Chapter 3

Sage, who was surrounded by the group of seniors from upper management, turned to look at the vice CEO and asked, "There are a few who aren't here right now, right?"

"Yes."

Finn Janssen, the vice CEO, approached her. He was polite in his reply, but the tone of his voice betrayed a subtle casualness. "The old guard led by Braxton Norah planned to intimidate you by not showing up to greet you today."

"Oh really?"

Sage looked unfazed. She exuded a cold and indifferent vibe. She then said, "Times have changed, and why is it that my dear uncles are still so clueless?"

Braxton and five other directors of the board of managers were in the waiting room. They were all seated with one leg slung across the other while they sipped on cups of hot tea. At first glance, all of them looked calm and resolute, but in truth, they were all secretly panicking.

"Where is the new CEO?" asked Braxton who was seated in the seat reserved for the chairman of the board. There was a look of anxiousness on his big, chubby face. "Go and have a look," he told his secretary.

"Braxton, there's no need to be worried. The CEO is bound to end up here. In any case, we are the board of directors. It is only right that we intimidate the new CEO a little so he or she would get a grip of themselves."

Dressed from head to toe in black, Zane Norah had his hands clasped together like he was about to attend a funeral.

Braxton shook his head and continued, "Kids these days have no idea of the importance of being punctual. All of you should not hold your tongues, just say what you want to. At the end of the day, the Norah Group still belongs to the Norah family, and I have the last say."

As the den of wily old foxes was forming a plan on how to intimidate their latest shareholder, Braxton's secretary stumbled into the meeting room. Her face was as white as a sheet.

"I've got bad news, Sir! The new CEO has gathered everyone from the management department and is holding a meeting in a separate meeting room, and the meeting is about to end soon!"

"What did you say?!"

Almost everyone in the room got to their feet, and some even slammed the table angrily as they bellowed, "We are all the senior members and have been in this company since day one! How could he ignore and disrespect us this way!"

The group of men thought that the youth these days were extremely disrespectful.

With her pale face, the secretary whimpered softly, "It's not a he… It's a… she."

These old men were taken aback, and they exclaimed, "A lady?!"

As Sage ended the meeting, Braxton and Zane barged into the meeting room followed by a group of old men. They all looked furious. However, when they caught sight of Sage, the looks of anger disappeared and were replaced by shock. "Sage?" they murmured.

"How is this possible?!"

Braxton and Zane had physically and mentally prepared themselves for the new CEO. Nonetheless, never in their wildest dreams did they expect that the person who had saved Norah Group from the ditches by purchasing over 51% of the group's shares would be their niece.

She was supposed to be dead.

Three years ago, Sage Norah, the inheritor of Norah Group, had fallen off a cliff during a mountain hike, and her body had never been found. Braxton and Zane had both been heartbroken by the news and had organized a grand and solemn funeral for their niece. The brothers had also taken over the management of Norah Group. They had split her shares and assets amongst themselves. None had expected the dead to rise, and yet, here she was standing before them, well and alive.

Admiring the look of horror on their faces, Sage leaned lazily into the chair and said, "Uncle Braxton, Uncle Zane, I'm home. Well and alive. Now, isn't this a surprise?"

Braxton and Zane finally came back to their senses and quickly traded the look on their faces for ones filled with tears. They rushed over to Sage tearfully, trying to hug her.

"Oh, Sage! Thank goodness you're still alive. Your parents in heaven above would be so happy to know that you're well and alive…"

Pushing her chair backward, Sage inched away from them as she furrowed her brows in disdain. She then looked at them with a straight face and said coldly, "I also believe that they would be really happy."

Under Sage's cold stare, both Braxton and Zane suddenly found themselves speechless.

Sage had no intentions of enjoying a warm reunion with her uncles. Instead, she turned to the people from upper management and said, "Everyone here has been working with Norah Group since the beginning, and all of you should know how I operate. Now that I have returned, I will not allow Norah Group to suffer further losses. This company is the blood, sweat, and tears of my parents. Therefore, it is only right that I protect the company. Get your head in the game and give your best with what you have. I will make sure to reward your efforts."

…

Meanwhile in Nadeem City.

Jace was on the phone while on his way back from picking Sienna up from the hospital.

"You're telling me that you can't find a single trace of her? Can't you even do your job right?" he hissed.

The assistant on the other end of the call was cowering in fear. He also found it strange that there were no signs or traces of Sage Luz, despite checking the CCTVs throughout the mansion. It was as if Sage had disappeared into thin air.

He gulped before carefully saying, "However, madam is indeed from a farming village, and her biological parents had passed away due to an illness."

Jace tapped his long fingers on his knee, and his expression softened a little as he comforted himself with the fact that he must have been overthinking things.

Sienna was sitting next to Jace, and she sighed in empathy, "A girl from a farming village is willing to leave without anything in the marriage. Isn't she a special one, Jace?"

Furrowing his brows tightly together, Jace scoffed silently as he thought of the quiet and silent woman. He guessed that perhaps it was her plan to make him think of her as the special one.

"Sir, I've sent someone to Medina City. It might be possible that madam had returned to her hometown."

"It's fine, leave it." Jace's expression darkened as he added faintly, "There's no need for it since we're divorced. As she had chosen to leave with dignity, I'll gladly fulfill her wish."

"... Okay. Oh, and one more thing. It's work-related!"

The assistant could sense the annoyance in Jace's tone, hence he quickly emphasized that the matter pertained to work.

"Go on," replied Jace.

"Something seems to have happened to the Norah family from Salem City. The mysterious person who had saved the Norah Group has finally shown up. And from the rumors, it seems as if Miss Norah, the eldest daughter of the Norah Group has returned."

‘Miss Norah? Didn't she die three years ago?’ Jace raised his brows as he thought to himself.