Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Ethan paused for a moment, but after just a few seconds, he strode into the elevator.

As if he hadn’t heard her at all.

"Ethan, you’re not allowed to ignore me."

He remained silent.

Nina Halloway squirmed restlessly on his shoulder, struggling to get down, but his arm, like an iron clamp, tightened around her legs and hoisted her up.

Her head hung down, and she felt dizzy and woozy.

They exited the elevator and entered the apartment.

The man strode swiftly, carrying her directly to the bedroom and setting her down by the bed.

He knelt on one knee before the bed, eyes lowered, helping her out of her coat and high heels while avoiding her gaze the entire time.

"I asked you to be my boyfriend. Are you deaf?"

"Not deaf. I heard you."

"Then why aren’t you answering?" Nina Halloway deliberately raised her voice to hide her insecurity. "You don’t think I’m good enough, is that it? I have over a hundred million fans, you know. And my net worth is over a hundred million. A hundred million!"

"Boss, you’re drunk."

"So, are you willing or not?"

Ethan Austin didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he lifted his gaze to look at her. "Ask me again when you’re sober."

’She’s this drunk. I can’t just agree. If she wakes up tomorrow and forgets what she said, or denies it, it’ll be incredibly awkward for both of us.’

’I don’t know why Nina Halloway is so drunk and depressed, but I’m sure of one thing: she only wants me to be her boyfriend because my eyes look like Jaden’s.’

’In the end, Nina Halloway just sees me as a stand-in.’

"I’m perfectly sober right now. Will you be my boyfriend?"

"You’re drunk, you’re not sober... Mmph..."

His lips were captured in a kiss, and the rest of Ethan’s words were choked back.

Soft arms wrapped around his neck, and soft, fragrant lips, carrying the aroma of red wine, assaulted him.

His eyes widened, and he froze completely.

Nina Halloway seized the opportunity to push him down onto the floor. She leaned over, pressing him down with her body and forcing the kiss.

’This is my first kiss...’

’It’s more intense than I imagined.’

His lips were pried apart. With overwhelming force, just as his hands started to move, Nina Halloway grabbed both of them and pinned them above his head.

’She has the strength of a kitten. I could easily overpower her with one hand, but I’m not doing it.’

He let Nina Halloway straddle him and kiss him.

At that moment, his thoughts were a chaotic mess.

’I’ve been waiting for this kiss for so long. I’ve fantasized countless times about giving my first kiss to Sophie... but Sophie’s married now!’

’And I’m left with nothing but fantasies.’

The kiss lasted for a long time, starting passionately before gradually cooling down.

In the end, Nina Halloway was lying on his chest, having been consumed by the alcohol and fallen asleep.

’Drunk like this, and she still says she’s sober?’

’I wonder if she’ll even remember taking advantage of me when she wakes up tomorrow.’

He took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart. Then, with one arm around her waist, he lifted her and placed her back on the bed.

He pulled the covers over her, then walked out of the room, coming face to face with Anne.

Spotting his flushed face, red lips, and the smudge of lipstick on them, Anne scratched her head, pretended she saw nothing, and slipped back into her room.

’My little brother is probably about to get a girlfriend. Sophie Shaw is married... In our little group, I’m the only one who’s still single.’

After tossing and turning in bed for a while, she picked up her phone and sent a message to the Matchmaker: [Ruby, I’m free tomorrow and the day after. You can schedule a couple more dates for me.]

...

When Sophie Shaw woke up, the first thing she heard was Alaric Blackwood on the phone.

The man was sitting up against the headboard, his phone on speaker. A woman was sobbing on the other end. "Jaden didn’t come back all night, and his phone is off."

The caller was Stella Yarrow.

Alaric Blackwood’s brow furrowed slightly. "Didn’t Jaden go after you last night?"

"He was chasing me, but then his car just disappeared. I thought he had turned back to find you guys, so I didn’t think much of it and just went home."

But when she woke up this morning, Stella Yarrow discovered Jaden hadn’t come home all night, and his phone went straight to voicemail when she called.

She suspected Jaden might have been with Nina Halloway last night. Unfortunately, she didn’t have Nina’s contact information. She was only able to reach Alaric Blackwood because she’d rushed to the law firm first thing in the morning. There, she’d rummaged through a drawer in Jaden’s office and found a list of the firm’s partners, which included Alaric’s phone number.

"Mr. Blackwood, do you think it’s possible he left with your sister last night?"

"Don’t be ridiculous. My sister isn’t that kind of person."

"..."

"If we still can’t get in touch with Jaden by tonight, then contact Officer Young directly and report him missing."

After saying that, Alaric Blackwood hung up the phone.

He tried calling Jaden, and sure enough, it didn’t go through.

Putting down his phone, he noticed Sophie Shaw was awake. He gently ruffled her hair. "Did I wake you?"

"It’s okay."

Sophie Shaw sat up. "Jaden is missing?"

"We just can’t reach him. It’s possible he had a fight with his girlfriend and is hiding out. But we can’t rule out that something happened to him. We’ll wait a little longer."

After all, he was an adult. Having been missing for less than twenty-four hours, it would be difficult for the police to file a case.

"Then let’s wait and see."

Sophie Shaw threw back the covers, got out of bed, and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

Alaric Blackwood followed her in, standing beside her as they both got ready.

"Honey."

"Hm?"

"I’m in the mood for some morning exercise."

"..."

An hour later.

Alaric Blackwood carried Sophie Shaw downstairs.

The man looked completely satisfied. Having had his fill first thing in the morning, the corners of his lips curled into a roguish smile.

He sat down in a chair at the table and casually placed Sophie Shaw on his lap. He had to hold her even while eating breakfast, and he insisted on feeding her himself.

"Are you satisfied with my attentive service, darling?"

Sophie Shaw was a little tired. She rested her head on his shoulder. "I’m just worried about when your injury will heal."

"It’s already starting to scab over. It’ll be better soon."

He was young and in great shape, so he recovered quickly.

After breakfast, he carried the woman, who had gone pliant in his arms, back upstairs. They’d woken up too early, so they took a nap.

When he woke up again, Sophie Shaw was no longer in the bed.

Hearing a noise from the walk-in closet, he sat up and leaned against the headboard.

A short while later, a well-dressed Sophie Shaw emerged from the closet.

She wore a light-brown turtleneck sweater and black trousers. A black coat was draped over her arm. Her makeup was exquisite, and her long hair was combed back sleekly into a high ponytail.

She was already tall, and with this sharp outfit, she had the air of an international supermodel.

Alaric Blackwood remembered she was attending a fashion show today, and a thoughtful smile touched his lips. "You look beautiful, honey."

He was never stingy with his compliments for Sophie Shaw.

"Such a sweet-talker."

Sophie Shaw walked to the bed, leaned over, and placed a kiss on his cheek, leaving a faint lipstick mark.

"Mr. Yates is here to pick me up. He’ll be arriving any second, so I should get going."

Alaric Blackwood didn’t say anything, just watched her with a smile.

He watched her walk out of the room, coat in hand. As she left, the smile on Alaric Blackwood’s face slowly froze. He picked up his phone and made a call.

Then, he threw back the covers, got out of bed, and walked onto the balcony in his thin pajamas. From his high vantage point, he looked down at the black Bentley pulling into the courtyard.

As soon as Sophie Shaw stepped outside, Yuri got out of the Bentley’s driver’s seat and, like a perfect gentleman, opened the car door for her.

’That son of a bitch!’

’He’s probably still pissed about the Dragonstone Mall acquisition and is hitting on my wife on purpose.’