Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Asking His Wife for a Reward

"Keep up on your own, or you can just stand there all night."

Ethan Austin replied impatiently.

’Just as I thought. Spoiled rich girls are impossible to please. I knew I wasn’t cut out for this job, but my sister just had to make me do it.’

After walking for a while, he heard footsteps behind him.

He glanced back and saw Nina Halloway trailing behind, her eyes full of resentment.

’See? It’s not like she can’t walk.’

’You can’t spoil women!’

He slowed his pace to let Nina Halloway catch up.

When she caught up to him, she reached out and clutched the hem of his shirt. "If you won’t carry me on your back, at least let me hold on to something."

Early in her acting career, she had injured her waist and back. She had fallen from a height during a wire-stunt scene and nearly ended up paralyzed for life. Since then, she had mostly avoided action roles.

She wasn’t being deliberately dramatic; walking even a short distance genuinely exhausted her. With increased exertion, her entire waist and back would throb with a pulling pain.

Ethan Austin didn’t say a word, simply letting her clutch his shirttail as she followed behind him.

He led her on a tour of the entire residential complex. He wasn’t even flushed or out of breath, but the woman behind him was panting like she’d just climbed Mount Everest.

’So dramatic.’

He grumbled internally. The more he looked at this pampered young woman, the more she got on his nerves.

’If the contract hadn’t already been signed, he wouldn’t have bothered waiting on this high-maintenance woman.’

Spotting a small park with a bench up ahead, he walked over. Nina Halloway immediately collapsed onto it, slumping over and gasping for breath.

Ethan Austin stood by, waiting with a modicum of patience.

"How much farther do we have to walk to get back?"

Nina Halloway asked, having finally caught her breath.

"About two thousand meters."

Nina Halloway: "..."

She wanted to cry.

First, she gets cheated on, and now she has to endure this torture. freeweɓnøvel.com

’I really shouldn’t have eaten so much tonight.’

...

When it was nearly ten o’clock at night and Nina Halloway and Ethan Austin still hadn’t returned, Alaric Blackwood gave Ethan a call. freēwēbnovel.com

The call was answered quickly. "Who is this?"

"Your boss."

"..."

"Why aren’t you back yet?"

"We’re almost home."

Alaric Blackwood hung up. A few minutes later, Ethan Austin returned with Nina Halloway in tow.

Nina Halloway was a complete mess. As she came through the door, she was clutching the back of Ethan Austin’s shirt with both hands, hunched over and obviously exhausted.

She swapped her shoes for slippers in the foyer and, without a word, dragged her exhausted body to the living room. She collapsed onto the sofa, not even bothering to take off her face mask and hat.

"Are you okay?"

Alaric Blackwood asked, looking at her with concern.

"I’m fine. It’s getting late. You two should head back."

Alaric Blackwood stared at her for a few seconds before hooking a long arm around Sophie Shaw’s waist and leading her to the foyer.

Ethan Austin, having just changed his shoes, was hanging up his jacket when he heard Alaric Blackwood’s low-voiced reminder, "Control the amount she exercises from now on."

With that, Alaric Blackwood opened the door and left with Sophie Shaw.

Once they were in the elevator, Sophie Shaw asked, puzzled, "How did your sister get so exhausted from just a walk?"

"She has an old back injury."

"No wonder..."

The elevator descended slowly. Sophie Shaw hadn’t imagined Alaric Blackwood would try anything funny in the mere seconds it took to ride down, but in the next instant, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her against the elevator wall.

He didn’t do anything improper, just pressed close, burying his face in the crook of her neck and nuzzling her affectionately.

She stood frozen, inhaling the scent of ebony and agarwood from him, feeling a little light-headed.

When the elevator reached the ground floor, he switched to holding her hand as they walked out.

Once in the parking garage, they could no longer hold hands or walk with an arm around a waist. They got into their respective cars and drove out of the complex, one after the other.

Back at Maplewood Estate, Alaric Blackwood started acting roguish. He clung to Sophie Shaw, refusing to let her go back to her own room and insisting she come to his bedroom instead.

Sophie Shaw didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"Mr. Blackwood, Friday is over. Stop being in heat."

"Then next Friday, can my dear wife give me a proper reward?"

"If you go back to your room like a good boy, I’ll reward you next Friday."

"Does my wife keep her promises?"

"I do."

"Good. I’ll be waiting for my wife’s reward."

True to his word, Alaric Blackwood planted a kiss on her forehead and dutifully watched her return to her room.

She shut the door, went into the bathroom for a shower, and came out after finishing her skincare routine. As she opened the closet to grab her pajamas, she suddenly remembered that the wedding gift from Nina Halloway was still stashed away at the bottom of a chest.

After changing into her pajamas, she bent down and rummaged through the closet, pulling out the gift box from the very bottom.

Thinking of Alaric Blackwood’s incorrigibly flirtatious and ’asking for it’ demeanor, she opened the gift box. She took out the handcuffs and small leather whip inside, thinking, ’It wouldn’t be the worst idea to give him a good lashing. He’d probably behave himself for a while after that.’

Her mind made up, she didn’t shove the box back into the depths of the closet. Instead, she closed the lid and casually placed the gift box on her desk in a conspicuous spot—a reminder to give Alaric Blackwood a surprise next Friday.

She stretched languidly, climbed into bed, burrowed under the covers, and drifted off to sleep.

All day Sunday, instead of lazing around at home, she grabbed her laptop and went over to Nina Halloway’s house again.

She organized information on the major investment firms in Kingsport, making small talk with Nina Halloway as she worked.

"Nina, now that you’re feeling a bit better, have you considered taking on any endorsement deals?"

"What kind of endorsement?"

"I’d like to hire you as the brand ambassador for my company."

Nina Halloway hummed, the sound rising in pitch. "My endorsement fee is very high."

"How much?"

"Fifteen million for a two-year contract."

"..."

That was indeed very expensive.

Sophie Shaw had already invested a significant amount of money in factory equipment. On top of that, the company had hired many new employees across various departments, and with all the daily operating costs, she was under immense pressure.

In its current state, Heart of the Ocean truly couldn’t afford Nina Halloway.

Seeing her predicament, Nina Halloway reached out and patted her shoulder. "Getting discouraged so easily? You haven’t even tried to haggle with me yet."

Sophie Shaw let out a short laugh. "Do you have anyone else to recommend, Nina? Not an A-lister, though. They’re too expensive for me."

"Sorry, I can’t really help you with that. I don’t have many friends in the industry."

Her personality was too blunt; she had offended a lot of people.

Although no one would say anything to her face, she was a frequent subject of gossip behind her back.

"Instead of hiring someone else, you might as well try haggling with me. You’re my sister-in-law, after all. The fee is negotiable."

"How much of a discount are we talking?"

Nina Halloway flopped lazily onto the sofa, propping her chin on her hands and smiling. Her slender legs were crossed, swinging idly. "I can knock off the odd numbers for you."

"The odd numbers?"

’There aren’t any odd numbers!’

"Ten million," Nina Halloway said without missing a beat.

"You’re knocking off five million?"

Sophie Shaw’s eyes widened. "Are you sure, Nina?"

"If you insist on having me as your brand ambassador, it’s a price I can accept."

"I insist."

"Then it’s settled."

"Great. I’ll contact a lawyer as soon as possible to draft the endorsement contract."

Nina Halloway nodded, yawned lazily, pulled a throw pillow toward her, and flopped down on it, closing her eyes for a nap.

Anne brought over a plate of cut fruit. Seeing that the difficult-to-please lady of the house had fallen asleep just like that, she hurried to a room to grab a blanket and cover Nina Halloway with it.

"Such a delicate young lady. She can’t manage her own life at all without an assistant."

Anne muttered, then shot Sophie Shaw a smile and a raised eyebrow. "I heard my boss’s assistant is getting married and plans to stop working. I think I’d be perfectly capable of handling the job."