Chapter 204: Will You Be My Boyfriend?
At the birthday banquet, Mrs. Ford was very happy and had a few extra glasses of red wine.
By the time the banquet ended and she was helped into the car, she was already tipsy.
She sat in the car looking at Sophie Shaw, her eyes full of delight. "Sophie, tomorrow is Saturday. Would you like to come over for a visit?"
"I can’t tomorrow."
The light in the old woman’s eyes instantly dimmed.
Sophie Shaw noticed the change in her mood and quickly explained, "I have something on tomorrow, but I can on Sunday."
The old woman’s eyes lit up again. "Alright, I’ll be waiting for you the day after tomorrow."
Mr. and Mrs. Ford got into the car to take the old woman home first. Quentin Blackwood and Mandy Halloway followed, getting into their car and leaving as well.
The only ones left were the young people.
Nina Halloway wore a hat and a mask, keeping herself thoroughly covered.
She had drunk the most tonight and was unusually quiet, spending most of her time drinking sullenly by herself.
As they left the private room and went downstairs, Alaric Blackwood and Evan Ford supported her, one on each side.
Just as the Blackwood and Ford family cars drove away, another car pulled up from behind and stopped at the restaurant entrance.
It was Ethan Austin, here to pick up Nina Halloway.
The man got out of the car, walked up to Nina Halloway in two strides, and smelled the strong scent of alcohol on her. He immediately hoisted her over his shoulder and stuffed her into the car.
The valet then brought over two cars.
A Cullinan and a red supercar, respectively.
Evan Ford took the supercar key from one of the valets and bent down to get into the car.
Sophie Shaw stared at her cousin, her gaze lingering for a moment.
Alaric Blackwood noticed her subtle glance. He held his tongue and asked Evan Ford, "Is the car fixed?"
"The crash wasn’t that bad, just chipped some paint."
"Did you use original factory paint for the touch-up?"
Evan Ford caressed the supercar’s steering wheel and fell silent for two seconds. "No."
"Evan Ford, you son of a bitch!"
"You should call me cousin. Call me ’grand-uncle’ and you’re skipping a generation."
"..."
Evan Ford’s lips twitched in a half-smile as he tried to placate Alaric Blackwood. "The original factory paint for a limited-edition car takes forever to air-freight from overseas, and it’s ridiculously expensive. I couldn’t wait."
"You really are an asshole."
"Cousin-in-law, don’t get so worked up. Your cousin used the best domestic car paint."
Of all the luxury cars in Alaric Blackwood’s collection, this supercar was his most prized possession. He was so angry his soul almost left his body.
It was the first time Sophie Shaw had heard her husband swear. A little surprised, she instinctively raised a hand and gently patted his chest to calm him down.
He was injured and couldn’t drink, but Sophie Shaw was in a good mood and had a few extra drinks with the old woman.
Smelling the crisp scent of wine on her, Alaric Blackwood slowly suppressed his anger. After Evan Ford drove off, he helped Sophie Shaw into the passenger seat of the Cullinan and fastened her seatbelt.
Not long after the car started moving, Sophie Shaw leaned back against the seat. In a daze, she heard Alaric Blackwood’s slightly irritated voice: "Ten minutes ago, you were staring at Evan Ford’s ass."
He wasn’t asking a question; it was a statement.
Sophie Shaw froze, her eyes flying open as she tried to bluff her way out. "No, I wasn’t."
’Even if I was, I can’t admit it.’
’Besides, I was just checking for Anne to see if my cousin’s ass was really that nice.’
’I only took one look.’
’It was pretty nice.’
Alaric Blackwood had hoped he’d seen it wrong, but the truth was, in the instant Evan Ford bent down to get in the car, Sophie Shaw’s slightly drunken eyes had been glued to him.
"Is your husband’s ass not nice enough?"
Alaric Blackwood’s tone turned sour. "Instead of looking at me, you’re looking at other men?"
"Evan Ford is my cousin."
"He’s male."
"..."
"You said you have something to do tomorrow. What is it?"
Sophie Shaw didn’t hide it. "It’s for work. I was invited to a brand’s fashion show."
"A fashion show?"
"Yeah."
"Who invited you?"
"Yuri."
Hearing that name, Alaric Blackwood immediately lost his composure.
"When did he invite you?"
"The day we met at the hot spring hotel. I was the one who wanted to go to the fashion show."
Alaric Blackwood fell silent, not saying another word.
The car arrived at Maplewood Estate.
The man got out, slammed the door without waiting for her, and strode up the steps, opening the door and going inside.
Sophie Shaw swayed unsteadily as she followed behind him.
"Alaric Blackwood, I’m dizzy."
The man ignored her, changed into his slippers, and went straight upstairs.
"Alaric Blackwood."
Sophie Shaw shouted his name.
The man stopped on the stairs, hearing her indignant voice from behind him. "What are you angry about? I’m just attending a fashion show for the future development of my company."
He turned and looked down at Sophie Shaw, who was standing in the first-floor living room. "If you wanted to go to a fashion show, you could have told me."
"Fashion shows only invite industry bigwigs."
The man sneered. "Do you think your husband can’t get you a single invitation to a measly little fashion show?"
"The Blackwood Family’s investments don’t involve this industry..."
"Whether they do or not, those brand owners all want to curry favor with me."
Sophie Shaw was momentarily speechless.
She stood there stunned, her body swaying slightly. The aftereffects of the alcohol were kicking in, and she felt unsteady on her feet.
Alaric Blackwood tried to restrain himself. He didn’t want to deal with her, but he couldn’t hold back. He strode down the stairs with his long legs, went straight to her, and bent down to lift her into his arms.
"Don’t make me angry again."
He warned her sternly, carrying Sophie Shaw upstairs and back to their room.
Just as he placed her on the bed, a phone rang.
It was Sophie Shaw’s phone, and it rang twice in a row.
She put her purse down, opened it, and rummaged for her phone, finding two WhatsApp messages from Joseph Shaw.
Joseph Shaw: [There’s still an hour until midnight. Joel is still waiting for you.]
Joseph Shaw: [I guess you’re really not coming back. For the sake of Joel being your own brother, can you at least give him a call before midnight and wish him a happy birthday?]
Alaric Blackwood glanced at the chat on her phone screen, saw the messages from Joseph Shaw, and without a word, snatched Sophie Shaw’s phone, stuffed it back into her purse, and took off her coat. He tossed both the purse and the coat onto the loveseat at the foot of the bed.
Then, he bent down, took off her high heels, and scooped her up into a princess carry, walking into the bathroom.
After they had washed up, he carried Sophie Shaw out and carefully placed her back on the bed.
The woman’s arms were wrapped around his neck, her cheeks flushed with a tipsy blush. "Honey, did I make you angry?"
Alaric Blackwood was indeed very angry, but hearing her soft, sweet "Honey" instantly soothed his mood considerably.
"Don’t let it happen again."
...
「At the same time.」
Ethan Austin drove Nina Halloway back to The Metropolis.
The car drove directly into the underground garage.
On the way back, Nina Halloway leaned against the passenger seat without a word. Her silence wasn’t just due to the alcohol; the image of Jaden pinning Stella Yarrow against a wall and kissing her kept flashing through her mind.
’Compared to Jaden’s promiscuity, she was twenty-eight years old, and still had her first kiss...’
’How pathetic.’
’For a man who didn’t have her in his heart at all, she had kept herself pure in the chaotic, messy world of the entertainment industry, only to be mocked by him for filming a ’revealing’ scene.’
’How was showing her back considered a revealing scene?’
The car came to a steady stop. She didn’t move, letting Ethan Austin come over and carry her out of the car.
She wrapped one arm around Ethan Austin’s neck and lay against the man’s solid, Pacific-Ocean-wide shoulders. So drunk her words were slurring, she asked, "Ethan, will you be my boyfriend?"