Chapter 342: Cannot find that attractive
Sage took a long dip in the swimming pool, trying to cool his head. The words of Katelyn demanding to return the gift from him pissed him off.
Taking out his head out of the room, he gasped, bringing a hand to his face before pushing back his hair. Two days ago when his stepmother asked him to give the gift to Katelyn, he didn’t pay heed to it, and did what she said, until Katelyn threw that bag in the bin.
Right after that, Sage got a call from his stepmother. In front of the world, he was forced to become a loving son to that woman, calling her ’Mom’ but deep inside in his heart only he knew how much hatred he carried for her.
"Why did you call me? I told you I never like hearing your voice," Sage muttered while gritting his teeth.
"Did you give the gift to Princess Katelyn? It carried your mother’s amulet. It was rusting in the home, so I decided to give that pathetic ring to your soon-to-be wife! But I know she might dump it. Nobody wanted your mother, and the same goes for you. You’re lucky to be born as a boy, else..." Blythe words hadn’t finished, and he hung up the call on her.
His face contorted after hearing his stepmother’s brutal words. He was quick to step out of the car and rushed to the dustbin in which Katelyn dumped that gift. Retrieving the bag, he quickly dug in and found the small box. He opened it and found the antique ring, which had a violet stone embedded in it.
Though he was the one, who asked Katelyn to throw that gift away. But now, seeing the amulet of his late mother, his anger surged.
"She could’ve checked it once!" Sage said in a low and painful voice.
Now, lying in the swimming pool, recalling all those things, he realized that it was not Katelyn’s fault.
"But I can’t trust her with such a precious amulet of my mother. I was madly looking for it for years. Turned out Blythe hid it intentionally knowing that I’ve been madly searching for it," Sage mumbled. "But why did she give it to Katelyn? What was in her mind?" he furrowed his brows together.
He sensed a presence in the private pool, wondering who could disturb his peace and turned to his head.
"Kate?" He rose to his feet in the water.
"I’ve been calling you so many times," Katelyn said, lowering herself to the pool chair. "I thought you left me alone here."
"Why would I do that?" Sage frowned and moved toward the edge of the pool before stepping out. The water dropped down from his body and his full body with only swimming underpants was in view to Katelyn.
"Don’t tell me you were missing me," Sage teased her.
"I wanted to go out in the city. So, I thought I should inform you once. Seems like you were enjoying yourself here, but alone. I didn’t expect that. Shouldn’t you be surrounded by women now?" Katelyn chuckled, standing up.
"I booked it for an hour for myself. And I’m not single," Sage stated, glaring at her. "You think so bad of me," he muttered and grabbed the robe to put it on before sitting next to her on the chair.
"I’ll take you outside," he said, "I can’t send you alone anywhere. I’m glad you didn’t go out without bothering to inform me."
"Why do you act like a gentleman sometimes? Be the real you, and don’t mask your true nature," Katelyn remarked, turning to leave.
Sage was quick to grab her wrist. As she turned around, she found him next to her, standing too close that his hot breath hit the top of her forehead.
"What if this is the real me?" Sage’s fingers brushed her hair, his fingers lightly brushing against her ear, making her gulp. Her fingers curled up in anticipation as she was never being touched like this by a man before.
His thumb brushed lightly against the soft curve beneath her ear while his other hand tilted her chin upward, holding her in place with a quiet command.
"In my eyes, you’re far more spoiled than me," he murmured. "After all, you were raised as a princess, the youngest among all the siblings."
A faint smile curved his lips then. It was impossibly hard to ignore it. For the first time, she felt it a genuine smile.
’No, I cannot find that attractive,’ she scolded herself, snatching her gaze away as if burned.
"It’s getting late. We should go out for a while and be back soon," Katelyn said briskly, pulling free and striding out of the pool area.
Inside the elevator, she pressed the button, her heart thundering in her chest. She leaned back against the wall, willing herself to calm down.
"That’s exactly why he’s dangerous," she muttered under her breath. "A player knows all the right gestures... and he’s far too good at it."
When she finally reached her room, Katelyn paused in front of the mirror. Her heart, which had been racing moments ago, had at last steadied.
She then changed into a fresh outfit. A high-waisted blue jeans paired with a crisp white crop top, layered beneath a short faux-fur jacket that hugged her shoulders with playful elegance. She wore knee-high boots that matched her outfit. Finally, she swept her hair to one side, letting it cascade in loose waves.
"But people might recognize me," Katelyn murmured. "Instead of exploring the city at night, I’ll just end up hiding."
Then an idea sparked. ’Sage can handle that. He wouldn’t take me anywhere crowded, anyway.’
She slipped the slim crossbody bag over her shoulder after placing her cards and phone inside it. With her key card in hand, she stepped out of the room.
When she turned to reach Sage’s door, she found he was already there, waiting for her, in a pair of casual clothes. A grey shirt with white pants and a thin white sweater draped over his shoulders. Kate was kind of shocked by his choice of clothing and fashion. The another reason why women couldn’t ignore his charm.
"Let’s go," Sage said. Without waiting for her response, he held her hand and walked them to the elevator.