Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 131: Chapter 131: I Like Cooking for You, and I Like a Home That Feels Lived-In

7:00 PM.

Sophie Shaw returned to Maplewood Estate. The moment she stepped inside, a fragrant aroma tickled her nose.

She changed into slippers and followed the scent to the dining room. Several dishes were already on the table: steamed sea bass, beef with chopped chili, stir-fried pressed tofu, stir-fried bamboo shoots with sliced pork, braised chicken drumsticks...

A bit heavy on the meat, but the color, aroma, and flavor were all perfect.

Alaric Blackwood was still busy in the kitchen.

The man had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. Dressed in loungewear with an apron tied around his waist, he looked like the perfect househusband.

He was in the middle of stir-frying something and hadn’t noticed her return at all.

She tiptoed up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her cheek against his solid back.

Alaric Blackwood’s shoulders tensed slightly. He glanced down at the arms around his waist, the corner of his lip twitching into a slight smile. "You’re back?"

"Isn’t this too much work for you?"

Having to work, and also making breakfast and dinner.

"Would it be better if we hired a housekeeper?"

Alaric Blackwood gently patted the back of her pale hand. "I don’t find it hard. I like cooking for you. I like our home feeling lived-in."

Before Sophie moved in, the kitchen had lacked that lived-in feel. He rarely bothered to cook for himself, and Lawson only came by to make breakfast each day.

Alaric Blackwood plated the last dish, a vegetarian stir-fry of green peppers and king oyster mushrooms, then turned and hugged Sophie. "We don’t need a housekeeper."

Outside of work, he preferred having this private world for just the two of them.

Before Sophie could say anything, he lifted her chin, looked at her cherry-red lips, and, unable to resist, kissed her.

She was stunned for two seconds and instinctively tried to pull back.

But the man advanced, backing her up against the kitchen island.

Her lower back hit the edge of the island, and she winced in pain, pushing against Alaric Blackwood’s chest with both hands.

The more she pushed, the more excited Alaric Blackwood became.

He grasped her by the waist, lifted her off the floor, and set her on the island. He pressed his body between her legs, cupped the back of her head with one large hand, and his kiss grew more urgent.

Sophie was kissed until her head spun and she was short of breath. Her stomach chose that moment to protest with a GROWL.

Hearing her stomach growl with hunger, Alaric Blackwood slowly pulled back.

He gave a helpless smile. "I was planning on eating you first, but since you’re hungry, let’s eat dinner."

Sophie gasped for air. "It’s not Friday."

"I forgot."

"..."

While she was speechless, Alaric Blackwood hooked an arm under her knees, lifting her with one arm. With his other hand, he grabbed the plate of stir-fried green peppers and mushrooms from the stovetop and strode toward the dining room.

Sitting on his arm, she was afraid of falling and quickly wrapped her hands around his neck.

"Are you an ox or something?"

Carrying a grown woman of her height and weight with just one arm, and he wasn’t even breathing hard.

Alaric Blackwood chuckled. "I was born in the year of the Dragon."

He placed the vegetable dish on the table, but he didn’t put Sophie down right away.

"You weigh nothing. Carrying you is child’s play."

Sophie: ...

The man pulled out a chair and set her down in it. He then turned, went back to the kitchen, and returned with two bowls of rice and utensils.

Sophie was happily enjoying the delicious home-cooked meal when the phone in her pocket suddenly rang loudly.

The call was from Anne. freeweɓnøvel.com

She put the phone to her ear and answered while still eating.

"Sophie, I don’t know what’s gotten into Nina, but she had me book a private room at the club and ordered ten male models in one go! We’re supposed to head to the club in an hour, and I’m really worried something will happen."

Nina Halloway is so famous, after all. If she gets recognized in a seedy place like a nightclub, it’s bound to blow up on the trending topics, and her public image will take a serious hit.

"I tried calling her manager, but I couldn’t get through."

After listening, Sophie offered a few words of reassurance before hanging up. She turned to Alaric Blackwood and relayed what Anne had said.

The man nodded thoughtfully, showing no intention of stopping it. Sophie was surprised. "You’re not going to do anything?"

"Why should I?"

"But your sister..."

"She’s an adult. What she wants to do is her own business."

"But she ordered ten male models."

"Oh."

"’Oh’?"

Sophie’s almond-shaped eyes went wide. "That’s your only reaction?"

"What kind of reaction am I supposed to have?"

Facing an unfazed Alaric Blackwood, Sophie sighed in exasperation. "Your sister is about to become the brand ambassador for Heart of the Ocean. I can’t let her do something so reckless."

"She’s in a bad mood. Let her go wild."

"But..."

"Her reputation in the industry has never been great. Even though she’s won a Grand Slam of awards and is a highly accomplished actress, she’s had a lot of scandals before. But those scandals also brought her a ton of publicity, keeping her popularity at its peak."

Sophie didn’t understand what Alaric Blackwood was getting at. "What are you trying to say?"

"Let her cause a scene. When the publicity comes, won’t it be a huge help to your company’s brand?"

"But she’s your sister..."

"She wants to stir up trouble herself. We should just wait and see what happens."

"Alaric Blackwood, you..."

"Just eat your dinner." freeweɓnovel.cøm

Sophie was cut off, a fire of frustration burning in her chest.

She realized Alaric Blackwood had a purely business-oriented mindset. He was undoubtedly suggesting she could use the scandal Nina was creating to attract publicity and, in turn, expand her company’s brand influence.

It’s true that business is all about profit, but she couldn’t accept Alaric Blackwood treating Nina Halloway this way.

’That’s his own sister!’

After dinner, she went straight to her room upstairs, giving Alaric Blackwood no chance to pester her.

After a hot shower, she lay in bed, constantly checking the news headlines.

Around ten o’clock, just as she was drifting off to sleep, Anne called.

"One of the male models couldn’t help himself and posted a picture of Nina Halloway online."

"It’s blown up!"

Sophie immediately opened the news app and saw Nina Halloway’s name was already trending.

The headline was explosive: Nina Halloway Parties with Male Models at Nightclub, Draped in Men.

She clicked on the post. It was full of photos of Nina Halloway in a dimly lit private room, surrounded by male models. There were six of them in the picture alone.

Sophie threw back the covers, got up, dressed, and grabbed her bag before heading downstairs.

Just as she reached the ground floor, the doorbell rang.

She hurried to the foyer and saw through the video intercom that Jaden’s car was parked in front of the gate.

"Let me in."

Jaden shouted at the camera.

She opened the gate for Jaden. The man drove his car into the courtyard, got out, and stomped furiously up the steps.

Sophie pulled the door open, but the man ignored her and walked straight past.

"Garland—"

She tried to stop him, but then she saw Alaric Blackwood coming down the stairs.

Jaden marched right up to Alaric Blackwood, his face livid. "Your sister is out partying with male models. She’s trending."

Alaric Blackwood, dressed in a robe, crossed his arms and looked at him with a half-smile. "She’s partying with male models. What’s that got to do with you? Didn’t you just go public with your relationship today? You each go your own way. Is there a problem?"

"When is she going to have some self-respect?"

Alaric Blackwood’s expression didn’t change. "So in your eyes, my sister has no self-respect?"

’A twenty-eight-year-old woman, beautiful, with a great figure, who entered the cesspool of the entertainment industry and has remained faithful to Jaden all this time, and he has the nerve to say she has no self-respect!’

"Six male models!"

Jaden’s eyes were practically popping out of his head. "She ordered six male models! I saw the trending topic, I counted them. Six!"

"Wrong. It was ten."

Jaden’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "WOW," he breathed. "Ten?"

"Mm-hmm."

"She ordered ten male models?"