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
Chapter 94Sage's POV"Sage?" Violet called, her eyes lighting up as she opened the door. A broad smile formed on my lips as she took in my appearance. After having one of the longest baths of my life, I thought of staying in and making breakfast, but I decided against it and chose to drop my Violet's place. Now, she was before me, her brows creased and a hint of surprise crossed her features.Chuckling, she pulled me into a hug. "What are you doing here?" "I came to check on you" I responded as we disengaged from the hug. She stepped aside, letting me into the room, and the mouthwatering smell of waffles filled my nostrils. My stomach grumbled in response to the smell and I blushed. I guess I did right by coming over."Where are the nurses? You shouldn't be the one answering the door," I said as she closed the door and moved past me, heading towards the kitchen. I followed her but halted midway when I saw Vincent walking out with a pan in his hand that had an omelet in it. He was he
Chapter 95Diego's POVStanding on the balcony of my penthouse in Vegas, my eyes are focused intently on the skyline of the city. Below me was a busy street, buzzing with the blaring of car horns and the unmoving traffic.I picked up my glass of scotch and took a deliberate sip as I thought back to the outcome of today's meeting. The meeting had lasted for about six hours but there was progress.Surprisingly, sitting in a boardroom for that long hadn't left me exhausted; rather, I was agile and trapped with my thoughts.With Sage the ever-dominant subject on my mind. But this time, thinking about her felt liberating. Recalling how her lush and smooth skin felt against mine last night seemed to clear out the tension there was in my shoulders.But it still stung to know that she wanted me to get rid of her urge and nothing more though momentarily, last night, I felt there was more between us. Sighing, I downed my drink and moved away from the balcony. I'd left her a note today before l
Chapter 96Sage's POVIt took a lot to send Vivian and Bella home. Vivian had been so shaken about Augusto being in the hospital that she began sobbing. She really loved that man.Augusto had a heart attack and it wasn't looking good for him. But after Dr. Warner did a checkup on him, he confirmed that the man would be fine after much rest and with supervision. I stayed back after Bella had taken Vivian home to speak with Warner who seemed to be hiding something. He didn't say a thing no matter how much I pushed which made me suspicious.I decided to speak to Diego about it when he returned. As I left Warner's office, Franklin approached me with a request that Augusto wanted to see me. Though it was odd, I was curious about what he had to say, so I agreed and followed Franklin to Augusto's room. Franklin remained by the door while I walked in.The man looked weaker than I'd ever seen him, a stark contrast to the commanding presence I'd known. His pale face and tired eyes tugged at som
Chapter 97Sage's POVAfter that conversation with Augusto, I left the hospital trying to put the thought that Diego had promised the man kids at the back of my mind but the more I did, the more my anger boiled.Even when I went to bed, my mind was still reeling with the thought that Augusto and probably the whole family expected of me. This wasn't the plan, goddamn it!Why would Diego go behind my back and make such an absurd agreement? I recalled the time he had told me that Augusto was still skeptical about our marriage and didn't trust our union. But suddenly, he had laid off, my face scrunched in annoyance as the realization dawned on me. Was this the reason why he had suddenly let us be?Oh God!This was never the plan.The next morning, I got dressed for work and as I left the room, I was startled to meet Diego in the living room. Placing my hand over my chest, I carefully examined him, eyes narrowing to see if he was the one."Sage, it's me. I just got back" Diego's voice cut
Chapter 98Sage's POVI should have known.But could I have known? Did I even have the chance to?Diego didn't give me a chance, he didn't trust me enough to tell me about it. We could have figured something out together from the start. And Augusto?The way I had felt about him had never been too harsh after all. Now, I was mad at both him and his grandson but mostly at him. Which grandparent would place a condition on their child's rights even after all his efforts to prove himself?A bitter taste filled my mouth and the image of my parents crossed my mind. God this was fucking pathetic. Yet, as I gazed at Diego, a mix of anger and betrayal washed through me. He could've told me earlier but he didn't and kept playing mind games with me."Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, my voice barely audible above a whisper.Diego's jaw clenched. "know I should have told you. I didn't want to drag you into this, Sage. I thought I could handle it on my own"I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "Wel
Chapter 99Diego's POVThe push caught me off guard. I stumbled back, staring at her in disbelief. She was seething as she stared at me with trembling lips. The sight wrecked me. I made to reach for her but she shot me a glare that made me freeze on the spot"Sage..." I started, my voice pleading, but she cut me off with a single word."Don't," She said, her voice sharp yet shaky. She took a step back, putting even more distance between us, and every inch felt like a knife twisting in my chest."I'm sorry," I said quickly, desperate to close the gap between us. "I just..""You're sorry?" She interrupted her words bitter and edged with pain. "Do you know how cruel this is, Diego? To say this now? After making me feel like nothing more than an obligation to you?"Her words hit harder than any blow. Had she been feeling that way all this while?"You were never an obligation to me," I said firmly, taking a step forward, only for her to hold up a hand."That wasn't how it came across the w
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