Chapter 281: The Board Is Set
"Are you still feeling unwell?"
Sophie Shaw stood before the sofa, letting him hold her.
She ran her fingers through his hair, her fine brows furrowed. "What tests did you have done today?" she asked, still worried. "Should I take you to the hospital tomorrow for a full check-up?"
"No need. I’m just a little tired."
"Alaric Blackwood, if you’re really not feeling well, don’t just tough it out."
"Mm."
He nuzzled against her, looking completely dependent on her.
Lawson finished preparing dinner and saw the young couple being all clingy on the sofa. She felt a little awkward about interrupting them.
"Um... Ma’am, dinner is ready."
Hearing her voice, Sophie Shaw turned and smiled at her. "Got it."
Sophie nudged Alaric Blackwood’s shoulder a couple of times. "Let’s eat. I’m starving."
As if on cue, her stomach let out a loud GRUMBLE.
Knowing she was truly hungry, Alaric Blackwood stopped clinging to her and let her pull him toward the dining room.
After dinner, Sophie helped him upstairs, stayed with him while he washed up, and coaxed him to sleep.
’This feels amazing,’ he thought. Even in his sleep, the corners of his mouth were turned up in a faint smile.
...
「That night.」
Lydia Wynn brazenly drove to The Metropolis and rang the doorbell at Nina Halloway’s home.
The person who opened the door was Ethan Austin.
Seeing her, Ethan blocked her with his body and asked warily, "What is it?"
"Is Nina here? I need to see her about something."
"She doesn’t want to see you."
As Ethan started to close the door, Lydia Wynn said urgently, "Director Blackwood is in the hospital. His condition is quite critical."
Hearing this, Ethan’s hand froze on the door.
He turned his head and looked at Nina Halloway on the living room sofa.
She had heard what Lydia said.
Her heart sank. She immediately jumped up from the sofa and ran to the entryway in her bare feet, not even bothering with her slippers.
"What did you say?"
"Dad’s in the hospital. He wants to see you."
"Is it serious?"
In order to trick Nina Halloway into going to the hospital, Lydia had to lie. "It’s fairly serious. You’d better come with me right now. If we’re too late, it might be..."
Before she could finish, Nina was already frantically putting on her coat and shoes.
Seeing this, Ethan quickly grabbed his own coat from the rack, put it on, and went out with Nina Halloway.
Two cars, one following the other, drove into the hospital parking garage. Following Lydia Wynn all the way to the hospital room, Nina Halloway was still lost in anxiety and unease over her father’s critical condition.
She walked into the room with red-rimmed eyes. When she saw Quentin Blackwood lying in the hospital bed, tears immediately started to fall.
She had always been closer to her father since she was little. With him seemingly at death’s door, how could she still be angry at him? She rushed to the bedside and grabbed Quentin Blackwood’s hand.
Quentin Blackwood was a light sleeper to begin with, and he had been suffering from insomnia recently. He woke up the moment his hand was grabbed.
When he saw it was Nina Halloway, he couldn’t hide his excitement.
"Nina!"
"Dad, are you okay? What did the doctor say? How serious is it?"
Hearing this, Quentin Blackwood froze for a second, his gaze instinctively shifting to Lydia Wynn.
Lydia blinked at him twice, signaling for him to play along. He coughed awkwardly, feigning illness, and said to Nina, "It’s not serious. Don’t listen to Claire. It’s just the same old problem. I’ll be out in a few days."
Nina Halloway thought he was just trying to comfort her, and her tears continued to stream down her face.
When she cried, Quentin Blackwood started to break down too, his own tears welling up.
"Nina, can you forgive your father?"
"Let’s not talk about that right now. What did the doctor say?"
Quentin Blackwood decided to just keep up the act. "This time it’s a bit more serious than before."
Nina Halloway sobbed by his bedside. He stroked her hair and comforted her, "It’s okay. Everyone has to die someday. Dad’s only afraid that you and Alaric won’t be by my side when it happens."
The more he said this, the more heartbrokenly Nina cried.
That night, she stayed in the hospital room to watch over Quentin Blackwood.
After Lydia Wynn left, only Ethan Austin remained, keeping watch in the hallway outside the room.
「Early the next day.」
When the doctor came for rounds, Ethan Austin raised an arm to stop him and asked about Quentin Blackwood’s condition. He learned from the doctor that Quentin’s problem wasn’t major, his condition wasn’t serious, and he could be discharged in a couple of days.
He immediately realized that Lydia Wynn had tricked Nina Halloway into coming last night and that she was putting on an act with Quentin Blackwood.
He looked through the glass on the room door at Nina Halloway, still asleep by the bed, and debated whether or not to tell her.
Quentin Blackwood was already awake. As a father, the look of love and doting affection in his eyes as he watched his daughter was not fake. Ethan could see that much.
It wasn’t until noon, after Nina Halloway had finished lunch with Quentin Blackwood, that he found a chance to pull her out of the hospital room.
"Your dad’s condition isn’t as serious as you think. You don’t need to stay here and watch over him."
Nina Halloway was a bit surprised. "You asked the doctor?"
"Yes, I did."
"What did he say?"
Ethan repeated the doctor’s exact words.
It slowly dawned on Nina Halloway that she had been tricked. She glanced at Quentin Blackwood inside the room and felt a surge of disappointment in him.
’He actually conspired with Lydia Wynn to deceive me.’
’I was genuinely worried about him. I thought he was seriously ill...’
「Meanwhile.」
「A Chinese restaurant.」
Alaric Blackwood and Officer Young were dining face-to-face in a private room.
After the meal, he handed the results of the tests he and his driver had undergone at the hospital yesterday to Officer Young. He had already told the officer what Lydia Wynn had done during their meal.
Officer Young took the documents and glanced at his watch. "I’ll have someone check the surveillance footage from the hospital parking garage. Use of a prohibited substance... with solid evidence, we can lock her up for a while."
Alaric Blackwood was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Don’t alert the enemy just yet. Let her think she’s safe."
Officer Young raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind, Mr. Blackwood?"
"I want to catch her in the act."
"Do you know what she’s planning to do to you?"
"I have a pretty good idea."
’She’s been lusting after me for a long time. She probably wants to force herself on me and completely ruin me.’
"Are you going to be the bait yourself?"
Alaric Blackwood nodded, his voice low and eerie. "I’ve already had Preston Chase look into her medical history. She’s been seeing a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder early on, with a history of long-term medication use. Recently, she’s shown tendencies toward depression and paranoia. The point is, she isn’t mentally stable. Even if her crimes are exposed and she’s caught, she’ll have an ace up her sleeve. She’ll plead ’not guilty by reason of insanity.’ So, I plan to oblige her and send her to a real mental hospital."
’Once she’s in a place like that, I’ll make sure she never gets out to harm anyone again.’
"Since you’ve decided to be the bait, Mr. Blackwood, and the board is already set..." Officer Young curled his lip in a thoughtful smile. "Then let the show begin."
’All I have to do is handle the cleanup, anyway.’
"Thank you for your support, Officer Young."
The officer laughed. "I support you in spirit. As a police officer, I obviously can’t participate in your plan. I’m only responsible for arresting criminals."
"Understood."
The two men shared a knowing smile. Officer Young stood up, picked up his coat, and just before leaving, he glanced back at the filthy rich Alaric Blackwood. "You’re paying. Also, a certain bank just imploded. With all the money you make from your schemes and power plays, you’d better remember to pay your taxes."
"Thank you for the reminder, Officer Young. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out."