Chapter 259
From the side, Kingsley jumped in immediately, a subtle trace of hope lacing his tone.
“I could teach you, too.” Seven merely lifted his eyelids to shoot him a glance, offering no response before turning his little head back toward the storybook in Molly’s hand.
At lunch, Kingsley didn’t stick around. Afraid that his presence would ruin Lucy’s appetite, he left right away. On the drive back, Shane sent over the dossier on Susan Talmadge’s recent contacts. Kingsley skimmed through the documents quickly, then tossed his phone onto the seat beside him.
The icy glare in his eyes remained undiminished. Reaching out to him for the sake of an old flame-it was absolutely pathetic.
The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. It was a call from Bacchus Sherwood. He hit answer, and Bacchus spoke first. “Are you out? Did you eat yet?”
“No. I’m on my way back to the main estate,” Kingsley replied, pinching the bridge of his nose, his tone frosty.
“She called you, didn’t she?” Bacchus asked, having just hung up with Susan himself. His voice was laced with impatience.
“Ignore her. Block her number if you have to.” Kingsley gave a soft hum of agreement. “Don’t worry. I’ve always been cold-blooded. She won’t get anything out of me.”
“Don’t take her extreme remarks to heart. Blocking her is just easier, so she doesn’t try pulling any more tricks.” Kingsley let out a scoff.
“Coming to the son she hates just to help out her married first love. It’s ridiculous.” He then added flatly, “I’m hanging up.”
Bacchus ended the call, turned around, and walked back into the restaurant. Taking his seat, he looked up at the woman across from him and said softly, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Sophie Sutherland offered a generous smile. “I don’t mind. Mr. Sherwood, you’re exactly my type. I wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer.” Her direct, unabashed honesty made Bacchus chuckle. He decided to tease her. “I have no house and no money. Does that not bother you either?”
Sophie rested her chin on her hand, her eyes crinkling with mischief as she replied playfully, “Nope, doesn’t bother me. Whatever you lack, have in spades. I can just provide for you.” Bacchus suddenly felt an absurd, illusion of being a “kept mantend the kicker was that it wasn’t by some wealthy older woman, but by a girl younger than himself.
He muttered inwardly: *Does she actually expect me to live off her?* He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and offered a serious suggestion. “Are you sure you don’t want to think about this a bit more? My work schedule is insane. Even if we date, I doubt I’ll have much time to spend with you.”
The more Sophie looked at him, the more she liked him. He was mature and grounded. Even though he was eight years older than her, there wasn’t an ounce of arrogance or sleaze in him. She shook her head and countered, “No need to think about it. You might not have time, but I do. I can keep you company. Unless… you’re just not interested in me, Mr. Sherwood?” She was secretly thrilled she’d agreed to this blind date today; otherwise, she would have missed out on this man who completely ticked every one of her boxes. What a waste that would have been. Bacchus looked at Sophie, struck by her stunning curves and radiant complexion.
He answered honestly, “No, I’m just making sure you don’t mind the age gap, Ms. Sutherland.” “Of course I don’t!” Sophie immediately whipped out her phone and pulled up her messaging app’s QR code. “Since you don’t have any objections to me, let’s exchange contacts and get to know each other.”
Following her lead, Bacchus pulled out his phone, scanned the code, and added her as a friend. Once Sophie accepted the request, her fingers flew across the screen, saving his contact name as two words: “Old Man.” She initially thought about checking out his Social media feed, but her finger paused before retreating.
An older government guy’s feed probably didn’t have anything remotely interesting anyway. She just exited the app. “Since we’re officially dating now, you’re not allowed to go on any more blind dates. Otherwise, you’re officially a dirtbag.” She looked up at Bacchus, her tone carrying a note of genuine warning.
Bacchus smiled helplessly. “My family has arranged quite a few, to be honest. But I’m not exactly eager to go on them.”
“What? They arranged a lot of them?” Sophie had just nodded, but upon hearing this, her brows snapped together, a hint of displeasure lacing her voice. “Yeah. I’m getting older, so the pressure from my family is intense,” Bacchus answered openly. Sophie picked up her teacup and lightly tapped it against the table, feigning magnanimity. “Well, I guess I have a thing for you, so I’ll just have to take the hit and shield you from all that trouble.”