Sage and Laura quickly became best friends a little sooner than everyone thought.They were both direct and straightforward, and there were no issues communicating with each other. Though Laura had a military background and seemed masculine at times, she was still a little girl at heart and enjoyed pretty things.Sage spent most of her time in Nadeem City working, jade engraving, visiting Jace's mother, looking after Melody, and shopping with Laura.Laura had a banging body figure, just like models on a runway. Her androgynous style suited any of the clothes Sage picked for her, and even girls could fall for her…Sage got too excited and could not help but take pictures of her in various styles. It was like a photo shoot. Sage gasped in awe when she looked at the photos she had taken of Laura."Babe, come work for me as a brand ambassador when you retire from the military. It's a waste not taking advantage of your face and figure as a model."Laura fiddled with the bucket hat in
Laura pursed her lips with a displeased expression. "I'm ashamed of having such a humiliating ex-colleague!"Sage smiled half-heartedly and replied, "Yes, he's blind, but not entirely wrong."Sage was a little tipsy, and she was slightly fazed."I hid my true identity from him for three years. I kept everything about Sage Norah in the dark, and every single day, I was worried that my true identity would be exposed."I became an entirely different person. I was no different than a people-pleasing puppet. How could Jace like me when I don't even like myself?"Laura thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "You know, I previously had a crush on Jace. Do you know how he rejected me back then?"Sage looked up and sneered, "He only had eyes for Sienna at that time, and he must've told you that he had someone else in mind."Laura replied, "No. He told me that… he's a killer, not a lover."Sage was dumbfounded. "What a stupid man."Laura laughed and added, "He was what they called a k
Laura told Sage, "It's not hard to see that Jace still loves you. I don't know if you still love him or not. I'm no love guru, but if you're still in love with each other, why don't you give yourself another chance?"Laura did not understand Sage. Laura had always been straightforward with her feelings. If she liked somebody, she would go for it. If she no longer had any feelings for him, she would split up with him.With death constantly looming around the horizon, Laura had no time to wait for happiness to come knocking.Sage was not convinced. "It's because you have yet to fall in love. Just wait until you fall in love with another person. Then, you'll understand that love isn't binary. There are always some external factors that you have to consider. Those who are able to be together are always the fortunate ones, but unfortunately, not everybody can be so fortunate."Sage did not tell Laura how disappointed she was when she signed her name on the divorce papers. She could not
[Kane: Shut up!][Nigel: Hahaha! Are you serious? If she still hasn't said yes, you'll have to work harder!][Seth: Her name is Laura?][Sage: Yup! She's the one who made him cry when he was just a child. Do you guys remember her?][Nigel: I remember! Who could forget?][Seth: Who could forget something so unforgettable?][Tim: Haha!]Kane was speechless. The upright image he tried so hard to maintain was gone instantly.Back in the car, Jace let go of his wrist. "What are you going to say after you bust in?""Why do you care?" asked Kane."I don't, but I know Sage and Laura. They would certainly be unhappy if they find out we're stalking them. After that, do you seriously think you would still stand a chance with Laura?" Jace asked.Jace knew the most important thing on Kane's mind was getting Laura.Kane hesitated for a second before replying, "Who cares if they're happy or not? Anything is better than just sitting here! If you are so adept at this, why are you still sitt
Kane was unfazed as he replied, "Don't worry, there will be plenty of chances for me to do something about it."Once again, Laura felt hooked like a fish that bit the bait. She felt helpless, like a death row inmate waiting for the guillotine to drop.Sage noticed that Laura was about to explode. She immediately stepped in and said, "Don't get too worked up. Your waist is still healing."Her words immediately caused Laura to calm down, and she mustered up her biggest smile. "Haha! What brings you here?"Kane could not believe what he was seeing.Laura even patted the seat beside her, indicating for Kane to sit beside her. "Sage's brother is also my brother. Come, sit!"Kane sat beside her but still could not believe she would turn her altitude around quickly. He asked, "Are you sure you are not an actor?""You know what, I did! I went to an acting school for a few years," replied Laura.Kane was once again rendered speechless. "Okay.".Kane, of course, knew that she was lying.
Laura and Sage exchanged glances expressing how little they trusted these two men before them.Kane and Jace had spent the entire day stalking them and were famished. As such, both immediately ordered a bunch of sashimi, rice bowls, and ramens.Not long after, both men started feasting on the food.Sage and Laura wanted to leave, but with the men blocking the entry, they could only sit there and wait until they were finished with their food.Sage and Laura could not help but feel that the food was not as good as they once thought it was. Jace and Kane may seem elegant, but the speed at which they were consuming the food was quite alarming,"Why aren't you guys talking? You guys were having so much fun just now. Weren't you feeding each other also? Continue doing your thing," Kane said through his gritted teeth as he gulped down a big mouthful of rice. Sage and Laura could clearly decipher the resentment in his tone.'Is he jealous of me, his own sister?' thought Sage.Laura,
Sage and Laura, on the other hand, decided to go for some exercise. After all, a little physical activity after a meal would help with digestion.As dusk arrived, the setting sun painted the blue sky with a dash of brilliant orange. A sports car tore down the street with both women inside with the speakers blaring. Laura swayed softly to the song. Her eyes closed, and her hands outstretched to feel the wind coursing through her palms.Kane, on the other hand, was in a blue sports car, driving just behind them. When Kane saw that slim, outstretched hand, he felt a sudden rising urge. He could feel his body burning up.Kane could only crank up the air conditioning.Jace, on the other hand, was not doing much better when he saw the men who were cat-calling Sage. His hands unconsciously curled into a fist.Laura, of course, noticed the blue car that was tailing them."Why are they stalking us?" asked Laura.Sage looked at the car in her side mirror and remained silent.Sage knew
"Why are you asking me?" asked Jace."Didn't you say that this is your city?" exclaimed Kane.Jace decided that the best way to know where they were going would be to call Laura.However, Laura was not picking up, so Jace sent her a message. [Pick up, or else I'm going to tell your family where you are]Laura immediately called back. "Old Dried Fish, don't you dare sell me out!" "Where are you going?" asked Jace."Sage already told you. We are going to a place where only girls go. Don't follow us! If you guys have too much time on your hands, do something meaningful instead. If you follow us, don't blame us if things get ugly!" replied Laura."What is a place where only girls go? Where could that be? Are they going to watch male strippers?" asked Kane.'Strippers?' Jace thought to himself.On the other hand, Sage and Laura finally felt a wave of relief after losing the men tailing them.Laura suddenly felt the urge to drive and exchanged seats with Sage."What do you want
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