S A G E
The silks under Sage were so soft. Almost too soft. The beeps beside him filled the silence as he stirred on the mattress. Pain shot through his shoulder and he swore. He needed to stop moving, but back in his room felt strange. It’s only been five days since he was shot and he’s already looking forward to leaving.
A knock brought his attention to the door.
“Come in,” he called. Hopefully it was his doctor and he was there to say that everything is fine and can finally resume his daily activities.
When Amanda appeared in the doorway, he groaned. Great. That’s not the person he wanted to see. She hadpleted every job since the hospital handed him over to the doctor. Amanda had been hired to take care of her. It was clear that she wanted full ess to him, and the trips to and from the hospital were overwhelming.
“Nice to see you’re up,” she said, looking at him through her sses.
He shrugged. What he really wants to do is run away. Pack your luggage and leave this ce. Every time he closed his eyes, the image of Irena ‘s crushed face haunted him. But he didn’t want her around just because he was shot. And besides, hadn’t she told him he had to be honest all the time?
He swallows. The same feeling of emptiness settled in his stomach as a familiar thought entered his mind. Whoever told him, he wasn’t being honest at all. For himself or Irena .
Sage cleared his throat. He didn’t want to think about it right now. She moved on and so did he. Or at least he will. As soon as he was no longer attached to those screens.
Amandaes and opens the curtains. “Did you see the article?” she asked, turning to look at him.
“What? Why?” Why is Amanda so mysterious?
She rummaged through her purse and pulled out a copy of the Diary and gave it to him. “It was published a few days ago. Return to page thirty-five. I am sure you will find it instructive.”
Sage watched him as he reached for the magazine. He nced at the cover.
“Stranded with the Billionaire” is printed inrge print at the bottom of the page. Her stomach tightened. So she wrote it. The terrible article she described as an excellent one is now avable worldwide.
He pushed him to the edge of the bed. “Not interested.”
Amanda nced at him. “Actually?”
“I’m not in the mood to read bullshit.”
His brows furrowed. “Damned?”
“Trust me, I saw the first part of this article in Greend . I’m not interested in reading the final version.”
“But-”
“Did youe here for something else?” He asks. He’s ready to move this conversation forward.
Amanda pushed her sses up to her nose and nodded. “We have work to do this morning.” She nodded at Sage . “You will have to dress it up. You cane in, she shouted towards the door.”
Two nurses and a maid in a suit walked in. They walked up to him and pulled the sheets off. Startled, Sage winced, causing his shoulder to ache.
“What’s wrong?” he asked for a nket.
Amanda ‘s eyes widened. “Sage , I understand you’ve been through a terrible ordeal. But” – she held up a finger – “you have a responsibility to thepany. No more lounging in bed.”
“But I think I got a lot of sympathy from the ne crash.” He grimaced. He hated that Amanda used the demise of this ce for publicity.
“Yes. But the news is only satisfying for so long. We will hold a press conference here where you will share the information we have nned for you to share in Nuuk.” She rings as she walks towards the open door. She stopped and leaned toward one of the nurses. “Make sure his slingshot is clear,” she said, then walked away.
Sage grimaced but kept his lips tight. He let the nurses help him get out of bed and take a shower. Once he was dressed with the sling exposed in front of him, Amanda turned around.
She smiles as she walks across the room. Sage pinched his cheeks. He hated that Amanda made him do this. He hates this life.
“What now?” She sighed as she approached him. Her gaze drifted up and down him and she nodded toward the other women. They whispered to each other as they left the room.
“Guess I’m not ready,” Sage said. His voice was hoarser than he wanted.
Amanda stopped and stared at him. “You need to stop doing this,” she said, reaching out and wiping one shoulder.
Heat runs behind. What did she know? “Doing what?”
“Run,” she said. Amanda has always had a direct way of speaking. She never threw a punch. The truth is more precious to her than anything else.
“I’m not running away.”
She stared at him. “Sage Rogue Kennedy , I’ve known you all my life.” She stopped, crossed her arms. “I’ve seen your good side, bad side and bad side.”
He scoffed but did not deny it. It’s the truth.
“You run away when you’re scared.” She stepped back and adjusted her sses.
Sage parted his lips. I mean she was wrong. He wants to justify all his past acts. But he couldn’t form the words to say anything. The more he thought about it, the more true that statement became.
“Why are you afraid this time? What happened to you in Greend that you didn’t tell me? I already knew Irena was on the side of things.” She nodded at the magazine on the bed.
Sage wants to die under his control. If he even tried to lie, would she know? It seems she has a sixth sense about these things.
“Tell me.”
“But I don’t admit it.”
Amanda smiled. “You do not need to do so. Your silence tells me everything.” She sat down in a chair by the window. “Get out.”
Sage sighed and leaned against the wall. It was hard to find words to exin what happened. Especially when he wasn’t sure what happened. But heid it all out in front of Amanda . He holds nothing back. He told her about the trip down the mountain. About Irena ‘s near death in the cialke. The way they fought there were still times when he felt he could tell her anything. About the kiss.
Amanda ‘s eyes widened as he told how Titan had injured himself to save Irena . He told her about the article and how he waster shot. And then he ended up telling Irena to leave him alone.
There was silence as Sage ‘sst words hung there. He nced at Amanda , leaning her elbows on the arm of the chair and her fingers inteced in front of her. He looked at her, waiting for an answer.
“Now do you understand why I had to leave her?” Why did he so desperately want Amanda to approve of the way he fired Irena ? He is said to be a confident man. Just like his father. However, for some reason, his words were like acid in his throat.
“Is that what you think is best?” Amanda ‘s voice was calm as she looked at him.
“Yes?”
She stared at him. “If that’s what you think is best, there’s nothing I can say that will change your mind.”
Perfect. What does it mean? Why is Amanda so mysterious? “Don’t you think what I did was right?”
Amanda ‘s eyes narrowed. “Sage , you are a great guy. But you don’t know how to love someonepletely. ”
“Wait, who said love?”
She stared at him. “I can’t lie to you, Sage . He was afraid to love Irena . No reservation. No problem. Love her and let her in. ”
His stomach tightened. Why did her words upset him so much? Can he expose himself like this? He knew there was tension and attraction between him and Irena . But trust was broken. And he wasn’t sure they could recover.
“But do you think she can forgive me? Will you love me back?”Property ? N?velDrama.Org.
Amanda sighed as she stood up. “I think you should read this article.”
Sage stared at the glossy pages of the Diary. Amanda seemed convinced that everything Irena wrote would change his mind.
“You’ll do what you want, Sage . When you want to know what to do,e ask me.” She pointed towards the door. “We have the damage under control. Let’s do it.”
Sage put on his shoes and followed her. He stopped when he reached the bed. He bent down and grabbed the magazine. He could get bored in the car. That’s all. Not because he was curious now about what Irena had to say about him. What does she think about their time together?
He closes the door and walks down the hallway. He will worry about his feelings for Irena after this nightmare is over. For now, he needed to use all his mind to focus on cleaning up his father’s mess, let alone his own.