Chapter 324: Drugging Him
Quentin Blackwood sat at the head of the table. Everyone else was deferential, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
Originally, a waiter should have been pouring the wine, but now another shareholder had taken over the task, acting incredibly eager.
"President Blackwood, please try this wine. I’ve had it in my private collection for many years."
However, Quentin Blackwood didn’t respond. Seeing that Quentin was completely ignoring him, the man’s expression soured.
Seeing that flattery wasn’t working, they changed their tone.
"It’s certainly not easy to get a meal with President Blackwood. You’re busy managing countless affairs every day, yet you still find time to manage another person’s company. I have to say, President Blackwood, you’re truly impressive."
It was a compliment on the surface, but in reality, they were calling Quentin Blackwood a meddler.
Quentin Blackwood’s expression remained impassive. "You’re too kind. Elder Sheridan has treated me well over the years. Now that his health is failing, I certainly won’t stand by and do nothing if I can help. I’m not short on money, and I have no interest in other assets or companies."
"However, I’ve always believed that what belongs to someone should remain theirs. It’s not a good thing to have an ambition that outstrips your ability."
The other shareholders’ faces changed. So Old Master Sheridan had been relying on Quentin Blackwood as his backer all these years, which was why they hadn’t been able to gain a single advantage.
They wondered how many more years he had left. Did he plan to take all that money with him to the grave?
After he died, the Sheridan Group would just be carved up by them anyway. What could a single Joy Sheridan possibly do?
Unless the Sheridan Group and DG were joined by marriage. If Quentin Blackwood married Joy Sheridan and became the Sheridan Group’s prince consort, then they might truly be out of options.
Meanwhile, Joy Sheridan gazed at Quentin Blackwood with infatuation. ’A man like him is just too handsome. He’s different from everyone else here—young, steady, with a mature masculine charm.’
’Dressed in a suit, he looks so incredibly ascetic. But even though he’s completely covered, I can just imagine the full muscles beneath the fabric, that lean waistline, and that potent symbol of his masculinity.’
’His every move, every gesture, is impossibly suave. In my eyes, he’s walking testosterone.’
She hadn’t even had a drink, but her cheeks were already flushed, and her heart was pounding.
The thought of what was going to happen tonight made Joy Sheridan’s face flush even redder.
Quentin Blackwood swirled the wine in his glass, the light from the crystal reflecting on his long fingers. In Joy Sheridan’s mind, an image had already formed: those large hands wrapped around her waist, taking control of everything.
But... Joy Sheridan suddenly noticed something. ’Wait, why are the Buddha Beads on Quentin Blackwood’s wrist gone?’
Joy Sheridan knew, of course, that the Buddha Beads were a memento from Quentin Blackwood’s mother and were incredibly important to him. He almost never took them off, only removing them on very rare occasions, and he never allowed anyone else to touch them.
One time, she had gone to see Quentin Blackwood while he was showering. She went into his bedroom and saw the Buddha Beads, which he had taken off, sitting on the nightstand.
She couldn’t resist going over to pick them up and touch them a couple of times. As a result, when Quentin Blackwood came out, he gave her a harsh scolding.
He really chewed her out, showing her no mercy whatsoever.
It was safe to say that to Quentin Blackwood, the Buddha Beads were something no one else was allowed to touch.
After that, Joy Sheridan never touched them again. All she knew was that the Buddha Beads were always on Quentin Blackwood’s wrist.
But now, all she could see on Quentin Blackwood’s wrist was a watch.
She took a closer look and saw that the Buddha Beads weren’t on either of his wrists.
’Come to think of it, I haven’t seen that string of Buddha Beads since Quentin returned to the capital. Or maybe I just didn’t notice.’
An idea popped into Joy Sheridan’s head. ’Could he have given the Buddha Beads to someone else?’
’No, impossible. Even if Quentin has something going on with that Ivy Sherwood, there’s no way she’d get the Buddha Beads. Who the hell is Ivy Sherwood, anyway?’
Joy Sheridan thought, ’Maybe the string broke? Or maybe they got dirty, so he put them away?’
’That must be it. He’d never give something so important to anyone else.’
Joy Sheridan felt a little relieved, but there was still a strange, uncomfortable feeling in her heart.
Her hand slipped into her purse and pulled out a small object. It was a pill.
As long as she put this pill in Quentin Blackwood’s wine, he would turn into a beast tonight.
She had gone to great trouble to get it, and its effects were very potent.
Joy Sheridan’s heart beat even faster. She just needed to find an opportunity to put the pill in Quentin Blackwood’s wine and then watch him drink it.
At the head of the table, the Sheridan Group shareholders were busy talking business with Quentin Blackwood. Joy Sheridan wasn’t in a hurry; she was waiting for her chance.
After Quentin Blackwood and the other shareholders had had several rounds of drinks, Joy Sheridan finally picked up the red wine bottle.
"Since everyone has poured a drink for President Blackwood, I suppose I should do the same," Joy Sheridan said, finding an excuse.
She walked over to Quentin Blackwood and picked up his wine glass. "Quentin, I know how much you’ve done for me. I’ll always remember it."
She poured red wine for Quentin Blackwood, and while she was at it, she took the opportunity to drop the pill into his glass.
Her movements were extremely subtle, but they didn’t escape Quentin Blackwood’s eyes.
Quentin Blackwood’s eyes turned a few shades colder. ’Did Joy Sheridan really think he wouldn’t notice such a despicable, low-class trick?’
Joy Sheridan finished pouring the wine, placed the glass in front of Quentin Blackwood, and then filled the glasses of the other shareholders before returning to her seat.
"Ah, Joy is so sensible, knowing how to please President Blackwood."
"Of course. If she weren’t so sensible, how could our Sheridan Group be where it is today?"
The other shareholders were all smiling on the surface, but their words were full of mockery. They didn’t dare say it outright, only speaking in veiled, sarcastic tones.
Joy Sheridan didn’t care about any of that. In fact, she hoped they would all think she and Quentin Blackwood were tangled up in a complicated affair.
Joy Sheridan wasn’t worried. She waited for the little pill to dissolve. Even if it had a slight taste, it would be masked by the flavor of the red wine. Quentin Blackwood wouldn’t be able to tell.
Quentin Blackwood’s gaze swept over the crowd, his voice chillingly cold. "So everything you have now, you got by being ’sensible’ and by pleasing others? I wonder, just who is it that you’ve been pleasing?"
The ones who had just spoken didn’t dare make a sound. A bolder one tried to smooth things over. "A joke, it was all a joke, President Blackwood. Don’t take it seriously. They’ve just had too much to drink."
After a couple more rounds of conversation, Joy Sheridan figured the pill should be almost completely dissolved.
Only then did she raise her glass to Quentin Blackwood. "Quentin, I’d like to propose a toast to you."
Quentin Blackwood didn’t raise his glass. Instead, he looked at Joy Sheridan. His gaze was so sharp that her hand almost trembled.
Why was Quentin Blackwood looking at her like that? ’Could he have found out?’
’That can’t be. I was so careful.’
Just then, another shareholder at the side spoke up. "President Blackwood, our Princess Sheridan is proposing a toast. Surely President Blackwood won’t deny her this little bit of face?"
Quentin Blackwood lowered his gaze, swirled the red wine in the glass, then looked at the speaker and offered the glass to him. "Seeing as you’re so worked up, Mr. Raymond, and it sounds like you’re very eager to drink this toast with Miss Sheridan, why don’t I let you have it?"
Joy Sheridan’s heart gave a violent lurch. ’There’s something in this wine. Quentin knows, doesn’t he?’