Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Missing

"I don’t have time."

Sophie Shaw tried to pull her hand back, but Vianne Kane held it in a death grip, refusing to let go of her wrist.

"Sister, we were close once. Don’t be so heartless. I really need to talk to you about something."

Vianne Kane’s tone softened, and her eyes held a sliver of hope as she looked at her.

Sophie Shaw couldn’t help but wonder. ’Did Damian Morgan’s cheating scandal going viral finally make Vianne Kane see his true colors? Does she finally understand that my warning back then came from a good place?’

"Sophie, we should go," Anne whispered, tugging at her arm.

She hesitated for a moment, then removed Anne’s hand from her arm and told Anne and Ethan Austin to take Nina Halloway and leave first.

Vianne Kane seized the opportunity to pull her toward the lounge.

"Should I stop them?" Ethan Austin asked.

Anne thought for a moment before saying helplessly, "I’ll follow them and see what’s going on. You and Nina go wait for me in the car."

"Sis..."

"Just listen to me."

She pushed Ethan Austin into the elevator, watched the doors close, and turned to chase after Sophie Shaw.

But she couldn’t catch up. Vianne Kane had already taken Sophie Shaw into the lounge. Vianne Kane’s team was guarding the door—her manager, assistant, makeup artist, and stylist, along with two burly bodyguards.

Anne didn’t dare force her way in, so she could only wait outside.

Inside the lounge, Vianne Kane pulled Sophie Shaw down onto a sofa and got straight to the point. "Do you remember four years ago, during summer break, when Grandpa took me to the beach house for a vacation?"

Sophie Shaw furrowed her brow in thought.

’Four years ago?’

’The year Vianne Kane turned eighteen?’

"I remember. Why?"

"Then you must know I wasn’t there on vacation, but to recuperate, right?"

Sophie Shaw didn’t respond.

The more silent she was, the more uneasy Vianne Kane became.

"You’ve known about that all along, haven’t you?"

Sophie Shaw remained silent.

She knew what Vianne Kane was referring to.

Vianne Kane had just come of age that summer. The pampered young lady had always loved to party, spending money lavishly, and her coming-of-age celebration was no exception.

That night, Vianne Kane booked an entire bar for her coming-of-age party. She drank too much, was drugged, and lost her virginity.

Not long after, she started showing signs of morning sickness.

In the middle of the night, Bianca Kane took her to the hospital for an abortion.

As it happened, Sophie Shaw couldn’t sleep that night. Tossing and turning, she changed into her sportswear, planning to go for a run to work up a sweat. But when she came downstairs, she not only ran into Bianca Kane returning from the hospital but also found Mr. Kane sitting on the living room sofa.

The Kane family had many rules. Sneaking out late at night would earn you a scolding at best and confinement at worst. Sophie Shaw had no choice but to hide.

Hiding in a dark corner under the stairs, she clearly overheard the conversation between Mr. Kane and Bianca Kane.

"The bastard in Vianne’s belly has been taken care of. Get her discharged first thing tomorrow morning. Take her to the vacation house and only bring her back once she’s recovered. There are too many gossips in this family. If this scandal gets out, Vianne will be ruined."

Mr. Kane agreed with his daughter, sighing. "The baby is dealt with, but what about the little punk who drugged Vianne?"

"I asked Vianne. She said it was Conor Sullivan. The Sullivan family’s business isn’t exactly clean. I’ll have someone investigate them secretly. Once I have some leverage, I’ll wipe out the entire Sullivan family."

"Just that? It feels like we’re letting that punk Conor Sullivan off too easy."

"Dad, don’t worry. I’ll have someone break his legs. Not only will he lose everything he has now, but he’ll also spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair."

...

Pulled back from her memories, Sophie Shaw noticed Vianne Kane’s eyes were already red-rimmed.

The woman stared at her intently. "Why aren’t you saying anything?"

Sophie Shaw feigned calmness. "What do you want me to say?"

"That incident... who have you told?"

"What incident?"

"Stop pretending. I know that you know."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Sophie Shaw played dumb. "If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving."

She stood up, but Vianne Kane grabbed her wrist again.

"You know perfectly well how something like that can destroy a woman’s reputation. As a woman yourself, you understand. Don’t tell anyone. You’ve already gotten the Heart of the Ocean, just like you wanted. Can you just keep pretending you don’t know anything, just like you are now?" fгeewebnovёl.com

Sophie Shaw yanked her hand back. "I told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Good. Keep it that way."

"..."

Sophie Shaw really wanted to call her a psycho, but she held her tongue.

She left the red-eyed Vianne Kane, pulled open the door to the lounge, and walked out.

The moment she stepped out, Vianne Kane’s team swarmed forward. The two bodyguards at the back—whether intentionally or not—shoved her aside with their arms, even though she had already moved out of their way.

She nearly fell but was caught by Anne. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

"Anne?"

"Are you okay?"

"I’m fine."

"What did Vianne Kane talk to you about?"

Sophie Shaw didn’t feel it was her place to bring up what had happened to Vianne Kane four years ago, so she just shook her head. "Nothing."

"She didn’t bully you, did she?"

"No."

Anne looked her over carefully from head to toe. After confirming she was really alright, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Let’s go. Ethan and Nina are still waiting for us in the parking garage."

Anne led Sophie Shaw to the elevator bank. Before the elevator arrived, a tall figure came running up from the stairwell.

It was Ethan Austin.

He had taken Nina Halloway back to the car but was too impatient to wait for the elevator, so he ran up the stairs. He was worried that Vianne Kane would give Sophie Shaw a hard time. His sister was only five-foot-three; with her small frame, she couldn’t win a fight against anyone. If a conflict broke out and he wasn’t there, the two women would definitely be at a disadvantage.

"What are you doing here?" Anne asked, surprised. "Didn’t I tell you to wait in the car?"

"I was worried."

"Nothing happened. But you—you’re a personal bodyguard. How could you leave your boss all by herself? What if something had happened..."

Getting lectured by his sister, Ethan Austin grew irritated. "What could happen to her?"

"I’m talking about ’what if.’"

"There aren’t that many ’what ifs.’ Besides, it’s broad daylight, and the underground garage has security cameras."

Anne could see her brother was getting impatient, so she didn’t say anything more and pulled Sophie Shaw into the elevator.

Sophie Shaw didn’t interrupt the siblings’ argument.

She was still thinking about what Vianne Kane had brought up in the lounge. Back then, after she overheard Bianca Kane and Mr. Kane plotting to wipe out the Sullivan family, she had paid special attention to what happened to them afterward.

They really were wiped out. One night, Conor Sullivan was dragged to a deserted place by a group of masked men who brutally broke both his legs. As for his parents, because they operated in a legal gray area, someone reported them. The relevant authorities launched an investigation. After paying the fines, they were not only bankrupt but also drowning in debt.

Later, the couple jumped to their deaths together from the rooftop of the Kane Group’s building.

After his parents’ deaths, Conor Sullivan suddenly vanished from the hospital, and his whereabouts are still unknown.

DING—

The elevator arrived at the first basement level.

Sophie Shaw stepped out and turned to Anne behind her. "I’m heading back to the office now."

Anne nodded, but then her gaze shifted toward the parking area. Her eyes widened, as if she had seen something terrible.

Sophie Shaw followed her gaze and saw a black sedan with its rear door wide open. There was no one in the car, but its window was shattered. The ground was littered with tiny shards of glass, a few of which were stained with blood.