Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Back to the Original Relationship
「The next morning.」
The sound of running water came from the bathroom.
Anne sat up, her hair a messy bird’s nest, and looked toward the bathroom.
Sophie Shaw walked out, expressionless.
She had already washed up, rinsed away the lingering smell of alcohol, and dried her hair.
She deftly changed back into her own clothes, casually gathered her long hair, and tied it into a simple ponytail. She was a world away from the weeping, drunk woman of the previous night, acting as if nothing had ever happened.
’Something’s wrong.’
’Very wrong.’
"Since you’re awake, get up."
Anne rubbed her eyes, picked up her phone, and glanced at the time. It was just six o’clock.
"This early?"
The sky outside was still dark.
"It’s not early. Don’t you have to go home and make breakfast?"
"I do."
Anne climbed out of bed and stretched languidly.
Having showered before bed last night, she quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face, changed her clothes, and followed Sophie downstairs to check out.
Sophie didn’t say a single word the entire time, her silence abnormally heavy.
Anne could sense something was off about her friend’s aura and couldn’t resist asking, "What exactly happened last night?"
"Nothing happened."
"But last night you were..."
"It’s on my way. I’ll drop you off at The Metropolis first."
Sophie cut her best friend off and focused on driving.
Anne could only suppress her questions and not disturb the driver. She knew Sophie was someone who couldn’t multitask.
When the car arrived at The Metropolis, she got out and watched Sophie drive away.
Back at Nina Halloway’s place, she rushed into the kitchen, took ingredients out of the fridge, and started preparing breakfast.
However, once breakfast was ready, she knocked on Nina Halloway’s and Ethan Austin’s doors, but no one answered.
It was understandable that Nina Halloway couldn’t get up in the morning; during her vacation, Holly slept in every day. But Ethan Austin shouldn’t still be asleep.
She knocked on Ethan’s door again. Still no answer. So, she pushed the door open.
The room was empty, the covers on the bed spread perfectly smooth...
Anne froze for a moment, then a wave of panic washed over her.
Without a second thought, she rushed to Nina Halloway’s room, barging right in without knocking.
Seeing the cold, empty bedroom and the vacant bed, she inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
’That scared me to death.’
She had been afraid that with her gone for the night, Nina Halloway and her brother had let things get out of hand and slept together.
Just as she was walking toward the living room, wondering where the two of them had gone, and pulling her phone from her pocket to call Ethan, a BEEP sounded from the entryway.
She stood at the corner of the hallway and looked up at the entryway. The door opened, and two figures tiptoed in, looking around furtively.
Who else could it be but the ’God of Wealth’ and her personal bodyguard.
Anne put her phone back in her pocket, crossed her arms, and strode toward the tiptoeing pair.
Caught red-handed sneaking back in after an all-nighter, Nina Halloway jumped in fright, looking as if she had a guilty conscience. She immediately ducked behind Ethan Austin. Before Anne could even ask what they’d been up to or why they were just now returning, Nina poked Ethan’s thick, sturdy arm and sold him out without a shred of hesitation. "It was him. He’s the one who took me out."
Ethan Austin: "..."
—
Sophie didn’t return to Maplewood Estate. Instead, she went straight to the office.
She was the first to arrive. She went into the break room to brew herself a cup of coffee, then carried it to her office.
She turned on her computer, sat down in front of it, and rummaged through her desk drawer for a USB drive. Without hesitation, she plugged it into the computer and found the marriage of convenience agreement she had signed with Alaric Blackwood.
She printed out two new copies, signed her name on the last page of each, placed them in a file folder, and temporarily stored it in her drawer.
As the start of the workday approached, employees began to arrive one after another.
Sophie cleared all the chaotic thoughts from her mind and forced herself into work mode.
She held meetings and handled her work as usual. At one point, Hannah Sutton knocked and came in to inform her that the lawyer they had interviewed previously had started today.
"He’s an intern," Hannah Sutton said.
Sophie’s hand, holding a pen, froze for a moment. She looked up, puzzled. "An intern?"
"A fourth-year university student. He hasn’t graduated yet."
"..."
’Is it this hard for a small company to hire a reliable legal consultant?’
"Were there no other lawyers who applied?"
"None."
Sophie sighed. "Fine."
After finishing her morning work, Sophie messaged Lawson during her lunch break, saying she wanted to come home for lunch.
Lawson replied: [Of course, Ma’am.]
Shoving her phone into her bag, Sophie opened the drawer in front of her, took the marriage of convenience agreement, got up, and left the office, driving back to Maplewood Estate.
Alaric Blackwood had been awake for a while.
After breakfast, he had been sulking in his study.
The man sat on a leather sofa with an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. He toyed with a lighter, his alluring eyes dark and cold, staring fixedly at the gift box and phone on the coffee table.
At nine o’clock, he had received a message from an unknown number containing several photos.
The photos showed Sophie Shaw and Yuri in hot spring hotel bathrobes, drinking together at a bar. There were also pictures of the two of them in an elevator, and another of Yuri carrying Sophie out of the elevator and into a suite.
Their behavior looked overly intimate.
He frowned, and with a CLICK, lit the cigarette with his lighter.
A knock sounded at the door, and Lawson’s voice came from the other side. "Sir, lunch is ready. And Ma’am has just returned."
"Have her come here."
"Very well."
A moment later, Sophie pushed the door open and entered.
She didn’t knock politely as she usually did. Instead, she strode up to him and threw the file folder in her hand onto the coffee table in front of him.
"Sign it."
Her expression was cold, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.
With the cigarette still between his lips, he picked up the folder from the table, took out the agreement inside, and saw it was the marriage of convenience agreement he and Sophie had signed before getting their marriage license.
"What is this?"
He raised an eyebrow at her, completely baffled.
’I just received photos of her being intimate with another man, and I haven’t even had the chance to question her about where she was last night or who she was with. And now *she’s* the one slapping an agreement in front of me?’
"I believe we should return to our original contractual relationship."
"Hah."
Alaric Blackwood stared at her, his gaze unwavering. Right in front of her, he tore the two copies of the agreement to shreds, one page at a time, and tossed them into the trash can.
"I told you, there is no more agreement."
Sophie ignored him. She walked over to the desk, accessed the computer, plugged in her USB drive, and printed out two more copies of the agreement.
Seeing her pick up the pen on the desk and start to sign the last page of the agreement, Alaric Blackwood’s brow furrowed deeply.
He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, rose to his feet, walked over to the woman, and without a word, snatched the pen from her hand.
He grabbed her by the chin, forcing her face up to look at him.
"Where were you last night?"
Sophie didn’t speak. She shook off his hand, snatched the pen back, and continued to sign.
She pushed the signed agreements in front of him and slapped the pen down as well. "I hope you’ll cooperate, Mr. Blackwood, and sign quickly."
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