Stranded with the Billionaire

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 had completed 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 access 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 glasses.

He shrugged. What he really wants to do is run away. Pack your luggage and leave this place. 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.

Amanda  comes 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 glanced at the cover.

“Stranded with the Billionaire” is printed in large 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 available worldwide.

He pushed him to the edge of the bed. “Not interested.”

Amanda  glanced 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 Greenland . I’m not interested in reading the final version.”

“But-”

“Did you come here for something else?” He asks. He’s ready to move this conversation forward.

Amanda  pushed her glasses 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 can come 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 blanket.

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 the company. No more lounging in bed.”

“But I think I got a lot of sympathy from the plane crash.” He grimaced. He hated that Amanda  used the demise of this place  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 planned 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 glasses.

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 Greenland  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.”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

“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 explain what happened. Especially when he wasn’t sure what  happened. But he laid 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 glacial lake. 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 was later shot. And then he ended up telling Irena  to leave him alone.

There was silence as Sage ‘s last words hung there. He glanced at Amanda , leaning her elbows  on the arm of the chair and her fingers interlaced 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 someone completely. ”

“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?”

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,  come 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.