Chapter 196: The Paranoid Woman

Chapter 196: Chapter 196: The Paranoid Woman

Sophie Shaw got home from work.

A steaming hot dinner was already on the table. Alaric Blackwood was sitting there, waiting for her.

She hung her coat on the rack, changed into her slippers, and walked toward the dining room.

She sat down next to Alaric, and he took her hands. He pulled out a wet wipe and carefully cleaned them for her.

"Was work tiring today?"

She shook her head.

"Isn’t my grandma’s birthday coming up? Let’s find some time to go to the mall tomorrow. I want to buy her a gift."

"Okay."

They had just finished eating, but before they could get up,

a phone rang.

It was Alaric Blackwood’s phone. The caller was Evan Ford.

He answered it.

"Alaric, you need to come over."

"What is it?"

"Something big."

...

「Half an hour later」

Alaric Blackwood drove to The Nocturne Club.

Evan Ford and Jaden had already been waiting for him in the private room for a while.

On the coffee table, aside from drinks, snacks, and a fruit platter, was a small gadget sealed in a clear plastic bag. It was only about the size of a thumbnail.

Evan Ford jutted his chin toward the small gadget. "Found it in your car. Had a professional look at it. It’s a new type of tracking and listening device."

Alaric Blackwood walked over, picked up the clear bag, and stared thoughtfully at the black device inside.

"How did you find it?"

Evan Ford cleared his throat. "Your car... got into a little accident. When it was sent in for repairs, the mechanic found it."

"Did you contact Officer Young?"

"I did. They tested it. No fingerprints."

The tracking and listening device was now disabled, but Alaric Blackwood had no idea when it had been planted in his car.

He sat on the sofa, tossed the clear bag onto the coffee table, and furrowed his brow, his gaze lowered in thought.

It hadn’t been that long since his Maybach was totaled after being ambushed by a group of buzz-cut thugs on the road, and he had started driving this imported red supercar.

’Who planted this bug, and when?’

He closed his eyes, sorting through his thoughts, rewinding the timeline in his mind...

Finally, he remembered something.

Besides the people close to him, one other person had touched this car.

Lydia Wynn.

He had once tossed the car keys to Lydia Wynn and told her to get the car washed.

Seeing him open his eyes and shake his head with a sigh of resignation, Evan Ford pressed, "Have a lead?"

"Yeah."

"Who do you suspect?"

"Lydia Wynn."

"Are you sure?"

"It has to be her."

But without evidence, there was nothing they could do to Lydia Wynn.

Jaden threw back a glass of liquor and said nonchalantly, "Since you suspect her, let’s call her over. We can try to bluff her and see how she reacts."

"That’s not necessary."

He had already spoken to Quentin Blackwood and explicitly requested that he transfer Lydia Wynn to another position.

"What do you mean, not necessary?"

Jaden was unconvinced. "You only suspect her. What if it wasn’t her?"

"It’s definitely her."

"Then let’s call her over. If it’s inconvenient for you, I’ll do it."

Jaden walked up to him, fished the phone out of his pocket, found Lydia Wynn’s number, and dialed.

"Assistant Wynn, Alaric has had too much to drink. Come to The Nocturne and take him home."

After giving her the room number, Jaden didn’t say another word and hung up.

He stuffed the phone back into Alaric Blackwood’s coat pocket, and while he was at it, he slipped the listening device from the coffee table in there as well. A smirk played on his lips as he looked at Alaric. "You know how to act drunk, right?"

Alaric Blackwood said, "Are you that bored?"

"Haven’t you always suspected she has a thing for you? Take this chance to pretend you’re drunk and test her."

As he spoke, Jaden poured a drink and handed it to him. "Have a few glasses. Get some alcohol on your breath."

"..."

Alaric Blackwood thought it was a terrible idea.

An hour passed before Lydia Wynn arrived at the private room.

She looked completely different from her usual self at work. She had clearly dressed up, wearing makeup and clothes that were a stark contrast to her typical business suits. Her outfit was flashy—a dress paired with a vibrant red coat, complemented by bright makeup and fiery red lips.

She walked up to Alaric Blackwood and bent over to help him up.

Evan Ford knew his friend disliked being touched by outsiders, so he acted first. Before Lydia Wynn could touch Alaric, he stood up and helped Alaric to his feet.

"Jaden, give me a hand."

With one on each side, they draped Alaric’s arms over their shoulders and supported him out of the room.

Lydia Wynn could only follow behind.

Outside the club, Alaric Blackwood was placed in the back seat of the car. Evan Ford handed the keys to Lydia Wynn. "Assistant Wynn, please take Alaric back to Maplewood Estate."

"Of course. Consider it done."

Lydia Wynn took the keys and sat in the driver’s seat, feigning a serious demeanor.

Not long after she started driving, she began observing Alaric Blackwood in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

The man was leaning back with his eyes closed, appearing to be heavily intoxicated.

At an intersection, she suddenly yanked the steering wheel, veering off the route to Maplewood Estate. She drove out of the city and headed toward a remote, deserted area.

The night was deep and quiet.

The car finally stopped on a small road in the suburbs. There were no surveillance cameras and no passing vehicles. It was a secluded spot, safe from interruption.

Lydia Wynn got out, opened the back door, and climbed inside.

She took off her red coat and tossed it on the seat. Gazing at Alaric Blackwood’s handsome face, she eagerly lifted her leg and straddled his lap.

She leaned forward, pressing herself into his embrace. Her cheek rested against his chest, her breathing growing more and more rapid.

"Alaric, I like you so much."

"I’ve waited for this day for so long..."

Her hand moved to his waist, reaching for his belt buckle.

"Give yourself to me. I’ll make you feel so good."

CLICK.

Just as she unfastened the buckle and was about to undo his belt, Alaric Blackwood opened his eyes.

"Don’t touch me."

Alaric Blackwood narrowed his intoxicating, almond-shaped eyes, deliberately affecting a tipsy demeanor.

Lydia Wynn’s red lips curved into a smile, her voice softer and more flirtatious than usual. "Alaric, don’t play coy."

The smell of alcohol on him was strong. He seemed too drunk to even have the strength to push her away, only able to talk. She refused to believe she couldn’t handle him.

She unbuckled the belt and started pulling off his black coat, completely unaware that the phone in its pocket had been recording ever since she veered off course.

The black coat was stripped off and tossed aside.

Frantic and feverish, she quickly stripped herself naked. She knelt before Alaric Blackwood, so excited that her hands trembled as she fumbled with his pants.

"Does Assistant Wynn like me that much?"

Alaric Blackwood grabbed her hand. "Enough to throw yourself at me?"

The woman tilted her head up, her eyes glistening with moisture, her red lips trembling as she spoke. "I’ve liked you for a long time. I know you have feelings for me, otherwise you wouldn’t have helped me back then."

"I helped you?"

"You were the one who had Director Blackwood sponsor me, weren’t you?"

Alaric Blackwood shook his head with a laugh.

The truth was, after Lydia Wynn’s story was widely reported by the media, Quentin Blackwood had approached him one morning and asked about her.

He and Lydia Wynn went to the same school and were in the same class, so he just told the truth: Lydia Wynn’s grades were excellent.

After that, Quentin Blackwood began sponsoring Lydia Wynn.

"It was you. It must have been you who told Director Blackwood to sponsor me. You were watching me back in school. You like me, and you wanted to help me."

Lydia Wynn said, her tone obsessive.