Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
He shook his head regretfully and waved his hand as a signal. Taking the hint, the few burly men swung their wooden sticks at them!Seeing how they were being cornered, Callum had no choice but to retreat to reduce the impact while keeping Elspeth behind him.With a loud bang, four wooden sticks hit Callum’s back simultaneously. His expression changed drastically as he spat out a mouthful of blood.”Callum!”Following the assault, Elspeth stood there in shock. I never imagined he’d take such a heavy blow in my stead. Furthermore, if I bear the brunt of the impact, he will avoid serious injury.After that, she quickly helped Callum sit down before she stood up and clenched her fists.
“Do you know whom you’re messing with, Arthur?”Arthur snickered in response.
“Who? The president of Azure? Nancy Star? The e-sports expert? Or the designer?”
Those words were full of sarcasm, but Elspeth was unmoved and warned,
“Do you know what will happen to you if you do this?”
“Elspeth, do you think you’re acting in a spy drama here? Sign the contract if you know what’s best for you, and I might beg Arthur to spare your lives.”After all, Emma had a soft spot in her heart for Callum. Even if he had hurt her, she still felt that Elspeth, the vixen, had seduced him, and that was why he was so indifferent toward her. As long as Elspeth was dead, he would no longer be fascinated with that woman!However, she had never thought about Elspeth’s death, but now that she suddenly thought of it, she was startled by the thought. Then, there was excitement that she had never felt before. She even wanted to kill Elspeth with her own hands and let Elspeth’s blood splash onto her face. In that way, she could feel the heat and ardor of Elspeth’s life passing.Meanwhile, Elspeth naturally did not believe her words. After signing the contract, she would have no chance to negotiate terms with them.So, she inquired,
“Have you heard of Evil Wind Sect?”The Evil Wind Sect? Isn’t that the mysterious killer organization? Later, Arthur asked suspiciously,
“What is your relationship with that organization?””Heh… Arthur, with your meager knowledge, how dare you plan to murder both of us in this manner? You don’t even know who I am. How dare you attack us?””Okay, tell me quickly. Don’t drag it on. You’re trying to buy time, aren’t you? Don’t even think about it. The signals here are all intercepted by my jammers, and your men can’t find you.”He already knew that her ring’s function was to track her location and for her call for help, so he set up a signal jamming system earlier. Moreover, he wanted to see how she could save herself!”I am the founder of the Evil Wind Sect. That means that I am their boss. Now that you’ve offended me, do you know what will happen to you?”
Elspeth smiled indifferently. Then, she continued,
“As long as the Evil Wind Sect exists, and as long as only one of their members is alive, they will hunt you down for life. Arthur, you might as well try it and see if what I said is true.”Then, she put her hands behind her back, groped around, and finally touched two small cylinders. Feeling them, she felt a lot more at ease.”How can the founder of the Evil Wind Sect be kidnapped so easily by me? Are you kidding me?”
Emma did not know the Evil Wind Sect’s power and thought Elspeth was only making up nonsense. In the end,
Emma could not help but taunt her.”Okay, then I won’t continue to talk about it.”
Elspeth curled her lips into a smile.
“Are you certain you will let us go after I sign the contract?”Arthur nodded in agreement upon hearing that.However, Emma wanted her to die, so she gave him a dissatisfied look, but he returned her a comforting look.”Okay, then I’ll discuss it with Callum.”
Elspeth kneeled, touched his wound lightly, and whispered,
“Callum, are you still conscious?””Don’t sign it.”
Although he was hurting all over, he could still maintain his reasoning and consciousness.Afterward, she touched his face and said,
“I know. I’m trying to tell you that I want to jump off here. My men are nearby, and they’ll be here in a minute when I set off the fireworks. Since they still need you to sign the contract, they won’t harm you for the time being. I can still buy you time by jumping into the sea. Callum, I love you.”After saying that, she stretched out her right hand and set off two fireworks toward the sky. One meant an emergency, while two meant it was a life-and-death situation! Taking advantage of everyone’s shock at the fireworks, Elspeth jumped into the sea.Callum stood up abruptly, which caused his wound to split, and severe pain shot through him. He simply watched her jump into the sea helplessly as there was nothing he could do!Still, Arthur did not expect her to jump into the sea, but it was a good outcome, too, now that nobody knew if she was dead or alive.”What an interesting woman! Before she meets her death, she even sets off fireworks to celebrate her death.”
Emma smiled with disdain.Elspeth isn’t a good swimmer, so she will likely drown if she jumps into the high tides. Then, Callum closed his eyes in agony, and while everyone else was watching the fireworks, he also jumped into the sea!”Callum!”
After she saw him leap, the grin on her face instantly froze.Arthur watched as Emma ran to the edge and saw Callum sink into the water without resurfacing. With a painful expression, Emma was going crazy with jealousy. Callum deserves to die! He deserves to die!However, before they had time to reflect on the fate of the two jumping into the sea one after another, there were suddenly loud footsteps around them!”Oh no! The two fireworks that Elspeth set off earlier were distress signals! Let’s go!”
Arthur’s expression turned extremely ugly in an instant.”The Evil Wind Sect… Is it a scary organization?”Emma did not know about these things and thought he was only making a fuss. Nevertheless, she was still overcome with sadness. If Callum died, my dream of becoming Mrs. Winthrop be dashed to pieces!Then, Arthur gritted his teeth and grabbed her by the collar to take her away.”I won’t go, I won’t go! I’m going to rescue Callum!”She sobbed uncontrollably and wanted to save Callum regardless of the consequences, but Arthur yelled,
“Do you have any brains? Callum was seriously injured. After he jumped, we don’t know if he had already drowned! Now that the tide is about to rise, how can we go save him?”When Emma heard that, she pushed him away angrily.
“You don’t have to care! I’m going to save him!””Callum has disliked you for a long time. Why don’t you come to your senses? What’s so good about him anyway? Don’t you know that I am in love with you?”Nonetheless, she froze as tears slowly flowed from her eyes.
“Still, I really-“In the next second, Arthur used his right hand to strike her on the back of her neck, which resulted in her collapsing into his arms as she went limp.”Everyone, leave as quickly as possible!”The people around him started fleeing in all directions as soon as they got the order.Soon, when the men from the Evil Wind Sect arrived, everyone here had disappeared without a trace, leaving only a terrible mess behind.”Miss Lynwood…””Miss Lynwood, where are you…”However, no matter how they shouted, they could not find Elspeth. One of the men in the lead wondered,
“Has Miss Lynwood been taken away?”Before he could figure it out, another man shouted loudly,
“Sir, there are traces here!”When they all went over, they discovered visible footprints on the railing.”I compared the footprints here, which probably belong to a woman. The sole pattern is similar to the shoes that Miss Lynwood usually wears. There are larger footprints beside that should belong to a man.””Could it be that Miss Lynwood has jumped off here with her fianc??”Thinking of this, the leader’s face instantly turned ugly.”Hurry up and search thoroughly! We have to find her alive! If she’s dead… Miss Lynwood must not die!”
It hurts… It hurts. Elspeth opened her eyes and found herself lying in a magnificent room. Everything around her was shining gold and she thought she had entered a room made of gold. She remembered that she had jumped into the sea before she woke up. Unfortunately, she was not a strong swimmer and passed out after swallowing some water. Although she was lying on the bed, she still felt slightly dizzy, and the room seemed to spin around her.But… Why am I here now?Not long after she opened her eyes, and before she even had time to move, she heard a commotion coming from outside the door. She immediately became alert and her hand under the quilt reached out to touch the dagger that was kept by her hip, only to find that someone had changed her clothes at some point when she was unconscious.Creak…The door was pushed open, and a pair of white sneakers came into view. Looking up, she saw a young man dressed in gray sweatpants, a white shirt, and a blue and white striped jacket. He looked like an athletic and cheery man. When Elspeth saw his face, she was immediately dumbfounded.”Edmund, why are you here?”Truth be told, this man looked exactly like Edmund but in a different style of clothes! She actually wondered if Edmund had two sides to him. He was usually dressed in a well-fitted suit and leather shoes, but now he had become an athletic and sporty guy.”Edmund? Are you mistaking me for someone else?”Elspeth rolled her eyes.
“Do you think I won’t recognize you? Tell me where I am. I’m really shocked!””Edmund”
came over, leaned against the bed, and reached out to touch her forehead.
“Let me see. Isn’t the fever gone? Why are you still talking nonsense?”Elspeth pushed his hand away and glared at him fiercely.
“What are you doing, Edmund? Don’t you know that a man and a woman mustn’t be so close together? I asked you a question. Where am I?!””Edmund”
sighed helplessly, put his hands in his pockets, and sat on a chair by the side of the room.
“This is a transoceanic freighter. We are going to Sunholde soon. Also, let me say it one last time, my name is not Edmund. My name is Elias, Elias Cole. Are you sure your brain is fine?”Elspeth thought her head was going to explode.Sunholde? Freighter? Elias Cole? Is he really not Edmund?”Can you tell me the details of how you found me?”Seeing Elspeth wanting to know more, Elias smiled and crossed his legs.
“To be honest, this matter has nothing to do with me. You suddenly surfaced on the ocean. Maybe, you drowned and became unconscious somewhere. But when I found you, you were holding onto a wooden stake, and the men on the ship who are good swimmers pulled you up.””Then how long have I been unconscious?””We’re not far from Sunholde. The freighter will arrive in 10-14 days. So, this means that you have been unconscious for five days.”Five days?Although Elspeth was shocked at this fact, she still calmed down.”Thank you. I see.”She didn’t know how Callum was doing at the moment, so she needed to get in touch with him as soon as possible.
“Can you lend me your phone?”Elias rolled his eyes.
“Miss, do you have any common sense? This is the ocean. The signal here is really bad. How are you going to make a call without a strong connection?”Elspeth could only forget it.”By the way, my clothes…”
She glanced at the man in front of her and frowned.
“Are you the one who changed my clothes?”
Elias choked at her words.
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you say it yourself that a man and a woman mustn’t be so close together? How could I change your clothes for you? Although you look pretty, I’m not that starved.””That’s good then.”
Elspeth wrapped the quilt tightly around herself.”Okay, take a good rest first, and when the ship arrives in Sunholde, I will take you to the embassy and let them take you back.”Although this man was a bit annoying, he was kind and helped to make arrangements for her. A trace of gratitude emerged in Elspeth’s heart as she said,
“Okay, then thank you in advance.””You’re welcome. It’s good karma to save a life. I’m doing myself a favor.”After saying that, Elias stood up and prepared to go out.”Wait a minute. I have another question.”Still unable to hold back herself, Elspeth glanced around the room again, then asked curiously,
“Why is this room built so magnificently? Is the owner a lover of gold?”Although Elias was wearing plain-looking clothes, those clothes were private creations of internationally renowned designers she was familiar with, and they were outrageously expensive. As such, he must have an unusual identity. He was probably a friend or relative of the owner of the ship.Elias burst out laughing.
“I don’t know about that. My dad designed it this way himself. It’s really tacky to me.”When he said this, Elias raised his eyebrows slightly with a trace of obvious impatience.”Okay, then there’s nothing else. But please send me some food on credit first. I’ll pay you back when I return to Chars.”Elspeth didn’t want to owe others favors.”I almost forgot that you haven’t eaten in a long time. Okay, I’ll find someone to deliver the food to you right away. This amount of money is nothing to me, so you don’t have to pay me back.”Then, Elias walked out.Elspeth sat on the bed, and after a short moment, food was brought to her. The main and side dishes tasted decent. After she finished the food in a few mouthfuls, she felt warmth rushing through her body, so she began to move a little. She was thankful that Elias still kept her around even though she hadn’t moved for five days. Anyone else would think she was well and truly dead.She got up and looked out the window. This was a freighter, so the rooms where people slept were usually at the bottom of the ship, but this freighter had windows. Looking out, she saw that the blue waves were rippling beautifully. Elspeth wondered whether the so-called freighter was actually a sightseeing cruise ship.In the next second, the door opened again.”Miss, Mr. Cole would like to invite you to go up to the deck to check out the scenery.”The person who came was a girl dressed in a traditional costume. She spoke in a smug tone as if she was unhappy to see Elspeth. Nevertheless, Elspeth didn’t have the time or the mood to think about the girl. She was just curious why Elias suddenly asked her to go up to the deck to check out the scenery.”Okay, wait a moment.”Although surprised, she still agreed.Elspeth tidied up her clothes briefly before walking out with the girl. The corridors were not as bad as she thought. They were clean and very brightly lit. The two of them thereafter made a long detour before reaching the top deck. The moment Elspeth finished walking up the stairs, she caught sight of Edmund who was standing in a relaxed manner over there.My bad, his name is Elias, not Edmund.Elias turned and saw Elspeth. Subsequently, he waved to her with a bright smile.”Come! Come and have fun.”
Elspeth strolled over. The sky outside was endlessly blue, just like the ocean. In fact, the two looked like they were joined together. Standing next to Elias, she took a deep breath and took a deep breath of the strong sea breeze along with cigarette smoke.”I don’t like people who smoke.”Elspeth frowned and took a few steps back. Seeing that, Elias waved his hand, fanning away the smoke along with the wind.
“Wait a while, the smoke will be gone soon.”The other girl was standing not far away, unwilling to leave. She simply just stood there quietly and watched them get along. Elspeth turned her head abruptly and saw that the girl hadn’t left yet. More importantly, the girl was staring fixedly at them. Elspeth couldn’t help revealing a smile and asked,
“Elias, have you been flirting with that girl?””How would I know? I don’t know her very well.”Elspeth smiled and stopped talking about the girl.When the girl behind saw that only Elspeth looked back at her and Elias didn’t respond at all, she stomped her feet angrily.”By the way, what did you call me here for?””I simply wanted to ask you some questions.”
He leaned on the railing and looked into the distance.
“Tell me, who exactly is Edmund, and why did you recognize me as him at first sight?”In fact, his serious and stubborn appearance right now was exactly the same as Edmund’s. Elspeth couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. She then reached out and wanted to find the phone in her pocket to show him Edmund’s photos. However, she found nothing. Only then did she realize that her phone might have been destroyed by seawater long ago. The ring on her hand too had long since become an ordinary ring due to being in seawater for a long time.”Have you heard of the Winthrop Family from Damoria?”Elias frowned,
“The Winthrop Family from Damoria… I have heard of them a little bit, but I have never come into contact with them. I was born in Blaydal and I went abroad with my parents after that. What? Is there really another person who looks exactly like me in this world?””That’s right. Except for your tone and demeanor, everything else is exactly the same. Oh, no. That’s not right. Edmund has a mole at the corner of his eye, and he speaks more viciously than you.”The more Elspeth looked, the more she felt that there must be an inextricable relationship between the two even if they had never met. Could it be that…”Now, there are only two possibilities. First, I am actually a descendant of the Winthrop Family, or second, Edmund is a descendant of the
Cole Family.”Even though Elias was shocked to hear this, he still analyzed it rationally.
“But judging from the current situation, I think the biggest possibility is that Edmund is my brother because my mother said that she gave birth to a pair of twins at the time, but unfortunately, one of the children died of a heart attack, leaving only me alive.”These words set off a huge wave in Elspeth’s heart.”It seems that it is really…”
Elspeth murmured.”So, do you have any plans?”
Elias let go of the railing and walked toward her step by step.
“For example, introduce Edmund to me?”Elspeth nodded.
“That’s for sure. When I return to Damoria, I’ll introduce you guys. Edmund will be so shocked he won’t be able to say a word.”It might be a good thing to temporarily shut up that spiteful guy.”Okay. It’s a bit cold after staying here for a long time. Let’s go back. I just asked the kitchen to make some food. Do you want to try it?”Elspeth took a step back, keeping a reasonable distance from him.
“No need. I’m not hungry now.”
“Don’t rush to refuse. The chef on my ship is an excellent cook. He just made some food, so come and taste it.”A smile appeared on the corner of Elias’ mouth as he said that. He gently held Elspeth’s sleeve before pulling her toward the dining hall.When Elspeth saw the dining hall, she was completely stunned.Just made some food? This is a full banquet!Seeing Elias’ unconcerned appearance, she knew that this must be the normal lifestyle of the Cole Family. She felt that this last name was very familiar as if she had heard it somewhere.”Sit down and eat together.”Elspeth smiled a little nervously, but she still chose a seat a little closer to him and sat down. She simply wanted to chat with him more conveniently.In the next second, a bitter and mean voice suddenly sounded.”Hey, why are you sitting so close to Mr. Cole? You’re not interested in him, are you? Let me tell you that Mr. Cole already has a fianc?e, so don’t be a homewrecker here.”Elspeth turned her head and found that the familiar voice belonged to that arrogant girl in a traditional costume. It was only after scanning around that she noticed everyone else was wearing normal work clothes except for the girl in traditional clothing.”I also have a fianc?, so please show some respect to me when you speak,”
Elspeth said lightly. Her voice was not loud, but it was very imposing. The girl was slightly taken aback. She didn’t expect Elspeth to have a fianc?, so she was even a little jealous.Even though she has a fianc?, she’s still secretly interested in Mr. Cole behind her fianc?’s back! This woman is so good-looking, so I’m sure she’s up to no good!The girl condemned Elspeth in her heart.At this time, Elias, who was sitting beside them, couldn’t stand it any longer. He casually placed his knife and fork on the dinner plate with a frown, a trace of coldness evident in his eyes.”Bianca, stop talking.””Mr. Cole, you have never talked to me like this before, but today, you actually scolded me because of a woman.”Bianca was very annoyed, feeling that her long-standing special treatment from him was destroyed by this woman.Elias sighed slightly at Elspeth, then raised his glass toward her.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve disciplined her better. I hope you don’t mind.”Elspeth shook her head, raised her wine glass, and clinked it against Elias’.”She’s just a little girl and looks underage. Why would I take her seriously?”After hearing this, Bianca immediately became upset.
“Who are you calling underage? I’m 19 years old now.””Oh, you’re still too young,”
said Elspeth, even though she was not much older than Bianca either.Bianca looked left and right and found that no one spoke up for her. She stomped her feet angrily and left. This little issue didn’t disrupt the meal. Immediately after that, Elias handed Elspeth a dish and smiled slightly.”This dish is very delicious and I like it very much. Please try it.”Elspeth looked at the dish and swallowed her saliva.”To be honest, I don’t like seafood.”She was vigilant and didn’t tell him about her seafood allergy. After all, it was not a good thing to let other people know too much of one’s weaknesses, even if he had not been a threat to her so far. Nevertheless, Elias was smart, and he knew what was going on just by looking at her eyes, so he handed her another dish.”Then try this one-“Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden commotion outside.Elias frowned and was about to go out to check the situation when the door was suddenly pushed open.
The man who came in had his face covered, so they couldn’t see his expression clearly. However, the hatred in his eyes became more and more obvious.”I’ve been lurking on this ship for three full years.”
The man looked at Elias with a sneer.
“I have endured humiliation and been a subordinate for three full years. Today, I’ve finally found a chance to fight back.”Elias was calm as if nothing particularly important had happened.
“Oh, so what?”Seeing Elias’ unafraid look, the man became more and more annoyed.
