Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: Alaric Blackwood Is Stunned by Sophie Shaw

Back in the car, Jaden chain-smoked two cigarettes before starting the engine and heading back to the law firm.

The moment he stepped into his office, Stella Yarrow barged in without knocking.

"You went to the hospital to see Nina Halloway?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

Stella Yarrow’s face clouded over, her tone dripping with acid. "You two have already broken up. Why are you in such a hurry to get involved in her affairs?"

Seeing Jaden return all wilted and dejected, like a frost-bitten eggplant, she knew he hadn’t gotten his way on this trip. He might have even been bullied by that pair of siblings, Alaric Blackwood and Nina Halloway.

"I was just worried about her, so I went to check. She’s fine, so now I can relax."

Jaden gave a perfunctory reply and picked up the case file for a new client, starting to flip through it.

Stella didn’t leave. Instead, she locked the office door from the inside, sauntered over with a sway of her hips, wrapped an arm around his neck, and sat sideways on his lap.

She looked at him with a pained expression, kissed his cheek, and said, "Stop trying to get on the Blackwood siblings’ good side, only to be given the cold shoulder. You broke up with Alaric Blackwood’s sister; it’ll be hard for him to treat you like a brother again. Just accept it."

"You don’t understand. Alaric and I grew up together."

"But you can’t just debase yourself trying to please his sister just because you two are close, can you? Didn’t you say you never even liked Nina Halloway?"

"Yeah, I don’t."

"Then just let it be. As they say, out with the old, in with the new. Your father is a grand justice, your mother is a law professor, and your brother is a prosecutor. Your status is no less than Alaric Blackwood’s. There’s no need to act like a little lapdog, fawning over him all day. It makes you look cheap, you know?"

At these words, Jaden’s expression darkened.

"Don’t get mad at me for being blunt. If Alaric Blackwood truly saw you as a friend, he’d be angry with you at most. He wouldn’t intentionally distance himself from you. It’s obvious he doesn’t consider you that important."

Jaden was already feeling miserable, and Stella’s words were like rubbing salt in the wound.

He instantly lost all mood for work. Tossing the file onto the desk, he leaned back against the leather chair.

Seeing this, Stella immediately stood up, changed her position, and straddled his lap.

After dating for a while, she’d found that Jaden treated her very well.

Most of the decent young scions in their circle were either married or playboys with countless women around them. Jaden was one of the more dependable ones.

He had a good family background and his own law firm, and their relationship was already public. She decided to stop looking for greener pastures and get serious with Jaden.

More importantly, her parents were very pleased with Jaden.

She wrapped her arms around Jaden’s neck and pressed her lips to his.

The man was clearly a bit resistant to her advances, but she didn’t back down, forcing his lips apart...

But Jaden was a man, after all. Unable to resist her seduction, he soon surrendered, lifting her by the waist and carrying her toward the sofa.

Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist as they continued their tangled kiss.

After he laid her on the sofa, she released her arms from his neck and went straight for his belt buckle.

...

After a heated session, her clothes were nearly all stripped off, while Jaden’s shirt was merely a little disheveled.

The man kissed her lips, seemingly not yet satisfied, and flipped her over.

She was on her knees on the sofa for a full half-hour before the man was finally sated.

The storm passed.

She snuggled in Jaden’s arms, her finger toying with a button on his collar, and whispered softly, "Counselor Garland, let’s get engaged, okay?"

"Okay."

The man agreed readily, with barely a moment’s hesitation.

「Meanwhile.」

Alaric Blackwood handled Nina Halloway’s discharge papers.

The group left the hospital, ordered takeout on the way, and by the time they got Nina to The Metropolis, the food had just arrived.

Sophie Shaw took the takeout to the dining room and called for everyone to have lunch.

She and Alaric had to go back to their respective companies in the afternoon. With Nina safe and sound, everyone felt relieved and had a good appetite.

As they were eating, Alaric Blackwood’s phone rang.

It was the police officer in charge of Nina’s kidnapping case.

He answered, "Any leads on the kidnappers?"

"Not yet, but Sean Wright is confirmed missing. We suspect the body has already been disposed of."

"Combine the cases."

The kidnapping had escalated into a murder case, a major felony. After ending the call, Alaric turned to Ethan Austin and instructed him grimly, "From now on, my sister’s safety is officially your responsibility. I’ll arrange for a few people from the company to assist you."

Ethan Austin nodded.

This time, he didn’t argue with Alaric. He would follow his boss’s orders completely.

After the meal, Alaric Blackwood pulled Sophie Shaw away with him.

Once they were in the elevator, he said to Sophie, "I’ll let you drive yourself for one more day. Starting tomorrow, you’re riding with me. I’ll be responsible for picking you up and dropping you off."

Sophie just "oh"-ed in response, not refusing Alaric’s arrangement. She had a feeling that Nina’s kidnapping had made him worried about her safety as well.

’Although she thought he was overreacting a little, at least it showed he was thinking of her.’

She linked her arm through the man’s. "Mr. Blackwood, there’s something I’d like to ask your advice on."

"What is it?"

"It’s about work."

"Go ahead."

"Heart of the Ocean hasn’t hired a lawyer yet, and I didn’t feel it was right to consult a firm just for this one thing. So I figured I’d just ask you. You started working before I did, so you definitely have more experience."

As Sophie spoke, her eyes sparkled. Alaric could clearly see a glimmer of admiration for him in her gaze, and his mood instantly brightened.

He didn’t interrupt, letting her continue.

"Here’s the situation. Before my mom passed away, she left behind a sketchbook with her design drafts. I had originally planned to refine those sketches and release a jewelry collection in her name. But before the wedding, my dad secretly took them. He lied and told me the cleaning lady had accidentally thrown them out with the trash. It wasn’t until Wynn Jade Jewelry launched its new collection that I discovered the whole set was based on my mother’s designs." freewebnσvel.cøm

"I can’t accept that the designer for that collection is listed as Lana Rhodes. I’m sure Bianca Kane was involved in this. If she hadn’t egged him on, my dad would have never paid any attention to my mom’s drawings. He had no idea how valuable her designs were. They stole my mother’s work, yet they were too stingy to even credit her. It really bothers me, but I don’t know what to do."

After she finished speaking, Alaric didn’t respond right away. Instead, he pulled her into his arms, holding her with a pang of heartache.

The man’s embrace was firm and warm, making Sophie feel even more dependent on him.

She hugged Alaric back.

"Teach me... what should I do in a situation like this?"

The elevator doors opened. Alaric kept his arm around her as they walked out. "Are all the original drawings in your father’s possession?" he asked as they walked.

"Yes, but I took pictures of a few of the designs with my phone."

"Just a few?"

Sophie nodded, then thought for a moment before adding, "I remember all of the drawings. They’re all in my head."

Alaric stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at her, a flash of amazement in his expression. "You remember all of them?"

"I remember them very clearly. Once I see something, I don’t forget it."