A bolt of lightning split the dark blue sky. Almost as if the lightning had struck her, the crown resting atop her head fell to the ground.It started raining. The crowd had slowly dispersed and Sienna looked as if she had her soul sucked out of her body. Staring at Jace who was walking away from her without even a backward glance, Sienna felt despair.The man who had always shielded her from all danger had finally left her.Sienna had finally regretted her decision to break up with Jace. She had finally realized the price she had to pay for all her bad and impulsive decisions throughout the three years that she had spent abroad. …The chaotic wedding ceremony had finally come to an end in the heavy rain.Even though the guests did not get to witness the happy and perfect wedding that they had come to see, they managed to watch a good show and felt that the entire thing had been worth their time. The Yuriel family was not badly affected as they had desperately wished for the w
Since Sage had come to save Freya, she decided to help her till the end. Sage decided to send Freya home personally. Sitting in the car that belonged to the "newlyweds", Sage found the situation ludicrous.Sage mocked herself for going to such lengths as Jace's ex-wife.It was an extended Lincome with enough car seats to accommodate both Faye and Zachary. As soon as Zachary boarded the car, he started firing questions at Sage."Sage, where have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere, and Jace had gone through every CCTV recording that he could get his hands on. But he just couldn't find you.""Sage, did you really fly the helicopter by yourself? I didn't know you know how to fly one! When did you get the license? Why didn't you tell us? Can we have a ride, too?"Sage smiled gently and replied, "Of course, but it's raining today, and I don't think we should fly it. Next time perhaps?""Yay! You're the best, Sage!"Jace took a glance at Zachary who was acting all excite
The moment Sage mentioned Sawyer Norah's name, everyone in the family was stunned.One of Jace's uncles jolted to his feet and said, "What did you say? Sawyer Norah is your dad?"Jace had his brows furrowed tightly together.Although it had been almost three years since the passing of Sawyer Norah, his reputation still preceded him. His brilliant and unprecedented legacy survived his passing, staying alive till this very day. Sawyer was considered a genius in the business industry.Within only half a year, Sawyer had built up the Norah Group to be the most influential company in Salem City. A year after he founded Norah Jewel, the business was listed as one of the top companies in the jewel industry and had been in a fierce rivalry with Yuriel Jewel. Within the span of three years, Norah Jewel had triumphed over Yuriel Jewel and had secured an official partnership with DT, the diamond trading company. A year after that, Norah Jewel had been selected as the official supplier for t
Why in the world did she choose to marry him?Jace did not need Sage to prove anything as throughout the years, everyone in the Yuriel family had witnessed and experienced firsthand how Sage had behaved. She took good care of her husband, her mother-in-law, and she was respectful to the elders in the family. One could say that she was the perfect daughter-in-law.Both his grandparents did not begin to dislike Sage after finding out that she was a Norah. Looking at Sage, Jace's grandfather said, "Sage, please do not take to heart what Jace's uncle has said. He did so because he is still nursing the defeat he suffered at the hands of your father, and his reaction has nothing to do with you. The feud between the Norah and Yuriel family is past us, and it is normal for businesses to compete with each other. Don't be too hurt by it, okay?"Jace's grandmother held Sage's hands in hers and added gently, "We know who you really are, Sage. You've brought happiness to all of us throughout t
"I'm sorry."Before Jace even realized it, the words had slipped out of his mouth, but he did not find them inappropriate.Sage had taken care of him for three years, but there was not a day when he had actually cared for her. He had even hurt her for another woman. Hence, he did owe her an apology.Those two words startled Sage. Sage knew Jace like the back of her hand. She knew that he was short-tempered and stubborn. It was definitely strange for him to suddenly apologize to her.All this while, she had been waiting for him to tell her he loved her, and instead, he had offered her an apology. Sage mocked herself silently. With a straight face, she replied, "Apology accepted."She then turned around and got into the car.Her nonchalant attitude seemed to hint that she no longer had any lingering feelings toward him.'Has she really stop having feelings for me?'Sage's assistants had filed into the car after her, and they were ready to leave.Just when the car started, Ja
Under the umbrella, two men stared at each other, studying each other's expressions.They were once good partners in the business industry, but now, they were each other's rivals."You guys are not suited to be together," Jace replied definitively.Yoel simply shrugged and replied, "How can you be sure if I don't try? Besides, you don't even know her. What makes you think that we're not suited for each other? Mind you, I was the one who informed you about her real identity."Yoel cut Jace to the quick. Every sentence was like a knife that pierced Jace's heart. Jace squinted and said, "She's not the type that you could play around with.""I know, and this is exactly why I'm going to sincerely pursue her."Yoel adjusted his stance, looked where Sage had been, and said, "At first, I was worried that she'd still have feelings for you, but by the looks of it, I must be overthinking it. Sage seems the type who would be able to move on quickly once she has made up her mind. She's more
'To be my friend?'Sage tugged at the corner of her lips, supported her head with her hands, and replied, "Hmm…let's see. You're twenty-seven this year, and you're of Romani descent. Your father trained all your siblings harshly except for you. He adored and pampered you. He'd keep you by his side and educate you. You were kidnapped at nine, and you almost lost your life. Your father mobilized his entire clan to save you, and you were able to return home unscathed. But, your seven brothers were not so lucky. Some were hurt, and some had even died during that mission. All to save you." Unfazed, Yoel broke into a grin. "You looked me up online? It seems to me Miss Sage, you are rather interested in me."He was about to move closer to Sage when she continued, "You first had sex when you were sixteen. You did it with a French woman who was five years older than you. Since then, you have only dated older women. At eighteen, you were known as a notorious philanderer— changing partners li
After leaving his grandfather's house, Jace returned to the Yuriel Mansion.The mansion was filled with wedding decorations, and Jace found them to be a pain to look at. He quickly ordered his butler to remove the decorations.There were tons of missed calls from Sienna, but Jace had no intentions of dealing with her and turned off his phone instead.Taking off his coat and draping it over his arm, he was making his way toward his study when he came to a sudden stop. Pushing open the door to the master bedroom, Jace realized that the rose-scented smell of Sage was almost gone. It was as if she was never here.The rose seal was still on the bedside table. Picking it up, Jace traced his fingers across the seal and realized that the red ink had seeped into his name carved on the stamp pad.Reading the card that Sage had left him, he realized that the handwriting on the card was similar to the carved-out name on the seal. Could it be that Sage had personally carved his name onto the s
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