Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Alaric Blackwood is Punished

Mason Kane had already explained the whole story when he arrived.

Mandy Halloway didn’t want to believe his one-sided story. She asked Alaric Blackwood, "Did you trespass on private property?"

"Yes."

"And you hit someone?"

"I did."

"Why?"

"The Kanes kidnapped my wife."

Hearing this, Mason Kane immediately cut in, "Who can prove my niece had someone kidnap your wife? We clearly just had something for her to come home for. Aren’t you being a bit too sensitive?"

"Besides, does your wife have any injuries?"

"My niece didn’t hit her, did she?"

Alaric Blackwood frowned deeply. "Not yet!"

He had arrived just in time. If he’d been any later, Sophie Shaw would have inevitably been tormented by that family.

"Still so stubborn, are we? In that case, why don’t we handle this through the proper channels?"

Mason Kane looked at Quentin Blackwood and Mandy Halloway. Since he wasn’t in the wrong, his tone hardened. "Your son’s attitude is unacceptable. He claims my niece kidnapped his wife, but my niece told me very clearly she never laid a finger on her. He’s disrespectful to his elders, trespassed, and committed a violent crime. At the very least, he’s looking at a fine and detention. If we take it seriously, it could be considered assault with intent to cause bodily harm—that’s a minimum three-year sentence. No matter which, for the young master of the esteemed Blackwood Family to throw his weight around and bully people... it’s not a good look."

"The Blackwood Family is prominent and respected, and the Halloway Family is full of public servants who represent fairness and justice. If you two families choose to protect your precious son in a matter like this, once public opinion turns, you’d both better watch your step."

Mason Kane’s threat was blatant.

Quentin Blackwood chuckled. "What ’assault with intent to cause bodily harm’? It’s just a little conflict between two families. There’s no need to get the police involved."

"So you plan to handle this privately?"

"Alaric is still young and impulsive. He made a mistake, and the fault of the son is the fault of the father. I promise to discipline him properly."

"And how does Director Blackwood plan to discipline him?"

Mason Kane hadn’t come here just to see Alaric Blackwood get a simple scolding.

That little punk had his bodyguards hit Mason’s own niece. This wouldn’t be over until he suffered some physical pain himself.

Figuring out his true intentions, Alaric Blackwood’s gaze swept back and forth between Quentin Blackwood and Mandy Halloway. He knew his parents were in a difficult position; they wanted to protect him but couldn’t give people something to gossip about, since he was, in fact, the one who’d had his bodyguards force their way into the Kane Family’s home and hit people.

He glanced at Mason Kane, then said to his parents with a serious expression, "I’ll take responsibility for my own actions. I’m the one who ordered the beating, and I’m willing to accept the punishment."

Before Quentin Blackwood and Mandy Halloway could even react, Mason Kane was already clapping his hands in mock appreciation. "Well, now! The young master does have some sense of responsibility after all, taking the blame for his own actions."

"Since he’s willing to be punished, then let’s get on with it."

"My niece and her husband are lying in the hospital right now. Their injuries are not light!"

Seeing the smug look on Mason Kane’s face, Mandy Halloway’s expression changed with anger.

This time, they were in the wrong. There was nothing to be done.

If it really came to calling the police, Alaric Blackwood’s actions would indeed have consequences.

"Do it!"

Alaric Blackwood was completely forthright.

Quentin Blackwood and Mandy Halloway still hadn’t moved. Mason Kane started making snide remarks again, giving Alaric a headache. He simply turned his head and called for the butler. "Bring the rattan cane."

The butler froze, instinctively looking toward the master and madam of the house.

Quentin Blackwood nodded with a grim face. Only then did the butler enter the ancestral hall and bring out the rattan cane that symbolized the family’s rules and discipline.

The cane was kept in a long, wooden box that hadn’t been touched in years. A thin layer of dust covered its surface.

After wiping away the dust and opening the box, the butler used both hands to take out the rattan cane inside.

Mandy Halloway couldn’t bear to strike her own son, so it had to be Quentin Blackwood.

He stood up, took the cane from the butler’s hands, and walked straight toward Alaric Blackwood.

Before he could strike, Mason Kane picked up his teacup, pretending to take a sip, and offered a reminder, "Isn’t the young master a little overdressed?"

Alaric Blackwood laughed in anger, immediately taking off his jacket and tossing it onto the sofa.

Underneath, he only wore a thin, white shirt.

"Dad, go ahead."

Quentin Blackwood clenched his jaw and swung the rattan cane, striking Alaric’s back.

Mandy Halloway couldn’t watch and turned her face away.

The cane struck Alaric Blackwood’s back three times in a row, and beads of sweat began to form on the man’s forehead.

The cane was thin and flexible; a lash from it hurt even more than being hit with a steel pipe.

Mason Kane took a sip of tea and said faintly, "My niece said she was slapped more than thirty times. Her face is so swollen it’s a mess. Her husband, Damian Morgan, was punched and kicked, and he has three broken ribs."

"How many lashes with the cane does Director Blackwood think would be appropriate for his son?"

Before Quentin Blackwood could speak, Mason Kane cut in. "The younger generation was disrespectful to their elders, so the punishment should be doubled, right? Add in Damian Morgan’s injuries... how about one hundred lashes?"

Not wanting to make things difficult for his father, Alaric Blackwood said, "One hundred it is."

The butler and the maids didn’t dare to watch such a scene and quickly retreated.

The Blackwood family’s atmosphere had always been harmonious. Even when the young master and young miss were mischievous as children and made mistakes, the master and madam never once brought out the rattan cane.

After striking Alaric Blackwood a dozen or so times with the cane, Quentin Blackwood’s hand began to tremble slightly.

But he gritted his teeth and delivered the full one hundred lashes.

Alaric Blackwood, who had been standing firm at the beginning, finally couldn’t hold on through the last few strikes and dropped to one knee.

Crisscrossing bloody welts seeped through his back, staining his white shirt red.

Mason Kane had been secretly counting in his head. After the hundredth lash was delivered, he saw Alaric Blackwood kneeling on the floor, supporting himself with one hand, his face deathly pale and covered in cold sweat. Satisfied, he rose to his feet.

"Alright. Young people can be reckless. We’ll let the matter end here. I hope today’s events haven’t harmed the friendly relations between our two families."

He straightened his black jacket and turned to leave.

As he passed by Alaric Blackwood, Alaric grabbed his arm, looking up at him with a pair of bloodshot eyes.

Alaric Blackwood’s lips curved into a roguish smile. "Old man, we’ll be seeing each other again."

Mason Kane shook his hand off. "Young man, don’t be so hot-headed."

"You were the one who struck first. It’s only normal to be punished when you make a mistake."

"Don’t hold such a grudge."

But Alaric Blackwood was exactly the type to hold a grudge.

Mason Kane walked toward the entryway, and no one saw him out.

The moment he stepped out the main door, Mandy Halloway rushed over to Alaric Blackwood.

Her heart aching, she hugged her son, and tears streamed down her face when she saw his back covered in blood.

"Quick, call the family doctor!"

she shouted through her tears.

Quentin Blackwood dropped the cane and, with trembling hands, helped Alaric Blackwood up from the floor.

The couple helped their son to a room upstairs. When they took off his shirt and saw the bloody wounds, Mandy Halloway clenched her fists and started pounding on Quentin Blackwood.

"Why did you hit him so hard?"

"Were you trying to beat our son to death?"

Quentin Blackwood had already been holding back, but the rattan cane was specially made. A normal person couldn’t even stand one lash, let alone one hundred.

As the couple continued to argue, Alaric Blackwood, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, felt his vision go black. His pale face went slack as he slumped toward the floor.

"Ah! Alaric..."

Mandy Halloway scrambled to catch him. Together with Quentin Blackwood, they lifted Alaric and laid him face down on the bed.