Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: I’m Done Serving You

Damian Morgan took two steps back, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Sophie, calm down. I was just teasing you. Don’t be so sensitive."

His tone was light.

Sophie’s eyes, however, were already red-rimmed. Harassed and threatened by this animal, she broke out in a cold sweat.

"Put the knife down and get the first-aid kit."

’She couldn’t believe it. Even at a time like this, Damian Morgan was still ordering her around like his assistant.’

"Don’t you have hands and feet of your own?"

Damian Morgan’s expression darkened slightly. "Sophie, you’re still my assistant right now. Do as I say."

She immediately sat down at the computer, opened a document, and typed two words: Resignation Letter. The content was simple and brutal: ’After one year of work, your company owes me twelve months of salary. My boss, who was also my boyfriend, cheated on me during our relationship. I’m not putting up with this anymore.’

Adding her name at the bottom, Sophie printed thirty copies. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

The entire company had fewer than twenty employees, including her, the soon-to-be-ex-employee.

It was a very tiny design firm.

The machine in the print room began to WHIR to life.

She had come to work today planning for a normal day, but now, it seemed that was no longer necessary.

She wouldn’t set foot in this place again until she gained control of Heart of the Ocean.

"DING—"

The moment the elevator chimed, the printer stopped.

Sophie walked straight into the print room and retrieved the thirty resignation letters. Just as her colleagues began streaming out of the elevator from their lunch break, Sophie grabbed the stack of papers and flung them into the air.

The resignation letters fluttered down from the air like scattered blossoms.

Sophie grabbed her bag, draped her coat over her arm, and walked past her colleagues, heading against the crowd toward the elevator.

"A resignation letter?"

"Twelve months of unpaid wages?"

"Holy shit!"

"And he cheated?"

"The boss and Assistant Shaw were actually dating?"

...

Behind her, her colleagues whispered among themselves.

That’s right. At the company, she and Damian Morgan were nothing more than a boss and his subordinate.

He had coaxed her, saying it was unprofessional to show affection at the office...

She had been a fool; she’d believed anything he told her.

After leaving the company, Sophie wandered the streets aimlessly. She didn’t want to go back to the Kane Family home, but her wallet was empty, and she was hungry and thirsty. Just as she was about to look for a fast-food place to grab a quick bite, the phone in her pocket rang.

The caller ID showed Anne.

Her bestie.

She quickly answered, "Anne."

Her voice cracked with unshed tears.

The person on the other end of the line grew anxious. "What’s wrong, Sophie?"

"I’m so hungry."

Hearing this, Anne sighed, a mix of anger and sympathy in her voice. "No money for food?"

"Yeah."

Sophie had less than three hundred to her name. She was flat broke.

Anne got her location, drove over to pick her up, and took her straight to a private kitchen. She ordered a table full of food, all of Sophie’s favorite dishes.

Anne watched her wolf down the food with gusto. But halfway through her meal, Sophie’s eyes suddenly filled with tears. Anne sighed and patted her on the shoulder. "I saw the news trending online. You’re better off without a scumbag like him."

But there was one thing that surprised Anne. "Did you really consider eloping with Damian Morgan?"

Sophie nodded.

She grabbed a napkin from the dispenser, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and went back to devouring her food.

Anne waited until Sophie had eaten her fill. After a bit of probing, she got the whole story out of her and flew into a rage.

"So he’s a despicable Social Climber!"

Anne rolled up her sleeves as she spoke, snatching her bag and grabbing Sophie to drag her to Heart of the Ocean to teach that damn scumbag a lesson.

Sophie didn’t want to make a bigger scene. They had already broken up, and it wasn’t too late to see Damian Morgan for who he really was. She had managed to cut her losses.

She had to consider Joseph Shaw’s and Joel Kane’s positions. Getting into a brawl would only cause them trouble and bring them shame.

"Anne, forget it."

"I won’t be satisfied until I smash his damn head in!"

With her chin jutting out stubbornly, puffed up with righteous fury, Anne had only managed to drag Sophie a few steps before a waiter stopped them.

"Excuse me, ladies. Your bill hasn’t been paid yet. Who will be taking care of it?"

So much for her bravado. Looking embarrassed, Anne let go of Sophie’s arm and scurried after the waiter to the front desk to settle the bill.

Leaving the restaurant, Anne drove with Sophie to a cat café they often frequented during their breaks.

It was relaxing to order refreshing drinks, be surrounded by little furballs, pet the cats, and just chat.

Sophie loved the atmosphere of the cat café. She couldn’t help but reach out and pet the fluffy little cuties whenever they rubbed against her hand.

She had once rescued a little stray and wanted to keep it, but Vianne Kane was allergic to cats. Vianne, with tears and snot streaming down her face, had sneezed and whimpered, shouting, "Either you throw that damn creature out, or you get out with it!"

She’d had no choice but to give the little stray away, her heart aching.

"Oh my God! My client is in the news again." Anne held up her phone and leaned conspiratorially toward Sophie. "Wasn’t Nina Halloway rumored to be having an affair with the chairman of the Blackwood Group?"

"And guess what? This time, the rumor involves Chairman Blackwood’s son—the president of the Blackwood Group."

"My client really isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. A classic case of all beauty, no brains. It’s like her head and her ass were switched at birth. If you’re going to be a sugar baby, why on earth would you pick two guys from the same family—a father and son, no less!"

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Nina Halloway was a popular, award-winning actress. Anne was her exclusive makeup artist and stylist. When Nina was busy, Anne was busy. When Nina took a vacation, Anne got a vacation too.

For the next week, Anne would be on vacation along with her client.

She planned to spend the time with Sophie. When she looked up, however, she found Sophie looking preoccupied, so she waved a hand in front of her face. "What’s on your mind? Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about that damn scumbag."

Sophie snapped out of it and gave a bitter smile. "No."

"Then what are you spacing out for?"

Sophie didn’t know how to tell her best friend that the subject of Nina Halloway’s rumored affair, Blackwood Group president Alaric Blackwood, was the man she had just registered her marriage with that very day.

He was her husband, in name.

She and Anne had known each other since high school; they were practically joined at the hip. She was supposed to meet Alaric Blackwood’s family next Saturday, and the wedding would likely be scheduled soon. Even though there were no feelings between her and Alaric Blackwood, the marriage was real.

She felt there was no need to hide it from Anne.

So she grabbed Anne’s shoulders, her expression serious, and said, "I have something very important to tell you."

"How important?"

"I got married."

Anne froze for a moment, then her almond eyes widened. "You did what?"

"I got married."

Anne was shocked. "With who?!"

"The sugar daddy your client is trying to land."

Anne took a deep breath. "Alaric Blackwood?" freewebnovёl.ƈom

"Mhm."

"..."

For a moment, Anne didn’t know whether she should be more shocked that her best friend had quietly snagged a tycoon, or feel more sorry for her ’other woman’ client who was now trying to be a sugar baby to a married man.

She looked at the perfectly calm Sophie, slowly raised a hand, and pinched the spot right under her own nose, hard.

Sophie: "..."

"I’m screwed, I’m screwed, I’m screwed..."

Anne’s face went pale, and her repeated cries of "I’m screwed!" gave Sophie a fright. "What’s screwed?"

"If Nina Halloway gets canceled, I’m finished."

She had just bought a 280-square-meter luxury condo in an ultra-exclusive part of downtown, and she was still paying the mortgage. If Nina Halloway got canceled, she’d lose her job and wouldn’t be able to make the payments...

Jobs were so hard to find these days! She had followed Nina Halloway for years. Nina had nothing going for her but her looks, and she’d managed to offend practically everyone who was anyone in the industry.

If Nina Halloway went down, who would hire her ’lackey’ makeup artist?