Free Web NovelChapter 114: Chapter 114: Alaric Blackwood, You’re So Annoying
"You want to know? Or... would you like to try?"
Alaric Blackwood’s lips curved. His narrowed eyes glinted with a dangerous, utterly captivating light.
Sophie Shaw pushed at his shoulder, trying to get up, but he wrapped both arms tightly around her waist, pinning her in place.
"Don’t mess around. This is your sister’s house."
"It’s just the two of us right now. There’s no one else here."
Sophie Shaw was speechless. She couldn’t push him away or get up, so she just stopped struggling.
Alaric Blackwood held her tighter, resting his chin on her shoulder. His lips brushed repeatedly against her ear, coaxing its pale tip to the color of a ripe, red tomato.
"Alaric Blackwood, you’re so annoying."
Sophie Shaw couldn’t help but complain.
’In the middle of the day, in someone else’s house, and he just won’t stop flirting.’
’Her spine was turning to jelly.’
"Can you let me go?"
"Your friend will be here soon. Let me hold you a little longer."
"..."
Alaric Blackwood was being very clingy, refusing to let her go.
He didn’t reluctantly let go and allow Sophie Shaw to answer the door until the sky had begun to darken and the doorbell rang.
The arrivals were Anne and Ethan Austin, each carrying a small suitcase. As soon as they entered, they started settling in. They each found a guest room, quickly stowed their luggage, and then Anne headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
However, when she pulled open the refrigerator, she nearly had a heart attack.
It was completely empty.
Nothing at all.
’When she wasn’t filming, what on earth did this woman eat?’
’Does she live on air?’
She quickly ordered meat and vegetables on her phone...
Once the groceries were delivered, she immediately started prepping them.
Sophie Shaw wanted to help, but Alaric Blackwood pulled her back. "Let Miss Austin show off her culinary skills."
"I’ll just help her out. She can’t manage on her own, and there are so many of us waiting to eat. Besides, the doctor said your sister needs to eat well. We can’t just let her starve."
’This house was as clean and tidy as a model home, with no trace of life or cooking. Nina Halloway had worked herself into such a state that she’d screamed until she fainted from lack of oxygen. Sophie suspected she hadn’t eaten anything at all today.’
Alaric Blackwood fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Whatever my wife says, is right."
He let go, allowing Sophie Shaw to go into the kitchen and help.
Although she said she’d only be helping, Sophie Shaw ended up cooking a few of her own specialty dishes.
Spicy, sizzling Sichuan-style stir-fries.
Nina Halloway, who had been dozing fitfully in her room, woke up from hunger, feeling weak.
She shakily got to her feet, remembering she hadn’t eaten all day. Her stomach was protesting wildly.
Leaning on the wall for support, she made her way to the door. When she pulled it open, a delicious aroma wafted in. She followed the scent to the living room, where she saw four figures bustling about in the open-plan kitchen.
Alaric Blackwood, Sophie Shaw, Anne, and the newly hired bodyguard, Ethan Austin.
"Boss isn’t actually a picky eater; she’ll eat anything," Anne said with a laugh. "But she’s absolutely ruthless with herself to maintain her figure. She can go a whole day eating nothing but a single cucumber."
Ethan Austin’s eyes widened. "A single cucumber for the whole day?"
"You bet. How do you think celebrities get to look so thin and beautiful on camera? By starving themselves."
Ethan Austin: ...
’No wonder she felt so light. She had no weight to her at all. Holding her, she even felt a bit bony.’
"Take this to the table."
Anne handed him a plate of freshly cooked twice-cooked pork. He took it, and as he turned, he saw Nina Halloway standing in the living room, looking lost.
The woman’s eyes were red-rimmed. Her gaze met his, but she said nothing, simply walking over to the dining room, pulling out a chair, and sitting down.
He walked over, placed the twice-cooked pork on the table, then went back to the kitchen for chopsticks, handing her the first pair.
Nina Halloway was starving. She took the chopsticks and immediately dug in.
Seeing how ravenously she was eating, Ethan Austin went to the kitchen and got a bowl of rice. The soup was ready, so he ladled a bowl of that as well and brought both the rice and soup to Nina Halloway.
The woman looked up at him, her gaze fixating on his eyes, which looked so much like Jaden’s. freёwebnovel.com
"You’re..."
"Ethan Austin."
Nina Halloway’s lips curved into a smile. "Ethan."
"..." ’She sure gets friendly fast.’
"Thank you, Ethan."
After thanking him, Nina Halloway went back to devouring her meal.
’She figured if she was going to take a break, she needed to eat properly. She’d been starving for too long and could feel her body was really feeling run-down.’
As several more dishes were brought to the table, Nina Halloway ate voraciously.
"Sis, don’t eat so much at once. Your stomach won’t be able to handle it." Seeing her eat as if she was trying to burst, Alaric Blackwood decisively stopped her.
Nina Halloway let out a burp, but she obediently put down her chopsticks.
She had eaten two bowls of rice and a bowl of soup—the most she had ever eaten in her life.
She hadn’t felt it while she was eating, but less than ten minutes later, an intense feeling of fullness washed over her. It felt like her stomach was about to burst.
She slumped languidly onto the table. "I can’t... I’m so stuffed."
"I told you not to eat so much at once."
’And you were eating so fast, too.’
Alaric Blackwood frowned and looked at Ethan Austin. "Go to the pharmacy and get some digestive aid tablets."
Ethan Austin grunted an "oh," annoyed by Alaric Blackwood’s bossy tone. But seeing that Nina Halloway looked so full she might pass out, he didn’t hesitate and hurried off.
When he returned with the medicine, Nina Halloway took it and, still slumped over the table, started to get drowsy.
Sophie Shaw and Anne were clearing the dishes from the dining table. Alaric Blackwood pulled Nina to her feet and pushed her toward Ethan Austin. "Take her for a walk."
Sleeping right after eating was bad for digestion.
With another sullen "oh," Ethan Austin took Nina Halloway’s slender arm and helped her to the entryway. He spotted a mask and hat on a nearby cabinet, picked them up, and put them on her. Then he grabbed a coat from the rack, wrapped it around her, and pulled her out the door.
Because she was a celebrity, Nina Halloway didn’t dare go anywhere crowded. Ethan led her around the residential complex the entire time, like he was walking a puppy.
Night had fallen and the sky was dark. Bundled up as she was, Nina Halloway wasn’t too worried about being recognized.
After walking for a bit, she got tired and started ordering Ethan Austin around. "Carry me."
Ethan Austin made a sound of disbelief. "What?"
"I said, carry me."
"I brought you out here to walk off your dinner. What’s the point if I carry you? Walk on your own."
"I can’t walk anymore."
"We’ve barely taken a few steps. Stop being so dramatic."
Nina Halloway: "..."
’It was the first time in her life anyone had ever called her dramatic. A wave of anger washed over her. She was the boss, and Ethan Austin was her personal bodyguard. Wasn’t he supposed to listen to her obediently?’
’How dare he turn around and lecture her?’
Her mood was already low from Jaden cheating on her. With Ethan Austin now contradicting her, her tone hardened. "Ethan, I order you to squat down."
"Huh?"
"Squat down and carry me."
Ethan Austin let out a short, derisive laugh. He immediately dropped the matter, turned, and walked off.
Watching him walk away with a confident swagger, his hands in his pockets, Nina Halloway seethed. "Where do you think you’re going?"
"If you want to walk it off, keep up. If you don’t want to walk, we’ll go back."
Ethan Austin said without a backward glance, refusing to indulge her in the slightest.
"Stop right there!"
She yelled after his tall, retreating figure.
Ethan Austin didn’t break his stride, his figure receding into the distance.
"Come back here!"
