Chapter 86Sage's POVI swallowed hard, my throat dry as Diego's gaze bore into mine. The intensity in his eyes made it impossible to look away, even though I wanted to. "I...I don't know," I whispered, the words barely audible.His expression hardened, a flicker of something painful flashing across his face before he masked it. He exhaled sharply, stepping back and letting his arms fall to his sides. "You don't know?" He repeated, his voice tight with frustration lacing each word.I wanted to say something but the lump in my throat refused to budge."I've done everything to show you I care, Sage," he said, his voice dropping but cutting through me no less. "I've fought for you, waited for you, but if you still can't figure out what you want—" He stopped, his jaw tightening as he ran a hand through his hair."I'm done. I can't keep playing mind games with you." He said finally, his voice firm. A stabbing pain pierced through my chest. It felt as though his words had materialized into
Chapter 87Sage's POV The next morning, I got dressed and left for the hospital as early as I could. I didn't want to face Tina or Diego. Especially Diego. I already knew he'd avoid me today, giving me the space I supposedly wanted.But I didn't want that space anymore. I didn't know what I wanted, honestly. All I knew was that I needed Diego by my side, and the thought of him keeping his distance hurt more than I could admit.My steps were quick and deliberate as I strode down the hospital hallway, clutching a bag of breakfast and a bouquet of fresh flowers. Dr. Warner had mentioned Violet might wake up early today, and I wanted to be there when she did. Just seeing her awake and smiling would bring some relief after yesterday's nightmare.However, as I reached her ward, that tiny flicker of relief was extinguished. My feet faltered at the sight of my parents outside the room.What were they doing here?When I neared them, my mom noticed me first. She stood up quickly, her face ligh
Chapter 88Sage's POVShe laid back, and I hesitated, wondering if it was right to question her about the accident as she was still on the hospital bed and shaken, even if she didn't want to admit it.I saw her hands tremble when I watched her eat. She had been scared; the memory of what happened must be etched on her mind in a grueling way.Making up my mind, I reached for her hand and she gave me a warm smile. "Violet, you don't have to act tough, I know you're scared by what happened. Just let it out, okay?"She laughed but it was humorless, "I'm not acting tough""You are" I nudged her as I drew circles at the back of her palm. A minute passed and I felt her shoulders shaking. I looked up and she was in tears. Worry filled my system instantly and I shot to my feet to embrace her."I didn't think I would make it. I didn't think you would find me," She cried, and my hold on her tightened. My eyes became moist with tears and I pinned my lip between my teeth. I had cried so much, I co
Chapter 89Diego's POV"Sir, it seems the Walters have set their eyes on another business venture. Yesterday evening, he struck a deal with Rebel's Corp, and they seem to have a decent budget rollout for their new project." Mark's voice as he read my itinerary for the day had been a blur in the background till he mentioned the Walters, and my interest peaked. Alex and his brother must've been extremely lucky in their past lives, which explains their current outbreak once again.This time, I hoped they didn't cross paths with me else I'd pull them down completely like I'd have done if it were left to me.It still amazed me as to why the corporation would take the risk to partner with their almost shattered empire. It is either they were lucky or something else underneath the surface. Whatever it was, it was good for them. If they wanted to make good, I wished them well."Sir?" Mark's desperate call snapped me out of my thoughts and I cast him a glance, my brows raised. "Um... You have
Chapter 90Sage's POV"Ma'am, here are all the files you requested," Grace informed as she, with a lot of effort placed a pile of files on my desk."Thank you." I nodded as I stared up at the pile. There were many, but I needed to check them. Kian had called earlier and told me about the man who had attacked Violet, well at least her description of him, and according to her, the man ought to have been Hispanic. I've had a lot of Hispanic clients before, but the recent projects my company was about to embark on revolved around two Hispanic communities. One of them had been reluctant to evacuate the property and the other had verbally threatened to teach me a lesson.I hadn't thought of the possibility that someone from one of these communities could have done this, at all.And if it indeed were, they'd managed to pull through with their threat, but they didn't get me. Rather, they harmed my best friend, and things would get worse for them now.I had dared to feel bad for them when I fo
Chapter 91Sage's POV"Thank you, Mr. Walter. I'm glad you came despite yourself" I said, walking to meet him. Though most of the members of the board had been invited, Alex wasn't. I admit that it was unprofessional on my part, but I just couldn't bring myself to get him involved. He had done enough. But still, here he was with an annoying grin on his face that made me want to throw a punch."Why wouldn't I? I own the company after all" He mocked and my jaws tightened"Hm. Please come in" I said and turned, making to leave when his words made me halt"Where's your husband? I don't see him around. Isn't he supposed to be here by your side?" He snarked and a wave of anger washed over me. I had to take a deep breath to compose myself before turning to face him"Well, you're right. He's supposed to be by my side and will soon be. Things got delayed as he runs a working empire," I retorted calmly, and his grin faltered. And within me, I panicked, what if Diego doesn't come? It didn't even
Chapter 92Sage's POVVincent chuckled and wrapped his arms around me, gently patting my back. "Look who missed me!" He exclaimed as we disengaged from the hug."What are you doing here, Vincent?" I asked and then slapped a hand over my face, exasperated. "I don't mind but still...did Violet come along?"He laughed. "No, she didn't but she asked me to come on her behalf. Mind you, I arrived a few minutes ago," He replied, and a smile brightened my face. Vincent was Violet's older brother, a renowned lawyer who stayed in London.Technically, the whole of Violet's family had relocated to London but Vince's case was different. He had grown up there and rarely traveled out.It had been years since we saw each other. The last time we met was at mine and Violet's graduation party. He looked good in the black suit he was putting on that was tailored to perfection. He was face was sculptured to match his dashing physique. I knew with such a build, he was making the ladies go crazy.Vincent wa
Chapter 93Sage's POVI woke up feeling weary and my body ached most satisfyingly. Heat crept up to my cheeks as the memory of last night flashed through my mind. The passionate way Diego had taken me was still fresh in my mind. It was evident how much tension was between us and while I knew having sex didn't do much, I hoped it was a way for a fresh start.I buried my face in the pillow, biting my lip to stifle a smile.Instinctively, I reached out behind me but the bed was cold and empty beside me. It appeared like he had gotten out of bed for a while. My heart sank a little. Where was he?Sitting up, I wrapped the sheet around me, scanning the room. His absence left an odd void I didn't want to acknowledge. It wasn't unusual for Diego to retreat from me and go to his work, but I had hoped… hoped this morning might be different.Getting out of bed with the hope still firmly carved in my mind, I headed to the closet, threw on a baggy t-shirt, and then walked out of the room,m ignorin
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