Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Elspeth was fuming as she glared at him.Gilbert thought that she was being unreasonable.”You didn’t ask. Also, there was a period when I used to go to Blaydal every day. I thought you would’ve guessed that already.”Elspeth was at a loss for words. Gilbert was probably right.In the past, the Payne Family from Blaydal was one of the top three families along with the Joneson Family and the Carr Family.The Payne Family dealt in military matters, whereas the Joneson Family focused on business and the Carr Family dabbled in politics.If she remembered correctly, the Payne Family was destroyed ten years ago. The entire Payne Residence turned into ash overnight, and no survivors were left.She heard that of all the Paynes, only the youngest son escaped the tragedy because he was studying overseas. Oddly enough, no one investigated this incident, and someone even suppressed it instead.Thus, the fall of the Paynes was left unsolved.Elspeth was especially careful when she mentioned this tragedy, for she feared that Gilbert might be saddened by it. She didn’t expect him to act like he wasn’t involved at all, for he was looking at Elspeth with a faint smile on his lips right now.
It was no wonder Gilbert’s appearance stood out among the crowd. His mother was the most beautiful woman in Blaydal, and his father was also a well-known noble there. Naturally, their children wouldn’t look too shabby either.As Elspeth gazed at his faint smile, she somehow thought of a term to describe him-his beauty was unparalleled.”What are you looking at? We’ve known each other for so long, yet you’re still stunned by my good looks, eh?”
When Gilbert said this, he didn’t blush in the slightest. He had broad shoulders, a slender waist, and long legs. With his exquisite facial features thrown into the mix, no one would doubt his claims.Elspeth chuckled, then raised her wine glass and took a sip.
“What do you mean, stunned by your good looks? I’m just thinking, what right do you have to be so handsome? You’re not making use of your looks, after all.”Gilbert’s most obvious strength was his good looks, and it was also the aspect of him that people envied the most. However, it was also something he valued the least.He even hated people telling him that he looked good.When Gilbert heard Elspeth’s words, his expression instantly turned foul. He was about to lecture Elspeth when another person joined their table.”Hey there, Elspeth, Harper, Gilbert. I got delayed because something happened on my way here. Sorry.”Lisa came late. Gilbert didn’t want to lecture Elspeth in front of an audience, so he gave up. Harper put on a regretful expression, earning a vicious glare from Elspeth.”Right, I have something to ask you about.”
Elspeth sat Lisa down beside her and began to interrogate,
“What exactly is going on between you and Blake? Why are you two together all the time? Did he threaten you?”Even Lisa was exasperated at the topic.
“I don’t know what’s going on with him these days. He suddenly started talking to me every day, asking me to play sports with him and go shopping with him, and he even wanted me to be his manager. I had too much to drink the other day, and while I was drunk, he sneakily used my fingerprint to sign the contract, so I’m his manager now.”Elspeth was at a loss for words.”Are you saying that you two secretly signed a contract under my company without my knowledge? Does Timothy know?”Elspeth felt a headache coming on. If Blake had feelings for Lisa, judging by his history as a playboy, he would get tired of her soon and dump her.No, she wouldn’t allow this to happen!Lisa smiled awkwardly.
“It was already too late when Timothy found out. The contract was already signed by then, and Blake insisted I become his manager, or he’d go on strike. As such, Timothy just smiled and agreed.””What do you feel about this, then?”Elspeth stared at Lisa intently as though she’d burn a hole through the woman’s face.”I don’t know how to reject him either.”Lisa suddenly remembered last night when Blake got drunk and tugged at her sleeve, saying that he wanted to buy clothes for her.”Your wardrobe is all black, white, and gray. Don’t you think that’s a little depressing? Come on, I’ll buy some nice clothes for you. You’re freshly grown up, so you should wear more colors…”Lisa didn’t protest; she just thought he was funny. He dragged her to the nearest clothing store, but the shop was already closed for the day. He made a fuss and took out a card, then tossed it into the shop owner’s hands, saying he had five million on the card and that he wanted to buy the entire shop. He even told the shop owner the password. Shocked, the shop owner ran to a nearby bank to check, only to find out that everything Blake said was true. In case Blake regretted his decisions, the shop owner hastily took out the keys to the shop and tossed them into Blake’s hands, then quickly ran away.With that, only two people were left-Blake, who was smiling goofily, and Lisa, who was helpless.”This is my first time buying clothes for a woman… If you’re okay with it, just wear them. You should know that I’m the best actor, and my tastes… are the best as well…”I see. Is that why you bought a shop selling children’s clothes? Lisa thought.Blake slumped sleepily onto the floor of the shop. Lisa was thinking of ridiculing him when he woke up, but she couldn’t just leave him alone, so she stayed with him until daybreak.In the end, when Blake woke up the next day, he wasn’t even remotely surprised when he saw her. He even took her to the arcade.Lisa never had so much fun in her entire life. It was fascinating, but also terrifying.Seeing that Lisa was absorbed in her memories, Elspeth sighed helplessly.Looks like this girl is invested now. She had to find Blake and have a chat with him to find out what he was trying to do with Lisa.”Come on, we’re here to welcome Gilbert back, not to hear a girly talk.”
Harper’s words caused Lisa to blush fiercely. Then, Harper continued,
“Let’s play a game. Whoever loses will dance on the stage. How does that sound?”Elspeth raised an eyebrow.
“Sure. What game are we playing?””Word chain,”
Gilbert said calmly.Elspeth immediately dropped her smile.Anyone who knew Elspeth knew that she was bad at her studies.If they played word games, she would be the first to lose.”I’m not playing. You guys have fun.”
Elspeth turned around angrily, then watched the pretty ladies dancing on the stage.”What’s wrong? You’re already in your 20s. Are you so chicken that you don’t even dare play word games?”Gilbert’s voice was lazy but filled with ridicule, making Elspeth both pissed and annoyed. She wanted to decline, but she didn’t want to back down either, so she could only say yes.However, no matter how hard she tried, her capabilities were limited. The most she could do was delay her imminent defeat.After three rounds, Elspeth came last in all of them. Exasperated, she put on her sunglasses and mask, then walked onto the stage.When the DJ noticed Elspeth giving them a look, he immediately changed the music.As the music sounded, Elspeth began moving her alluring and attractive figure. Her dance was even more striking and better executed than some professional dancers.Even Gilbert and the others were stunned for a moment.Elspeth was performing a pop dance. Though it was fiery, it wasn’t sexual at all.Apart from dancing on stage, she even got off the stage and interacted with the audience halfway through. She was sending looks everywhere, and as soon as her numbing gaze fell upon a person, that person would feel a chill running down their spine.When the dance ended, the audience was bewildered for a moment. Soon, thunderous applause filled the room.Elspeth smiled, then prepared to get off the stage.”The future young mistress of the Winthrop Family is different at night, isn’t she?”The voice was extremely familiar, especially to Elspeth. When she heard that voice, she was immediately on high alert.She turned around. Just as expected, she noticed Emma in a corner slowly walking up to her.Emma was smiling victoriously as she waltzed up to Elspeth, then looked mercifully at the latter.”Elspeth, I’ve already recorded your dance. How unbecoming of you! Say, if the people who love you, or Callum, saw that, what would they think?”
Without flinching, Elspeth turned her attention to Emma and smiled a bloodthirsty grin.
“I have tolerated you for a long time, Emma. Are you sure you want to continue angering me?”
Suddenly, Emma felt shivers run down her spine at the sight of her, but she kept her back straight because she still had the upper hand.
“You’re the one who is in the wrong here. Enough with the nonsense.””Do you see me trembling in fear? Send it if you have the courage, Emma, but if you can’t bring yourself to do so, then stop bothering me.”In response, Emma huffed coldly,
“Who said I couldn’t?”
She then initiated a chat with Callum and prepared to send the video to him.Nevertheless, Elspeth remained calm as if nothing had happened.Soon, Emma’s face twisted into an ugly look.
“He blocked me… Did you do this?”
She had not expected Elspeth to have such a trump card in her sleeve.”It’s fine. Cal will see it eventually.”
Emma ran her fingers through her hair as a radiant smile spread across her face.
“Tomorrow, I will hand-deliver the video to him personally.”Then, Elspeth raised her head and glanced at the entrance, which was immediately locked from the inside.
“Before coming here to trouble me, did it ever occur to you that this is my domain?”
she asked.At that moment, Emma’s smile immediately faded.
“What do you want, Elspeth?”
All of a sudden, she felt anxious. She believed Elspeth would beg and plead in fear because she possessed the upper hand. However, she never anticipated the unexpected turn of events.”What do I want? I only want to properly welcome you.”
Following that, Elspeth smirked and waved her hand. Soon, a few burly, fierce-looking men approached them.The sight made Emma’s legs tremble in fear. So, she backed off a few steps before making a break for it, but she ended up running straight into a muscular chest and fell on the floor.”Who’s this, Elspeth?”It turned out that the person Emma had run into was a man named Gilbert Payne. He was a large man with exceptionally toned muscles. Moreover, he exemplified the ideal tough guy every girl fantasizes about.”This is someone who bothers me every single day. She gives me such a headache.””What’s her name?”
He could not help but notice that Emma looked vaguely familiar, so he inquired.”Emma Walker,”
Elspeth answered.Then, he squinted his eyes and froze.
“Elspeth, can we not do anything to her?””Why? Do you like her? I’m warning you; she’s a very evil woman who has gotten together with many men by now.”
She frowned in disgust.”Of course not. I’m not interested in her.”
Gilbert frowned and lifted Emma’s chin to stare at her face. A few seconds later, he withdrew his hand.
“However, I am extremely interested in someone close to her.”Suddenly, Emma was so humiliated that she could not raise her head. When she glanced at Elspeth, hate burned in her. How dare she embarrass me in front of so many people! I will never forgive her. With that in mind, she allowed a hint of meekness in her eyes and looked at him.
“Sir, it’s not as she says. She’s the one bothering me. I-“”You don’t have to say anything to me,”
Gilbert interrupted.
“I’m not interested.”
His words confused everyone around him. He did not like her, yet he did not want anything to happen to her; what were his intentions?”Ah!”
Emma’s face went stark pale as her pounding heart sank. He is not here to save me. Suddenly, Elspeth scoffed coldly,
“Fine. Since you asked, I’ll let her go unscathed. Still, I want that video on her phone to be deleted.”He nodded and said,
“That is none of my business.”She then looked at Emma, who was on the floor, and sneered,
“Give me your phone.”That was the only thing she could use to smear Elspeth’s reputation, so she refused to hand it over. However, Elspeth was standing right before her with a spine- chilling smile on her lips. When Emma saw that, she did not dare to hide her phone anymore, so she had no choice but to hand it over.Later, Elspeth reached for the phone and tapped into the gallery app. As expected, there was a video recording of the entire incident, and Gilbert was even included in the footage. Soon, with a few more taps, all relevant photos and videos were deleted. Before throwing Emma’s phone back, she even emptied the trash section.”Well, I’ll be leaving her to you now.”
She languidly stretched before leaving the room.Then, he nodded before glancing at the other men.
“Bring her to my room.”After hearing that, Emma gulped loudly.
“Where are you taking me to?”Despite her fear, she was still convinced that Gilbert was enthralled by her. Otherwise, why would he have her brought back to his room? As expected, all men were great actors. They might appear virtuous on the surface, but every one of them was a beast.Afterward, she gave him a thorough once-over and pondered, It won’t be such a bad idea to do the deed with him. Soon, all her fantasies vanished after she was thrown into his room.Meanwhile, he stared down at her in the room with hatred flashing in his eyes.
“You have a younger sister called Ginna, right?””Y-Yes, but she’s currently abroad. I have not seen her in a long time.”
Emma was being deceptive in her response.If he knew my sister and they parted amicably, I could use that to my advantage, and he could help me in my plot against Elspeth. However, if they split up on bad terms, I might not be a target for his rage because I haven’t seen my sister in years.Suddenly, Gilbert’s overwhelming anger died down a little.
“Do you know of her boyfriend from abroad?””I don’t. Why do you ask that? Are you her boyfriend?”
While Emma was happy to hear that he was his sister’s boyfriend, she was jealous of Ginna’s luck. How could my sister have such good luck with men while I have to suffer for years and even be shunned by Callum?He nodded.
“Yes, that’s me. Do you know where she is?””I don’t. Isn’t she studying abroad? What is it? Could it be -“”You are her sister, yet you don’t even know where she is right now.”
Gilbert sneered and said,
“She returned about two weeks ago.”However, she was unaware that her sister had returned. She had been such a failure lately that Ginna would never approach her, even after flying back home.”Well, that’s it.”
At that moment, there was a trace of exhaustion in his aloof face.
“You can leave.”Nonetheless, Emma had planned to ask him a few more questions, but when she noticed his annoyance, she swiftly dashed out of the room.When she stepped out of the building, she immediately called Ginna. She dialed her sister’s old number, which Ginna used after returning home. Therefore, when she made the call, it did not go through, so she kept calling. After more than a dozen calls, she finally heard her sister’s lazy voice.”Hey, sis. What do you want?”There was an eerie smile on Emma’s face.
“I need your help, Ginna.”
When Gilbert headed downstairs, Elspeth, Harper, and Lisa had left the bar. At that moment, his phone vibrated, and he glanced quickly at the incoming text message. ‘Elspeth had ended the party early, likely because she was bored.’Afterward, he called Elspeth.
“Hey, Elspeth.”
He heard cars honking on the other end of the line and deduced that she was probably on her way home.”What is it? I thought you would be rolling in the hay with Emma, so I didn’t disturb you. Well? Did she agree to it?”
she languidly asked while looking out the car window. Then, she mused, I don’t think they should be together because she isn’t a good person and doesn’t deserve him. Nevertheless, it is not up to me to comment on the matter.”I think you are asking to be taught a lesson, Elspeth Lynwood.”Gilbert would always call her by her full name whenever he got angry. It made her stop joking around, though.
“So, what deep connection is there between the two of you?”
she solemnly asked.”I don’t know her, but I know her sister.”After hearing that, a vague memory of ‘the sister’ popped into her head. A year ago, a woman named Ginna Walker appeared in her life and gave her reason to worry about a former flame. However, that was the only time they ever met, and Elspeth remembered her as a sweet-looking girl who spoke her mind. Nevertheless, she had a fuzzy recollection of the events after that.She took a deep breath and inquired,
“What is your connection to her?””Nothing much. We dated.”When she heard that, she almost choked while taking a sip of water.
“You dated? Gilbert, didn’t you tell me you would be single forever?”Even Elspeth was startled by her own statements. Back when she was sixteen, that was Gilbert’s answer when she confessed to him.According to her recollection, he said,
“I don’t like you, but I want to be in your life forever. I want us to be friends who stay together, not lovers who would easily break up and drift away.”It turned out that what he said was a lie, but he did go on to date someone else and still loved the woman.While Elspeth no longer had a crush on Gilbert, the mere mention of their past made things awkward.Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense, and even she realized that she had made a mistake in what she said.”I did say that, but Ginna drugged and threatened me into dating her. So, I had no choice but to do it.”Drugged? Does this mean he was defiled? Suddenly, Elspeth shivered in disgust at the thought. Her image of Gilbert as a saint vanished in an instant.”You guys sure are kinky,”
she said and shrugged her shoulders. As her ride continued toward her home, she let out an audible laugh that startled the driver.The driver mused, Why is the pretty lady letting out such a horrible laugh?”Stop it,”
Gilbert said.
