Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Caring About His Mood

"I don’t blame you."

It was for her own good, so why would she hold a grudge?

But speaking of Alaric Blackwood, she couldn’t help but recall how cold the man had seemed this morning.

’I don’t think I did anything to upset him, did I?’

Just last night, he had thoughtfully brought her dinner, but today he wore a completely different, ice-cold expression...

She couldn’t figure out why.

"Could we set a time to meet and talk?" Mrs. Ford’s kind voice came through the receiver.

Sophie Shaw snapped back to reality. "Then let’s meet at noon. We can talk while we eat."

Mrs. Ford was overjoyed. The last time they were supposed to have hot pot, it hadn’t worked out. She blamed herself for being too excited upon seeing Sophie Shaw, spilling everything about the past all at once.

Sophie Shaw had become overwhelmed after hearing her story and had run off. Alaric Blackwood had chased after her, and the gathering had ended on a sour note.

After that night, she hadn’t dared to contact Sophie Shaw directly, worried that Sophie might resent her. Lately, she had been asking Alaric Blackwood for updates on Sophie’s situation.

Thankfully, her chance had finally come.

After Evan Ford relayed Alaric Blackwood’s message to her, she had her people work through the night to compile a list of properties suitable for a factory. There were over a dozen, all in good locations. One was not far from Sophie Shaw’s company, making it the perfect choice for the Heart of the Ocean jewelry processing plant.

After setting the meeting place and time, Sophie Shaw hung up. She stared at her phone screen, hesitating for a few minutes before composing a message and sending it to Alaric Blackwood on WeChat.

The man had just returned to his office after a meeting when he received her message. It was just two words—Thank you.

He had a good idea what Sophie Shaw was thanking him for. The corner of his lip curled up slightly as he replied: [You’re welcome.]

The message sent. To his surprise, Sophie Shaw called him.

He answered immediately.

"What is it?"

His tone was cold and indifferent.

Sophie Shaw hummed in agreement, then asked politely, "Mr. Blackwood, is something bothering you today?" freewebnovёl.ƈom

"Why do you ask?"

"This morning, you seemed unhappy."

Alaric Blackwood rubbed his temples thoughtfully and asked in return, "Are you that concerned about my mood? Or is it that my change in mood affected you and made you uncomfortable?"

"It’s not that I’m uncomfortable, I just..."

Sophie Shaw wasn’t sure how to express it. The fact that Alaric Blackwood was unhappy had, in fact, affected her own mood a little, making her concerned.

"Just what?"

"I want you to be happy."

Alaric Blackwood chuckled. "I’m not unhappy."

Sophie Shaw couldn’t see his expression, but from his voice, she could vaguely sense that the man’s mood had shifted from cloudy to clear. His voice and tone sounded pleased.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as you’re happy."

"Did your grandmother contact you?"

"Mhm, we arranged to meet for lunch."

Alaric Blackwood hummed. "Give her a chance to make it up to you. She’s been missing you for fifteen years."

Sophie Shaw’s nose immediately tingled with the urge to cry.

She thought about Mrs. Ford revealing the truth when they met at the hot pot restaurant. She had been angry—angry at her grandparents for being too domineering with her mother—but she was even angrier at what Joseph Shaw had done.

If it weren’t for Joseph Shaw’s arrogance, she wouldn’t have been separated from her relatives for so many years. If it weren’t for Alaric Blackwood, she would never have even known her mother’s side of the family existed.

He didn’t hear a response from Sophie Shaw for a long time, but the call was still connected. Alaric Blackwood took a deep breath. "Little thing, are you crying?"

"No."

"I’ll pretend to believe you."

"I’m really not. I have to get back to work. I’ll talk to you later."

Sophie Shaw hung up the phone. She took some time to compose herself before throwing her attention back into her work.

She printed out her mother’s design sketches that were saved on her phone and used them as a blueprint to optimize the designs...

She worked until her lunch break. Seeing it was about time, she stood up, put on her coat, and grabbed her car keys to head to the reserved restaurant.

Mrs. Ford had arrived half an hour early. She sat by the window, and when she saw Sophie Shaw get out of a blue Cayenne, her palms grew sweaty with nervousness.

She took a packet of wet wipes from her bag, opened it, and methodically wiped her hands.

The moment Sophie Shaw entered the restaurant, she immediately waved at her.

The two sat facing each other.

"Hello, Mrs. Ford," Sophie Shaw greeted her politely.

Mrs. Ford felt the distance between them, and her eyes reddened. "Can you call me Grandma?"

Sophie Shaw didn’t respond. Mrs. Ford wasn’t anxious, though. She forced a smile and said, "It’s alright, take your time. I know your grandfather and I went a bit too far back then. We pushed your mother too hard."

If their stance hadn’t been so rigid, perhaps the subsequent tragedy would never have happened.

"I’m sorry, Sophie."

As Mrs. Ford’s tone softened, Sophie Shaw’s heart also began to ache.

"You don’t have to apologize to me. You haven’t done anything to wrong me."

"Then... can you accept me as your grandmother?"

Sophie Shaw was silent for a moment before giving Mrs. Ford a gentle smile. "I need time to adjust."

"Alright, adjust slowly. There’s no rush."

That Sophie Shaw was willing to meet with her and try to accept her had already exceeded Mrs. Ford’s expectations.

The atmosphere relaxed considerably because of this.

Soon, the waiter brought the food to the table.

Sophie Shaw noticed that none of the dishes on the table contained carrots; they were all things she liked to eat. She couldn’t help but think of Alaric Blackwood again.

She hadn’t been in contact with her grandmother’s family for years, so they couldn’t have known her dietary preferences. Alaric Blackwood must have told them.

That man might seem devil-may-care on the surface, but he was truly thoughtful and gentle on the inside.

After they finished eating, she got up to pay at the front counter.

The manager personally assisted her, asking with a smile, "Was the food to your liking?"

"It was delicious. How much is it?"

"There’s no need to pay."

Sophie Shaw was a bit surprised and looked at Mrs. Ford, who had followed her over.

The latter nodded at the manager, then pulled Sophie Shaw towards the exit, saying as they walked, "This is one of our family’s restaurants."

Sophie Shaw was quite surprised. "Mrs. Ford, you’re in the restaurant business?"

"Not exactly. I’ve just made some investments in the dining and entertainment industry."

Outside the restaurant, Mrs. Ford asked again, "Do you want to see the factory sites today, or another day?"

"Let’s do it today."

"Then you can drive me."

In order to have more opportunities to spend time with her granddaughter, Mrs. Ford had already sent her driver away.

"Okay."

Sophie Shaw led Mrs. Ford to the Cayenne parked on the side of the road.

Mrs. Ford wanted to sit in the passenger seat, but she found a photo album on it. She simply picked up the album, got in, and casually placed it by her leg.

After fastening her seatbelt, she took a file of factory information out of her bag. It contained detailed addresses and floor plans for the sites.

Sophie Shaw took the file and looked through it carefully, discovering one location that was perfect in terms of both area and location.

"This one is very close to my company."

She pointed it out to Mrs. Ford.

"I think this one is the most suitable, too. Shall we go take a look now?"

"Okay."

Sophie Shaw set the navigation and started the car.

Mrs. Ford, sitting in the passenger seat, grew bored and picked up the photo album by her leg to look through.

She had assumed it was Sophie Shaw and Alaric Blackwood’s wedding photos. But as she flipped through it, she discovered that besides solo pictures of Alaric Blackwood, the latter half of the album was filled entirely with photos of Sophie Shaw.

From Sophie Shaw’s middle school days all the way through college...

Mrs. Ford looked through them with great interest, not forgetting to comment to Sophie Shaw, "I never realized you and Alaric were so close back in your school days."