Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 182: Chapter 182: I Want to Try Being in a Relationship

After seeing Jaden off, Alaric lit a cigarette, got up from the dining room, and walked toward the first-floor tea room.

With one hand in his pocket, he walked with a steady gait. Even with his injuries, his back was ramrod straight.

Sophie stared at his back, then asked as if she had just remembered something, "Did Dr. Cole come to change your dressing today?"

The man turned back with the cigarette dangling from his lips. A corner of his mouth curled up, his smile carrying a roguish hint. "He came this morning."

"Aren’t you going back to your room?"

"You go on ahead. Remember to warm up the bed."

"..."

Sophie pressed her lips together, momentarily speechless.

’How can he flirt with me so brazenly in front of his family without even blushing?’

’He’s so thick-skinned, completely shameless.’

As she watched him walk into the tea room, she felt a little puzzled.

’An injured man isn’t going to his room to rest? Is he really going to brew tea this late at night?’

’But if he drinks tea, will he even be able to sleep?’

Sensing her confusion, Mandy Halloway smiled and said, "Alaric doesn’t usually drink tea at night."

"Then what’s he doing in the tea room?"

"He has something to discuss with me," Quentin Blackwood interjected.

No one knows a son better than his father.

As a father, he understood Alaric’s actions all too well.

He had trouble sleeping, so a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner had prescribed him a wellness tea that was very helpful for sleep. He had gotten into the habit of brewing a pot before bed.

For Alaric to head to the tea room at this hour, it was clearly intentional.

"I’m going to go see what kind of trouble that rascal is up to."

He smiled, stood up, and walked toward the tea room.

Alaric was already boiling a kettle of water. When he saw his father enter, he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. Draping an arm over the sofa’s armrest, he asked lazily, "How’s that wellness tea from the Chinese medicine practitioner? Does it really help you sleep?"

"It’s not bad. My sleep quality has definitely improved a bit."

Quentin Blackwood closed the door to the tea room and sat down opposite Alaric. Leaning back against the sofa with a hint of fatigue, he asked, "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"You really are my dad."

"You rascal. Just spit it out."

Alaric didn’t beat around the bush. "Reassign Lydia Wynn," he said directly.

"Did she get on your nerves again?"

"If possible, give her a good severance package and let her go."

Quentin did not respond immediately.

He waited for the water to boil and steeped the wellness tea. After a long moment, he finally asked, "Why do you always have it in for an assistant? As far as I know, there are no issues with Assistant Wynn’s job performance."

Ever since Alaric had returned to the country, he had mentioned wanting to replace Lydia Wynn on more than one occasion.

Now that Alaric had chosen a new assistant for himself, Quentin had turned a blind eye. He had thought that with a satisfactory assistant in place, Alaric would drop the topic, but he never expected...

"She’s just an assistant. Dad, why are you always defending her?"

’As an assistant, she defies her superior’s orders and even dares to slam the table in his face. For those two reasons alone, firing her wouldn’t be going too far.’

Alaric had been considerate of his father’s reputation. He knew Lydia Wynn was a disadvantaged student his father had once sponsored—an act that had been widely reported by the media and had garnered significant public attention. That was why he had tolerated her time and time again.

"I’m not defending her; I’m just being objective. Lydia Wynn is highly effective and gets things done. With her support, you..."

"Dad, I’m asking you. Are you going to fire her or reassign her?"

Alaric’s tone was unyielding, his gaze fixed intensely on his father.

After a moment, Quentin sighed in resignation. "Reassign her."

"I’ll be back at the company on Monday."

With that, Alaric stood up and walked out.

His words were an unmistakable reminder to his father: when he returned to the company, he didn’t want to see Assistant Wynn there.

When he came out of the tea room, he expected Sophie to have already gone upstairs. To his surprise, she was sitting on the living room sofa with Mandy Halloway, eating fruit.

The television was on, playing a popular, big-budget film.

The lead actress was Nina Halloway.

The two of them were watching, completely engrossed.

Mandy Halloway gazed at Nina Halloway on the screen—an outstanding actress who was gorgeous from every angle and incredibly photogenic. She couldn’t help but remark, "As expected of my daughter. She has beautiful features and bone structure."

In praising her daughter, she was indirectly praising herself as well.

Sophie just smiled. When she saw Alaric emerge from the tea room, she patted the spot beside her on the sofa, beckoning him over.

The man visibly hesitated for a second, but he quickly strode over and sat down beside her.

She speared a slice of apple with a fruit fork and held it to Alaric’s lips. He opened his mouth and took a bite.

A few minutes into the movie, Alaric seemed to melt, turning sideways to rest his head on Sophie’s lap.

"Honey, wake me when the movie’s over."

Sophie glanced down to see his handsome face nuzzling against the fabric of her trousers. He closed his eyes, looking as if he were about to take a short nap.

"If you’re sleepy, you should go sleep in our room."

"No. I want to be with you."

"Has our dear patient not taken his medicine yet?"

"I’ll take it in the room later."

He wanted to say that he’d have Sophie feed him his medicine, but with Mandy Halloway right there, he restrained himself somewhat and didn’t get too brazen.

The living room sofa wasn’t small, but they were sitting right in the middle. With him suddenly squeezing in, his long legs had nowhere to go comfortably.

Sophie could see he was uncomfortable. After a moment’s thought, she patted his shoulder and said, "Let’s go back to the room."

’They could watch a movie anytime. Besides, they had a private theater back at Maplewood Estate. Compared to finishing the film, Alaric needed to rest more.’

The man opened his eyes and looked up at her. "We’re not watching the rest of the movie?"

She shook her head and helped Alaric to his feet.

"You go on upstairs. I’m going to get a glass of water; I’ll be right up."

She gave Alaric a gentle nudge. He obediently headed for the stairs, but his pace was deliberately slow. By the time she had gone to the dining room for a glass of water and returned, he was still ambling up the staircase.

She quickened her steps to catch up. Just as she reached out to take his arm, he lifted his own, wrapped it around her shoulder, and smoothly took the glass of water she was holding.

Watching the couple’s figures retreat up the stairs, Mandy Halloway sighed emotionally again. "My daughter isn’t even married yet, and here my son is, already in a blissful marriage."

The thought of Nina Halloway made her anxious. Seeing that it was still early, she decided to give Nina a call.

The phone rang for a long time before Nina finally picked up. "Mom, I’m busy."

"You’re on break, aren’t you? What could you possibly be busy with?"

"My pre-bedtime yoga."

Mandy Halloway touched her forehead in exasperation. "Regarding the important matter of your marriage, what are you actually thinking?"

"Here we go again..."

Nina was about to hang up, but Mandy quickly stopped her. "Don’t you hang up! I forbid it! Just you try hanging up on me!"

"What is it now?"

"Alaric keeps telling me Leon Grant is no good. What do you think?"

"I agree, I don’t think he’s right either."

"What’s not right? Is it just because the police called him a suspect?"

"I think... there might be something wrong with him."

"What?"

"Like, his mind isn’t right. I suspect he’s a pervert."

"..."

The Leon Grant in Mandy Halloway’s memory was suave, dapper, and gentlemanly—a far cry from the word "pervert."

"So, you’re not happy with Leon Grant?"

Afraid she would be scolded, Nina braced herself and mumbled an "Mhm."

A dead silence came through the phone.

Her heart pounded like a drum. After waiting for a moment and hearing nothing from Mandy, she quickly glanced at her phone screen to find that the call was still connected.

"Mom, I want to try finding someone on my own. About the Grant family’s marriage proposal... please find a chance to decline it for me. Remember to be tactful about it. We don’t want to piss off that pervert, Leon Grant."