Free Web NovelChapter 22: Chapter 22: No Balls
Jaden knew he was in the wrong, but he couldn’t help but try to make excuses for himself. "I only got engaged to your sister two years ago because my family wouldn’t stop nagging me."
He thought he would just drift through life like that, but not long ago, he’d fallen in love with a girl at first sight.
She was a new intern at a law firm, the campus belle of the law school, with an innocent, "first love" face. He was smitten the moment he saw her.
Nina Halloway had a straightforward and fiery temper. He hadn’t figured out how to tell her, partly because he was afraid of hurting her, and partly because he was afraid of getting beaten up. She was not someone to be trifled with, so he could only avoid her for now.
Alaric Blackwood knew what he was thinking and gave him a scornful look. "Coward." freёwebnoѵel.com
Having been insulted, Jaden didn’t have it in him to get angry.
He downed another glass of liquor, then grabbed the bottle and his empty glass and walked toward Alaric Blackwood.
The latter looked at him with distaste, stood up, took off his jacket, and walked over to the pool table. He picked out a cue and started playing by himself.
Sensing Alaric Blackwood’s suppressed anger, Jaden muttered under his breath, "I mean, look at your sister. She refuses to take over the family business and insists on joining the entertainment industry. What man could tolerate her provocative scenes?"
Alaric Blackwood remained silent and took a shot.
Jaden’s low complaints continued, "It’s just not proper for a woman to be in the public eye like that. My family and I are more traditional; we can’t really accept your sister’s line of work."
Evan Ford shot Jaden a look, signaling him to stop talking.
Alaric Blackwood’s expression was already dark. If Jaden kept talking, there was no guarantee Alaric wouldn’t get physical.
But Jaden didn’t get the signal. Seeing that Alaric Blackwood was silent and still playing pool, he continued, "Unless your sister quits the entertainment industry, I really can’t accept her."
The moment he finished speaking, there was a loud CLATTER.
Alaric Blackwood threw the cue in his hand onto the pool table, loosened his tie, and turned toward Jaden. Without a word, he grabbed Jaden fiercely by the collar.
"Is it so hard to admit you fell for someone else?"
"Why do you have to push the blame onto my sister?"
"Weren’t you so supportive when she first entered the industry? You even wished her great success. Why are you suddenly finding fault with her now that you have a new flame?"
Alaric Blackwood’s triple-barreled questioning left Jaden speechless.
"Alaric’s right."
Evan Ford, never one to miss out on drama, chimed in, "Finding fault with your old love as soon as you have a new one... Classic scumbag move."
Jaden shot him a sidelong glance. "What old love? Nothing even happened between Nina and me."
"You’re engaged, and you say ’nothing happened’?"
"Evan, don’t fan the flames." freewebnovёl.ƈom
"You’re just asking for a beating," Alaric Blackwood said, his tone turning heavy.
Jaden immediately shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.
The two remained at a standoff for a moment. In the end, Alaric Blackwood’s fist didn’t fall. They had grown up together, thick as thieves. If Alaric had really hit him, a crack would form in their years of brotherhood.
He held back his anger and abruptly released Jaden’s collar. "Find the right time and explain things clearly to my sister. This is your final warning."
After warning Jaden, Alaric Blackwood grabbed his jacket, slung it over his shoulder, and stormed out, a palpable aura of fury around him, slamming the door without a backward glance.
Driving back to Maplewood Estate, Alaric Blackwood walked in to see Nina Halloway sitting on the sofa with a face mask on, watching a TV show she starred in. She was reviewing her performance as she watched, muttering about how she could do even better next time.
Nina Halloway wasn’t professionally trained in acting, but she took her job very seriously. The awards she had won were the returns on her own hard work.
As her younger brother, he naturally doted on his sister and had directed some resources her way. But other than that, he showed no special favoritism. Almost no one in the industry even knew she was the eldest daughter of the Blackwood Family.
Since her surname was Halloway, no one made the connection.
He changed into his slippers in the entryway and walked into the living room. On the coffee table was a plate with nothing but a single, washed cucumber.
He raised an eyebrow. "Hey, superstar, is this your dinner?"
Nina Halloway grunted in affirmation. Her voice was muffled by the face mask. "I can’t cook."
"What do you want to eat?"
Nina Halloway’s eyes lit up. "Are you going to make something delicious for me?"
"You have one minute to order."
"Uh... I... I want... um..." Nina Halloway’s mind went blank. She stammered for a good while before finally blurting out, "Egg fried rice."
Alaric Blackwood gave a helpless, exasperated laugh. "So ambitious."
He went into the kitchen and returned shortly with a bowl of egg fried rice, which included bacon, ham, corn, and diced carrots. The cucumber that was supposed to be her dinner had also been diced and mixed into the fried rice.
Nina Halloway took off her face mask, accepted the bowl of golden-yellow fried rice, and began to eat with relish.
"This is a total calorie bomb."
"I can’t eat too much of this," she said as she ate, without slowing down one bit.
"The wedding is set for the end of the month. Will you have time to attend?"
Alaric Blackwood lit a cigarette and asked casually.
Nina Halloway calculated the dates and shook her head. "I won’t be able to make it back. I only have a week off this time, and then I have to go back to the set for filming."
Alaric Blackwood exhaled a cloud of smoke, finished his cigarette, and after a long silence, broke the quiet. "What do you think of Evan?"
"What do you mean, ’what do I think’?"
"Don’t you think Evan is more mature and stable?"
Nina Halloway burst out laughing. "Don’t be ridiculous. I’m already engaged. Besides, once you and Sophie Shaw are married, our family will be related to the Ford Family. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me and Evan Ford."
After speaking, she even reminded Alaric Blackwood, "Don’t say this in front of Jaden. He’ll get upset."
Alaric Blackwood leaned his head back against the sofa, suddenly filled with regret. He should have just punched Jaden a couple of times back at the club.
"Oh, right. Here are two tickets to the movie premiere."
Nina Halloway remembered her purpose and pulled the premiere invitation tickets from her pocket, handing them to Alaric Blackwood. "Bring your wife to see it. And remember to leave a five-star review."
——
「At the same time.」
「The Kane Residence.」
Sophie Shaw was lying in bed, her sprained foot propped up on a folded quilt, chatting with Anne on WeChat.
Anne: [Can I pick my own bridesmaid dress?]
Sophie Shaw: [You can.]
Anne: [What time and where are we trying on the dresses?]
Sophie Shaw: [I don’t know. Alaric Blackwood didn’t tell me the specific location. Why don’t you come pick me up tomorrow first? I accidentally twisted my ankle today.]
Anne replied with a surprised voice message: [Is it serious?]
Sophie Shaw: [No broken bones, but it’s still a little swollen.]
Anne: [Your foot is injured! Can’t we postpone the dress fitting for a few days?]
Sophie Shaw thought it was unlikely they could postpone it. The wedding was set for the end of the month, so time was tight.
She was replying to Anne’s message when a knock came at the door.
"Who is it?"
A young voice came from the other side of the door. "Big Sis, it’s me."
Recognizing Joel Kane’s voice, Sophie Shaw sat up, propped a pillow behind her back, and leaned against the headboard. "Come in."
The door creaked open, and Joel Kane poked his head in.
Seeing the compression bandage wrapped around her right foot, Joel Kane came in, gently closed the door, and walked to her bedside. "Big Sis, what happened to your foot?" he asked, puzzled.
"I twisted it by accident. It’s so late, why aren’t you asleep yet?"
