Sophie Shaw didn’t dare look back, quickening her pace as she ran up to the second floor.

She wandered distractedly through a few rooms before choosing a spacious, south-facing bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and a small balcony.

The sky had already darkened. She stood on the balcony, letting the cool night breeze chase away some of the heat from her face.

Leaning over the railing, she looked down and could see the courtyard and the black Maybach parked within it.

A WeChat notification popped up. It was a message from Anne: [Does the contract husband feed you?]

She laughed and replied: [He feeds.]

Anne: [Good, good, good. As long as you’re not starving.]

Remembering the rumors about Anne’s employer and Alaric Blackwood, Sophie Shaw exited the WeChat chat and tapped into a news app.

The number one trending topic was news of Nina Halloway’s drunken, secret late-night hotel rendezvous with her new boyfriend. The title was even marked with an "Explosive" tag.

The photos, snapped by paparazzi, were rather blurry, but they were taken from many different angles. The background was a hotel hallway. The woman in the picture was clearly coming out of a hotel room, standing at the door face-to-face with a tall man.

She was on her tiptoes, her slender arms wrapped around the man’s neck.

Their actions were very intimate. There were several candid shots, enough to piece together a story.

First, the woman buried her face in the side of the man’s neck, as if kissing him, before pulling him into the room.

Although the photos were blurry and the lighting was dim, the two leads were identifiable. One was Nina Halloway, and the other was indeed Alaric Blackwood.

Sophie Shaw couldn’t help but think of the tall woman in hot pants she saw leaving Alaric Blackwood’s house last night.

Alaric Blackwood had called that woman "superstar." That must have been Nina Halloway.

’Their height and build look about the same.’

She scrolled through the comments under the trending topic. Some fans had exposed the time and place: it was supposedly a week ago, at the grand hotel where Nina Halloway was staying while filming in Pinewood.

"A week ago..."

Sophie Shaw’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.

’Isn’t that when the Blackwoods came to propose the marriage?’

’The timing is only off by a day or two.’

’Whatever.’

’We agreed not to interfere in each other’s private lives.’

’It’s none of my business.’

Sophie Shaw stuffed the phone back into her pocket, stretched, and leaned languidly against the railing, enjoying the night breeze.

A moment later, her phone chimed with a notification.

It was a WeChat message from Alaric Blackwood: [Dinner’s ready. Wife, please come downstairs to eat.]

"Heh."

’He calls me "wife" so easily. How smooth.’

’Such a smooth-talker.’

Sophie Shaw didn’t reply. After reading the message, she went straight downstairs.

Alaric Blackwood had prepared a sumptuous dinner: cold appetizers, hot dishes, and even two hearty main courses.

Sophie Shaw pulled out a chair and sat down, eating in silence.

In the Kane Family, she was used to the rule "don’t talk while eating or in bed." Throughout the entire meal, she didn’t make the slightest sound; even her chewing was faint.

As she put down her chopsticks and took a napkin to wipe her mouth, Alaric Blackwood broke the silence. "Have you picked a room?"

"I have."

"When are you moving in?"

"When is it convenient for you?"

Alaric Blackwood didn’t answer her question. Instead, he stood up, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her to the entryway to register her fingerprint for the lock.

"My wife can move in whenever she wants. If I’m not here, you can just let yourself in."

Once her fingerprint was registered, he handed her two keys: one for the villa’s main gate and one for the front door.

Sophie Shaw nodded and said, "Okay." Just as she was hesitating about whether to leave, Alaric Blackwood’s phone rang.

The man pulled his phone from his dress pants pocket. As he looked at the caller ID, Sophie Shaw unintentionally glanced at the screen—Superstar.

"Hello."

Alaric Blackwood answered the call right in front of her. "Coming to crash at my place again?"

It was unclear what the superstar on the other end said, but the man gave a helpless smile. "Do you need me to pick you up? All right, then. Just come over yourself."

Sophie Shaw felt a sudden wave of awkwardness.

’This man brings women home so openly, without a hint of secrecy.’

As soon as he hung up, she said immediately, "I should be going. Thank you for cooking for me."

"I’ll drive you."

"No, that’s okay. Don’t you have a guest coming over? I’ll just get a taxi back myself."

Sophie Shaw returned to the living room, picked up her bag from the sofa, and fled under Alaric Blackwood’s half-smiling gaze.

She walked to the main gate of the villa complex. Just then, a red sports car drove in, brushing past her.

The driver’s side window was down. The woman driving wore a hat and a mask, her face thoroughly covered. She glanced at Sophie Shaw in her rearview mirror, then stepped on the gas and sped straight toward Alaric Blackwood’s residence.

After parking the car, she saw Alaric Blackwood leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her. She jumped out of the car excitedly, ran up the steps, and threw her arms around her little brother.

"Guess who I just saw?"

She tilted her face up, pulled off her sunglasses, and blinked her bright, captivating eyes at him. "Your wife."

Alaric Blackwood raised a hand and pushed the hat on her head down, the brim instantly covering her palm-sized face.

"Hey—"

Nina Halloway flipped the hat off, huffing, "I’m being serious! You’ve already registered the marriage, so it’s not wrong to call her your wife, right?"

"You know I have a wife now, yet you still keep running over here. Aren’t you afraid my wife will get the wrong idea?"

"I’m your older sister. What could she possibly misunderstand?"

"What about the online rumors? Aren’t you going to clarify them?"

"Nope. My new show is about to premiere. I need the publicity right now."

"Suit yourself."

Alaric Blackwood turned and went back inside, with Nina Halloway happily tagging along behind him.

Once inside, she followed her nose to the dining room.

Seeing the lavish spread on the table, she took off her sunglasses and mask and let out a surprised "Wow!" "It’s been ages since I’ve seen you cook. Did you personally cook this to feed your wife?"

"A man has to show off his good points now and then. You came at the right time." Alaric Blackwood gestured to the food on the table. "The two of us couldn’t finish it all. The rest is up to you."

"Wait a minute..." Nina Halloway put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Usually when I ask you to cook something good for me, you have a million excuses—either you’re busy or you’re too lazy. You finally bother to cook a meal to please your wife, which is one thing, but now you actually want me to finish the leftovers? What do you think I am, a garbage disposal?"

"Fine, don’t eat it."

"I’m eating! Who said I wasn’t eating?"

Nina Halloway had no backbone whatsoever.

She had been filming for three solid months, and to maintain her on-screen appearance, she had been starving herself for three months. It was a rare occasion for her little brother to cook, so even if they were leftovers, she would grace them with her presence.

She pulled out a chair, sat down, and ordered Alaric Blackwood around. "Get me a bowl of rice. No, just half a bowl is fine."

A few minutes later, Alaric Blackwood placed a large bowl of rice in front of her.

Her eyes widened. "Are you feeding a pig?"

"You’re too thin. A stiff breeze could blow you away. Eat more."

"A stiff breeze?"

’That’s such an exaggeration!’

She glanced at Alaric Blackwood as she ate. Seeing him walk to the entryway and pick up his car keys, she asked, puzzled, "Where are you going?"

"To take my wife home."

"But she already left."

Alaric Blackwood gave a thoughtful smile but said nothing. What he was really thinking was—’She has no money. She won’t have gone far.’

Not long after the black Maybach drove out of the villa complex, sure enough, a slender figure could be seen strolling slowly by the roadside.