Free Web NovelChapter 54: Chapter 54: The Night Before the Wedding
The airport arrivals gate.
Sophie Shaw saw Anne from a distance, pulling a small leather suitcase as she emerged with the crowd.
She waved at Anne, who spotted her instantly in the crowd, excitedly grabbed her suitcase, and ran over. "Sophie Shaw!"
When she reached her, Anne dropped the suitcase and gave her a big bear hug.
"I missed you like crazy."
Sophie Shaw laughed and patted her on the back. "It’s only been a few days, and you already missed me that much?"
"A day apart feels like three years."
"You’re such a smooth-talker."
Anne chuckled, let her go, and picked up her suitcase. "I want to have roast duck tonight."
"Okay, I’ll take you."
Sophie Shaw linked arms with her and led her outside.
When they got to the parking lot, Anne saw Lydia Wynn and the white Mazda parked beside her. She tilted her head in confusion and looked at Sophie Shaw. "Where’s your Cayenne?"
"I forgot to get gas."
Anne was speechless.
"I’ll take you home to drop off your luggage first. I can buy a can of gasoline later, so I can still take you for a drive tonight."
It had all happened so suddenly. Sophie Shaw didn’t even know what had happened last night. She just woke up in a hospital room. Picking up Anne had been a rush, and she hadn’t had time to get gas for the car.
"You’re forgiven."
Anne picked up her suitcase and walked to the back of the Mazda. Lydia Wynn followed and opened the trunk, but didn’t help, merely gesturing for Anne to put the luggage in herself.
"And you are?"
Lydia Wynn replied, "I’m Mr. Blackwood’s personal assistant."
Anne’s eyes lit up. "Oh, so you’re Mr. Blackwood’s assistant! He even sent you to bring Sophie Shaw to the airport to pick me up. He’s so thoughtful."
Lydia Wynn felt a pang of displeasure but said nothing.
After Anne finished putting her suitcase away, Lydia closed the trunk and was the first to get into the driver’s seat.
Anne pulled Sophie Shaw into the back seat, paying little attention to Lydia Wynn driving in the front. She said to Sophie, "You have to stay at your family’s home tonight, right? The bridal pickup is early tomorrow morning."
Sophie Shaw nodded. "According to tradition, I can’t see Alaric Blackwood before the wedding."
"I’ll take care of your bridal makeup."
"Of course, it has to be you."
Lydia Wynn listened quietly to the two in the back seat. During a lull in their conversation, she interjected, "You two haven’t told me the address yet."
Anne slapped her forehead. "Oh, sorry, sorry! To Mansion No. 9."
’The wealthy district?’
Lydia Wynn raised an eyebrow, glancing at Anne in the rearview mirror.
Based on how Anne was dressed, she didn’t look like someone who could afford to live in such a ritzy place.
"Miss Austin, what do you do for work?" she asked casually.
"I’m a makeup artist for a big star."
Lydia Wynn said "Oh," and then asked, "May I ask which major celebrity you work for? I follow celebrities too, so I’m wondering if it’s someone I like."
"Nina Halloway."
’So, Alaric Blackwood’s sister.’
"I had no idea you were Nina’s makeup artist! I really like her. Next time you see her, could you get me an autograph?"
Anne laughed openly. "Of course! It’s a piece of cake."
She was rather airheaded and didn’t notice anything wrong with Lydia Wynn’s words, but Sophie Shaw did.
’Lydia Wynn called Alaric Blackwood’s rumored partner "Nina." Did that form of address mean they were close?’
’Since she’s Alaric Blackwood’s personal assistant, she probably handles a lot of his more private affairs. It wouldn’t be strange for her to have met Nina Halloway.’
Before long, the car arrived at Mansion No. 9.
Sophie Shaw thanked Lydia Wynn, and she and Anne got out of the car, one after the other.
After getting the luggage from the trunk, Anne pulled Sophie Shaw into the residential complex.
Lydia Wynn remained in the driver’s seat, her eyes narrowed as she watched the two figures walk further and further away. Her indifferent expression slowly darkened into a gloomy scowl.
She drove back to the Blackwood Group. Just as she got to her desk, Secretary Golding came over and said in a low voice, "Perfect timing. Mr. Blackwood is out of his meeting. He wants tea today, not coffee. Could you please take it to him, Assistant Wynn?"
"Of course, I’ll get it ready right away."
Lydia Wynn put down her bag and car keys, strode into the breakroom, and brewed a pot of hot tea. Carrying the teapot and a cup on a tray, she knocked on the door of the CEO’s office.
Pushing the door open, she found Alaric Blackwood with his head down, focused on the documents on his desk. The man’s phone was on the desktop, its speaker on, in the middle of a call.
"I hear the media’s been invited to the wedding tomorrow too?" The voice coming from the phone was very familiar.
It sounded like Alaric Blackwood’s childhood friend, Jaden.
Lydia Wynn walked forward with the tea and gently placed the teapot and cup on the desk.
Her movements were extremely slow. She appeared to be cautious, but in reality, she was deliberately taking her time to eavesdrop on Alaric Blackwood’s call with Jaden.
"Yes."
Alaric Blackwood replied flatly, his attention still on the document in his hand.
"Once the wedding is over, you’ll be a married man. So, how about it? Your bro here is gonna throw you a wild bachelor party tonight?"
Alaric Blackwood’s response was perfunctory. "Whatever."
"I’ll arrange it, then."
—
Meanwhile, Sophie Shaw took Anne back to Maplewood Estate. freēwēbnovel.com
Getting out of the taxi, they were each carrying two cans of gasoline.
After filling up the Cayenne, she took Anne for a drive around the neighborhood. When they got hungry, they found a restaurant to eat. In the afternoon, they went shopping at the mall and played some sports at a gymnasium. That evening, after their roast duck dinner, they went clubbing.
"Here’s an early congratulations to my dear Sophie Shaw for finally leaving the Kane Family tomorrow and escaping your sea of misery." Anne raised her glass and gently clinked it against Sophie’s.
The two exchanged a smile and downed their drinks in one go.
"By the way, what’s the status on you hiring someone to keep an eye on Damian Morgan?" Anne leaned closer and asked in a very low voice.
They were at a quiet lounge bar. The music wasn’t loud, and the patrons were well-behaved, with no one shouting or making a scene. The atmosphere was very chic and perfect for having a few drinks and chatting with friends.
"I haven’t hired anyone yet. I think it’s better if I do it myself."
Anne exclaimed, "Why would you do it yourself?"
"Damian Morgan is very cautious. He doesn’t even get a hotel room; he just messes around in the lounge at Heart of the Ocean and tampers with the surveillance footage afterward. No matter how resourceful the person I hire is, it would be difficult for them to frequently enter and exit a private company. While I don’t have management rights at Heart of the Ocean, I am a shareholder. If I go in and out of the company, at least it won’t look as suspicious." freewebnøvel.com
Sophie Shaw felt this was the only viable option. "Worst case, I’ll just go back to the company and cause a scene, demand Damian Morgan pay my overdue wages, and use the opportunity to return to my job in the design department."
Damian Morgan had previously suggested that she move to the design department and focus solely on design work.
"The reason is completely legitimate. I think it’ll work."
Anne couldn’t help but give Sophie Shaw a thumbs-up. "You’re always the one who thinks things through more thoroughly."
Sophie Shaw smiled faintly. "I’ve been pushed into a corner. I have no choice but to handle it myself."
"Go for it! You have my moral support."
Although she really wanted to help, Anne had her own work to worry about. After attending Sophie Shaw’s wedding, she had to fly out to a film set and get back to slaving away for Nina Halloway.
"By the way, when the shoot ended last night, I overheard Nina Halloway on the phone with a man. I think it was Alaric Blackwood."
Anne said, a little uncertainly, "Nina Halloway was in the dressing room changing, and her phone was on speaker. I heard the man’s voice, and it sounded a lot like your contract husband. He called her ’big star’ and even asked if she wanted to come back to Kingsport for the wedding."
