Free Web NovelChapter 168: Chapter 168: Narcissistic Again
"Why aren’t you saying anything?"
"Nina, darling, if you’re not answering, does that mean you agree you’re quite satisfied with me?"
Leon Grant’s inherent sense of superiority was palpable. Listening to him speak only made the nausea churning in Nina Halloway’s stomach worse; she felt like she might throw up.
"Mr. Grant, don’t call me ’darling.’ I have a physical aversion to that word."
"My apologies. I’ll stop."
The man looked perfectly composed. After speaking, he quickly spoke again, his tone now consultative, "Nina, from now on, you can call me Leon. Calling me Mr. Grant is too formal. After all, we’ve known each other for many years."
"Alright."
Nina Halloway didn’t dwell on the issue of what to call him. She pushed aside the bloody images swirling in her mind as best she could and said to Leon Grant with a serious expression, "Since you’re being so direct, I’ll get straight to the point. There’s always been someone else in my heart. I can’t accept you this quickly. I’m sorry, but I can’t agree to the marriage proposal."
Leon Grant wasn’t discouraged. He smiled, his eyes crinkling. "I won’t force you, but I hope you’ll give me a chance to keep getting to know you."
Nina Halloway’s thoughts began to jumble. ’Leon Grant is certainly persistent,’ she thought. ’He started chasing me back in our school days. How many years has it been? And he’s still so devoted to me.’
She couldn’t help but think of herself. She had liked Jaden for many years, but he had no feelings for her whatsoever. It had always been a one-sided crush.
She pitied herself, and she also pitied Leon Grant a little.
She stared at Leon Grant’s sharp, almond-shaped eyes for a moment. They were filled with a liquid tenderness that inexplicably gave her the impulse to give him a chance.
"Perhaps I was too forward and startled you."
Leon Grant changed the subject. "How about this? I’ll call Director Blackwood and Mrs. Blackwood and ask for their permission to invite you to my home for dinner. Of course, you can bring your personal bodyguard."
As he finished speaking, the man glanced at the two masked women at the next table, the smile on his face deepening. "You can bring those two friends of yours along as well, if you’d like."
Nina Halloway: "..."
’Was it that obvious?’
She glanced awkwardly at the next table. Sophie Shaw and Anne had simultaneously slumped over, hiding their faces on the tabletop, looking even more embarrassed than she was.
In the few seconds her attention had lapsed, Leon Grant had already placed a call directly to Mandy Halloway.
When Nina Halloway snapped out of it, the two were already talking.
"Mrs. Blackwood, I’ve hired a very famous three-star Michelin chef for this evening. I’d like to invite Nina to my home for dinner. I hope I have your permission?"
He was very polite, his tone sincere.
Mandy Halloway could find no fault with him and asked him to pass the phone to Nina Halloway.
Taking the phone, Nina Halloway said, "Hello?"
"Nina, give Leon a chance. He’s such a great young man, not a bit inferior to Jaden."
"..."
"Your engagement to Jaden has been called off, and he’s already announced his new relationship online. You can’t keep living in the past. Listen to your mother—you have to look forward."
Nina Halloway didn’t respond. After hanging up and returning the phone to Leon Grant, she fell into deep thought.
In the end, she listened to Mandy Halloway.
Elders have been through it all; they’ve eaten more salt than she’s drunk water. Some of their advice was worth listening to.
She accepted Leon Grant’s invitation, then looked at Sophie Shaw and Anne. "Do you two want to come along?"
Sophie Shaw thought for a moment, then shook her head and asked Nina Halloway, "Can you give Anne the rest of the day off?"
She and Anne hadn’t had a chance to relax together in a long time.
"Sure. Anne, you can have the day off."
Anne looked like she had just been granted a pardon. She jumped up, ran to the counter to pay for the coffee, then grabbed Sophie Shaw and scurried away.
Once inside the blue Cayenne, Anne was bursting with excitement. "Let’s go! Back to my place."
Since she started working as a bodyguard, she hadn’t been home in ages. She absolutely had to go back and feel the warmth of her large apartment.
Sophie Shaw was amused by her antics. She started the car, and just as they got on the road, her phone rang.
It was a return call from Alaric Blackwood.
She put on her Bluetooth headset to answer. "Honey."
There was a moment of silence on the line.
Her sudden "Honey" had sent Alaric Blackwood’s heart fluttering, making him forget to respond.
"Are you there?"
"Yeah, I’m here."
"Are you still at the old family house?"
"Yeah. I’ll probably have to stay here tonight."
Sophie Shaw said, "Oh. Perfect timing. Anne has the day off, so I’m going to her place."
After saying that, she couldn’t help but ask, "Are you coming home tomorrow night?"
"Probably can’t make it back then either."
Alaric Blackwood’s injuries weren’t the kind that would heal in a day or two. It would take at least three or four days for the wounds to scab over, and during that time, the dressings and gauze would need to be changed.
He didn’t want Sophie Shaw to worry.
"Mom and Dad needed me for something. I’ll probably have to stay at the old house for about a week this time."
"What is it?"
"Company business."
Sophie Shaw was a little surprised. "It’s going to take that long?"
"Yeah. I promise I’ll be home next week."
"Alright."
Ending the call, Alaric Blackwood tossed his phone onto the bed. Propping his chin on one hand, he lay on his side and held out a hand toward Evan Ford.
Evan Ford was holding a pack of cigarettes and was just about to take one for himself. He immediately understood, handing one to Alaric first and then lighting it for him with a lighter.
"You just took the punishment obediently like that?"
Evan Ford’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
"What else could I do?"
Alaric Blackwood thought about things on a deeper level. He took a long drag from his cigarette, squinting at Evan Ford. "Why did you come alone?"
"Jaden is still mad at you."
"..."
"What’s going on between you and Jaden?"
"It’s nothing serious. He’ll be fine once he’s cooled down."
Evan Ford lit his own cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke. "Jaden told me you’re being narcissistic again."
Alaric Blackwood scoffed. "You think I’m narcissistic too?"
"A little more than me."
Alaric Blackwood chuckled deeply, deliberately teasing him. "You haven’t dated or been in love for so many years... you don’t have a crush on me, do you?"
A rare smile touched Evan Ford’s stern face. "Jaden was right. You are very narcissistic."
"The rumor that you like men is spreading like wildfire on social media. Oscar Lynch’s mouth is a 360-degree megaphone; he’s helped make it known to everyone."
Evan Ford tapped the ash from his cigarette. "Is that so?"
His tone was casual. "Looks like that kid is about to get a beating."
"He’s also got his eyes on my wife. He’s really asking for it."
At this, Alaric Blackwood suddenly remembered something. He picked up his phone again and dialed Jaden’s number.
At that moment, Jaden was in the middle of a passionate make-out session with Stella Yarrow on the living room sofa. Seeing the caller ID, he hesitated for a moment and didn’t pick up.
Alaric Blackwood kept calling.
The phone rang incessantly. Annoyed, Jaden finally patted Stella Yarrow’s back and said, "Be good. Go take a shower in the bathroom first. I need to take this call."
Stella Yarrow glanced at his phone screen and saw it was Alaric Blackwood. The corner of her mouth twitched. "What does that Blackwood guy want now?"
"Is he going to badmouth me?"
"When did I ever have a thing for him? Such a narcissist."
She was fuming, grumbling and complaining as she got up and headed toward the master bedroom.
Only after she had entered the room did Jaden answer the call.
"What’s up?"
Alaric Blackwood didn’t beat around the bush. "Is that Claire Sterling your girlfriend’s best friend?"
"Stella said they’re just regular friends."
"Was she the one who introduced Claire Sterling to Oscar Lynch?"
"What now? Is it a crime to help her friend find a boyfriend? At first, we wanted to introduce her to Evan, but he gave her the cold shoulder. She didn’t want to waste her time on someone who wasn’t interested, so I helped introduce her to Oscar Lynch instead."
