Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
“Yes!”Meanwhile, Callum followed Elspeth out of the hospital ward. As soon as he got into the car, his expression became stony. He was not willing to say another word to her.”Why are you mad?”Elspeth could not understand the reason for his sudden tantrum. He had been acting weird ever since they entered into a relationship together. His moods would always fluctuate greatly, constantly leaving her in confusion.”He likes you.”The expression on her face seemed to say, ‘You have to be kidding me’, and the corners of her lips twitched in amusement.
“Callum, have you been bewitched? He is my brother, who is related to me by blood.”Callum pursed his lips.
“I was talking about the other one.””In that case, it’s even more impossible. He has a childhood sweetheart. He will never have feelings for me.”He studied her indifferent attitude and scowled angrily.
“My intuition is never wrong.”His eyes had practically turned bloodshot when we were together. Not even a ghost would believe that if he claimed he did not have feelings for her.”Okay. Fine. Even if he does have feelings for me… Of course, that situation will never happen. In any case, the two of us can’t be in a relationship.”
She really wanted to pry open his head to see what was rolling around in his brain.
“We’ve been together for a year now, Callum. You should believe in my feelings for you.”
Finally, she inhaled deeply before she continued seriously,
“Also, please believe that I love you.”They were standing very close to each other. Callum stared at Elspeth’s face and pondered for a long time before he finally spoke up slowly,
“Your concealer is too thick.”A long silence stretched out between them.She was so furious that she huffed,
“Don’t make me slap you when I’m trying to flirt with you.”He nodded and stopped teasing her.
“Then, shall we head out to investigate Alphascape’s tax evasion issue?””Of course. I’ve already asked Harper to contact his friend in the tax bureau to check Alphascape’s financial accounts. As long as we can find Alphascape’s real financial statements, then we will have enough evidence to prove that Alphascape has been evading their taxes.”The plan was simplistic in nature, but it was challenging for them to actually get their hands on Alphascape’s financial statements.”Alphascape is an old stick-in-the-mud. There are ninety-nine protection barriers around their financial information. I can’t even break into their internal system.”There were too many layers of firewalls around their system. Even if she were an excellent hacker, it would take a long time for her to break those codes.He rubbed his chin and mused,
“That leaves only one solution.”The two exchanged a look and instantly understood each other’s intentions.Several minutes later, Callum’s car parked under the building of the Alphascape Group.”We have two choices. Our first choice is to sneak into Alphascape’s financial department and search for their accounts. But that is too risky.”
Elspeth considered their options and suggested,
“The other choice is to meet with Alphascape’s financial director. I’m certain he is involved in the fraudulent accounting.”Callum turned on his laptop and pulled up the personal information on Alphascape’s financial director.”Zain Black. A thirty-eight-year-old man with two children, a boy and a girl. He likes gambling and drinking. His wife is domineering, so he keeps two mistresses on the side.”After she heard the brief introduction, she blinked her eyes in shock.
“Two mistresses? That’s too…””These are just the official data statistics. He likely has even messier relations other than these two.”She breathed a curse under her breath that sounded something like ‘Scumbag’ and began looking into his personal information. When she saw his bald head, she couldn’t hold back a sense of disgust.
“Such a man would never even find himself a wife if he didn’t have some money.”He couldn’t help laughing when he saw the expression of righteous indignation.
“What are you planning to do? Do you have a plan?”She smiled.
“I’ll prepare for… a seduction plan.”As soon as he heard that she planned to use herself as bait, his expression immediately turned frigid.
“No. There’s no way I will allow it.”If that sleazy old man tried to do something to Elspeth, then I won’t be able to stop myself from chopping off his arms.”Then, tell me. Do you have any better ideas?””Find his weakness, threaten him, and force him to hand over the financial statements.”That was indeed his usual method.Nevertheless, she noticed something deeper happening beneath the surface.
“First of all, everything he has done so far is still within the confines of the law. There is nothing we can use to blackmail him. As long as he refuses to admit his wrongdoings, you will never find anything to threaten him.”He coldly said,
“If he doesn’t admit his wrongdoings, then he can die.””We won’t be able to find the evidence once he’s dead. Callum, I know you mean well. But we need to find the evidence on the Alphascape Group, or we will never be able to defeat them.”Her words were full of sincerity and reason. Hence, he had no choice but to nod in reluctant agreement.”Don’t let him touch you, or I will kill him.””Got it.”Their next step was to wait for Zain to come out of his office.
Right now just so happened to be the time for the employees to clock off. Therefore, they were met with the sight of a greasy and fat middle-aged man slowly walking out of the building with a smile on his face. Elspeth got out of the car with her bag in hand. She walked forward while faking that she was about to make a phone call. Then, she suddenly bumped into Zain by accident due to her negligence. The momentum caused her to lose her balance and sprawl to the ground. To make matters worse, the screen of her phone shattered upon impact.”Hiss…”
She pretended to be in great pain as she looked up with tears in her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I was looking at my phone just now, so I wasn’t looking at the road.”Zain initially planned to fly into a great rage, but his anger dissipated completely when he realized that the person who bumped into him was a beautiful and delicate woman.”It’s nothing. Are you alright? Here, let me help you up.”He stretched out his hand to help her up. However, she stood up on her own with an apologetic look. She patted the dust from her body and began blabbering in embarrassment.
“How can I trouble you? It’s my fault that I fell down in the first place. But my phone…”She glanced at her phone on the ground, feeling a dull pang in her chest.The lecherous man had been trying to come up with a reason to ask her out. So, when he saw the phone lying on the ground, his heart leaped with joy.
“It’s fine. I’ll buy you a new one to replace this. But, Miss, how should I address you?”She laughed softly.
“I am Abigail Joneson. What about you?”He found her smile absolutely breathtaking.
“I am Zain Black, the financial director of the Alphascape Group.”A plan had already formed in his heart as he deliberately exposed his high-ranked status in a big company. He figured that if he revealed his identity to her, she would definitely behave like all the other women and fawn over him.”It’s getting late, and I have something going on. Please excuse me. I have to go.”
Elspeth lifted a hand to look at her watch with an anxious expression.
“If it’s about my phone… I dropped it myself, so I’ll just buy a new one later. Don’t worry about it.”It was his first time meeting a woman like her who was neither greedy for money nor vain. Not to mention, she was an absolute beauty. A mixture of complicated feelings washed over him for a moment.If only I could make her mine… The moment I do, I will immediately divorce my plain-looking hag of a housewife and marry her instead!”No. Half of the blame lies with me.
At least let me pay for half of the costs. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease!”She hesitated for a moment before she answered,
“Um… Why don’t we exchange phone numbers for now? Then, you can transfer the money to me once I buy a new phone.”Although he was not happy with the arrangement, he reluctantly nodded in agreement. It was not good to be too forceful during their first meeting. After all, courtship was a gradual and progressive process.Elspeth gave him her phone number to make this incident more believable. However, it was a spare number. Even if he tried to investigate the personal information behind this number, he would not be able to figure out her true identity.Once they finished exchanging contact information, she smiled and waved at him before walking away.Zain remained extremely distracted after Elspeth left. Although he constantly checked his phone, it wasn’t until late evening that he finally received the friend verification message on Facebook.Elspeth stared at the messages that she received from the other party. Despite feeling annoyed, she was forced to adopt a gentle tone.’The new phone cost 6,000. You can just transfer 3,000 to me.”Ding dong. You have received 30,000 in your PayPal account.’She slowly sent him a message that contained only a single question mark.”Miss Joneson, I added an extra zero by mistake earlier. I’m very sorry for my blunder. But I don’t lack this small amount of money. So, you can go ahead and keep the change.””Uh… Okay, then. In that case, why don’t I treat you to dinner tomorrow? If I treat you to dinner a few times, then we can consider the debt paid off.”Things had played out exactly as he wanted. Thus, he replied to her message with two smiley emojis as though he was delighted with the arrangement. The next day happened to be the weekend. Elspeth arrived at the agreed meeting place early in the morning and waited for Zain to make his appearance.Callum was worried and decided to follow her, so he could be there if something went wrong.
“I will be sitting right behind you later.”She rolled her eyes in frustration.
“Do I look like a feeble woman? Do you think I won’t be able to defeat that wretched man myself?””It’s not a worry but a concern. Any man other than myself is not a good person.”His response left her feeling speechless.When Elspeth noticed Zain approaching from a distance, she quickly moved away from Callum and greeted Zain with a bright grin.
“You’re here, Mr. Black.”She wore a short white dress and a matching pair of high heels, showing off her gorgeous figure.Zain practically drooled at the sight. The woman in front of him was far more attractive than those unrefined women caked in a thick layer of makeup.”Yeah. What are we having today?””I don’t know your preference, so I randomly chose an Asian restaurant. I hope the food is to your liking.”He glanced at the menu and saw that every single dish offered was not cheap. Hence, he silently praised her for being sensible.
“I’m sure it won’t.”They randomly ordered several dishes and began making small talk with each other.”Mr. Black, don’t you need to work today?”
After she said that, Elspeth abruptly realized that she had made a slip of the tongue and smiled apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I forgot that it’s the weekend.”Who wouldn’t like a dumb and easily deceived beauty? Unfortunately, Zain was no exception to that rule.”It’s nothing. As long as it’s an invitation from you, I will gladly accompany you even if it were a weekday.”Elspeth frowned slightly.
“Are you not busy with work during the weekdays?””Not really. I just need to check and balance some accounts. So, it’s quite leisurely.”She broke out into a smile.
“Wow! You should be super knowledgeable about the Alphascape Group’s accounts.””Of course. I made the ledger myself, so it’s only natural for me to know these things.”After she heard that, she placed her chin on her hand. A hint of anticipation and vague admiration appeared on her face.
“How amazing. I also studied accounting but kept making mistakes when preparing the accounts. As a result, I’m always getting scolded by my boss.”When Zain noticed the aggrieved and distressed expression on her face, he couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.
“Don’t worry. If there’s something you don’t know, I can teach you.”A light flashed through her eyes before she quickly fluttered her lashes.
“Really?”
However, the light in her eyes soon dimmed.
“But I’m very stupid. Can you show me Alphascape’s accounts and teach me the procedures step-by- step?”He felt slightly doubtful and hesitant when he heard that she wanted to see Alphascape’s accounts. Then, he heard her asking him to teach her the procedures step-by-step. His heart immediately began to flutter in anticipation.There was no way he would let such a golden opportunity slip through his fingers. Hence, he immediately agreed to bring the account statements tomorrow to discuss them with her.When she noticed that he had taken the bait, hook, line, and sinker, she slowly curled her lips into a smile.The next day, they agreed to meet at the same restaurant. Zain truly did bring the account statements with him.Elspeth flipped through the account statements in her hand, studying the records from top to bottom. Finally, a look of amazement appeared on her face.
“How amazing. The account statements are so detailed.””That’s nothing. The most important point is that you are too careful. I believe your boss is constantly reprimanding you because you are too honest in your accounting.”She tilted her head to the side and looked puzzled.
“What do you mean?”He looked around and lowered his voice.
“You just need to learn how to falsify the accounts!””Do you mean to say that Alphascape falsified their accounts?”
While she made sure to look surprised on the surface, she secretly turned on the recording function on her phone.
At the mention of the Alphascape Group, Zain seemed to become more clear-headed. Nevertheless, he only hesitated for a moment before he continued,
“I prepared Alphascape’s accounts myself. Well… there’s a secret to it…”
Elspeth feared that he might try to squirrel away some secrets during their discussion, so she decided to add some fuel to the fire.
“Zain, please tell me. I’m very curious.”How could he resist a beautiful woman calling his name in such a coy manner? He smiled in what he thought was a roguish manner.
“Naturally, I’ve tampered with the accounts. Think about it… Alphascape’s annual taxable income alone exceeds 1 billion each year. That’s such a large sum. It’s only to be expected that the boss is unwilling to pay such an exorbitant amount. The company will save a lot of money if I just slightly tamper with the numbers. Besides, I also benefit from the deal in the form of a bonus.”After he said that, he secretly made a ‘nine’ gesture with his hands.”Mr. Black, you’re truly an amazing man.”
She propped her chin on one hand and smiled mysteriously.”It’s nothing special. So, do you understand now?”
He looked at her face and could barely stop himself from drooling.Even a noble and virtuous woman like her has fallen for my charms. Doesn’t that mean my charisma is off the charts?She stared at him, feeling absolutely disgusted by the vulgar expression on his face.When she figured that the problem was almost resolved, she secretly kept away her recording pen and prepared to reconvene with Callum.”Mr. Black, let’s end things here for today. I have something going on later, so I have to leave now.”Elspeth was leaving before they even started their dinner. Zain was so stunned that he couldn’t find his voice for a moment.
“The food has just been served. Why don’t you leave after the meal?”She turned back and smiled at him.
“Mr. Black, I’ll invite you out for dinner again tomorrow. Let’s stop here today. I’m afraid I forgot to turn off the gas at home. An accident might occur if I return too late.”He understood the situation’s urgency, so he did not stop her. So, he could only watch her sashay away, already looking forward to their meeting tomorrow.As soon as Elspeth walked out of the restaurant, she immediately met Callum, who had come to pick her up. The two of them quickly entered the car in order to avoid Zain from catching up if he had a mind to do so. She held her phone as though she were offering up some priceless treasure.
“I’ve already recorded everything he said earlier. This can be used as evidence.””The recording alone is not enough.”They needed concrete proof in order to take down Alphascape once and for all.She blinked and pulled up something on her phone.
“I installed a Bluetooth camera in my ring. Once I connect the ring to my phone, the photos will automatically be downloaded into my phone. So, everything should have been captured on record when I flipped through the account statements earlier.”A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.
“That’s absolutely brilliant.””Of course. Whenever we steal confidential information, we have always used the Bluetooth ring I designed.”She was very confident in her creation.”We don’t want to expose these wrongdoings just yet. We need to find a suitable opportunity for maximum coverage of their misdeeds.”
He analyzed calmly.
“If we take the initiative to attack, it is very likely that we will end up being labeled as an enemy who is trying to provoke Alphascape or even be painted as slanderers. We need to wait until Alphascape makes a misstep.”She nodded in agreement.
“That makes sense. Let’s return to the Joneson Residence first.”Callum drove Elspeth back to the Joneson Residence. A figure barreled toward them as soon as they stepped through the door.Elspeth jumped in fright, sweating profusely when Kenneth’s infinitely magnified face appeared before her.”You’re always not around whenever I decide to pay you a visit. Are you avoiding me on purpose?”
Kenneth scowled deeply, and his tone was forceful.She suddenly felt like she was an irresponsible scumbag who slept around with the other party. Well, a female scumbag. Unfortunately, Callum seemed to have the same idea. His expression was quite hideous at the moment.
“Elspeth, why don’t you explain to me just who this evil man is who sprang out of nowhere?”She opened her mouth. Just as she was about to explain that Kenneth was her elder brother, Kenneth began introducing himself.
