Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Sophie Shaw couldn’t deny that. "Yes, I initially wanted to use his influence."

"And then?"

Vianne Kane stared intently into her eyes, seeing from her expression that she had already developed feelings for Alaric Blackwood. "You’ve fallen for Alaric?"

"Is that not allowed?"

Sophie Shaw retorted, "Am I not allowed to like him?"

"But does Alaric like you back?"

"He treats me very well."

"I can see that. He does treat you very well. But has he ever said he likes you? Has he ever said he loves you?"

Sophie Shaw’s brow furrowed slightly. "I’m not divorcing Alaric Blackwood, so you can just give up on that idea."

"Then you’re just tying him down with the shackles of marriage."

"So what if I’m tying him down? As long as he doesn’t ask for a divorce, I won’t be the one to bring it up."

"Sophie, you need to learn to let go." Vianne Kane advised with grave earnestness. "What good is a man who doesn’t love you, no matter how well he treats you? You’re not in his heart, so in the end, you’ll be the one in pain. The deeper you fall, the more it will hurt in the future. It’s better to let go early."

"No, I am in his heart."

Sophie no longer shied away from this topic that she herself was sensitive and hesitant about. She looked directly at Vianne Kane’s swollen face and said very seriously, word by word, "Alaric Blackwood used to secretly take pictures of me when we were students. He has hundreds of my photos in his album."

"Maybe he did have a thing for you. Maybe he really did have a secret crush on you back then. But I must hold some weight in his heart, too. Otherwise, why would he take my pictures, insist on developing them himself, and save every single one? I believe he has feelings for me. If he didn’t feel anything at all, why propose? He’s a rich young master. He could have any woman he wants. Why me?"

Listening to her analysis, point by point, Vianne Kane’s expression turned ugly. "That’s all in your head. You’re just being presumptuous."

"No, he has feelings for me. I can feel it. He must like me. The look in a person’s eyes when they like someone doesn’t lie."

Vianne Kane shook her head. "That’s not it. He can’t possibly like you. If he liked you, why would he help me? Why would he look out for me? He even gave me the evidence of Damian Morgan’s cheating and advised me to divorce him."

Sophie Shaw hesitated for a moment before replying uncertainly, "Maybe he realized that I was the one who wanted you to divorce Damian Morgan, so he was helping me accomplish what I wanted."

"Could you be any more ridiculous?"

"Back then, Damian Morgan dumped you and chose me. You must have hated my guts. How could you possibly have sincerely wanted to help me get away from that scumbag? You were just bitter and wanted to break us up. You can’t stand to see me happy. You’re jealous of me."

Vianne Kane’s tone grew more frantic as she spoke. "You’ve been jealous of me since we were kids! Jealous that I was the rich young lady, jealous that I was prettier than you, jealous that my family treated me like a little princess! That’s why when Damian Morgan didn’t want you and married me instead, you must have hated me so much."

"I didn’t hate you that much. At least, not so much that I would be too stingy to warn you, even knowing you were being deceived by a scumbag."

"Bullshit!"

Vianne Kane was so angry she started cursing. "Don’t put yourself on such a high pedestal! Everyone is selfish, and besides, I was never good to you. I never even truly saw you as my sister. You definitely dislike me. What reason would you have to help me?"

"I do dislike you. You’re not wrong about that."

"Then isn’t what you just said a contradiction?"

"If you think it’s a contradiction, then so be it. The fact is, we don’t have a good relationship. Think whatever you want."

But Vianne Kane just couldn’t figure it out. "Don’t tell me you’re just putting on a tolerant, saintly act in front of Alaric Blackwood to win his affection, are you?"

Sophie Shaw gave a bitter smile. "Say whatever you want. My marriage to Alaric Blackwood is protected by law, and we’ve already consummated it. I won’t give up on this marriage easily. If you keep pestering him, you’ll be nothing but a homewrecker."

"Sophie, you—"

"What about me? Did I say something wrong?"

"Since you’re making yourself out to be so kind, then give him to me!"

"Alaric Blackwood is a person, not an object. He can’t be passed back and forth between us."

"What if I insist on having him?"

"Then you’d be a homewrecker. It’s not like you’ve only been shameless for a day or two."

Vianne Kane was speechless. Her cheeks, already swollen, now flushed crimson with humiliation.

Outside the hospital room, Alaric Blackwood heard their entire conversation clearly.

Seeing that both of them had suddenly fallen silent—one lying in bed with a look of defiant indifference, the other sitting by the bed, fuming and red-faced—Alaric Blackwood pushed the door open, breaking the silence.

"Honey, I’m back."

He walked straight to the hospital bed and leaned down to plant a kiss on Sophie Shaw’s forehead.

The sight made Vianne Kane’s heart ache with jealousy.

’The position of Mrs. Blackwood could have been hers. It was she who didn’t listen to her grandfather and was blinded by Damian Morgan’s supposed ’goodness’.’

Her nose tingled, and tears welled in her eyes. "Alaric."

The man glanced at her, his expression dismissive. "Since you’re already at the hospital, it’s quite convenient to see the psychiatry department. Want me to have my assistant book an appointment for you?"

Vianne Kane was a bit taken aback. She didn’t understand. With both Damian Morgan and Conor Sullivan caught, why was Alaric Blackwood’s attitude toward her so cold? She already knew the whole truth, knew that he admired her. There was no need for him to hide it anymore.

"Alaric, you..."

"I wonder if a psychiatrist can cure your princess syndrome."

The man cut her off, muttering the taunt to himself.

She froze, and in the next second, tears streamed from her eyes.

’Maybe he’s angry that I didn’t respect myself, that I insisted on choosing that scumbag Damian Morgan, and that I was even defiled by Conor Sullivan. Maybe he despises me deep down and doesn’t want to accept me, so he’s just playing dumb.’

She felt wronged. Wiping away her tears, she grabbed the crutch beside the bed and stood up.

"Fine, I’ll go. I won’t disturb you two lovebirds anymore."

She limped out, leaning on her crutch.

When she reached the door, before she could pull it open, Alaric Blackwood’s voice came from behind her. "Vianne Kane."

Her heart leaped with joy. She stopped immediately and turned back. "Alaric, what is it?"

"My dad kicked me out. He cancelled my inheritance, and my job was taken by his illegitimate daughter. My parents are also getting a divorce. If all goes well, they’ll have the divorce certificate in a month. Right now, I have nothing."

"I also like to go clubbing and hit on women. I’ve hit on at least fifty women, if not a hundred. You’ve probably heard of my ’glorious’ exploits, right? Like having an illegitimate son abroad or something."

He looked at Vianne Kane, his deep, charming eyes holding a smile as he spoke. "I heard the conversation you just had with my wife. Can you be as tolerant of my fooling around as she is? She can turn a blind eye to my philandering. Can you?"

"Right now, my financial situation is no better than Damian Morgan’s. I’m flat broke. For the rest of my life... can you support me?"

"I’m used to the life of a rich young master. My monthly expenses are huge. I also like collecting luxury cars, playing golf... Can you satisfy all that? Or rather, can you afford to support a man like me?"