Wayne tapped his pipe on the side of the stairs to get the ash out.Luther saw Wayne trying to get up and quickly went forward and gave him a helping hand. "Take it easy, Gramps.""Everybody's here. Time to go back home," said Wayne. There was a certain warmth behind his gaze.Wayne put the pipe in his mouth and walked out of the room with Luther's help.All the directors were shocked to see him leaving. "Mister Wayne, where are you going?""Are you deaf? I said home. I'm done. I quit," replied Wayne.Wayne's declaration stunned the entire board of directors.Sage propped the broom up by the wall. Before she could turn away, Mendoza stepped in and stopped her from leaving."You know how bad your grandpa's temper can get, especially when he's already unsatisfied with how things unfolded. However, this whole project is riding on his shoulders. You know how important this is. Try to talk some sense into him. I'll handle the directors and wait for him to come back," said Mendoza.
"Is this… the actual Starry Night? The actual painting?" asked Nigel.Sage rolled her eyes at Nigel. "The real Starry Night is currently placed at the Museum of Modern Art."Nigel knew that he asked a dumb question, but it only further accentuated how good the forgery was.Even Wayne was surprised when he saw it. "Spectacular. Some techniques are still quite underdeveloped, but the ability to replicate such minute details is astounding."Wayne even stopped smoking in fear of damaging the replica.After carefully examining the replica, Wayne finally turned to Sage and said, "This replica is even better than yours.""I think the technique seems identical to what you'd usually use. Are you sure it's not one of your disciples?" asked Sage.Both Sage and Wayne were infinitely more interested in the replica than anything else that happened in the afternoon."I don't have any disciples except for you. After all, our family has been working in the jade industry for years."Besides, I
However, Sage knew that if she did that, her brothers would be worried sick. Sage could only carefully hide her weariness behind a smile and enjoyed dinner with her brothers.No matter how hard Sage tried, her brothers could still see the lack of interest in her eyes. They stayed silent and did not say anything about it.They knew that time healed all wounds, but Sage still required some time before she could return to her former confident self.The topic of the conversation slowly shifted toward Yale's situation."He's still comatose, but there are instances where he'd wiggle his fingers. At least he won't be a vegetable, but we still won't know when he'll wake up," explained Nigel.Luther unconsciously said, "Who would've thought such misfortune would befall him? Even if he were to wake up, there would still probably be a lot of physical hurdles for him to pass before he could return to his normal life, just like how Jace was three years—"His words were cut short by a sudden
'To Sage:'I miss you.'Truth be told, there isn’t a moment since you left me that I haven’t missed you.'Every sleepless night, I would hold the only thing you left with me like I’m holding on to dear life. I would look at every nook and cranny of it and hope to see something new.'As of now, it's the dawn of a new day here in Saleem City. It should still be nighttime in Birmingham. Is it cold? Is it raining?'The only thing I can do is check the weather in Birmingham, but what I really want to know is your situation.'How are you? Who am I kidding? You'd be fine. After all, without me by your side and with your loving brothers around you, there’s no way you wouldn’t be fine.'Do you know how many times I've tried to go to Birmingham? I was under explicit orders from my doctor not to get on a plane after my surgery. If I took a ship, would you throw me into the sea?'I know how bad your temper can get; you're like a cat. You seem like a harmless little thing, but if something
'I jumped with joy when I saw that!'I've never been so happy, sending you messages and waiting for you to reply to me.'Every time I read your message, it would be like God had decided to bless me. Do you know how hard it is for me to contain myself, to not spam you with messages, to not annoy you with the endless questions I have?'There are endless things I want to ask and tell you, but I can't bring myself to send you any messages. I can only try and put pen to paper and hope that my feelings will be able to be conveyed through letters. Perhaps this is why we always have the notion that old letters are romantic.'My last letter should have reached your residence by now. You probably haven't read it since you're in Birmingham. That's fine. There's no rush.'My only worry is that you'd have torn it to shreds before even opening it up.'I have zero confidence in you reading that letter.'I'll assume that the last letter didn't reach you and that you haven't read it. That way, I
Sage gripped the table as hard as she could. She felt her temper almost boiling over.Sage lived a full life. She experienced things that most people would not even have thought were possible. The only thing she had no experience in was that.Before that night, Sage had never spent the night with any other man.Sage still remembered how she woke up clueless and saw Jace next to her. His body was covered in scratches, and he told her that she had forced herself onto him.How could Sage have known that it was all a lie?The walls of the Medina were relatively thin, and Sage's screams rang through the whole residence.The brothers came rushing in one after the other. "What happened? We heard you calling Jace a piece of sh*t!""What did Jace do again? How could he anger you even in death?" asked Luther.Nigel kicked the back of Luther's foot when he mentioned Jace's name.Luther protested, "She mentioned him first…"Seth walked to the table, saw the letters splayed open, and inst
No matter how much the brothers hated Jace, they could not help but be impressed by his calligraphy."Who would've thought that Jace's handwriting would be so pretty? If you were to compare his handwriting with mine, it would make mine look like some kid's illegible handwriting", said Luther."Shhh," shushed Seth.'Sage, I still miss you.'I went to the Skye Hotel and met Captain Yale, the captain of flight Y1106.'I don't know why, but I felt an odd sense of familiarity when I first saw him. It was almost as if I'd met him before.'Just as I was about to go and thank him for saving you, I suddenly felt anxious. I didn't understand why I felt anxious then, but after having an illuminating conversation with Captain Yale, I finally understood the root of my anxiousness. I was nervous because he reminded me of the competition I had faced.'When Yoel announced that he was pursuing you, I paid him no heed because I knew that he wasn't your type, but after I met Captain Yale, I knew h
Jace’s death was widely publicized the entire week. The buzz around his death continued after a whole week, especially when the public heard that the only daughter of the Norah family attended the funeral and got into a fight with two women from the Zelda family.The public discovered the love triangle between Lucas, Luna, and Freya, and they became the topic of the month.When the news of Luna and Lucas's separation got out, they were photographed exiting the hospital before anybody could process the news. Not long after, the public knew that Luna was pregnant, and they went to the hospital for a check-up.As everybody pitied poor Freya, the news of her son dying got out.It was not long before the news reported Sienna being the secret lover of Peter and how her face was nearly scratched after she got into a fight with Peter’s actual wife.They were even people who came out and accused the Zelda sisters of their history of crime and how they were sent to the prison by no other th
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