Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 181: Chapter 181: See If He Can Dig Out the Mastermind

"He’s calling to throw a tantrum. Don’t answer it."

Sophie Shaw was surprised. She turned to look at Alaric Blackwood in the passenger seat.

The man had his arm resting on the car window, his chin propped on his hand, looking completely at ease.

"Why is Jaden throwing a fit?"

"I told him to fire an employee, and he wasn’t happy about it."

"Just because of that?"

Alaric Blackwood nodded.

The employee he’d told Jaden to fire was none other than Aiden Lloyd, who had been part of an inseparable trio with Lydia Wynn and Ava Sterling at the orphanage.

He was convinced the three of them were still in contact.

When Jaden asked him why, he said he just didn’t like the look of the guy.

Strictly speaking, he had no legitimate reason to fire Aiden Lloyd, especially since Jaden had mentioned Aiden was a serious worker whose court cases had a win rate as high as ninety percent.

For a civil litigation lawyer, that was a remarkably high level of skill, so naturally, Jaden was reluctant to let such an outstanding employee go.

"Fire him for what?"

"Some... personal reasons."

Jaden’s call to Alaric Blackwood went unanswered, so he decided to call Sophie Shaw instead.

Seeing her own phone screen light up with Jaden’s name, Sophie Shaw hesitated for a few seconds before putting on her Bluetooth headset to answer.

"Is Alaric with you?"

"Yes, he is."

"Where are you two now?"

"We’re on our way back to the old mansion."

"Got it."

Jaden hung up, immediately drove away from the law firm, and headed for the Blackwood family’s old mansion.

His car and Sophie’s pulled into the old mansion’s driveway at almost the same time. Seeing Alaric Blackwood get out of a blue Cayenne, he unbuckled his seatbelt, got out, and slammed the car door shut. He stormed after Alaric Blackwood, grabbing him on the steps in front of the entrance.

"Talk. Why do you want to fire Aiden Lloyd?"

’He’s even willing to pressure me using his status as the majority shareholder.’

Alaric Blackwood had his hands in his pockets. He glanced down at the hand gripping his collar, a smirk on his face. "Get your paws off me first."

"Alaric Blackwood, are you insane?"

"I don’t want to argue with you."

"Am I the one trying to argue with you?"

’Why on earth would he insist on firing an employee who hasn’t made any mistakes, has no prior record, is highly competent, and has a clean background?’ Jaden just couldn’t understand it.

His anger flared, and he yanked Alaric Blackwood, who was already two steps up, back down. They were about the same height, so their eyes met at almost the same level.

"Alaric, let me tell you, Aiden Lloyd is the lawyer with the highest win rate at the firm. I can’t possibly let him go, especially not for a ridiculous reason like you just ’don’t like the look of him.’"

"Those narrow eyes with the whites showing underneath are pretty ugly."

"..."

Jaden almost exploded with anger. "Alaric, can you please be a little more normal?"

"How am I not being normal?"

"When have you ever fired someone just because you didn’t like their face? You’ve never done that before."

"Then you don’t know me very well. I’ve wanted to fire my own female assistant for a while now because I can’t stand her. Unfortunately, she was appointed by my dad, so I don’t have the authority to let her go."

Jaden: "..."

"Let go of your paws."

Alaric Blackwood raised a hand and poked Jaden’s with his index finger.

Frustrated, Jaden released his collar, but not without straightening it for him first.

"You may be the firm’s majority shareholder, but you can’t abuse your power. If you want to fire Aiden Lloyd, you need to at least give me a decent reason. Otherwise, I can’t approve it."

Even though he didn’t own as many shares as Alaric Blackwood, Jaden was the law firm’s manager. Firing an employee for no reason required his consent.

"You want a reason?"

Alaric Blackwood’s lips curved into a slight smile. "Fine, I’ll give you a reason. I suspect Aiden Lloyd was the fake designated driver from the night before my wedding. He’s the one who drove me more than a hundred kilometers away and slashed all four of my tires."

Jaden froze.

Then he burst into wild laughter.

"Are you even listening to yourself?"

Jaden laughed so hard his stomach hurt. "Do you have any idea how busy a lawyer’s life is?"

Alaric Blackwood’s expression darkened. ’I knew this idiot wouldn’t believe me,’ he thought.

"Besides, he doesn’t know you well, does he? You barely ever come to the firm. Why would he drive you over a hundred kilometers away just to make you miss your wedding?"

Hearing this, Sophie Shaw suddenly remembered how Alaric Blackwood had been late on their wedding day, rushing to get there.

At the time, Alaric Blackwood had brushed it off with the excuse that he’d had "too much to drink." She never imagined that he’d actually been taken far away the night before, and his tires had been maliciously slashed.

She was a little puzzled. "That Aiden Lloyd... why would he do that?"

"It’s a bit complicated. I’ll explain it to you slowly tonight."

After saying this, Alaric Blackwood looked at Jaden. "Since you’re already here, want to stay for dinner?"

Jaden rubbed his stomach, which was aching from laughter. He thought for a moment, then followed Alaric Blackwood and Sophie Shaw inside.

Dinner was lavish, but the flavors were light.

Jaden, who was used to rich and heavy meals from his frequent business dinners, found the light fare a bit unappetizing.

He didn’t eat much before putting down his chopsticks and saying to Alaric Blackwood, "I’ll ask Aiden Lloyd about what you said."

"Don’t ask. You’ll tip him off. Just find an excuse and fire him."

Jaden immediately got a headache. "You won’t let me ask, but you want me to fire him without even being sure it was him? How am I supposed to do that?"

’He really was reluctant to let such a good employee go.’

From his impression of Aiden Lloyd, the man didn’t talk much but was meticulous in his work. When he was in court, Aiden Lloyd was completely different from his usual taciturn self—he had a silver tongue, capable of turning black into white. A very capable person indeed.

If things continued this way, Aiden Lloyd was on track to become the firm’s top lawyer, and he even had the potential to become a partner.

Seeing how extremely reluctant he was to let Aiden Lloyd go, Alaric Blackwood didn’t press the issue as the majority shareholder. Instead, an idea came to him. "How about this," he said to Jaden, "we each take a step back. I’m looking for someone named Conor Sullivan. He disappeared about four years ago, and his whereabouts are unknown. Assign this case to Aiden Lloyd. If he can find Conor Sullivan, we’ll keep him for now. If he can’t, then you’ll have a good reason to fire him. What do you think?"

’Someone who genuinely wants to hide has likely changed their identity completely. They wouldn’t be easy to find.’

’They say Aiden Lloyd is amazing, right?’

’Then let’s put him to work and see if he can dig up the mastermind, Conor Sullivan.’

Jaden frowned slightly. The name Conor Sullivan vaguely rang a bell.

He thought hard for a moment, then said with some uncertainty, "Conor Sullivan... isn’t he that kid who had his legs broken?"

"Yes."

Jaden’s heart skipped a beat. "If I remember correctly, didn’t the courts seize his family’s assets back then?"

"My maternal grandfather was the one who did it."

"Why are you looking for him?"

"He’s come back for revenge."

’Teamed up with Damian Morgan.’

However, Alaric Blackwood deliberately didn’t mention Damian Morgan’s name. He didn’t want to give Aiden Lloyd any clues, hoping to use this opportunity to get him out of the law firm.

’As for Conor Sullivan’s whereabouts, he would have someone else investigate secretly.’

The entire conversation at the dinner table took place in front of Quentin Blackwood and Mandy Halloway. Noticing that the two elders remained silent, clearly acquiescing to Alaric Blackwood’s actions, Jaden also realized the gravity of the situation.

"Fine. I’ll have Aiden Lloyd find Conor Sullivan."

Alaric Blackwood patted his shoulder lightly. "Getting brave, are we? Going out without bodyguards. Aren’t you afraid of the masked man anymore?"

Jaden gave a wry smile. "I was too angry with you to think straight."

"I’ll arrange for some bodyguards to escort you back to your apartment later."