Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Satisfy His Hobbies and Needs

The buyer was Yuri.

He had bought the one-of-a-kind piece.

The last of her hope died.

Sophie Shaw hung her head, her forehead resting against the back of the seat in front of her. The tension had been so immense that a thin layer of sweat coated her back.

She couldn’t believe she hadn’t dared to raise her paddle even once during the entire auction.

Listening to the auctioneer call out bids in the tens of millions made her dizzy.

The auction ended a little after nine o’clock.

Alaric Blackwood hadn’t shown up.

A little disappointed, Sophie Shaw grabbed her purse and followed the crowd out of the venue.

Back in her car, she slumped over the steering wheel. The thought that her mother’s only memento had been auctioned off to someone else made her eyes well up.

When Joseph Shaw was selling off the family’s assets, he had planned to sell Eternal Promise along with everything else. He had no idea what the necklace was worth; she was the one who had insisted on keeping it.

Now, there was nothing left.

She was sobbing over the steering wheel when she glanced up and saw Yuri walking out of the auction house toward the parking lot. She quickly wiped away her tears.

When Yuri reached his car, she quickly got out of hers. Her voice was thick and nasal. "Mr. Yates, excuse me."

The man’s hand, which was on the car door handle, paused. He turned, his gaze falling on Sophie Shaw’s red-rimmed eyes. "And you are?"

"May I ask why you spent sixty million on Eternal Promise?"

"I greatly admire Lynn’s designs, so I wanted to collect her work."

This time, the man was polite, though his face remained cold and expressionless.

"Miss, you still haven’t answered my question. Who are you?"

Sophie Shaw sniffled, fighting back the urge to cry. "I’m Lynn’s daughter."

Yuri was visibly taken aback. His gaze deepened as he looked at her. Then, he pulled a folded white handkerchief from his suit pocket and offered it to her. "Wipe your tears." freewēbnoveℓ.com

Sophie Shaw hesitated for a moment before taking the handkerchief. She dabbed at the corners of her eyes, then her nose.

Yuri watched her, his brow furrowing slightly. He was genuinely afraid she was about to blow her nose into his handkerchief.

After wiping her nose, Sophie Shaw offered the handkerchief back to him. "Thank you."

The notoriously germaphobic Yuri stared at his handkerchief with a complicated expression. "You could at least wash it before you return it."

"Sorry."

Sophie Shaw quickly retracted the handkerchief and stuffed it into her jacket pocket.

"Your name?"

"Sophie Shaw."

"Does your mother have any other designs?"

Sophie Shaw thought for a moment before answering uncertainly, "She might."

She remembered her mother had a sketchbook where she would sometimes doodle and draw. But Joseph Shaw had it—he’d put it away somewhere. She didn’t know if it contained any of her mother’s final designs.

Yuri pulled a card case from his suit trousers, extracted a business card, and handed it to her. "If your mother does have other designs, I’m willing to buy them outright."

Without much thought, Sophie Shaw reached for the card, but the man pulled his hand back.

"You look a little familiar."

Sophie Shaw froze for a second. She watched as the man opened his car door, retrieved a pen, and signed his name on the business card with a flourish.

"The autograph I owe you."

"..."

’It’s been three years, and he actually remembers I asked for his autograph?’

’What a terrifyingly good memory.’

Sophie Shaw took the business card as the man spoke again. "I really was in a hurry that day. My grandfather had been hospitalized."

"What day?"

"The day of the speech."

"I don’t remember."

Yuri watched her play dumb, his lips pressing into a thin line. "Then how did you know my surname was Yates?"

Sophie Shaw’s mind worked quickly, and she cobbled together a plausible lie. "Because I’m a jewelry designer. We’re in the same industry. You’re a distinguished senior in the field, you’ve been in magazines, you’ve done exclusive interviews... you’re famous. Is it so strange that I know who you are?"

"Then why did you stop me? Just to tell me you’re Lynn’s daughter?"

"Of course not."

"Go on. What’s your objective?"

"I want to buy the necklace back, but I don’t have that much money."

"Then you’d better start earning, Miss Shaw. The value of a collectible only increases with time."

Sophie Shaw’s lips twitched. "Are you saying the price is going to go up?"

"It’s the only one of its kind left in the world. What do you think?"

Yuri pulled open the car door and got into the driver’s seat. He glanced at Sophie Shaw one last time through the window, already affixing a preliminary label to her in his mind: ’A novice in the industry. Very green.’

Sophie Shaw stood rooted to the spot, watching Yuri’s car drive away. She lowered her gaze to the business card in her hand.

The man’s penmanship was powerful, his handwriting beautiful.

The adjacent parking spot had just emptied when a black Maybach pulled in. The rear window rolled down, and Alaric Blackwood’s face came into view.

"Am I late?"

Sophie Shaw was in a foul mood. She gave a sullen grunt and shoved the business card into her pocket.

She got into her car and drove off.

The Maybach quickly followed, tailing her all the way to the Kane Family estate.

She parked and got out. Alaric Blackwood slammed his car door shut and strode toward her.

She walked into the courtyard, and the man kept following.

He caught up to her in the yard and grabbed her hand. "What’s wrong? Are you upset?"

"No."

"It’s written all over your face. Didn’t see anything you liked at the auction?"

"I did."

"Did you get it?"

"Someone else bought it."

"Is that why you’re upset?"

Sophie Shaw’s nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes. "It was my mother’s... a memento. I didn’t have enough money, so I didn’t dare to bid..."

The moment she started to cry, an indescribable emotion washed over Alaric Blackwood. He instinctively pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back. "How could you not have enough money? Didn’t I give you a card?"

"Sixty million... It was so expensive..."

Hearing the muffled, aggrieved tone in her voice, Alaric Blackwood let out an exasperated laugh. "When I said you could bid on anything you liked, I meant the price didn’t matter. As long as you liked it."

Sophie Shaw choked up, lifting her head to meet Alaric Blackwood’s deep, captivating eyes.

"Even if we have a contract marriage?"

"For every day that you’re my wife, my money is yours to spend as you wish."

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll spend you into bankruptcy?"

Alaric Blackwood’s eyes crinkled as he scoffed. "Why don’t you try?"

In reality, Sophie Shaw was a coward. She felt a little guilty spending Alaric Blackwood’s money.

But Alaric Blackwood had a real knack for coaxing people; a few words from him were enough to lift her spirits.

When she came back to her senses, she realized that she was somehow still in his arms.

His hand was resting on the small of her back, slowly tracing its way down her waistline...

Her cheeks flushed. She grabbed his misbehaving hand. "Alaric Blackwood... you’re being a pervert."

"Wife, let me tell you a secret."

Alaric Blackwood suddenly adopted a serious tone. Before pulling back the hand that was resting on her bottom, he didn’t forget to give her soft, firm flesh a squeeze. freewёbnoνel.com

’The texture is amazing.’

"I have skin hunger. My soul is lonely, and I crave affectionate touches and hugs."

He then raised his hand, cupped the back of Sophie Shaw’s head, and pressed her face into his chest.

She caught the scent of alcohol, much stronger than the last time she’d picked him up from the club.

"To ease your conscience, Wife, how about this: you satisfy my particular needs, and you can spend as much of my money as you want. Deal?"