Chapter 149
Sage wasn’t in the mood to bicker with him. If he wanted to carry her, so be it. She wasn’t the one getting tired anyway. Having waited on Ian for so many years, she shouldn’t feel bad about benefitting from him for once.
With this thought in mind, Sage fell silent and placed her hands back onto his shoulders, leaning back slightly to adopt a posture that suggested she was
making him her laborer.
Ian understood her intentions, and for a moment, he didn’t know whether to be angry or amused. The two walked back home without exchanging a word,
maintaining this intimate, yet oddly, distant posture.
When they arrived, Sage prepared to get down to change her shoes, but Ian continued to carry her.
“Are you planning to carry me upstairs?” Sage asked.
Ian replied, “It’s only a few steps away.” With that, he carried her upstairs.
Wanda heard the commotion and came out. Seeing the affectionate scene, she smiled like a doting aunt before quickly retreating to the kitchen. All the while, Sage didn’t know what to say.
Once they were back in the room, Ian finally set Sage down. His arms were a bit sore from carrying her for so long, and he massaged them. It was such an obvious hint, so Sage naturally understood what it meant.
The old Sage would have tenderly massaged his arms for him, shyly asking if he was tired. But now, she simply pushed him away and said, “Move aside. I need to use the bathroom.”
Ian’s patience was finally wearing thin. He chided, “Sage, I carried you for so long. Don’t you understand the concept of reciprocity?”
Even if he hadn’t earned it, he had still worked hard. Was she just going to ignore
that?
Sage smiled sarcastically. “Yes, you’ve.worked hard. But I didn’t force you to
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carry me. What’s more, when I told you to put me down, you insisted on carrying me. So if your arms are sore, that’s your problem. I’m not obligated to massage them for you.”
Just like how she used to serve him tea, run errands for him, and inquire about his well–being, Ian had never forced her to do so. She did it because she believed that it would move him.
That was why Ian had always treated her efforts with indifference. It was because everything she did for him, and every sacrifice she made, was of her own volition.
With his mindset, she could forget about asking him to return favors. Now, Sage was merely using his thinking against him.
Ian frowned at her words. “I just helped you, didn’t I?” Normally, Ian wouldn’t bother bringing these trivial matters up, but at this moment, he seemed inclined. to argue. “Can’t you at least massage my arms as a thank–you?”
Sage didn’t deny his contribution. She walked to the bedside table, opened the drawer, and picked out a bank card. Then, she handed it to him. “There’s a 100 grand in there. Go to a massage parlor and get a monthly subscription for arm massages.”
Ian was momentarily lost for words. After a while, he stormed out of the bedroom. Meanwhile, Sage walked into the bathroom without a trace of guilt.
Such a hypocrite! He had always treated her like that. So why was he getting angry when it was directed at him?
But regardless, what happened outside really was dangerous. Since Benjamin had sent people to threaten her, he must have been really desperate. She wondered how Priscilla was doing.
Once she was done, Sage walked back to the room leisurely and dialed Priscilla’s number. After confirming that Priscilla was fine, she told her about the incident.
“I’m not sure if it was Benjamin’s doing, but for safety’s sake, Priscilla, don’t go out at night.”
“That bastard! I’ll teach him a lesson myself!” Priscilla was furious upon hearing that Sage had been threatened.
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Sage stopped her by saying, “Even if you confront him, he won’t admit it. It’ll just give him a chance to frame you. I called mainly to remind you to be careful not to let Benjamin take advantage of you.”
