Don't Be a Tease, Mr. Blackwood

Mandy Halloway was deeply moved.

Zane Lancaster had stayed true to her for thirty years. Not three days, not three months, not three years...

"You never dated anyone else after we broke up?"

Zane Lancaster shook his head.

To him, Mandy Halloway was his one and only, his entire world.

"Did you ever regret marrying Quentin Blackwood?"

Mandy Halloway shook her head. "There’s nothing to regret. I have a beautiful daughter and a sensible son."

They were past the age for tumultuous passion. As their eyes met, their gaze was filled more with reflections on the past and hopes for the future.

"Would you consider dating me?"

Zane Lancaster wasn’t asking for much. "Just dating. If you don’t want to get married again, I won’t force you."

"Then... let’s give dating a try."

A smile appeared on Mandy Halloway’s face.

She was already fifty years old. Having a companion to support each other for the rest of their journey seemed like a wonderful choice.

...

Lunch break.

Alaric Blackwood drove to the Heart of the Ocean building.

Just as he pulled up to the building, before he had even parked, he saw Sophie Shaw coming out through the windshield.

The woman didn’t notice him and drove off alone in her Cayenne.

He was curious where she was going, so he stepped on the gas and discreetly followed the blue Cayenne ahead.

The car wound through several twists and turns before stopping in front of a private restaurant.

Sophie Shaw got out, bag in hand, and went inside.

She sat down alone at a table by the window.

He was wondering why she would come here by herself—was she meeting someone, or was it a work lunch?—when a familiar car also pulled up to the restaurant.

It was a black Bentley. He recognized the license plate at a glance as Yuri’s.

’A coincidence?’

He parked his car across the street from the restaurant and watched as Yuri parked and walked inside. He saw the man head straight for Sophie Shaw.

Yuri quickly sat down across from Sophie, and a waiter approached. The two of them, sitting face to face, began to order.

Sitting in his car, Alaric Blackwood morosely lit a cigarette.

Even though they hadn’t planned to have lunch together, the fact that she was meeting another man for a meal on her first day back at work—and hadn’t told him—left a sour taste in Alaric Blackwood’s mouth.

He wrestled with himself for a moment, then got out, slammed the car door, and strode toward the private restaurant.

Once inside, he walked directly toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, pretending to have run into Sophie Shaw by chance. "Honey?"

Sophie froze at the sound of his voice.

"How did you..."

"I came here for lunch."

Alaric Blackwood cut her off with a smile, then looked at Yuri across the table. "What a coincidence. I hope you don’t mind if I join you, Mr. Yates?"

Yuri had a sour look on his face. "Why do I see you everywhere?"

"What a thing to say, Mr. Yates. This is a restaurant, open to everyone. Of course I’m here to eat. It’s not like I came here to cause a scene."

"..."

Seeing Yuri rendered speechless, Alaric Blackwood brazenly sat down next to Sophie Shaw.

Sophie was a bit embarrassed, and afraid Alaric Blackwood would get the wrong idea, she quickly explained, "Mr. Yates and his cousin wanted to treat me to a meal before, and I agreed. But I changed my mind on the way, so I ended up owing Mr. Yates a meal."

"Today is just to treat Mr. Yates to lunch."

She clearly remembered that day. She had gotten into Yuri’s car, but shortly after they started driving, she saw Alaric Blackwood coming to bring her lunch and had resolutely decided to get out.

"So that’s how it is."

Alaric Blackwood gently put his arm around her shoulders, his eyes soft and doting. "Well, if you’re treating Mr. Yates, then treat him well. Make sure he eats and drinks his fill."

With that, he looked at the displeased Yuri across from them and asked, "Has Mr. Yates finished ordering?"

"We’ve ordered."

This was a private Chinese restaurant, and the two of them had ordered plenty of dishes, enough for three people, so Alaric Blackwood didn’t order anything else.

When the food arrived, he ate alongside Sophie Shaw. Out of politeness, he didn’t completely ignore Yuri, occasionally making small talk with him.

The entire meal was incredibly awkward for Yuri.

After they finished, Sophie Shaw got up to pay. Seizing the opportunity, he asked Alaric Blackwood, "Were you following Sophie, or were you following me?"

"Why would I follow you?"

"Then you followed Sophie here?"

"I came here to eat and just happened to run into you."

Yuri didn’t believe him but couldn’t be bothered to argue the point. He knew Alaric Blackwood was too thick-skinned to admit it. "How is Sophie’s health?"

"She’s doing great, thank you for your concern, Mr. Yates. But maybe show a little less concern in the future. It makes me unhappy."

Yuri: ...

When Sophie returned after paying the bill, the two men tactfully fell silent.

"Mr. Yates, I have to get back to work, so I’ll be going now. Please drive safely." Sophie politely bid Yuri farewell and let Alaric Blackwood wrap an arm around her shoulders and lead her out of the restaurant.

Alaric Blackwood’s car was parked across the street. He saw Sophie into her blue Cayenne, but just as he crossed back and before he could get into his own car, he noticed Sophie hadn’t driven off yet. Yuri had shamelessly taken the opportunity to approach her again.

The man leaned down, resting his arms on the driver’s side window of the Cayenne. A faint smile touched his lips as he murmured a few words in Sophie’s ear, then walked away.

Sophie’s expression wasn’t good. She sat frozen in the car, staring at Yuri’s departing back.

The black Bentley drove off, but Sophie still didn’t start her car.

Slightly puzzled, Alaric Blackwood walked back.

Stopping where Yuri had just stood, he leaned down and looked at Sophie inside the car. "What did Yuri say to you?"

"Nothing."

"You don’t look like it was nothing."

Sophie forced a smile. "It was really nothing."

She fastened her seatbelt and started the car. "I’m heading back to the office. See you tonight."

The blue Cayenne sped away.

On the way back to the office, Yuri’s words from after they left the restaurant echoed in Sophie’s ears.

"No matter the price, I won’t sell the necklace. Miss Kane’s pestering is useless. However... there is one way. I could be persuaded to take a step back and sell the necklace to Miss Kane for sixty million."

She had asked at the time, "What way?"

Yuri’s response had been beyond her expectations: "Spend a night with me."

How could he make such an unreasonable demand, knowing full well she was a married woman?

Besides, the one who wanted to buy the necklace from him was Vianne Kane, not her.

’How shameless!’

Sophie wondered if she had been blind in her student days to have idolized Yuri and even accepted Damian Morgan’s confession...

Affected by Yuri’s words, she was distracted for the rest of the afternoon at work.

When it was time to leave, she drove home.

She and Alaric Blackwood arrived one after the other. Just as she stepped inside, his car pulled into the courtyard.

She took off her coat, hung it on the rack, and went upstairs to her room to change into comfortable loungewear. As she was removing her makeup in front of the bathroom mirror, Alaric Blackwood’s figure appeared in the doorway.

The man leaned against the doorframe, watching her with a leisurely air. "What exactly did Yuri say to you?"

His mind had been in a mess all afternoon, unable to figure it out for the life of him.

"He didn’t say anything."

"Do I look that easy to fool?"

Sophie remained silent. She finished removing her makeup, washed her face with water, and casually applied some moisturizer. She intended to walk around Alaric Blackwood and leave.

But the man blocked the doorway, barring her path. "Not talking?"