape from her tragic fate in Sage's past life.Donald replied, "I did mention that to Susan last time. Unfortunately, she refused to let Layla study abroad becau
Sage felt that Ian's expression was rather weird. Of course, the question he asked was also odd.She took a step away from him, her guard now raised. "Why would I be angry at you?""Then why didn't you go home last night?"What did Ian mean by that? He made it sound as though they were inseparable! Had he seriously forgotten the number of nights he had spent elsewhere instead of returning home over the course of their one-year marriage?Sage couldn't be bothered to waste her breath on meaningless arguments with Ian. She rolled her eyes at him before heading toward the dining table.The housekeepers had already laid out a breakfast spread by then. Sage had just poured herself a glass of milk when she heard Ian saying, "I want a glass of milk, too.""Are you handicapped? Can't you pour it yourself?" she shot back.Ian gritted his teeth. "You used to serve me milk and other food. Are you saying that it was all an act?"How dare that bastard bring up the past!Sage's temper flared
Ivy's smiling face appeared on the screen. "What's with the early morning call, Ian?"Ian forwarded the photo to her. "Explain to me why this photo was taken like this."Ivy wasn't the only one who was shocked by Ian's question. Even Sage looked slightly surprised. She never expected Ian to question Ivy in the first place.Meanwhile, Ivy was astonished to see the photo. She soon recalled what happened that day."Didn't I delete this photo on my social media feed? I have the tendency to show my cooking off whenever I've whipped up something nice. After posting that photo, I felt that it wasn't nice enough, so I deleted it after a while."Why did you save this photo, Ian? Is something wrong with it?" Ian asked, "Why did you include my shirt in your photo?""Huh? Did I?" Ivy seemed to be scrutinizing the photo to verify the details. "You're right. Did Mrs. Holcomb misunderstand our relationship, Ian?"Ian answered right away, "She thought I took a shower and spent the night in yo
"Whatever. I heard you're going to attend the banquet hosted by Holcomb Corporation. You can accompany me to a beauty salon to get my hair and makeup done. "I'll have to pick out a gown there, too. After that, we can attend the banquet together," Delilah ordered."I'm not obligated to do all those things with you."Sage moved to place her belongings on the couch. "If I'm not mistaken, you told me you'd never meet up with me ever again. The door's that way. You can see yourself out."Just as Delilah was about to lash out at Sage, she happened to catch sight of the gown the latter had bought. It elicited a surprised gasp from her."Oh, my gosh! That gown came from the latest lineup sold by Gorgine Fits! I've always wanted to own one of those! Sage, you can give me that gown! That way, I don't have to pick out a gown for myself anymore!"Delilah reached out to grab the gown to try on it as she spoke. Sage quickly snatched the gown out of her hands while retorting coldly, "If you
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