Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Jethro defended himself with the air of someone who didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
Elspeth couldn’t be bothered to mince words with him. She got her phone out to call a cab, but she realized that they were in the middle of nowhere.
There was probably not a single car within a five-mile radius, let alone a cab!
“Jethro Wilstone! If I’m unable to sleep in my bed tonight, I’m going to kick you out of the company!”
None of this would’ve happened if he hadn’t insisted on giving her a ride home from work.
Jethro turned away and absolved himself of all responsibility.
“What does this have to do with me? The battery died. It’s not as if I’m trying to keep you away from your bed on purpose.”
“Is the scooter yours?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you the one who insisted on giving me a ride home?”
“Yes.”
“How’s there any room for you to weasel your way out of this then?”
Jethro lost the verbal battle so he had to concede defeat, but even so, he commented flippantly,
“No ordinary person can win an argument against you, Elsie.”
Elspeth was annoyed by his childishness. All of a sudden, she had an idea.
“I got it. I’ll get a tow truck to come and help.”
Jethro’s eyes lit up at once.
“You’re so smart, Elsie.”
“Don’t try to butter me up. I don’t plan on taking you with me.”
Elspeth was about the make the call when out of the blue, the glare from a pair of headlights made her squeeze her eyes shut.
They had been so engrossed in their quibbling that they didn’t notice a car approaching from the distance.
Elspeth squinted. She saw a black car with a familiar license plate number.
When the person stepped out of the car, her eyes flew wide open.
Isn’t that Callum?
“Did it run out of battery?”
Callum’s eyes flashed derisively when he saw the electric scooter parked nearby.
It just so happened that Elspeth caught the flash of disdain in his eyes. It was as if he was questioning her, What happened to your taste in men? Why did you end up with a guy who rides a scooter after leaving me?
Elspeth clenched her fist and turned away from him.
She could still remember the way he refused to help her the last time, despite all of her pleadings.
Why are you trying to act like you’re such a good person now, huh?
“That’s right. Would you be so kind as to give us a ride home, Mr. Winthrop?”
Elspeth didn’t respond to Callum, but on the other hand, Jethro greeted him warmly.
It was at this point that Elspeth realized Jethro only behaved like a fool in front of her. When dealing with others, he was rather shrewd.
Callum didn’t say no, so he seemed to have agreed to it, but Elspeth rejected the idea.
“That won’t be necessary. We can wait a little longer for a cab.”
Jethro didn’t want to wait, so he pleaded with Elspeth like an obedient younger brother.
“Elsie, Mr. Winthrop is nice enough to give us a ride, so why shouldn’t we accept his kind gesture?”
Elsie…
Callum’s face grew colder as he repeated the nickname in his head.
Elspeth was startled. For some reason, even though she and Callum were uninvolved in every way, she still felt a trace of awkwardness when Jethro called her Elsie.
To avoid giving Jethro the chance to say anything else that was too suggestive, she agreed.
“Oh, fine. Let’s go.”
So, obliging with the little kid?
Callum looked at them with scrutiny.
The two of them got into Callum’s car while the electric scooter was temporarily abandoned by the side of the road.
Jethro left the key in the ignition and said he was giving it away to anyone who chanced upon it since the Wilstones had more than enough vehicles.
Elspeth was smiling as she remarked sarcastically to herself, It’s obvious that you can’t be bothered to call someone to tow it away.
However, as she was sitting inside Callum’s car right now, she wasn’t in the mood to think about anything else. On the other hand, Jethro seemed eager to stir up trouble as he kept dragging all sorts of things up.
“Elsie, I heard that you were in a relationship with Mr. Winthrop before. Is that true?”
Elspeth’s smile stiffened.
“If you can’t hold your tongue, then keep your mouth shut.”
Callum, who was fully focused on driving, tapped his finger on the steering wheel when he heard the question, but he didn’t respond.
“Well, so what? It’s all in the past, and anyway, Mr. Winthrop has a new fianc?e now. I’m sure you have already gotten over the relationship too.”
It was to be expected from someone who only recently became of age. He thought of relationships as something so inconsequential.
Elspeth couldn’t be bothered to waste her breath with him. She turned toward the window instead and just so happened to catch sight of the hotel before it whizzed past her.
So, there’s a hotel nearby.
Elspeth looked at Callum in the rearview mirror. His lips were pressed together in a thin line and his eyes were focused on the road up ahead. It was as if he was totally removed from the situation.
Did Callum know about the hotel here?
Did he come over to pick us up because he knew there was a hotel here and didn’t want me to stay at the hotel with Jethro? Elspeth pondered.
Then, she thought of an even more outlandish possibility.
Had he been tailing us the whole time?
However, as soon as that thought flashed across her mind, she found it entirely ridiculous.
Jasmine’s the only one Callum cares about now. Why would he spend his time and energy on anyone else, especially the ex-fianc?e whom he has long since lost all regard for?
Meanwhile, Jethro didn’t notice Elspeth’s preoccupation with her thoughts.
“By the way, why did you show up at a place like that so late at night, Mr. Winthrop?”
Jethro asked curiously.
