Free Web NovelChapter 94: Chapter 94: Don’t Want to Be Disturbed During Intimate Moments
Alaric Blackwood thought of his pitiful sister, who couldn’t cook and survived on either raw cucumbers or raw tomatoes.
He set down his tablet, pulled out his phone, and opened his messaging app. He typed a few words and sent them to Nina Halloway: [I hired a cook for you.]
Nina Halloway wasn’t fully awake yet, but she was already on the film set, sitting at a vanity in the dressing room while her makeup was being applied.
She was so tired she kept dozing off. When her phone chimed, she groggily picked up the device, which had been sitting face down on the table, and saw the message from her brother.
Nina Halloway: [Feeling generous?]
Alaric Blackwood: [I’ve already given her a trial run for you. She’s an excellent cook.]
Nina Halloway smiled and typed back: [Since you hired her for me, does that mean you’re paying?]
Alaric Blackwood: [I’ll pay until the end of the month. After that, it’s on you.]
Nina Halloway: [Are you just trying to get rid of her and pawning her off on me?]
Seeing Nina Halloway’s reply, Alaric Blackwood arched an eyebrow. ’That’s my sister, all right.’
Alaric Blackwood couldn’t be bothered to keep typing, so he sent a voice message instead. "Do you want her or not? If you don’t, I’ll recommend her to someone else."
Nina Halloway: [I’ll take her.]
After receiving her confirmation, Alaric Blackwood stood up and headed for the kitchen.
Lawson poured two steaming cups of soy milk from the soy milk maker, placed them on a tray with the sugar bowl, and was about to bring them to the table. Spotting Alaric Blackwood, she set the tray down and offered a polite smile. "Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"
"I don’t need a cook anymore."
Lawson let out a small "Ah?" and was immediately flustered.
’Did Mr. Blackwood find out that I came in this morning, left, and then pretended I had just arrived...?’
"Sir, is it something I did wrong?"
"No. My wife and I both know how to cook, so you don’t need to come in anymore."
Lawson looked like she was about to cry. "Sir, this is so sudden... I have an elderly parent to care for, and a child still in school..."
"My sister needs a cook."
Alaric Blackwood’s words made the tears welling in Lawson’s eyes instantly recede.
’So he’d already found me a new placement.’
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir."
"Don’t thank me just yet. My sister is filming out of town and will be back in about a week. I’ll text you her contact information and address. As for your salary, I’ll pay you through the end of the month. Starting next month, my sister will take over your payments."
Lawson was a little overwhelmed by the details, but she understood the most important part: she would be paid in full.
"So, should I come in tomorrow?"
"You don’t need to."
Lawson accepted the new arrangement. As long as she wasn’t losing her job, she was agreeable to anything.
She picked the tray back up and walked toward the dining room.
Alaric Blackwood glanced at the ingredients prepped on the counter—sausage, eggs, and bacon. He rolled up his sleeves and started to fry them himself.
After setting the soy milk on the table, Lawson returned and saw him frying the bacon and eggs himself. She asked awkwardly, "Sir, why are you doing that yourself?"
"You can leave now."
"Oh," Lawson said. She couldn’t really complain about her employer. After all, even as he was letting her go, he had already arranged a new job for her.
She quickly gathered her belongings, put down the key to the villa, and left.
When Sophie Shaw came downstairs to the dining room, she found Alaric Blackwood sitting alone at the table. The two breakfast servings laid out were slightly different.
Alaric Blackwood had already started eating. His plate held a fried egg, fried bacon, and a sausage, with a cup of hot soy milk at his side. Her breakfast included all of that, plus two pieces of toast.
Alaric Blackwood had even laid out spreads for her toast—peanut butter, blueberry jam, and strawberry jam were all on the table for her to choose from.
’Was he afraid I wouldn’t have enough to eat?’
She glanced toward the kitchen but didn’t see Lawson, which puzzled her.
She pulled out a chair and sat down, adding some sugar to her soy milk. Just as she was hesitating over which spread to choose, Alaric Blackwood broke the silence. "Lawson won’t be coming in starting tomorrow," he said calmly.
She was taken aback. "Why?"
"We don’t need a cook."
"Who says we don’t?"
Sophie certainly did.
She did not want to drag herself out of bed at the crack of dawn every day to cook.
It was exhausting!
Alaric Blackwood watched her steadily, seeing right through her selfish little thoughts. "I’ll make breakfast from now on."
"Oh."
Sophie was instantly mollified. She picked the rich peanut butter and spread it on her toast.
As she ate, she couldn’t help but wonder what had gotten into Alaric Blackwood to make him suddenly dismiss their perfectly good cook.
"Don’t you think that for two working professionals like us, having a cook in the morning makes things a lot easier?"
Alaric Blackwood nodded. He didn’t disagree with her, but he stated his main reason. "It’s inconvenient when she’s here."
"Inconvenient how?"
"It’s inconvenient when we want to get intimate."
"PFFT—"
Sophie had just taken a large gulp of soy milk, and in the next second, she had sprayed it all over Alaric Blackwood’s face.
The man remained remarkably calm. He pulled a napkin from the dispenser and leisurely wiped the soy milk from his face. His captivating eyes met Sophie’s as his lips curved. "This house is big. I want to be intimate with you anywhere and everywhere. I don’t want outsiders around, and I don’t want to be disturbed by anyone."
Sophie’s entire face flushed a burning red.
She couldn’t help but think about last night...
The man finished cleaning the soy milk off his face, his long fingers tapping the tabletop a few times. "We’ll try it here next time."
"..."
There were still stray droplets on the man’s clothes and hair.
Just as Sophie was debating whether to help him wipe them off, the man abruptly stood up, left the dining room, and went straight upstairs.
When he reappeared, he had changed into a suit and his hairstyle was completely different. His slightly damp hair was slicked back, revealing a smooth forehead. Unobscured by his hair, his features appeared even more distinct, chiseled, and refined.
It was the first time Sophie had seen Alaric Blackwood wear his hair slicked back, and he looked unexpectedly dashing.
The man sat on the sofa, staring at his phone and messaging someone.
She quietly finished her breakfast, put on her coat, grabbed her purse, and headed for the entryway.
Unexpectedly, Alaric Blackwood followed her.
The man put on his coat, slipped on his dress shoes, and followed her out the door.
The driver and Preston Chase were nowhere to be seen in the courtyard, nor was Alaric Blackwood’s car. He walked nonchalantly over to her Cayenne. "My driver and assistant aren’t coming today. I’ll be catching a ride with my wife."
Before Sophie Shaw could agree, he had already walked around to the passenger’s side and pulled the door open.
Just as he was about to get in, his eyes landed on a photo album on the passenger seat.
It was his personal album, filled with his private collection of photos of Sophie Shaw from her school days.
He froze, his composure completely shattered by the morning breeze.
He glanced at the album, then at Sophie. Masking the utter chaos raging in his mind, he asked with feigned nonchalance, "How did my album end up in your car?"
"Your mom dropped it off yesterday."
"Did you look through it?"
"Mhm."
"All of it?"
"...Mhm."
They stood on opposite sides of the car, a noticeable distance between them, neither saying a word for a long moment.
The atmosphere, however, grew increasingly delicate.
"So, about the pictures in the album... do you have anything you want to say?"
Sophie broke the silence tentatively.
Alaric Blackwood still hadn’t decided how to respond. He closed the passenger-side door and got into the back seat instead.
