"An acquisition."

"..."

If she had the funds to acquire Heart of the Ocean outright, she wouldn’t be here asking a lawyer for help.

"Is there no other way?"

Jaden tapped his fingers on the desk a few times. "If you can prove that the money Damian Morgan used to start the company was yours, you might still have a chance."

"That’ll be difficult."

Damian Morgan is extremely cunning. He planned every step from the very beginning and left no paper trail regarding the money.

"In that case, I’m afraid I can’t help you, Miss Shaw."

Jaden glanced at his watch. "I’m sorry, but I have another appointment."

The man was showing them the door. Knowing a lawyer’s time was valuable, Sophie Shaw took the hint and got up to leave, pulling Anne with her.

The moment they stepped out the door, Alaric Blackwood emerged from the adjacent break room.

Jaden shot him a look, unable to hold back a laugh. "Your wife... doesn’t seem all that bright."

"She needs to learn the hard way."

"You’re not going to help her?"

Alaric Blackwood settled onto the sofa, a lazy look on his face as he lit a cigarette. "Do I look like a simp to you?"

"I’m a little curious. Someone as free-spirited as you... why’d you agree to the marriage your family arranged?"

"My mom chased me all the way to Unisia and threw the ultimate tantrum—crying, screaming, the whole ’I’ll kill myself’ routine—to make me come home and get married."

Besides his mom, Mandy Halloway, there was also Mrs. Ford. The two of them ganged up on him, laying on the pressure.

He’d always known he was engaged since childhood. He’d even kept a close eye on Sophie Shaw, finding himself quite interested in her. By observing from the shadows, he’d gotten to know her reasonably well.

But he never expected that once Sophie Shaw got to college, she would start dating someone.

She seemed to place little to no importance on their engagement, jumping into a relationship just like that...

Even though he and Sophie Shaw had nothing between them at the time, he still felt, for some strange reason, like he’d been cheated on.

In a fit of rage, he stopped keeping tabs on her and just left the country.

He hadn’t planned on ever coming back. His goal was to finish his graduate studies and build a career abroad. But then Mandy Halloway and Mrs. Ford raised hell.

The two women drove him so crazy that he finally caved and came back.

Mandy Halloway told him Damian Morgan was a scumbag, so he had him investigated. Turns out, he was!

"My poor future daughter-in-law, getting played by that scumbag... my heart just breaks for her." Mandy Halloway was constantly repeating this in his ear.

It gave him a massive headache.

"KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!"

Three rhythmic knocks at the door interrupted their conversation.

Jaden called out, "Come in."

The secretary pushed the door open and peeked inside. "Boss, The great star, Halloway, is here."

Jaden’s head instantly started to throb. Without a word, he grabbed his jacket and made to escape through the window.

Watching him beat a hasty retreat, Alaric Blackwood teased drily, "Lucky for you the office is on the first floor. If this were the tenth, that fall would kill you."

Jaden glared at him. "Don’t be a smartass."

"You can run, but you can’t hide forever."

"Just say I went to see a client."

Alaric Blackwood took a deep drag from his cigarette, his expression darkening. "Get lost."

And with that, Jaden tumbled out the window.

Nina Halloway strode in on four-inch heels, her hips swaying, only to find Alaric Blackwood smoking alone on the sofa.

"Where is he?"

"Not here. Went to see a client."

Nina Halloway stomped her foot in frustration. "That bastard! He ran off again."

"What do you need him for?"

"It’s been so long. I told him before I came back, and he promised to pick me up from the airport, but he stood me up..."

Nina Halloway launched into a complaint, the words tumbling out of her.

Alaric Blackwood pinched the bridge of his nose. "Has it ever occurred to you that when a man stands you up, it might be because he’s cheating?"

His words made Nina Halloway freeze.

She’d never considered that possibility.

"Jaden’s cheating?"

Alaric Blackwood looked conflicted for a moment before cracking a smile. "I’m just saying, it’s a possibility."

"Jaden’s so busy with work. I doubt it’s what you’re suggesting. He barely has any opportunity to meet other women."

"..."

’Naive!’

’She’s twenty-eight, pushing thirty, but she’s still living in some kind of fairytale.’

Alaric Blackwood considered blowing Jaden’s cover right then and there, but after some thought, he bit his tongue.

Nina Halloway sat down next to him and dialed Jaden’s number.

For a long while, there was no answer.

"Where did Jaden go to see this client?"

Alaric Blackwood couldn’t answer. "Come on, let’s go home."

"I want to see Jaden."

"What for?"

The question stumped Nina Halloway. Her mind blanked for a second before she shot back, "Do I really need to invent a reason to see my own fiancé?"

"He’s busy."

Nina Halloway fell silent, her eyes cast downward as she tried calling Jaden again.

When he didn’t answer, she immediately messaged him.

The "... is typing" indicator appeared at the top of the chat window, proving Jaden had seen her message. But after several minutes, he’d just left her on read.

Nina Halloway’s heart dropped. Thinking back to what Alaric Blackwood had just said, a wave of panic washed over her.

"Alaric, Jaden... he isn’t really cheating, is he?"

"Tell me where he is. I need to find him and get a straight answer."

...

「The coffee shop across from the law firm.」

Sophie Shaw had just taken a bite of her pastry when Anne nudged her shoulder. "Sophie, look over there."

She looked up and, through the coffee shop’s floor-to-ceiling windows, saw Alaric Blackwood with a woman wearing a hat and a mask.

They were standing close beside a black Maybach. Alaric Blackwood had an arm around the woman’s shoulders, his lips moving, though she couldn’t tell what he was saying.

It looked like he was trying to console her.

"Tch! It’s my boss!" Anne recognized Nina Halloway immediately.

She gave Sophie Shaw an awkward glance. "Looks like there really is something going on between them."

Sophie Shaw’s expression was nonchalant. "Let them. It has nothing to do with me."

Anne was indignant. "My boss is such a player. First the father, now the son. For someone so famous, she’s surprisingly bold, flirting with a man in broad daylight on the street."

The more she said, the angrier she became. Worried for her own job, she clutched her chest. "If someone snaps a photo and this makes headlines again, she’ll be drowned by public opinion."

Sophie Shaw ate her pastry in silence. She claimed not to care, but her eyes kept drifting toward the window.

From her angle, it looked like Alaric Blackwood had the starlet pinned against the car door. They were so close, it looked like they were kissing.

A moment later, the man was pulling the woman’s arm, trying to drag her into the car.

The starlet fought back, only to be unceremoniously thrown over his shoulder.

They looked just like a couple having a lover’s quarrel.

His brow furrowed, the man yanked open the car door and shoved the woman inside.

Sophie then saw Alaric Blackwood slam the car door, stride to the driver’s side, get in, and speed off. Every move was sharp and decisive. He seemed... to be in a real hurry.

Sophie Shaw withdrew her gaze, her expression unchanging. "Anne, can I crash at your place tonight?"

She had planned to go back to the Kane Family home that afternoon to pack her bags and move straight into Maplewood Estate.

But from the looks of it, Alaric Blackwood was almost certainly taking the starlet home with him. Sophie had no desire to be a third wheel, so she’d have to put off moving for another day.

Anne, who had also witnessed the "couple’s" roadside struggle, couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Sophie. "Of course. You can stay at my place for as long as you need."

"But Sophie, are you sure you want to go through with this with Alaric Blackwood?"

"I’m sure."

’We’ve already gotten the marriage license. It’s too late for regrets...’