Free Web NovelChapter 44: Chapter 44: In Peak Physical Condition
Firing her was out of the question.
Of all the students Quentin Blackwood had sponsored, Lydia Wynn had been the most outstanding. She had been personally invited by Quentin to join the Blackwood Group.
An employment contract had been signed, making it unrealistic to fire her. Besides, it wasn’t as if Assistant Wynn was without her merits.
Alaric Blackwood simply wanted a subordinate who would do his bidding, not some defiant elitist who argued with every command—someone who, if he told her to go east, would insist on going west.
"You won’t be fired. From now on, you’ll be assisting Preston Chase."
Lydia Wynn’s eyes flew wide with rage. "Assistant Chase is new here. You’re making me his assistant?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Mr. Blackwood, I’m your personal assistant." freewebnovёl.ƈom
"Not anymore."
"Why should Preston Chase, who was just hired, get to take over my job?"
She had been by Alaric Blackwood’s side for nearly three months since his return to the country. Whether it was seniority or capability, she was in no way inferior to Preston Chase.
"Because I personally interviewed him."
Lydia Wynn couldn’t stomach it. She slammed her hands on the desk, her tone turning hostile. "Chairman Blackwood personally arranged my position. If you want to demote me, you have to at least get Director Blackwood’s approval!"
"I’m not demoting you. Your salary won’t change. It’s just that the duties of a personal assistant are now officially Preston Chase’s responsibility."
"He’s still on probation. This is inappropriate."
"If he’s not a good fit, I’ll hire someone else. As for why *you’re* not a good fit... Just look at yourself. Slamming the desk in front of your own boss. Who’s the assistant here, you or me?"
Alaric Blackwood’s expression remained unchanged, and his calm, dismissive remark left Lydia Wynn cornered.
Realizing she had lost control of her temper, Lydia Wynn immediately retracted her hands from the desk. She quickly reined in her emotions, her expression reverting to its usual cool detachment.
"I’m sorry, Mr. Blackwood. I just didn’t realize you had such a problem with me."
"I could have transferred you to a different department or just fired you outright. I’m keeping you on for a probationary period because, at the very least, you take your work seriously. If you still want a job at the Blackwood Group, I suggest you refrain from slamming my desk in the future."
Lydia Wynn was left speechless.
Seeing the man lower his gaze to focus on his work, she had no choice but to leave the office and return to her desk.
Preston Chase was on the phone with a hospital, scheduling a physical exam for Alaric Blackwood.
’She remembered Alaric Blackwood had a physical right after he returned to the country. It hasn’t been that long, has it? Why is he getting another one?’
When Preston Chase hung up, she asked curiously, "Why is Mr. Blackwood scheduling a physical exam?"
"I’m not sure," Preston Chase replied.
"You just scheduled it without even finding out why he needs one?"
"He asked me to schedule it, so I scheduled it. Do I need to ask why?"
Lydia Wynn was at a loss for words, her temper threatening to flare up again.
She struggled to control herself, then stood and strode into the breakroom.
After pouring a glass of water, she pulled a small pill bottle from her pocket, shook out two tablets, and swallowed them with the lukewarm water.
She hid out in the breakroom all morning. As the lunch break approached, she finally opened the door, walked out, and headed for the Chairman’s office.
Instead of knocking, she lingered outside the door, pacing back and forth.
During the lunch break, the staff from the secretarial department began to head out. The moment Quentin Blackwood stepped out of his office, he spotted her.
"Director Blackwood." She stepped forward and greeted him.
Quentin Blackwood paused, slightly taken aback. "Assistant Wynn, can I help you?"
"Director Blackwood, do you have plans for lunch?"
"As a matter of fact, I don’t."
"May I have lunch with you, Director Blackwood?"
Quentin Blackwood hesitated for a moment before nodding.
He led Lydia Wynn out of the company building and to a nearby Western-style restaurant.
Quentin Blackwood had personally sponsored and mentored Lydia Wynn. He had high hopes for her, which was why he had placed her by Alaric Blackwood’s side to support him in his work.
"So, Assistant Wynn, what did you want to see me about?"
Lydia Wynn didn’t beat around the bush. She got straight to the point. "Mr. Blackwood just hired a male assistant, and now he wants me to assist him."
"Is that so?"
That did come as a surprise to Quentin Blackwood.
Then again, Alaric had mentioned Lydia Wynn to him once or twice. He’d said that for an assistant, she was incredibly rigid, had no sense of boundaries, and was relentlessly inquisitive about everything, be it work or his personal life. She had even followed him to Maplewood Estate once, insisting on cooking for him personally.
’Looks like he couldn’t take it anymore. The boy went and picked out an assistant for himself.’
"Assistant Wynn, remember this: just focus on your own duties. You can’t interfere so much in your boss’s personal life."
Lydia Wynn’s eyes grew red-rimmed. "I’m just concerned about Mr. Blackwood."
"Concern is a good thing, but it needs to have limits."
"I understand. But, Director Blackwood, he had the new assistant schedule a physical for him today. He just had one three months ago. Scheduling another one so soon... I can’t help but wonder if there’s something wrong with his health."
Lydia Wynn’s concern made Quentin Blackwood pause for a moment, then he let out a hearty laugh. "Assistant Wynn, you’re worrying too much. He’s getting a physical because he’s about to get married. It’s most likely a pre-nuptial checkup."
"Getting married?"
The color drained from Lydia Wynn’s face.
’She’d never heard anything about Alaric Blackwood getting married. How could it be so sudden!’
"Mr. Blackwood doesn’t even have a girlfriend. How can he be getting married?"
"My wife arranged a marriage for him a while back. They’re of age now, so the two of them met, and since neither had any objections, it seems like a good time to tie the knot."
Lydia Wynn nodded thoughtfully. She said nothing, but her mind was already racing, scanning through all the women she knew who had been in contact with Alaric Blackwood. Soon, she zeroed in on one.
Not long ago at the hospital, Alaric Blackwood had been visiting the ailing head of the Kane family. Outside the room, he’d been acting intimately with a woman. He had even postponed a meeting for an hour just to take her to see a doctor.
’It must be that woman.’
’The heiress of the Kane family?’ fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
’She only knew Vianne Kane; she wasn’t aware the Kane family had another daughter.’
After lunch with Quentin Blackwood, she returned to the office. She hesitated for a long time, but finally picked up her phone. Abusing her privileges as the CEO’s assistant, she made a call to a private investigator and hired them to look into the identity of Alaric Blackwood’s fiancée.
---
That afternoon, Alaric Blackwood waited at the boxing gym for over an hour, but Jaden never showed.
He called Jaden, but the guy refused to pick up. He even sent a text saying he wasn’t going to spar with him.
「2:00 PM.」
He went straight to the hospital for his physical, and as luck would have it, he ran into Sophie Shaw.
"A checkup?"
Sophie Shaw looked a little awkward. "Yeah."
"Looks like my wife and I are perfectly in sync. We even managed to book our checkups at the same hospital for the same time."
’Changing his personal assistant really did improve his luck,’ Alaric Blackwood thought, a deep smile forming in his eyes.
The delight on his face was obvious, and Sophie Shaw breathed a small sigh of relief.
"I was worried you’d be upset about the checkup."
She remembered how awful his expression had been when he left her room last night.
"I’m not that petty."
The series of tests they had each scheduled were more or less the same, so they decided to go through them together.
When he received his results, Alaric Blackwood didn’t even glance at them. He handed the report directly to Sophie Shaw. "See for yourself just how healthy your husband is."
He’d had a physical three months ago upon his return and knew he was in peak physical condition.
As Sophie Shaw took his report, she handed him her own.
They swapped reports, shared a look, and then began to read.
