Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 125: Chapter 125: Coveted for a Long Time

Sophie Shaw felt a bit awkward. Out of courtesy, she shook Oscar Lynch’s hand and gestured for him to take a seat.

"President Lynch, let’s sit down and talk."

"Of course. Please, President Shaw, have a seat."

Oscar Lynch was exceedingly polite, playing the part of a perfect gentleman.

He hadn’t brought an assistant or a secretary, only a friend, Caleb Cheney, who had also attended Alaric Blackwood’s wedding.

There had been so many groomsmen at the wedding that Sophie Shaw couldn’t remember them all, but she thought Caleb Cheney looked familiar as well.

Oscar Lynch made the introductions, and once they were acquainted, the group started to order.

As Sophie Shaw lowered her gaze to look at the menu, Oscar Lynch furtively sized her up.

Her face was free of makeup, revealing her delicate features. She had already taken off her jacket and given it to her assistant to hang on the rack. The form-fitting turtleneck sweater she wore underneath accentuated her graceful, alluring figure.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he recalled the wedding night games, when Sophie Shaw had kissed Alaric Blackwood with an ice cube in her mouth.

The scene had been truly sultry.

He wouldn’t have dared to have any designs on Sophie Shaw before, but Claire Sterling had told him that her marriage to Alaric Blackwood was just a contract.

He had already pried the source out of Claire Sterling—it had been leaked by Alaric Blackwood’s own assistant.

Since the information came from someone so close to Alaric Blackwood, its authenticity was guaranteed.

On the day of the wedding, no one could get in touch with Alaric Blackwood, which Oscar had found very peculiar. For a man who had been living it up abroad to suddenly return home and get married—there was definitely something fishy going on.

Before Alaric Blackwood went abroad, they used to hang out at bars and hit on women together. He didn’t believe that Alaric, forced into marriage by his family, would be able to completely settle down.

A playboy would never be tied down by marriage.

Signing a prenuptial agreement for a marriage of convenience just proved that Alaric Blackwood wasn’t done playing around. Walking down the aisle was just a performance to fool his family’s elders.

At this thought, his eyes lit up as he looked at Sophie Shaw. "President Shaw, how much initial investment is your company looking for?"

Sophie Shaw was stunned for a moment. She hadn’t expected Oscar Lynch to be so direct.

"Have you seen the proposal, President Lynch?"

"I’ve glanced at it. It looks quite good."

"To be perfectly honest, Heart of the Ocean hasn’t been effectively promoted in the past. However, I’ve already signed Nina Halloway as our brand ambassador, and I’m confident the publicity from her endorsement will be significant. As for the investment, well, the more the better, of course."

With Nina Halloway as a guarantee, Sophie Shaw felt quite confident in her request for investment.

Oscar Lynch listened to her, then smiled and nodded. "No problem. Let’s discuss it over dinner."

After the food was ordered, he ordered drinks as well—two bottles of very expensive Maotai.

Realizing she was footing the bill for this meal, Sophie Shaw winced internally. But to secure the investment, she had no choice but to maintain her smile.

The food and liquor were brought to the table, and Sophie Shaw had a few glasses with them.

From her time attending business dinners with Damian Morgan, she’d drunk her fair share—almost to the point of ruining her stomach. As a result, her tolerance for alcohol wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either.

After the three of them finished one bottle of Maotai, Sophie Shaw could already feel the alcohol going to her head.

As a precaution, when Oscar Lynch and Caleb Cheney were urging them to drink, she didn’t let Hannah Sutton have any. She wanted Hannah to stay sober so she could take her home after the dinner.

However, halfway through the meal, Hannah Sutton’s phone started ringing nonstop. freёwebnovel.com

It was her family. Her child had been in an accident and was at the hospital.

The timing was quite a coincidence. After thinking it over, Sophie Shaw told Hannah Sutton to go to the hospital to look after her child.

"President Shaw, but you’ll be by yourself..."

"Don’t you worry," Oscar Lynch interjected, his tone full of righteousness. "President Shaw’s husband and I are great friends. I even attended their wedding. I guarantee I will see President Shaw home safely tonight."

His words put Sophie Shaw a little more at ease.

She said to Hannah Sutton, "It’s alright, you should go. Your child is more important."

Hannah Sutton nodded uneasily, then grabbed her bag, put on her coat, and left.

Outside the restaurant, she still felt uneasy. Once in her car, she dug a notepad out of her bag, found Alaric Blackwood’s number on the emergency contacts page, and dialed it.

At that moment, Alaric Blackwood was at the family estate, scrounging a meal. He saw an unknown number calling and ignored it the first time. When it immediately called back, he answered.

"Excuse me, is this Mr. Blackwood?"

An unfamiliar woman’s voice came from the phone.

"Speaking."

"I’m sorry to bother you. I’m President Shaw’s assistant, Hannah Sutton. President Shaw is at a business dinner tonight."

"I know."

Sophie Shaw had messaged him, saying she was meeting with an investor and wouldn’t be home for dinner.

"Is something wrong?"

Hannah Sutton quickly replied, "Nothing’s wrong, I’m just worried about President Shaw being alone. She’s had quite a bit to drink."

"Send me the location of the restaurant."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Hannah Sutton sent the restaurant’s address and the private room number to Alaric Blackwood. Only then did she start her car and hurry toward the hospital.

Back in the private room.

Sophie Shaw’s stomach was churning violently.

"I’m going to use the restroom."

She stood up and walked out of the room.

Caleb Cheney followed, seemingly out of concern, and supported her. "President Shaw, are you alright?"

"I’m fine."

The moment she got into the restroom, Sophie Shaw couldn’t stop herself from throwing up. Everything she had eaten and drunk came rushing back out.

Caleb Cheney waited outside. Hearing her retching, he sent a text to Oscar Lynch: *She’s throwing up.*

A smirk played on Oscar Lynch’s lips. He pulled a small vial from his pocket, shook out two pills, and dissolved them in a glass of warm water.

When Caleb Cheney helped Sophie Shaw back into the room, Oscar immediately handed her the glass of water. "President Shaw, your tolerance isn’t the best, is it? If you can’t handle it, you shouldn’t force yourself. We’re all friends here, no need to drink yourself sick. Here, have some water."

He helped Caleb Cheney guide Sophie Shaw to a chair and brought the glass to her lips.

Watching her drink the entire glass, Oscar Lynch’s lips curled into a smile, and a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

"Thank you."

The warm water settled the discomfort in Sophie Shaw’s stomach slightly.

"Caleb, go pay the bill," Oscar Lynch said, sounding rather eager.

The moment Caleb Cheney was out of the room, Oscar immediately took Sophie Shaw’s jacket from the coat rack and draped it over her shoulders.

"President Shaw, you seem pretty drunk. Caleb has gone to pay the bill, so I’ll just take you home now."

Sophie Shaw waved her hand dismissively. "No, that’s not necessary. I’ll have my husband come get me. And I’m paying for the meal, however much it is."

While she was still clear-headed and not completely unconscious from the alcohol, Sophie Shaw pulled her phone from her purse.

Just as she unlocked her phone screen to call Alaric Blackwood, a powerful wave of dizziness washed over her. Her vision began to blur until she couldn’t even make out the screen.

She shook her woozy head. Her heart was pounding. She had a vague sense that this dizziness had come on too suddenly.

She had drunk a lot, but she shouldn’t have been *this* drunk.

She glanced suspiciously at the water glass she had just emptied and quickly realized something was terribly wrong.

Oscar Lynch placed both hands on her shoulders. A jolt of panic went through her, and she hurriedly shrugged him off. "My husband will be here to get me any minute. I won’t trouble you, President Lynch..."

"Look how drunk you are. It’s better if I take you home."

Oscar Lynch snatched her phone, switched it off, and tossed it into her purse. Then, he slung her purse over one arm and grabbed her other arm, forcibly pulling her up from the chair.

Caleb Cheney returned from paying the bill to see Oscar with an arm around Sophie Shaw’s waist, leading her out of the room. Caleb stepped forward and supported Sophie from her other side.