Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: If the Sky Falls, I’ll Hold It Up

Alaric Blackwood was pleasantly surprised.

He hadn’t expected Sophie Shaw to possess such a skill. ’I wonder if this counts as a photographic memory,’ he thought.

"Heart of the Ocean."

He wrapped an arm around Sophie Shaw and led her toward the parking lot. Sophie was a little surprised. "Aren’t you going back to the office?"

"It’s fine if I don’t go in today."

He had already taken leave because of what happened to Nina Halloway; he had only come to the office today to attend a meeting.

When Nina Halloway was kidnapped, they hadn’t notified their parents at first, fearing they would worry—especially Quentin Blackwood. His health had been poor for the past two years, and he couldn’t handle that kind of shock.

He had originally planned to tell them during his lunch break. Fortunately, the police called first: Nina Halloway had been found safe.

He drove behind Sophie’s Cayenne. When they arrived at Heart of the Ocean, he followed her straight to her office.

"Your mother’s designs. I want you to draw all of them from memory," Alaric Blackwood said, his expression serious.

"Now?"

"Is there a problem?" frёewebηovel.cѳm

Sophie Shaw shook her head, took paper and a pen from a drawer, and began to draw right then and there.

The man stood beside her desk, watching with keen interest.

She started by sketching the few designs she remembered most vividly—the exact ones she had previously photographed with her phone. When she was done, Alaric Blackwood leaned in to carefully compare them with the photos on his phone and discovered that even the details were identical.

"Keep going."

He walked over to the sofa, sat down, lit a cigarette, and waited patiently for Sophie to complete the rest of the sketches.

By the time dusk fell, Sophie Shaw had finally recreated every last sketch Mina Ford had left behind, perfectly replicating them on paper.

"They’re done."

Sophie Shaw carried the recreated sketches over to Alaric Blackwood.

The man took the designs and flipped through them seriously. There were twelve pages in total: three necklaces, three pairs of earrings, three rings, and three bracelets.

"These are three complete sets?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Sophie.

"Yes, three complete sets."

Alaric Blackwood nodded. After looking through the sketches, he glanced at his watch and handed them back to Sophie. "It’s almost quitting time. Continue refining these designs tomorrow."

Sophie was confused. "And then what?"

"Once the designs are perfected, the next step is obviously to create the finished pieces."

"You don’t actually want me to launch them, do you?"

Alaric Blackwood rose, hands in the pockets of his suit trousers. He stood perfectly straight, exuding a commanding presence. "We’re not just launching them; we’re going to promote them heavily."

"But Wynn Jade Jewelry’s new products are launching first. If I release a nearly identical jewelry line afterward, the Kane Group will most likely sue me for plagiarism."

"That’s the whole point—to push them until they have no choice but to sue."

Sophie was filled with doubt. "Are you sure?"

"Do you plan on crediting this jewelry collection to your mother?"

"If they’re launched, the designer will definitely be listed as my mom."

"Then there won’t be any problems."

Sophie felt a knot of anxiety in her stomach. She relayed what Joseph Shaw had once told her to Alaric Blackwood. "My dad said that if my mom’s designs are considered part of her estate, then as the primary heir, he has the right to inherit them."

"You’re a primary heir too. What is there to be afraid of?"

"I..."

"Sophie, you and Mr. Shaw have equal inheritance rights. The problem is that the designer for the jewelry he’s releasing isn’t your mother, it’s Lana Rhodes. He decided to do this without consulting you, his daughter, who shares those equal rights. That’s the key to winning this."

Alaric Blackwood smiled, hooking an arm around her waist and pulling her firmly into his embrace. He gave her a light pat on the rear with his large hand. "Don’t chicken out. If the sky comes crashing down, I’ll be here to hold it up for you."

"All you need to do is go for it."

He whispered in her ear. His voice was gentle, yet it gave her immense courage and confidence.

She looked up at Alaric Blackwood, her eyes suddenly growing hot. In her memory, no one had ever said to her, "Go for it. If the sky comes crashing down, I’ll hold it up."

He was giving her his absolute support, making her realize that when facing the colossal Kane Group, she was no longer as isolated and helpless as before.

She watched him silently, her gaze so focused it was as if she were trying to burn his image into her memory.

"Why are you so good to me?"

Alaric Blackwood’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Because you’re my wife."

From the moment she was born, when he first saw her wrinkled, ugly little face, Mandy Halloway had told him, ’This is your future wife.’ He’d complained out loud that she was ugly, but in his heart, he had already silently acknowledged that this girl belonged to him, Alaric Blackwood.

"You’re my woman. If I don’t protect you, who will?"

As he spoke, he gently hooked a finger over the elegant tip of Sophie’s nose. "You little thing. Are you getting all emotional on me?"

"Of course not."

Sophie lowered her head. Her words were defiant, but her eyes had unknowingly welled up with tears.

"Shouldn’t a moment like this be rewarded with a kiss?"

Alaric Blackwood’s voice sounded from above her.

It was deep and magnetic, with a hint of devil-may-care playfulness.

Sophie thought he was being shameless. It made her chuckle as she wiped the tears from the corner of her eye. She looked up, rose onto her tiptoes, and just as she was about to kiss him, the man suddenly cupped the back of her head and captured her lips in a commanding kiss.

He gave her no chance to breathe, kissing her as he scooped her up by her rear and placed her on the office desk.

A sudden knock echoed from the door. It had no effect on Alaric Blackwood, but Sophie’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly pushed him away.

"Who is it?"

Her assistant, Hannah Sutton’s, voice came through the door. "President Shaw, do you have any other instructions?"

"No, you can go home now."

As she heard the footsteps fade away, she had just breathed a sigh of relief when the man’s lips were on hers again.

As the kiss deepened, Alaric Blackwood’s hands began to wander, slipping under the hem of her shirt.

The man kneaded her soft, slender waist, reason giving way to desire as he pushed her shirt upward.

A strip of her slender waist was exposed, and Sophie’s heart began to race.

She pushed hard against his shoulders. "Don’t... not here. The door isn’t locked."

"That makes it more exciting."

The man buried his face in the crook of her neck and left a hickey.

Once quitting time passed, the employees of Heart of the Ocean left one by one. Within minutes, the lights in the main hall were off, and the space was empty, save for a sliver of faint light peeking out from beneath the CEO’s office door.

Sophie Shaw had been kissed until she was dizzy, completely swept up in Alaric Blackwood’s rhythm.

"Which position does my wife prefer?"

He leaned against her shoulder, nibbling on her earlobe, his voice utterly seductive.

"Being held, standing up, or bent over?"

"My wife gets to choose."

Sophie’s body had gone pliant. Face flushed and breath ragged, she said, "Husband’s choice."

"I choose all of them."

...

「Nine in the evening.」

All the lights in Heart of the Ocean were out. The elevator doors opened, revealing a slash of incandescent light.

Alaric Blackwood walked in carrying Sophie Shaw. The woman was limp in his arms, wrapped in his overcoat. Only the top half of her flushed face was visible, her expression one of utter exhaustion. She was so tired she was on the verge of passing out.

"Don’t fall asleep, wife. We’ll continue when we get home."

Alaric Blackwood was deliberately teasing her. He could clearly feel the woman in his arms shudder at his words. She hadn’t been completely unconscious, but his comment startled her so much that her head lolled to the side, and she passed out completely.

’Can’t even last three hours?’

’You little thing, your stamina is seriously lacking. You need to work out more.’

’I’ll have to up the intensity next time.’

As the elevator slowly descended, Alaric Blackwood’s gaze fell, tenderly watching the woman in his arms. A smile played on his lips as he murmured to himself.