Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Call Me Husband

That voice...

Vianne Kane froze. She turned her head in disbelief, and when she saw the young man walking toward her with a limp and a smirk on his lips, she was utterly dumbfounded.

It was a face she would never forget for the rest of her life.

It was Conor Sullivan!

"You... you’re not..." ’Dead?’

Years ago, Conor Sullivan’s parents had gone bankrupt. Drowning in massive debt, they were driven to jump from a building to their deaths. At the time, Conor himself was in the hospital, his legs already broken.

She had been defiled by Conor Sullivan. Unwilling to let him live out his life merely as a cripple, her mother, Bianca Kane, sent men to abduct him from the hospital overnight and take him to a small coastal town.

They tied him up and threw him off a cliff.

He was a cripple who couldn’t swim. Under those circumstances, there was no way Conor Sullivan could have broken free from the ropes. After being thrown from the cliff into the sea, there was no chance he could have survived.

She thought she was seeing a ghost and let out a frantic scream.

"AHH!"

"A ghost!"

She scrambled forward desperately, her hands clawing at the ground, but despite her frantic efforts, she only managed to move a short distance.

Timothy Quinn calmly walked up behind her, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and violently yanked her to her feet before throwing her back onto the bed.

"Why are you..."

"Not dead?"

A smile played on Timothy Quinn’s lips, but his eyes were unnaturally cold.

He leaned down, grabbing Vianne Kane’s chin. "I’m a hard man to kill," he said through gritted teeth. "Your Kane Family couldn’t finish me off. Now that you’re in my hands, I’m going to enjoy breaking you, slowly."

"No..."

Timothy Quinn ignored her resistance and ripped her couture gown to shreds...

A camera, propped up at the foot of the bed, recorded the entire process.

Timothy Quinn unleashed all his fury upon Vianne Kane. His brutal vengeance caused her to roll her eyes back and pass out.

「Elsewhere.」

The charity dinner was still underway.

After the auction ended, another round of clinking glasses and conversation began.

Among the invited guests were plenty of business magnates and entertainment celebrities. The reporters were running ragged, chasing after photos and interviews.

Sophie Shaw had a few glasses of wine and was slightly tipsy.

She looped her arm through Alaric Blackwood’s, resting her head on his shoulder. "Mr. Blackwood, how much longer will the banquet last?"

"Ready to go home?"

"Mhm, I’m getting a little sleepy."

"Then let’s go home."

Alaric Blackwood wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to the entrance of the banquet hall. He took a coat from an attendant and draped it over her shoulders.

Once he had put on his own coat, just as they were about to leave, a figure rushed toward them.

Her collar was grabbed, and she got a clear look at the person who had charged at her.

It was Damian Morgan.

The man’s brows were tightly knit, his expression a mixture of anxiety and anger. "Where’s Vianne?"

Before she could react, Alaric Blackwood had already seized Damian Morgan’s wrist, forcibly removing his hand from her collar.

"Get lost."

Alaric Blackwood’s face was cold, his eyes filled with anger.

Damian Morgan didn’t dare start a conflict with him in public, so he had no choice but to take a step back.

He watched as Alaric Blackwood led Sophie Shaw away and into an elevator. For a split second, the corners of Damian’s mouth curled up almost imperceptibly. His expression then reverted to one of anxiety as he turned to ask someone else if they had seen his wife.

...

On the way back to Maplewood Estate, Sophie Shaw was nestled in Alaric Blackwood’s arms. The image of Damian Morgan rushing up and grabbing her collar flashed through her mind. She couldn’t figure out what he was up to.

He was clearly unfaithful to Vianne Kane, having long been cheating on her with Yara Valentine, yet in public, he put on the act of a doting husband.

’He really is a great actor. He played the part of a deeply affectionate man for three years in front of me. It’s a shame he isn’t in show business.’

She rested her head on Alaric Blackwood’s shoulder, burying her face in the crook of his neck and inhaling the faint scent of oud and agarwood on him. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

"If you’re sleepy, just sleep. Hubby will carry you later."

Alaric Blackwood gently ruffled her hair. His voice was soft, filled with utter adoration.

She tilted her head up to look at him. "Mr. Blackwood."

"Call me hubby."

There was a designated driver in the driver’s seat, who even glanced at her and Alaric Blackwood through the rearview mirror. She was too embarrassed to call him that, and she suppressed the sudden urge to act cute with him.

She obediently rested her face back on his shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to will herself to sleep.

The car arrived at Maplewood Estate, but she hadn’t managed to fall asleep. She watched the driver take his payment, pull a folding bicycle from the trunk, and ride off. She gathered her coat around herself and pushed the door open to get out, but Alaric Blackwood stopped her.

"I’ll carry you."

"No need, I’m not asleep."

A smile touched the man’s deep, alluring eyes. "I’ve told you before. I like carrying you."

He liked any and all physical contact with her.

He pushed his door open, pulled Sophie into his arms, and as his long legs stepped out of the car, he lifted her out in a princess carry.

Sophie was still in her champagne-colored gown and stiletto heels. Even wrapped in a coat, she couldn’t help but shiver in the northern winter night.

She instinctively tightened her arms around Alaric Blackwood’s neck. "Hubby, hurry up. It’s cold."

Alaric Blackwood kicked the sports car’s door shut with his foot, strode up the steps, and carried Sophie to the front door.

Before she could unlock it with her fingerprint, the man shifted his grip, supporting her with one arm. The princess carry turned into a one-armed hold, freeing his other hand to open the door.

"You really don’t think I’m heavy, do you?"

She kept her arms around Alaric Blackwood’s neck as he carried her effortlessly into the house.

The man chuckled. "How much do you weigh?"

"One hundred..."

Sophie lied through her teeth without batting an eye.

How could Alaric Blackwood, who lifted weights regularly, not know what she really weighed?

He deliberately chose not to expose her lie and played along. "My wife is only a hundred pounds? That’s too light. With a weight like yours, I could lift you up and play around with you in all sorts of ways."

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Lift me up? And play?"

"Wanna give it a try, wifey?"

’I have a feeling Alaric Blackwood is up to no good.’

Afraid he might actually lift her, she shook her head vigorously.

"We’re home now, you can put me down. I’m going to my room."

"Which room?"

"My own room, of course."

"Did I say you could?"

"..."

"You don’t seem so sleepy anymore, wifey. Why don’t we go to my room and do some... research... on positions that would make you happy?"

Sophie shook her head even more frantically.

’Alaric Blackwood was starting to scare me a little.’

’His stamina was just too much. It had been three days straight. Wasn’t he tired at all?’

She quickly faked a yawn and mumbled, "Who said I’m not sleepy? I am. I’m very sleepy."

Unwilling to put her down, Alaric Blackwood took off her high heels. He let her struggle in his arms for a moment, put slippers on her feet, and then carried her straight upstairs.

The man walked right past her bedroom door without stopping.

She sighed. "Mr. Blackwood, I have to work tomorrow."

"I never said you couldn’t."

"Can you please not torment me?"

"It’s not tormenting. It’s servicing."

Sophie’s cheeks flushed uncontrollably. "Mr. Blackwood, let’s make a deal."

"I’m listening."

"Remember how I said I had a surprise for you on Friday?"

"I remember."

"If you still want that Friday surprise, how about you let me off the hook tonight?"

Alaric Blackwood let out a low chuckle, walked to the master bedroom, and pushed the door open. "The surprise can wait until next time."

As he walked into the room, the man remembered to shield her head with his hand.