Chapter 127Sage's POVDiego's words hung in the air, thick and heavy, as though the weight of them could pull me under. I love you. He said it so effortlessly, yet it felt as if the earth had shifted beneath my feet. My lips parted to speak, but no words came out. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think."I love you," He repeated, cupping my cheeks and placing his forehead on mine. My eyes remained glued to his face. I was stunned, and my heart was hammering in my chest so much that I feared he could hear it."W... what?" I finally found my voice but it came out in a whisper. All my anger had been forgotten in the heat of the moment, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't hearing things."Say something, Sage," Diego pleaded softly, his hands running down my cheeks. His voice was raw and filled with emotions."I…" My voice cracked, and I shook my head slightly, short of words. I mean, I'd been waiting to hear those words from him, and truly, when he said it, I felt the world spinning, but now,
Chapter 128Author's POVEmily stood at the bus stop, her face contorted to a frown as her eyes scanned the area for any sign of the man who had called her phone an hour ago.She had been in the backyard of her house, tanning under the sun, when she received a call that had her agitated. She didn't know who she'd spoken with but the man said he knew where Theodore was. That was enough to get her out of the house.Though standing here now, she couldn't help thinking if she had been lied to and if someone was trying to trap her. Her frown deepened when someone walked past her, bumping into her. She staggered, almost falling but she grabbed the pole for support and slowly lowered herself on the bench."Fucking bastard," She cussed under her breath, placing her hand on her protruding belly. She was six months gone, and now that she needed Theodore the most, he was nowhere to be found and, apparently, in Diego Ivanovna's bad books. Could she survive this?Her brothers didn't want anything
Chapter 129Sage's POVMy mind was filled with questions and skepticism as I stepped out of the house, heading toward the car where Diego stood waiting for me. He was dressed in slacks and a causal black shirt. Though, not formal as always when he'd be in suits, he still looked breathtaking.Approaching the car, he smiled slightly at me as he opened the car door for me to get in. When I was settled, he got into the driver's side. It was something around past five in the evening and we were heading to Augusto's place for dinner.It had been an invite from the old man the previous night which was tagged as urgent. I thought it was weird but Diego was keeping his mind open for the possibilities of what was to come.I couldn't help the tension building in my chest, the last time we had dinner at Augusto's place, the old man had thrown Dean back into the company despite knowing how terrible Dean had been to Diego in particular. I wondered what it was going to be now."What do you think is
Chapter 130Diego's POVAs my grandfather descends the stairs, a dreadful feeling settles on my chest. I don't know why but I feel like he's going to say something I'm not prepared to hear. When the call was made last night, he tagged our visit as urgent.With him, anything urgent is often bad news and I don't think I need any of that now that I'm getting my life together.Getting to the foot of the stairs, he whipped his head in our direction, and a smile appeared on his face. He looked paler and weaker than the last time I'd seen him. His condition was deteriorating fast, and everyone could tell, but he didn't want to receive the necessary treatment. I wondered why he would choose to do something like that."Diego, Sage, you're welcome. I'm glad the two of you could make it" He said as he walked toward us."How are you feeling today, Grandpa?" Sage asked him as he neared and he chuckled. "I feel much better but there's so much taking a rest can do"He glanced at me and offered a war
Chapter 131Sage's POVAugusto's revelation of Dean being adopted left me feeling torn between anger and pity. I was angry at him for letting the secret drag on to this point but then, if I were in his shoes, I wouldn't have had the guts to shatter the poor boy's heart either.I let out a sigh, staring out of the window as the car sped on the highway. Dean would be feeling devastated right now, anyone would. Imagine learning that your whole life was a lie and the people you cherish so much don't share a relationship with you. He was right to be angry, but aiming his anger at Diego was intolerable."Where are we going?" I asked when I noticed that Diego had taken another route from the one that led us home.He sighed before responding. "To the hospital. I want to visit my aunt""Okay," I nodded in understanding. "What do you think Dean has in mind?"His jaw tightened, and so did his grip on the wheel, but his eyes never left the road. "Whatever he does, I'd be a step ahead of him""I k
Chapter 132Sage's POVHis threat hit her like a storm, bringing her to a dramatic pause. I let out a breath, scoffing when I saw how heavily she was breathing. Was all this terrible energy good for the baby's growth? My eyes trailed to her baby bump and instantly, I felt a mix of pity and concern for the life forming inside of it.Both of its parents were unreliable; how would it turn out?Diego walked to us and stood between us. He cast her a long, brooding glance as if measuring his prey, and she trembled slightly, dropping her hand to her side. He then looked back at me, and I nodded, grinning back at him.His lips twitched but his expression remained unreadable as he turned back to a fuming Emily."For the first time, Ms. Emily, you made the right choice and you better stick with it because I don't make empty threats." He told her and chills traveled down my spine at how menacing he sounded."This isn't over yet" Emily spat, glaring at me. The sheer intensity of the rage in her e
Chapter 133Sage's POV"Sage" Diego's soft voice whispering in my ear roused me from sleep. I heaved a sigh, begrudgingly pulling my eyelids apart to see him crouching beside me with a concerned look.However, my attention was somewhere else. It was on the tray of breakfast he had kept carefully beside me on the bed. The delicious aroma of freshly made waffles and maple syrup wafted into my nostrils, leaving me disoriented for a second."Hey, are you okay? You look sick." Diego's voice brought me out of my reverie, and I looked at him, running a hand through my hair."Did I pass out?""Maybe, I stepped out to get you breakfast. It's not even been up to thirty minutes, and you're already fast asleep," He explained, a breath of relief leaving his lips as he took me in with his eyes."Well, it's not my fault that I'm exhausted. Someone wouldn't let me catch a break," I teased, biting my lips as I looked away, and he chuckled, a deep rumble that sent heat to my core. God, I can't believe
Chapter 134Diego's POV"The profit of the company for the last three months has risen by twelve percent. This figure excludes the organic food production campaign", Raphael, the CFO, was saying, but my mind was far out of the boardroom. I kept flicking the pen I was holding as thoughts of Sage filled my mind.She'd said it.I knew that wasn't how she wanted to say it, but she did. At that moment, I thought my heart would jump out of my chest due to excitement. I couldn't explain how I felt, but it was a burst of energy I'd never felt before, and it was thrilling.I'd gone over the contract we had signed when I came in earlier. Since our contract had ended, I wanted to make her mine not just for name's sake but because we shared the same emotions and thoughts now.But how would I do that?I needed a plan.Finally, the meeting came to an end and I headed out of the conference room with Raphael giving me some insight on the new project we were gearing up for. We spent another hour in my
EPILOGUE( Two Years Later... )Sage stretched out in exhaustion after she had finished cleaning up Zara's mess. Zara was the last of hers and Diego's triplets, and recently, she wasn't feeling too well."You feel better, now don't you?" She asked, smiling at her daughter who smiled back as though agreeing to her words. The triplets – two girls and a boy – were turning two years old in three months, but they could understand and even say a few words, well, except for Zara, who seemingly wasn't that fast to catch up, but she was smart in her way.Casting them one last glance to be sure they were all set, Sage headed to her closet to put on the evening gown she had picked out earlier. Her parents had called, insisting that she come to dinner, leaving no room for argument. They'd even asked her to dress up but she wasn't going to put much effort. It was just dinner, and she couldn't afford to stay out with Zara for long.Normally, she would if Diego was around, but he wasn't, as he trave
Chapter 144Sage's POV( Two months later... )I stood before the mirror rubbing my small baby bump tenderly with a pout on my lips. I'd just finished eating a carrot cake but I was still craving more. I wished Diego were here to sneak some food for me.But that wasn't possible because he was with the guys getting ready for our wedding. Yes, today was the day of the wedding and I was dressed in my stunning wedding dress that was specially designed for me. Vivian had set an appointment with one of the best designers in the world just to get this dress made."You look gorgeous, bestie," Violet said as she walked into the room with Bella by her side. Bella had been busy running around to get everything done properly so I hadn't seen her a lot in the past days."She's right. You look super hot, and this dress is fucking stunning," Bella complimented, and my cheeks flushed as I muttered a thank you to both of them. What would I do without them? Violet especially.She was working with Dad a
Chapter 143Author's POVIt was around eight in the evening when Theodore stormed into Emily's apartment. He was seething with fury after learning of the preparations being made for Sage and Diego's wedding. He found it hard to believe that in the end, he didn't get Sage back. Instead, he was left prowling in the dark out of fear.Diego's men were still out there haunting him. He knew because he hung around bars where a lot of information was shared.He wasn't happy about this arrangement but what could he do? He had no plans and he was out of cash.The only reason he was back here was to sweet-talk Emily into giving him some money like he had done the last time.He walked into the living room, quietly putting an ear out in case someone else was present since sometimes, her cousins would drop by out of courtesy.He relaxed, however, when he saw her in the kitchen, chopping some vegetables. He took her in, frowning when he recalled the first time they met. She looked prettier then, and
Chapter 142Sage's POVI coughed as the cloth that was shoved into my mouth was pulled out. My eyes were open but I couldn't see anything. It was dark due to the blindfold covering my eyes.My breathing was labored and when I calmed down, I spoke. "Who are you? Why have you kidnapped me?!" I could feel someone's presence but couldn't tell where he was standing exactly. And now, that all my senses came back to track, my nose scrunched up. This place stinks. I tried to move my arms, but they were tied to the back of the chair, and so were my legs."What do you want from me?!" I called out again, breathing heavily as I thought of the only person psychotic enough to do such a thing. Theodore!My stomach sank and I swallowed hard."I'm talking to you, answer me!!" I yelled, "What do you want from me? Money? I have money, I can give it to you. Let me go!!" I heard someone snicker, and I bit my lips tightly, almost drawing blood. What had I gotten myself into? I should have stayed in the su
Chapter 141Diego's POVMy brows furrowed when the call ended abruptly. I took the device away from my ears and stared at the dark screen.I tried calling her again but this time, there was no response. The call didn't even go through. Something was off. I was standing in our bedroom and had been there for half an hour. Initially, I felt she went for a walk down the beach but after checking security, I was told that she left the hotel in a taxi.Anxious, I called her. She couldn't be out there on her own. Not when Dean had suddenly flown out of New York, last night. His destination had been Vegas but I still didn't want to trust that he'd let things slide without a fight.I took off my jacket and plopped on the couch, dialing her number again but it was still the same response. It was switched off.Something was wrong but then I hoped my hunch was inaccurate. I hoped that I was just overreacting and she was safe.Getting up, I grabbed my jacket and headed out of the house while asking
Chapter 140Sage's POV"I wish we could stay here forever. It's so comforting over here" I said with a sigh as we ate. Diego had placed the orders for our meals to match my food preferences lately.I had no idea he had been watching my dietary habits closely and knowing he had made my heart swell with many emotions."We can always come back if you want." He said in response, staring at me and I smiled."This definitely tops the list of my favorite places for vacation. I thought Berlin would remain special but I guess not." I muttered mostly to myself but I knew he heard me.The rest of dinner continued with us having light conversations about the food and place. He promised to take me to Italy just to taste a special wine because I'd complimented the one he ordered.I'd always wanted to visit Italy so I bought that idea. Besides, my flying anxiety reduced drastically when he was with me."When did you realize that you were in love with me?" I asked after a while, breaking the silence
Chapter 139Sage's POV( One Week Later...)"Why didn't you come when you heard someone scream? That could've been me." I snapped at Diego who was chuckling as I angrily rummaged through my bag for my credit card."I didn't come because I know what you sound like when you scream," He said, and my face flushed. I turned to look around the room, checking if anyone heard us; thankfully, there was no one around except a few ladies standing at the end of the hall, staring at Diego like he was some kind of snack.The stares were what caused this argument in the first place. A few ladies I'd met in the closet while checking out the dresses seemed confident about Diego checking them out and running to the closet when he heard a scream, but that didn't happen.And he wasn't wrong, I hadn't screamed.Clearing my throat, shoved my bag aside and placed my hands on my waist. "Where's my credit card?""You're not paying for your dresses while I'm here, sweetheart. Come here." He pulled me against h
Chapter 138Sage's POV"You knew about it, Violet, why didn't you tell me?""He asked me not to and truthfully, I thought it was for the best. I didn't want the two of you together. It was going to be awkward in many ways," Violet explained. I sighed, staring out of the window and watching as the houses and trees moved.I was on my way to my parent's place. They were back from their vacation a few days ago, and Mom insisted that I come to visit soon."Well, I don't think you have to worry about that anymore. He left, and I'm sure that's the last interaction we'll ever have," I said, shaking my head, and she just scoffed."Nah, he'll get over it. He did this to himself" She said dismissively."You sound like Diego right now." I pouted and she chuckled."That just shows you how amazing I am." She praised herself, and I rolled my eyes. After we bade our goodbyes, I hung up, counting seconds in my head as the car neared my parent's estate.Mom sounded so excited to learn that I was on my
Chapter 137Sage's POV"This is fucking delicious" I moaned as I bit into my hamburger. The food Diego had ordered was here and I couldn't contain my excitement as I bit into every meal present.Diego was watching me, fascinated and ready with a glass of water in hand in case I choked on something. How considerate of him.Suddenly, I turned to him and caught him staring, seemingly intrigued and awestruck."What?" I asked, swallowing hard"You look so cute that I can't help but stare" He smirked and handed me the glass of water he was holding.My face flushed and I rolled my eyes as I took the glass to my lips. After drinking, I continued eating till I was done with everything that had been ordered and damn, that was satisfying.I rested back on the couch, throwing my head back as I let the feeling of satisfaction wash over me. A while back, I felt like I would die from hunger which was weird considering the huge breakfast I had in the morning.Diego quietly cleared the plates from the