Sage stood outside his car, idly scrolling through his phone, when a familiar presence brushed against his senses. Lifting his head, he spotted Katelyn approaching in her sports attire, a travel bag resting at her side.
"What’s this?" Sage arched a brow as he closed the distance, smoothly taking the bag from her side.
"You told to get ready in ten minutes. I... couldn’t," Katelyn admitted.
"You really do love testing my patience," Sage muttered, turning toward his car. "I’ll be waiting. Go back to your apartnt and take your ti. Half an hour should be more than enough for you."
Katelyn only humd in response before turning on her heel, disappearing from his sight without another word.
Sage paused with his hand on the car door, his eyes narrowing. "What’s going through her mind?" he murmured. Sliding into the driver’s seat, he frowned. "She’s not the type to stay quiet instead of snapping back... yet she’s holding it in."
Half an hour passed, and Katelyn was just in ti. She settled in and fastened the seatbelt. Sage didn’t waste any more ti and drove them out of the residential complex.
Katelyn slipped her phone out of her purse and dialed Alie’s number. After a few rings, the line connected, only it wasn’t Alie who answered.
"Kate?" ca Gabriel’s voice from the other side.
"Brother Gabriel!?" Katelyn gasped in shock. "Where’s Alie? I want to talk to her."
"Alie is with her mother and sister," Gabriel replied. "Why are you calling her? If it’s important, I can pass your ssage along."
"No, thank you. I wanted to talk to Alie directly," Katelyn said curtly.
"If this is about your own troubles, don’t bother her. Alie doesn’t need to carry your stress. She told herself you’ve been complaining about our parents choosing Sage." Gabriel clarified, his tone turning intimidating and sharper.
"I never complained!" Katelyn snapped, anger flaring in her voice. "Why do you always twist my words? You and Sage are exactly alike. Honestly, I wonder why Alie ever fell in love with you."
Sage, listening nearby, furrowed his brows, baffled at why she would lash out like that at her own brother.
Gabriel chuckled. "You can’t understand love, brat!"
"I’m going to complain about you to Alie myself!" Katelyn retorted before hanging up abruptly. With a huff, she shoved the phone back into her purse. "Ugh... he always ruins my mood," she muttered under her breath.
"Why did you call us alike?" Sage asked in a probing tone.
"Forcing authority, that’s what you both love," Katelyn shot back without hesitation. "And not to ntion, my brother changed won like clothes in the past. The only reason he’s doing well now is because fate tied him to Alie."
Sage’s lips curved faintly. "So, you an if I find the right woman, I’ll start doing well in life too?"
"Of course! A woman changes you, for better or worse. At least, that’s what I’ve seen with my brothers. Even Brother Casaio couldn’t leave Zilia, despite her being caught as a spy!" Katelyn blurted, the words spilling out before she realized her mistake.
Sage froze, tilting his head ever so slightly, his eyes narrowing. "What did you just say?" The weight of the revelation struck him instantly.
Katelyn paled and turned her head away. "It—it was a slip of the tongue. Erase it from your mind. It wasn’t ant to be known. Please, Sage... don’t tell anyone. Brother Cas will kill if he finds out I let it out."
Sage arched a brow, amusent flickering across his face. "Didn’t you insult not long ago? Why should I do you this favor?"
"I never insulted you!" Katelyn protested quickly, then sighed. "Fine, I’m sorry for everything I said or did to you. But please, don’t tell anyone about this. If you won’t agree, then... then I’ll ask Brother Gabriel to help ."
Sage chuckled, the sound low and teasing. "Don’t you think Gabriel will never help you? And he’ll get angrier with you. You’re more afraid of him than of Casaio or Dominick."
Katelyn pressed her lips together. She couldn’t deny it. Gabriel’s temper was the one that truly terrified her.
"I’ll make you a deal," Sage said at last, his eyes glinting. "If you want to keep quiet, you’ll have to et my condition."
"A condition?" Katelyn frowned, her brows knitting tightly together.
"Yes, a condition," Sage said firmly.
"What is it?" Katelyn asked, already knowing she had no way out.
"You’ll agree to date ," Sage declared.
Katelyn blinked, taken aback. "You can’t be serious. We’re already doing that, aren’t we? My father wants to give you a chance."
"That doesn’t count," Sage countered, his voice heavier, more resolute than before. "We never started dating. I had to push, and you only gave in reluctantly, after arguing every ti. What I want now is different. I want you to willingly date ."
Katelyn hesitated, his words weighing on her. At last, she sighed. "Fine. But you won’t utter a word about Brother Casaio and Zilia."
Sage’s lips curved into a faint, teasing smile. "I’m not like you."
The remark stung, cutting sharper than she expected, and Katelyn’s expression tightened as if he had just mocked her.
"You insult far too often, without even caring that I’m a princess," Katelyn said, her voice edged with indignation.
"Your title doesn’t make you special, Kate," Sage replied. "The only good thing about you is that you never hesitate to call out what you think is wrong."
Katelyn frowned, uncertain whether to take it as a complint or yet another insult.
"And let correct you on sothing," Sage continued, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "It’s not always a woman who changes a man. Sotis, it’s the other way around."
Katelyn furrowed her brows together and leaned back on her seat. "I would love to witness that then," she murmured. "My observation so far is one-sided only one," she added.
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