Chapter 246: The Irreconcilable Hatred of a Stolen Wife

Chapter 246: Chapter 246: The Irreconcilable Hatred of a Stolen Wife

"Director Blackwood, you’re still far too pleased with yourself. You’ve already burned all your bridges with your own two hands."

’Having an illegitimate daughter is one thing, but to actually announce it to the world...’

Alaric Blackwood’s words made Quentin Blackwood’s heart sink. Before he could say anything else, the call was disconnected.

He sighed and hurried back to his office. Lydia Wynn followed him in and said brazenly, "I have the same inheritance rights as your son and daughter. I want the same number of Blackwood Group shares they have."

A headache began to throb in Quentin Blackwood’s temples. "Don’t be so greedy."

"I’m just trying to secure my future."

Lydia Wynn wasn’t stupid. During today’s press conference, she could tell Quentin Blackwood was just putting on a show. His actions seemed deliberately designed to provoke his wife and children, and that phone call was proof.

"We’re all your children. Why did they get to live like a prince and princess since birth while I was stuck in an orphanage? I want to be treated equally! As a father, this is what you owe me!"

"You already have a car and a house in your name, and you’re now the company’s CEO. Your monthly salary is what most people make in a year. Don’t push your luck."

"Me, pushing my luck? The demands I made are what I deserve! The press conference was a success, and everyone knows I’m the daughter you found. If you treat me differently, I’ll go to the press and expose your affair—how you forced a woman to have your child, then abandoned both your mistress and your baby, letting your lover die of illness and leaving your child in an orphanage."

Quentin Blackwood gritted his teeth. "You’re going too far."

"Then do as I say. Give me the compensation I’m owed."

Lydia Wynn screamed at him hysterically, making his head throb painfully.

Meanwhile, after his call with Quentin Blackwood, Alaric Blackwood waited in Sophie Shaw’s office. Utterly bored, he ended up starting a conversation on WhatsApp with Chairman Lancaster, the head of the Blackwood Group’s rival company.

Chairman Lancaster’s Reid Group had been suppressed by the Blackwood Group for years, losing its former glory. Overshadowed in every aspect, it was perennially stuck in the number two spot.

Chairman Lancaster and Quentin Blackwood were arch-nemeses who had been fighting for the better part of their lives. Not only did they scheme against each other in the business world, but they had also clashed fiercely over matters of the heart.

Alaric Blackwood had once had an in-depth conversation with Chairman Lancaster at a business summit. It was a private chat, of course; the two had happened to sit at the same table and started talking.

The name "Reid Group" came from "Ethan Reid," the name Chairman Lancaster had intended to give his son. However, he had never married and was still single. He had not only lost to Quentin Blackwood in business but had also been unlucky in love.

Alaric Blackwood knew that Chairman Lancaster had been one of Mandy Halloway’s suitors, but she had ultimately chosen Quentin Blackwood, spurning the chairman.

To outsiders, Quentin Blackwood now seemed to have a perfect career and marriage. In contrast, Chairman Lancaster’s life seemed rather tragic. He had failed to surpass his rival in business and, now approaching sixty, was still all alone.

To him, the Reid Group was his son.

Alaric Blackwood didn’t think he could easily persuade Chairman Lancaster—after all, he was his arch-nemesis’s son. Nevertheless, when he asked for a meeting, the chairman agreed.

The two arranged to meet at a Western restaurant for lunch the next day.

Alaric Blackwood was so engrossed in the chat that he didn’t notice when Sophie Shaw came in.

She stood behind the sofa, leaning over its back to peek at his phone screen over his shoulder. Curiously, she read the contact name aloud, "’Hatred for a Stolen Wife, Irreconcilable Under Heaven’? Who’s that?"

Alaric Blackwood looked up and smiled at her. "You don’t know him."

"That’s an interesting WhatsApp name."

"He’s an old man, nearly sixty. Someone stole his sweetheart when he was young."

"Who is he?"

Alaric Blackwood put down his phone, turned to Sophie Shaw, and said with a wry smile, "My mom’s first love, from back when she was in school."

Sophie was taken aback. "Mom’s first love?"

"Why so surprised?"

"A little."

"Everyone has a past. It’s normal."

Sophie Shaw rested her chin on his shoulder. "What about you? Do you have a past?"

"I do."

"Your childhood sweetheart?"

Alaric Blackwood paused, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. "Childhood sweetheart? Who are you referring to?"

Sophie Shaw hesitated. Just as she was about to mention Vianne Kane’s name, Alaric Blackwood’s phone rang. The caller ID showed Officer Young.

The man reached out to gently pinch her cheek before picking up his phone to answer the call.

"Vianne Kane is missing."

Sophie Shaw was still leaning on Alaric Blackwood’s shoulder and clearly heard Officer Young’s voice from the other end of the line.

She looked at Alaric Blackwood and saw his brows furrow deeply the moment he heard Vianne Kane was missing. An inexplicable feeling of unease washed over her.

She instinctively pulled away from Alaric Blackwood, straightened up, and walked over to her desk. She sat down in her executive chair, opened her laptop, and pretended to be busy, but she couldn’t stop herself from stealing glances toward the sofa out of the corner of her eye.

"How did she go missing?"

Officer Young replied, "The Kane family’s butler reported it. He said she gathered a large group of bodyguards early this morning and went out with them, but only the bodyguards returned. They said Vianne Kane deliberately gave them the slip, as if she was going to meet someone. Afterward, her phone was turned off, and no one knows where she went."

"Have you checked her call records?"

"We’re looking into it now."

"It’s highly likely Conor Sullivan contacted her and asked her to meet."

Vianne Kane was a public figure, and Conor Sullivan had a compromising video of her. It was very likely she had been threatened and had no choice but to ditch her bodyguards and go to the meeting alone.

Officer Young thought so too, but it hadn’t been confirmed yet.

"There’s one more thing," Officer Young said, changing the subject. "Based on the information Jaden provided, we found Sean Wright’s body on the mountain."

It wasn’t far from where Jaden had been buried.

"What your sister told the police about her kidnapping was all true. Sean Wright’s body had twenty stab wounds, with the one on his neck being the most fatal. The cause of death was excessive blood loss."

Alaric Blackwood’s expression grew grim. "Are there any clues at the disposal site?"

"No. If Jaden could recover his memory, it would be a huge help to the investigation. I’m on my way to the hospital now. I want to meet with Jaden’s attending physician again and see if there’s any way to help him regain his memory."

Alaric Blackwood grunted in agreement. "Alright, I’ll see you at the hospital."

After ending the call, Alaric Blackwood stood up and walked over to Sophie Shaw.

She immediately grabbed the mouse on her desk, clicked on the screen, and randomly opened a report, pretending to study it intently.

Alaric Blackwood came over, leaned down, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I have to go to the hospital. I’ll come pick you up later. Don’t go wandering off by yourself."

"You just mentioned a body disposal site? Is Vianne Kane... dead?" Sophie Shaw asked, feigning composure.

"Not her. The police found the wireman’s body, not far from where Jaden was buried."

Hearing that it wasn’t Vianne Kane’s body, Sophie Shaw let out a small sigh of relief.

She didn’t try to stop Alaric Blackwood, letting him go.

On the drive to the hospital, Alaric Blackwood made a call to one of his subordinates. "Has Damian Morgan made any moves in the last few days?"