Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: The Secret of the Photo Album

"So you’re just going to give up on Alaric Blackwood?" Claire Sterling rested her chin on Stella Yarrow’s shoulder, the corners of her lips curling into a mischievous smile. "Either way, I still think Alaric Blackwood is a better catch."

"He’s definitely a catch, but unfortunately, he’s married."

"Are there any rich young bachelors on his level? If so, introduce one to me."

As she spoke, Claire Sterling glanced at the stern-faced Evan Ford and rolled her eyes in disgust, not forgetting to remind Stella Yarrow, "No need to introduce anyone like Evan Ford. I’m looking for a husband, not a master to worship."

They were whispering, their voices only audible to each other.

Seeing that they were just whispering instead of playing, Jaden finished his game. After Evan Ford left, he immediately walked over to Stella Yarrow, pulled the two women up from the sofa, and set up a game of pool for them.

Stella Yarrow didn’t know how to play pool, so he stood close behind her, guiding her hands as he taught her.

"Claire didn’t feel a spark with Mr. Ford. Who among your friends is single? You should introduce someone to her."

Jaden thought for a moment. "A lot of them are single, but they all like to play around."

"And what are they like?"

"They’re basically all rich kids from our circle, spoiled by their families, living a stress-free life."

Stella Yarrow nodded. "Claire likes them handsome, with abs. They have to be tall and masculine."

She had a pretty good idea of what kind of men her best friend was into.

Seeing the conversation had gone this far, Claire Sterling decided to chime in, saying to Jaden, "Garland, why don’t you call another cute guy over? With you and Jasmine all paired up, I’m a huge third wheel here. It’s pretty awkward."

"Don’t feel awkward. I’ll find you a partner right now."

Jaden pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and made a call to get Oscar Lynch to come over.

The two men and two women played pool for a while before heading to a nearby bar for drinks.

Oscar Lynch was a great catch and more or less met all of Claire Sterling’s requirements. Once the drinks started flowing, Claire leaned into his arms, her finger tracing circles on his chest.

"Miss Sterling, you’ve had a bit too much to drink, haven’t you? My family’s hotel chain has a place nearby. How about I get a room for you to rest?"

Claire Sterling didn’t refuse. She let Oscar Lynch book the room and followed him. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Once they got to the hotel and entered the room, she eagerly pushed him against the door and kissed him.

As their breaths mingled, a soft "Claire" escaped the man’s throat. She bit the corner of his mouth, her voice soft and bewitching. "Don’t call me Claire."

"Then what should I call you? Baby? Sweetheart?"

"In private, you can call me Ava."

...

It was eleven at night by the time Sophie Shaw returned to Maplewood Estate.

Her back ached. After returning to her room and taking a hot shower, she was out the moment her head hit the pillow.

In the middle of the night, Alaric Blackwood came into her room and pulled the blanket over her, but she was completely unaware.

The man sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at her peaceful sleeping face, and secretly took a photo with his phone...

「The next morning.」

Sophie Shaw was woken up by a ringing phone.

It was her alarm.

She groggily climbed out of bed, freshened up in the bathroom, got dressed, applied some light makeup, and went downstairs.

Alaric Blackwood was already seated in the dining room.

The man was dressed in a suit, as usual. He gave her a cool greeting when he saw her. "Morning."

"Morning, Mr. Blackwood."

Lawson brought out breakfast, and the two ate in silence.

Alaric Blackwood finished first. "I’m heading to the office."

He grabbed his jacket and left.

Sophie Shaw stood frozen. ’Is it just my imagination, or is Alaric Blackwood being a little cold this morning?’ she wondered.

As the black Maybach drove out of the villa community, a black sedan happened to be turning in.

Mandy Halloway was sitting in the back seat.

She was holding a photo album she had brought especially for Sophie Shaw.

She knew exactly when Alaric Blackwood left in the morning and had deliberately timed her arrival to miss him.

When the car pulled to a stop in front of the villa, she saw Sophie Shaw walking out of the house.

She quickly got out of the car, clutching the album as she approached.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Sophie Shaw asked, both surprised and delighted.

Mandy Halloway handed her the album. "I came to bring you this."

Sophie Shaw recognized it at a glance; it was Alaric Blackwood’s personal photo album. Mandy Halloway had shown it to her on their wedding day, but she had only seen a small part of it before Alaric snatched it away.

"Mom, you came all the way here this early just to give me a photo album?"

Mandy Halloway gave a mysterious smile. "That’s right. Don’t tell Alaric I gave this to you. Keep it and enjoy it for yourself."

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’Giving me Alaric Blackwood’s private photo album for my own secret viewing?’

The whole thing sounded a bit strange to Sophie Shaw, but she accepted the album happily. With no time to take it back inside, she simply placed it in her car.

"Don’t forget, you and Alaric need to find time to get your wedding photos taken."

Mandy Halloway said as she got into her car.

Sophie Shaw smiled and nodded, watching Mandy Halloway’s car drive away. She then pulled her phone from her purse and sent a message to Bianca Kane. It was the location of a coffee shop diagonally across from the Heart of the Ocean building, with the meeting time set for half an hour later.

She drove to her office, arriving right on time.

After parking her car, she walked into the coffee shop across the street and ordered a coffee to go. A few minutes later, Bianca Kane arrived.

The woman was dressed in an opulent and elegant fashion, exuding an air of nobility from every fiber of her being.

She sat down across from Sophie Shaw, crossing her arms. "Have you settled things with Dragonstone Mall?"

"No."

"Then why did you ask me to come here?"

"Give me an account number to send money to."

Bianca Kane frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I’m giving you back the two million."

...

"You have ten minutes. If I don’t receive an account number from you within that time, I’ll assume you don’t want the two million back."

With that, Sophie Shaw stood up and picked up her coffee.

Before she could take a step, Bianca Kane sneered, "So, you’ve married into money and now your wings have grown."

Sophie Shaw ignored the jab and simply reminded her, "Ten minutes. Take it or leave it."

Bag in hand, Sophie Shaw walked out of the coffee shop, crossed the street, and went straight to her office.

While waiting for the elevator on the first floor, she received a new message on her phone: Bianca Kane had sent over her account number.

The first thing she did when she got to her office was transfer the two million to Bianca Kane, not a penny less. Then, she began her workday.

She was in the middle of working when a call came in.

It was from an unknown number.

She stared at the number for a few seconds before answering.

"Hello, this is Sophie Shaw."

An elderly voice came through the receiver. "Sophie, it’s your grandmother."

Sophie Shaw wanted to hang up and had already pulled the phone away from her ear when she heard the old woman say, "I heard you’re looking for a new facility to upgrade your factory?"

She froze for a moment before putting the phone back to her ear. "Yes."

"As it happens, I have a few properties on hand that would be suitable for a factory. I wonder if you might be interested?"

Sophie Shaw didn’t answer right away. Instead, she couldn’t help but ask, "Did Alaric Blackwood tell you about this?"

"Alaric was just trying to help. You shouldn’t blame him."