Free Web NovelChapter 33: Chapter 33: Tool-man Husband
"My wife is sick. I couldn’t possibly ignore that."
The man’s voice was low, magnetic, and pleasant to the ear.
Sophie Shaw was lost in a daze for a moment.
DING—
The elevator arrived at the first floor.
She snapped back to her senses and struggled out of Alaric Blackwood’s arms. Just as she was about to step out, Lydia Wynn appeared at the elevator doors.
The woman was panting, having clearly run down the stairs.
"Mr. Blackwood."
She gave Alaric Blackwood a slight bow.
The man gave her an indifferent glance, then led Sophie Shaw out of the elevator to register her for a specialist appointment.
Sophie Shaw was quite familiar with her own condition. Since it was a chronic issue, the doctor simply prescribed her some medication.
He accompanied her to pay and pick up the medication. Then, Alaric Blackwood escorted her back to the inpatient ward, got a cup of warm water from the nurses’ station, and waited until she had taken the medicine before he left.
Watching Alaric Blackwood’s silhouette enter the elevator, she felt an inexplicable sting in her nose.
’It had been so long since anyone had shown her such concern.’
’For a man of Alaric Blackwood’s stature, time was money. Yet, for her, he had postponed a meeting by an hour...’
Composing herself, she returned to the hallway outside Mr. Kane’s hospital room, where she found him and Vianne Kane still chatting.
"Vianne, isn’t Alaric Blackwood a better choice than Damian Morgan? His status and family background are a much better match for you. Why pass up the fine young master of the Blackwood Family and let that Shaw girl have him for a steal?" Mr. Kane was dissatisfied with both Sophie Shaw and Damian Morgan, but especially with Damian.
He looked down on Damian Morgan’s family—they were dirt-poor. What’s more, Damian had been Sophie Shaw’s boyfriend while he was getting close to Vianne Kane.
He was clearly two-timing them. He only switched his allegiance to Vianne Kane after realizing she was the true heiress of the Kane Family, whereas Sophie Shaw was just the daughter of the man who had married into their family.
"But Grandpa, Alaric Blackwood is so... tainted. I heard he has an illegitimate child abroad. His family may be better than Damian’s, but Damian’s love for me is more sincere."
"Sincere? What sincerity?" Mr. Kane scoffed. "He’s only after your status and your money."
Having lived for most of his life, how could he not see Damian Morgan for what he was?
"Even if that’s true, so what? It doesn’t change the fact that he loves me. Damian is truly capable; he just lacks an opportunity. Grandpa, please give him a chance. I’m begging you."
Vianne Kane hugged her grandfather’s arm, wheedling, and the old man was helpless against her.
"You child... just like your mother. Always giving me something to worry about."
"Please, Grandpa?"
"How about this: I’ll continue to observe him. If he proves to be truly devoted to you, then you can get married."
"Grandpa..."
"Vianne, don’t be willful. Your mother made this same mistake. Your father kept countless mistresses and cheated on her time and time again."
"Damian is different."
...
Their conversation continued. Sophie Shaw’s peripheral vision caught a figure standing behind her and to the side. When she turned her head, she saw it was Damian Morgan.
She didn’t know when he had returned or if he’d heard the voices from the room, but his expression was grim.
She silently sat back down on a waiting chair. A moment later, he sat down as well, though this time he left two empty seats between them.
After a long while, Vianne Kane came out of the hospital room.
She walked over to Damian Morgan and looped her arm through his. "Damian, let’s go home."
As she pulled him to his feet, she didn’t forget to say to Sophie Shaw, "My grandpa wants to see you. He has something to say to you."
"Okay."
Sophie Shaw got up and entered the hospital room.
The old man lay in the hospital bed, his face grim. His cold gaze swept over her before shifting away.
"Mr. Kane, you were looking for me?" ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Ever since moving into the Kane Family’s home, she had never changed her form of address for him, calling him either Chairman Kane or Mr. Kane. Likewise, she always called Bianca Kane ’Aunt’.
"That Shaw girl, the wedding is next week. Remember, you are marrying out from the Kane Family. When you are with the Blackwood Family, be sure to watch your words and actions. Don’t bring shame upon the Kane Family."
Sophie Shaw nodded, and then heard the old man continue, "Vianne tells me you want the Heart of the Ocean?"
"Yes."
"The Kane Group has already decided to acquire the Heart of the Ocean."
The implication was clear: the Heart of the Ocean would not be hers.
Knowing she couldn’t afford a direct confrontation with Mr. Kane, she simply acknowledged, "I understand."
"Is there anything else, Mr. Kane?"
"You may go."
She turned, opened the door to the room, and walked toward the elevator.
As she was leaving the inpatient wing, she saw Damian Morgan driving out of the parking lot with Vianne Kane in the passenger seat.
As the car passed her, it didn’t even slow down, just sped by.
She had no choice but to take a taxi home.
Her stomach was acting up again. She returned to her room, lay down, and drifted into a groggy sleep. When she woke up, she had a message from Alaric Blackwood: [Is your stomach still hurting?]
The message had been sent half an hour ago.
She was in the middle of typing a reply when she got a call from Officer Thorne.
She answered the call. "Officer Thorne."
"Miss Shaw, I’ve already inquired at the auction house about your mother’s necklace. Apparently, a woman brought it in. She claims she bought it from a street vendor, thinking it was a high-quality replica. It was only after she had it appraised and discovered the diamonds were real that she decided to auction it."
Sophie Shaw’s head swam as she tried to process this. "How is that possible?"
’How could a necklace lost at school end up in the hands of a street vendor?’
’She couldn’t make sense of it no matter how she thought about it. The whole situation was too strange.’
"Officer Thorne, is the woman willing to return the necklace?"
"She insists she bought it with her own money, so of course she’s unwilling to part with it. And without any evidence to prove she stole it, this is going to be difficult."
Sophie Shaw’s stomach started to hurt again.
She thanked Officer Thorne and glanced at the time on her phone. Joel Kane would be out of school by now.
She immediately dialed Joel Kane’s number.
"Joel, are you home yet?"
Joel Kane replied, "Big Sis, I’m on my way. I’ll be home soon."
"Come to my room when you get back. There’s something I need to ask you."
Ten minutes or so later, there was a knock on her door. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Joel Kane pushed the door open and poked his head in. "Big Sis."
"Joel, come here."
Joel Kane entered the room, gently closing the door behind him. He walked timidly to her bedside.
"What really happened to my mom’s necklace?"
"It was lost at school."
"That female classmate of yours took a sick day, and the necklace stayed in your bag the whole time. You never took it out, did you?"
"Yes."
"If you never took it out, how would anyone know you had something valuable in your bag? There are over thirty students in your class, but yours was the only thing that went missing. That doesn’t add up."
Joel Kane looked guilty and hung his head, but he remained stubborn. "It was lost at school."
"Joel..."
"Big Sis, I really didn’t mean for it to happen! You’re right, the necklace was probably stolen. When Dad gets back, I’ll tell him. I’ll make him go to the principal and have them thoroughly investigate every teacher and student who entered or left the classroom that day. A massive investigation."
The light in Sophie Shaw’s eyes dimmed.
She knew Joseph Shaw wouldn’t go to the school and demand that the students and teachers submit to an investigation just for her, or for her mother’s necklace—especially since the police had already looked into it.
Joseph Shaw hated causing trouble. She had already learned that lesson the hard way and didn’t want to clash with him over it again.
"Go back to your room and do your homework."
She pulled the covers up, settling back into bed and turning her back to Joel Kane.
Thinking about the auction tomorrow night, she picked up her phone and sent a message to her husband of convenience: [Mr. Blackwood, are you busy tomorrow night?]
