Jim squeezed himself between Sage and Yoel and patiently waited for Sage's review of his pasta.Yoel turned slightly, and his eyes met Jim's bottom.Where did that kid come from? Where were his manners?Sage put some pasta in her mouth and chewed slowly. Her expressions were unfazed. Jim was slightly nervous and asked in a small voice, "How was it?"Sage did not comment further. Instead, she took a sip of water and asked him, "The heat control was better than the previous dish. Why was that?"She was actually giving him a test.Jim replied, "I guess I put in the salt way too early previously.""Why didn't you put it in earlier this time?"Jim added, "There's ham in this dish, and I added beef broth. It would be too salty if I added salt earlier. I added some brown butter for the color."Yoel could not help himself and interrupted, "That's right! No wonder the dish looked a little darker than before."Yoel felt smart after pointing that out. He leaned back against the chair as
Yoel was the only one at that table who could comment about the dishes. He glared angrily at Jim's behind.At that moment, Yoel was inspired to write a poem about his behind. He would title it 'Behind the Food'.Everyone enjoyed themselves at the Tasteful Restaurant that night. They were all drunk in the end, and Yoel was surrounded by the female designers all night.He defended his innocence to the end and yelled at Sage, who was far away."Sage, you can't do this to me! Please get your staff away from me…"Sage waved her hand in the air. "Help yourself. You're welcome."Jim closed the door after her.Yoel grumbled, "Sh*t! Hey, stop touching me! Get your hands off me! I'm calling the cops…"It was a midsummer night, and the sky was filled with stars. Sage felt a chilly breeze, and suddenly, she felt a weight on her shoulders. Jim draped his coat over her shoulders.Sage was stunned as she looked at his white jacket and looked up at him.Jim misunderstood her actions and said
Zayne knew he said the wrong thing as soon as he opened his mouth.Jace looked at him with a weird expression and asked Zayne in an unkind tone, "Do you want to cause me more trouble?"Zayne chuckled awkwardly and replied, "Just ignore that idea."Jace rolled his eyes at him."Mr. Jace, what should we do now?" Zayne asked as he thought that the situation had worsened."Norah Jewelry's new line was a huge hit due to their viral advertisement. They became the new standard of our industry with Jade Master collaborating with them…"As soon as Zayne spoke, the LED screen across the street played the advertisement with Seth and Suki.Norah Group placed the video everywhere, including airports, commercial streets, and bus stops.Yuriel Jewelry's sales took quite a hit since Norah Jewelry landed in Nadeem City."I heard that people formed lines from the mall entrance to purchase from them. It was terrifying."Zayne was surprised at how well Norah Jewelry did with their new launches.
Sage stood up and asked, "Kane? I thought you were in Brown City with Sean. What are you doing back here?"Kane grabbed a carrot stick and munched on it. "I'm done with my business there. Besides, Sean looks so unsightly that I can't bear to see his face."Sage smiled slightly and teased him, "It's because you can't keep your hands off others! People think you're in some kind of relationship with Sean."Sage got it right. Kane squinted and grabbed her neck, "What do you mean some kind of relationship? Hmm?"Sage was unable to breathe, with Kane grasping her so tightly. She ticked him, and Kane shivered as if his body was electrocuted and immediately let go of her.The fearless Kane's only fear was being tickled.Kane looked like a rabbit as he munched on the carrot. Sage laughed as she saw him. "When did you begin to love carrots this much?""There's nothing left for me to eat. Would you like to cook for me?"Kane had puppy dog eyes as he thought about Sage's cooking. "My good
Kane was dumbstruck by Sage's response.He looked displeased, "What happened? Did Jace bully you again? I can always put him in a gunny sack and beat him up again!"Sage replied calmly, "There's no need for that. Stop causing more trouble. I just hope he can disappear from my life and never return."Kane looked at his sister. She didn't seem to be joking."Weren't you in love with him? What's going on?"Sage stopped chopping the vegetables and looked up at Kane. "I've grown up. Love is no longer my priority."She smiled and added, "I love myself more than I love him."It was hard to love one person forever. Sage became busier and more confident with herself these days, and she found something new about herself.She was rather talented in doing business. It was her life—her career.It was like the message behind the 'Queen of Hearts' ring designed by Ada.'If you're not his princess, you're your own queen."…The next day, Jace made a stop at the museum before heading to the
Jace helped Mister Mendoza up, and the three of them walked toward the living area.“Mister Mendoza, how well do you know of this Jade Master?” Zayne asked as he made tea.“You mentioned that she wasn’t old. Is she a young girl then?”Mister Mendoza squinted his eyes and thought for a moment.“Let me see. She was barely ten years old when I met her. It's been fifteen… Sixteen… Seventeen…”Mister Mendoza counted with his fingers and gasped. “Oh! It’s been seventeen years. She shouldn’t be more than thirty years old this year. Compared to me, she’s a young girl. Haha!”Both Jace’s and Zayne’s jaws dropped onto the floor as Mister Mendoza said casually.That was impossible!…Meanwhile, in the Chairman offices of the Norah Group, Luther walked into the room and asked Sage, “How are you planning to celebrate your twenty-fifth birthday this year?”Sage was buried in paperwork. She responded without looking up, “I’m not celebrating.”“No way!”Luther walked over and half-leaned o
Mister Mendoza provided lots of information even though he did not know Jade Master personally. For instance, Jade Master was not an old lady like everyone else thought. Instead, she was around 30 years old.He also mentioned that she was a private person. She only revealed herself once during her debut. Mister Mendoza had only seen her once from far.According to Mister Mendoza's first impression of her, she was a young girl with a petite and skinny figure and long hair. She also had a spirited personality.""How do you know she's spirited when you can't even see her face?"Unless he had the ability of discernment?Mister Mendoza knocked on the back of Zayne's head and said, "Of course! Her sculptures are all spiritual. You could even say she's rare and talented. Of course, she's spirited!"Jace listened quietly, and he immediately thought of Sage when he heard the word 'spirited'.His pupils darkened.Mister Mendoza looked at Jace and asked, "Why are you looking for Jade Ma
No, Yoel did not want that."Okay. It's my fault. I won't do it again."Yoel raised both his hands as he walked up to her. "Stop being so cold to me. I almost died in those girls’ hands last night at the Tasteful Restaurant!"Sage was unfazed. "That can't hurt you. You're a playboy.""That's not true. I'm quite innocent and pure."Sage did not know where Yoel found the courage to say that. She reminded him, "You'd better walk your talk.""It's okay. Your image as the well-behaved wife is long gone, too," Yoel replied without thinking about the consequences.Sage looked up and glared at him. She retaliated in an icy tone, "Are you here to die? I don't mind sending you a ride."Yoel felt her indifference. He took a few steps back away from Sage.He chuckled awkwardly, "Hey, there's no need for that. We're just casually chatting over here."Sage could not be bothered. "Why are you even here? Say your words or leave."Yoel touched his nose. "I came here today to ask for your hel
Sage heard of the saying, 'Marriage is for happiness, and so does divorce.'Based on Wikipedia, the definition of marriage was, 'Marriage is a long-term contractual relationship between a man and a woman based on equal consent.'Someone once said, 'Marriage is like a siege. Those outside wanted to break in, while people inside wanted to break out of the siege.'Sage and Jace had been through marriage once. In their first marriage, they were both losers. This time, they were both determined to win. They wanted to live their lives well. Even if their passion were to fade in the future, they would never leave each other. There were eight couples in line ahead of them. Sage and Jace were the ninth.Jace was eager for their turn. He counted carefully and then said with a smile, "It's nine again. It's a good day for this number."Jace suddenly came up with a good idea, "Let's have a daughter and call her Little Nine, okay?"'Did he just come up with that? How brave,' Sage thought and
The ninth of September arrived quickly.Sage was worried that Jace would not be able to get up on time, but Sage turned out to be the one who overslept. Sage had not slept all night because of a certain someone. She was so sleepy, while Jace was full of energy.Jace carried Sage to the bathroom to wash up and brush her teeth. "Open your mouth. Ah…"Sage squinted as she saw the terrible dark circles under her eyes. She turned around in anger and bumped Jace's head.Jace was caught off guard and felt dizzy from the impact. He rubbed his head. "Dear, aren't you hurting yourself by doing this…""Look at my dark circles. They're so ugly. How am I supposed to take pictures? Sage complained in anger.Jace squinted and rubbed his eyes. "Let me see. What's ugly?"He held Sage's face and observed it. "What's ugly? It's not ugly. My wife is the prettiest in the world!"Jace did not care about the toothpaste foam all over Sage's mouth and kissed her anyway.Primrose opened the door and
Jace made Sage stay up all night. Sage was so sleepy that her eyes were closing."Sleep. I'll wake you up later."Jace leaned down and kissed her forehead. As he closed his eyes, he remembered something and sat up sharply."By the way, we have to wear white shirts for tomorrow's photo session. We haven't prepared the shirt…"Jace rolled over and jumped off the bed right after saying that. Sage could not stop him in time, so she turned on the lamp helplessly. She leaned over the bed and waited for Jace in silence.Shortly after, Jace came back with two shirts. His eyes were shining. "Dear, you've prepared for us?""Yeah." Sage nodded weakly. "I've got them ready. I've had Zamora iron them for me."Jace could finally put his mind at ease. "What about the documents and identifications…"Sage pulled open the drawer of the bedside table and took out the papers and documents she had prepared ahead. "It's all here."Sage looked at Jace. "Everything is ready. You've checked three time
Sage spread out the notebook and looked at the blurred handwriting. She slowly read it out loud, "Step one, conquer her with sweet talking. Use sweeter and flirtatious words that would make people blush. Forget about modesty and shame in bed. It's best to whisper them into her ears…"Sage read the notes with a straight face, making Jace so embarrassed that he could hardly keep his feet on the ground.Jace strode forward with a stiff face and tried to snatch the notebook away. Sage was quick to dodge and continued reading with her head down."Step two, be aggressive at your offense. Focus and remember this, being rough yet gentle. You can use props such as blindfolds, ties, handcuffs, and so on…"Sage's face turned red while reading it. As the images popped into her mind, she had to stop reading.Jace was about to go crazy. He buried his face in his hands, unable to look up at Sage."Where did you learn all these?" Sage threw the notebook at Jace. "Rough yet gentle? Are you seriou
'Electric drill? Seriously?!' Jace thought and got a headache.Seeing that Sage was about to open her mouth again, he panicked and kissed her directly to shut her up.Dean was stunned by Jace's quick action. When he saw the couple kissing in the light, he suddenly raised his hand and hit his head.'I must be on the set… Who else would be so shameless as to kiss in public like that?' Dean thought.Sage finally calmed down after a long kiss. Jace breathed a sigh of relief and picked her up. He told Logan, "I'll leave the other guy to you!""Oh," Logan responded. Then he picked Dean up like a kid and walked out the door.Jace was tired and sweaty by the time he arrived at the hotel. Sage was already soundly asleep. Jace put her to bed and took off her shoes, socks, pants, and clothes. He stripped her clean.Sage drank a lot and was reeking of alcohol. Jace did not want to wake her up, so he did not carry her to the bathroom and bathe her. Instead, he wet the towel with hot water to
In the words of the commentators, the basketball game was very smooth. The national team played well! At last, the national team defeated the opponent team by a score of 106-73.The crowd was thrilled that the national team had won the game. The internet was buzzing with excitement too. There were several hot searches about the national team's victory. The topic #RisingStarJim made the headlines too.Sage had lost her usual composure. She was following the fans and shouting wildly, cheering for the victory.Perhaps this was the power of sports. It made the audience exhilarated and trembling with excitement. Jace looked calm on the outside, but he was actually quite excited on the inside.Sage was cheering in excitement. She jumped up and down like a child while hugging Jace. Jace followed and laughed with her too.They were planning to leave after the game, but Sage was really happy and stayed for the team's celebration party. Sage even asked Jim for his teammates' shoe sizes and
"Is that so?" A trace of interest flashed in Jace's eyes.Sage did not understand, so she asked, "What does a small forward do?"Jace explained, "The small forwards are typically the tallest and most athletic of all players. They are responsible for scoring points and defending. The main goal of strong shooters is to score and create opportunities for teammates. In other cases, they would operate as off-ball specialists. They would wait for teammates to pass the ball, catch the ball, and shoot to score."Seeing Sage's confused look, Jace added, "James and Durant, for example, are playing as small forwards.""Oh!" Sage immediately understood after hearing the name of these famous basketball stars. Her eyes lit up. "Isn't that amazing?"Jace saw the sparkle in her eyes and found her really adorable. He said, smiling, "It is. Basketball is all about teamwork. Small forward is probably the most versatile of the five main basketball positions and carries multiple functions in the game.
The next morning, Sage, Jace, and Dean went to the basketball arena for the World Championships after breakfast.It was the men's basketball world championship, where their country's basketball team was up against another country. By the time they got to the arena, many people were in the audience.The staff guided Sage and the group to their designated seat in the family section.As soon as Dean sat down, someone next to him called out his name. Dean seemed unsurprised by this. He even smiled and waved at them. After that, he gestured for them to be polite and silent. It was not Dean's first time watching his younger brother's basketball game live. Many of his fans knew that Dean's younger brother was playing on the national team. They especially came over to get closer to him. Some were Jim's fans too. They knew Dean was Jim's brother, so they would greet him.After listening to Dean's explanation, Sage's businessman side as the owner of Norah Entertainment appeared again."If
Jace muffled his laughs and relaxed in the night light. He said, "I have to work harder, or someone will call me old.""Hey." Sage knew he would get back at her.She rolled over and lay on top of Jace. She played with his chest and said in a muffled voice, "I have a new nickname for you."Jace responded, "Hm?"Sage looked up at him. "Vengeance."Jace was stunned and soon broke into a peal of laughter. Sage leaned on him and felt the rise and fall of his breathing. As his chest resonated with his laughter, Sage followed along with his laughter. Both of them were laughing like fools. Sage and Jace lay flat on the bed after laughing nonstop. They opened up and improved their intimacy so much. As a result, their whole body and mind were very relaxed tonight. "Hey..." The two spoke in unison, exchanged a glance, and smiled again.Sage said, "Go ahead."Jace looked at Sage and muttered, "I'll say something, but don't get mad at it.""Just say it." Sage looked at him.Jace though