"What's going on here? What's all the fuss?"Luther and Yoselyn who were entertaining guests were informed of the commotion and had quickly made their way over. Pushing through the crowd, Luther's chest immediately tightened when he realized that Sage was involved. He only felt relieved when he had made sure that Sage was unharmed."Luther dear! " The internet influencer's face lit up when she caught sight of Luther. She hoped that he would back her up and alluringly attempt to lean on him.Luther immediately stopped her and said, "Look at this mess. You stay away from me!"The woman had worn a white dress to the event. After Sage had splashed her with wine, her dress looked as if it had been stained with blood, making her look frightening. Faking wronged, she started whining and accusing Sage, "It's all because of this woman. My friends and I were just talking to each other when she suddenly charged at us and threw red wine at us! Luther, Miss Yosie, how dare she cause a scene d
The ladies who caused a scene had been kicked out of the event, but nothing had happened to Sage, the person who had thrown wine on them. Sage had wanted to leave, but both Luther and Yoselyn stopped her from leaving. Luther tried to cheer her up and said, "There, there, let's not be upset about it now. During the auction later, let me know what items you want, and I'll get all of them for you!'With his arm draped over Sage's shoulders, Luther continued, "The next time something like this happens, would you please first inform me before taking matters into your own hands? What if you hurt yourself? How do you expect me to live with the fact that you had hurt yourself?"The crowd was perplexed by the interaction between Sage and Luther.The guests were trying to wrap their heads around the nature of Sage and Luther's relationship. Some of the guests were aware that the Norahs and the Bennetts were on friendly terms with one another. They were, however, unaware of the finer details
To most of the guests, the dinner event was coming to an end, but for Sage, this was just the beginning of the event.Sage did not regret the incident that had taken place earlier, but she did feel guilty. Therefore, she was prepared to fully support Yoselyn's auction as a way of compensating for her earlier actions. The guests were ushered into a smaller hall for the auction. Sage sat in the front row as usual, but the normally bright lights had been dimmed in an effort to prevent any pictures from being taken and leaked to the press. It would be troublesome to remove her photos once they had been posted on the net.The host showcased the items that had been donated by the guests for the auction. Sage had not brought anything for the auction, so she donated the emerald necklace she was wearing."The first item is a pair of jade bangles donated by Miss Yoselyn Bennette. Do I have a hundred thousand dollars?""Two hundred thousand dollars!"Three hundred thousand dollars! Going o
So far, with the sale of more than ten items, the auction had garnered only five million in sales, but Sage's necklace was valued at seven million dollars. People who did not know the ropes craned to see the owner of the necklace, but as Sage was seated beneath the dimmed lights, the crowd was only able to catch the vague form of her silhouette. "The necklace… What in the world is a Columbian emerald? Why is it worth so much?"The crowd started whispering between themselves.Those who were a part of the industry could not take their eyes off the glimmering emerald stone. The astronomical price though prevented many of them from purchasing the necklace though they desperately wanted it. Jace's gaze flickered to Sage. He recognized the necklace right away. It was the one she had worn during dinner. Yoel seemed to have realized it too and said, "Eh, isn't that the necklace that Sage had on earlier? Wow, she offered the necklace for the auction just like that?"Auctions that wer
Julian had phrased the retort to be as harsh as possible to deter people from further making fun of him. Scoffing, Julian buttoned up his suit. Just as he was about to sit down, he heard the auction master say, "Eight million dollars!" The crowd gasped and exclaimed in surprise.Julian felt his legs go weak. He immediately looked back and saw an attractive man dressed all in black holding up a sign. The man was even smiling smugly at him as if he was provoking him."Who is that?" Julian asked his friends.One of his friends gulped before replying, "I think it's Yoel Fulton, the youngest son of the Fulton family of Riverside City."The auctioneer continued the bid in an attempt to see if anyone was willing to offer a higher price. "Ten million dollars," said a man with a low voice. He was seated next to Yoel, and he was holding up his sign. Suddenly, the hall fell silent. Julian glared furiously at the man who was sitting in the corner. He could not see the man's face clear
Yoel and Julian turned to look at Sage at the same time. They felt their chest tighten at the sight of her cold and grave expression.'Is Sage angry?'Sage was indeed feeling a little angry. However, throughout the years, she had learned to hide her emotions. Furthermore, there were not many people who could anger her. Besides, she should not be angry because of their childish behavior. The auction climaxed at the bid for the Columbian emerald necklace, and the crowd had lost interest in the next item— a set of enamel porcelain plates— up for auction. Those who had lost interest in the plates were the people who did not understand antique porcelain items. Enthusiasts like Sage had been eagerly waiting to bid for the porcelain plates. Starting off the bidding, the auction master announced, "One million dollars."Hunter had raised the sign in Sage's stead and said, "1.1 million dollars."The crowd was still baffled by Hunter's actions. He had bid 21 million dollars on the nec
Jace was unfazed. He did not think that the enamel plates had anything to do with Sage divorcing him. Besides, it was he who had asked for the divorce and not her. Jace and Sage were once again at the center of attention. Neither of them looked like they were going to back down. Testing each other's patience, Sage and Jace took turns increasing the price by a hundred thousand dollars each time. The crowd watched in confusion. They felt like they were watching an argument between two kids. Were they going to continue bidding until a billion dollars? The auctioneer was slowly getting exhausted, too. When the bid reached five million dollars Sage stopped. Luther asked, "What's wrong? Too tired? Here, let me help you."He comforted Sage. "There, there. Don't worry about the final price. I'll pay for it. This is the Bennetts' turf, I will not allow anyone to bully you."Luther was about to raise the sign when Sage stopped him, shook her head, and said, "The plates are only worth
On the way home, Sage sat at the back of the car with her lips pressed tightly together. She did not say anything. The atmosphere in the car was tense. Hunter, who was behind the wheel was tense. He was trying his best to drive carefully so as not to cause Sage any discomfort. He did not wish to be caught in the crossfire.Hunter had been working with Sage, and he knew Sage's temperament all too well.If she went to great lengths to argue with a person, it meant that she was not angry nor was she provoked by the argument. If, however, she was silent, like how she was now, it meant that she was fuming with rage and that one had to tread lightly around her. Upon reaching Rosa Garden, Hunter got out of the car and opened the door for Sage. Getting down from the car, Sage said, "Get some rest. Come pick me up at eight in the morning tomorrow.""Yes, ma'am," replied Hunter. Carefully studying Sage's expression, he added worriedly, "Ma'am, I know that you're still upset about what h
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