Yoel was plunged into disbelief and shock after he had heard Jace's assumptions. "So, you're saying that Sage had married and taken care of you for three years so that she could repay your kindness. She did that because you had saved her ten years ago?" "Yeah." Jace was rather sure that this was the case."Goodness gracious." Yoel slowly came back to his senses, but he was still flabbergasted. "It's like a scene right out of a drama. How is it possible that a woman would still think of marrying a man as a form of repayment?" "I don't think she did it just because she wanted to repay me."Jace narrowed his eyes. For some reason, he was reluctant to think that Sage had married him only for the sake of repaying his kindness. He then told Yoel what Finn had told him earlier.Trying to calm himself down, Yoel drank some tea out of his father's teacup, but as soon as Jace mentioned that Sage had a crush on him for ten years, Yoel spat out the tea.Yoel's father, who had just gott
'Why did she lie to me?''Why didn't she tell me that she was the girl I saved?'"I'll go to Salem City this time. Give me her phone number, I'll ask her myself!"Jace did not want to spend time looking for answers on his own as he knew that Sage would be able to hide things from him as long as she did not want him to find out. Besides, what else could he do when her hacking skills were superior to his?This was the first time he had felt such strong love and hatred for a woman while at the same time feeling helpless. He was on the verge of insanity.…Sage, on the other hand, was heading home.Leaning into the car seat, Sage shut her eyes to get some rest. In the meantime, she was considering what Luther had analyzed for her as well as Yoel's concerns about the project. No matter how she saw it, the best solution was to have Yuriel Group on board for the horse racing project.Sage had always stuck to the rule of not bringing personal feelings into work. There was no reason
After dinner, Yeva showed up in the study room with Leah.Sawyer Norah had designed the room to his taste, quaint but comfortable. On one side of the wall was a shelf filled with books. Another side was a wall written with a significant phrase, [A man of his own words].There were a lot of antique vases and Victorian paintings in the room. Yeva and Leah had seen these accessories in their fathers' room, but they were never allowed to touch them, nor did he teach them the value of those accessories. Both of them were laymen.Sage was flipping through a book while she casually listened to Yeva started reciting the house rules.Yeva did not put much time or effort into memorizing the rules. Yeva had reluctantly tried to memorize some of the rules because she knew she had to face Sage today. As she only started memorizing the rules at the last minute, she could not remember firmly and stuttered as she recited."You're done?" Sage looked up from her book slightly when Yeva suddenly sto
"I was only gone for three years. It's not like I lost my memories, why would I not remember?"Sage was gentle when she dealt with Leah. "I don't have a lot of strengths, but I do have a good memory. I remember those who are good to me, as well as those who have done me wrong. I've never forgotten how it was when we lived together and I probably will not forget the days to come." She continued, "Those who treat me well, I'll be sure to treat them well; those who did me wrong, I'll be sure that they get what they deserve."Leah felt her chest tighten. It was as if Sage had somehow known about the conversation between Yeva and herself. Leah was not a fool. Judging from Sage's cold and distant attitude, as well as her words, Leah was able to guess a thing or two.Compared to her, Sage was observant. Yeva's plan had been obvious when she had contacted Leah and asked her to move into Rosa Garden after years of silence. "I know. You've always been clear on where you stand. The world t
The door was not closed all the way. It was as if Sage had purposely left it open for her.Entering Sage's room, Leah said softly, "Sage, are you still awake?""Yeah."Closing the book in her hands, Sage sat upright, straightening her back, and looked at Leah. "Anything? Come on inside."Leah, dressed in her cotton nightgown that looked thread worn from overwashing, walked over to Sage. Leah felt restrained as she took careful steps across the expensive carpet as she did not wish to dirty it."Come, sit here," Sage said to Leah. She handed her a shawl. "I don't usually switch on the heater, so it might be cold for you here. Take this and wrap it around yourself. I don't want you to catch a cold.""Thank you."Leah thanked Sage politely and sat upright in the chair with her hands placed on her knees as both her legs were pressed against one another.Sage could not help but chuckle at the sight of Leah's careful behavior.Three years ago, she had learned from Leah how to behave
"I am aware," Sage replied, showing no signs of surprise.In shock, Leah's eyes widened. "You knew about it?"Sage scoffed, "Her petty tricks are written all over her face."Taken aback, Leah stared at Sage who looked calm and composed as she strategized. As if she suddenly realized something, Leah asked, "So you already guessed that I'd come to find you, right?""You're way smarter than her. Of course, you'd know right away who's the one you can rely on."Sage added, "Although I look frail, I’m reliable."Leah could not help but laugh. "I am forsaking the darkside for the light.""Mm, sounds about right."Sage pinched Leah's cheek softly and smiled ruefully. "Your face used to be so chubby back then, but look at you now, all skin and bones.""Don't you know that being thin is the new black these days? My friends are jealous of my small face."Sage shook her head. "It doesn't matter whether you're thin or chubby, as long as you're healthy. Starting from tomorrow, we'll make s
A night had passed just like that.Yeva felt a piercing pain in her hand the moment she woke up. Knitting her brows into a frown, Yeva cursed at Sage nastily again.Going downstairs, she noticed that both Sage and Leah were already having breakfast, and the both of them were chuckling while talking, looking as if they were on fairly good terms with each other.Yeva opened her eyes wide and froze as she thought to herself: 'What the hell is going on?''It's only been one night, and Leah has managed to get Sage's trust? What possibly did I miss?'"Good morning, Sage."In an attempt to get attention, Yeva greeted Sage politely.Sage simply glanced at her. Leah, who was sitting opposite Sage, also greeted Yeva, "Morning, Yeva.""Morning to you, too," With a smile on her face, Yeva sat down next to Leah. Studying the looks on their faces, she asked carefully, "What were you guys talking about? You look so happy."Sage continued eating and did not say anything.Leah took a look at
Feeling horrified, Yeva shot her eyes wide open. Leah too looked at her in a daze, "How did you know?""You can get everything from the internet these days."Gnawing on her lips, Yeva retorted, "If I can't go to Jewel Norah, then let me work at Norah Entertainment. Even though I don't know anything, I’m pretty. Plus, I know quite a lot of artists.""By artists, you meant Minnie and the rest of the girls from Starship Entertainment? They were kicked out of the industry for insulting someone. The entertainment industry is also complicated for someone like you. With that dumb brain of yours, you won't be able to stay long.""What did you say? They were kicked out?"Yeva was startled by the news so much that she missed Sage's insult at her. Still in shock, she asked, "Who did Minnie offended?"Sage uttered lightly. "Me."Yeva was rendered speechless.After breakfast, Sage and Leah left the dining table. Neither of them bothered to take another look at Yeva who was still shocked by
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