Chapter 155

Sage’s grin didn’t anger Ian in the slightest. It had been a while since she smiled so brightly at him.

Usually, she only gave him cold smirks and an occasional gleeful laugh when she pranked him.

Sage’s smile might have been fake, but it stirred something in him. Her smile, once common, had

become rarer lately. He struggled to get used to its absence.

“Don’t worry. Your card might still be with me, but it’s technically still yours,” she added in the face of his

silence.

“Sage, don’t be childish,” he said with a snort. “Didn’t I say that you have the freedom to do anything

with the gift I gave you? I’m only here to tell you this before I leave: Terry has taken care of the incident

last night. It will not happen again.”

With that, Ian left in great strides, leaving her frozen in shock. Ian’s behavior was unusual. Why did he

defend her, and why wasn’t he angered by her provocation?

She decided to put her thoughts behind her. She had never managed to read his mind anyway.

Nonetheless, she felt relieved to learn that Ian had taken care of the incident last night.

A call from Priscilla came in, interrupting her thoughts, so Sage hurriedly picked up and told her the

good news.

“Oh, that explains it!” Priscilla exclaimed. “Benjamin invited many guests to the opening ceremony of

his winery today, but he was taken away by the police. during the ribbon–cutting.

“Everyone in the industry heard about it, and they joked that his winery was never going to do well

because this happened at the opening!

“Sage, Mr. Holcomb is pretty efficient, isn’t he? He’s taken care of yesterday’s incident already! You can

tell he cares about you.”

Priscilla still felt sorry about Sage’s drunken incident at the banquet last time. Although Sage had

gotten drunk on purpose, Priscilla couldn’t forget how lonely she looked on the dance floor.

Priscilla knew a thing or two about Sage’s past with Ian. Although she was

divorced, she wouldn’t persuade others to do the same. Marriage meant many things for different

people.

She was neither trying to convince Sage to stay with Ian nor to break up with him by her statement. It

was simply her honest opinion.

Sage smiled at the thought of Ian voluntarily carrying her on his back last night. She mused, “Maybe.

Of course, there are people and stuff he cares about way more than me.” The banquet was proof of

that.

As she spoke to Priscilla, Susan texted her, urging her to get her back to dinner. She quickly ended the

call with Priscilla and returned to the table.

Susan no longer looked friendly. She was upset. “Why were you gone for so long at a dinner? Are you

really that busy?”

Sage didn’t want to get into an argument. Since Ian had left, she said, “Uncle Owen, Aunt Susan, I

want to make this clear: do not ask for Ian’s help in your

business.

“Grandpa has already made it clear we’re not as rich as the Holcombs. Did you ever consider my

feelings when you asked for Ian’s help?”

Susan retorted, “Of course we did. Sure, we asked for Ian’s help, but it wasn’t a big deal for him. Why

are you making such a fuss of it now?”

She added, “Ian can turn us down if he wants to. We can’t force it on him. By the way, you should

consider having a child if you want to secure your place as Mrs. Holcomb. That’s how you establish

yourself in the family!”

Owen agreed. “Susan is right. Why aren’t you pregnant yet after a year of

marriage? Have you gone for a health checkup?”

Layla sneered. “Could it be that Ian doesn’t want to sleep with you?”