Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Panicked, the kidnappers let go of Hank and fled.
“You knew? Then why didn’t you shout?” Yelena was young, but she knew that calling the cops or shouting was the best way to deal with this case.
“It wouldn’t have helped. Everyone would have thought it was a family affair and stayed out of it, but if I called you Chubby, you’d come running just to teach me a lesson.”
He used me? Upset, Yelena said, “So you did it on purpose?”
“Yes. Thank you, Miss Chubby.”
That again? Enraged, Yelena started to tremble. “Who are you calling chubby? You’re so rude.” For some reason, she couldn’t argue with Hank. If anyone else had called her chubby, she would’ve fought back. Despite her weight, she was a fair and beautiful young lady, but she couldn’t flatter herself in Hank’s presence.
He was unlike the ugly kids in her class. If they had called her Chubby, she would’ve called them ugly, but she had a feeling that Hank would still look better than her even if she had slimmed down. For the first time in her life, she felt insecure. That insecurity shut her up, so she gave the boy a conflicted look. Then, she turned around to leave.
Her sad look made Hank feel guilty. “Hey, what’s your name? You saved me after all. I want to know your name,” he said awkwardly.
“None of your business.”
“I don’t like chubby girls. Can’t marry you, sorry, but I can grant you a wish or something.”
What on earth? Yelena wiped her tears away. “I don’t want to see you ever again!” She then ran away crying.
Hank’s folks found him eventually. They talked and concluded that Yothgurd was not a good vacation spot, so they decided to go home. That night, Hank was reminded of what happened earlier that day, and he cursed himself. The next morning, he woke up early and asked his parents to search for someone.
Hank remembered the badge she was wearing. It belonged to Yothgurd High’s junior high department, and he saw the name ‘Sullivan’ etched onto it. His parents looked into the girl. When they found out she was the one who saved Hank, they wanted to thank her, but Hank stopped them. Even though he was only fifteen, Hank had a plan for his gratitude. He stood in front of the headmaster’s room, staring at the field outside. He saw a rotund girl holding up a ball with difficulty, but he didn’t find her ugly. She might be chubby, but she was cute. A smile curled his lips, and he stared into the distance. “No. I’ll repay my debt myself.”
A rather embarrassed look surfaced in Yelena’s eyes after she heard Hank’s words. “So, after that…”
“After that, I spent two years completing my course at the university. Then, I went home to take over my father’s company. I wanted to contact you to offer you help with losing weight, but I later found out that you had already slimmed down and were about to debut. So, I purchased all of the magazines that you appeared in throughout the first year of your career. I’d say that I was one of the major reasons you became so famous,” Hank uttered.
Yelena hadn’t expected such a thing to have happened in the past-just the thought of it made the whole thing seem rather ridiculous. “Why didn’t you show up in the past, then?” Yelena was puzzled. This means that I had a famous benefactor that has been supporting me all along. Yet, no one ever knew about it, and Hank didn’t even plan on telling me about it!
“Yeah. I didn’t tell you about this because back then when I first wanted to open up to you, I found out that you had already fallen for Max,” Hank explained. Yelena found herself walking down memory lane. She would never forget how she spent her youth-Max filled her mind on most days after he protected her.
As a result, Yelena had been blinded by what was before her eyes, and she didn’t notice Hank, who had been secretly supporting her the whole time. “Well, if I had already fallen for Max, then… Why didn’t you just give up on me?” Yelena asked. Logically speaking, if Hank found out that I was doing well, shouldn’t he have forgotten about me and cut ties with me? Yelena wondered.
“That’s what I thought at first. I figured that I would leave once you rose to fame. However, I hadn’t expected myself to end up thinking about a chubby girl with a ball in her hand whenever I go to bed at night. I couldn’t erase that thought from my mind…” Yelena’s face turned pink when she heard of the memory that Hank clung onto. “What are you talking about? You’re the chubby one.” She punched him playfully.
Hank felt like his memory was playing tricks on him when he looked at Yelena’s slim and sharp face. “What I meant was that I had already fallen too deeply for you. So, I simply decided to continue liking you over the years. I’ve never stopped liking you,” he uttered.
“Hmph. I’ve seen the world, young man; I don’t believe a word that you say,” Yelena replied jokingly. Hank pinched her nose, making it hard for her to catch her breath. “I told you I wouldn’t lie to you anymore,” he said.
“So, how are you planning to deal with this matter?” Yelena asked.
Hank sighed and shook his head. “You probably won’t be able to figure things out with that simple mind of yours. Cecelia and I will come up with something, so you don’t have to worry about it.” Yelena felt intrigued by Cecelia-she felt like she had already developed a firm relationship with Cecelia although she still didn’t know Cecelia that well. A woman’s interest in another woman was often clear-cut and direct-one would take a liking to another woman as long as the woman had a good attitude, good looks, talent, and the absence of threat.
“Alright. In that case, should I head back to filming?” Yelena asked.
“Filming? I wouldn’t have allowed you to film this if I knew that there was such an extensive kissing scene.” Hank massaged his brows before he came to a firm decision. “I’ll request for a switch in the male lead of this show. I might have to oversee the plot of the whole show as well,” he stated.
“I…” Yelena stuck her tongue out as she didn’t know what to say. She knew that there was no use in arguing against Hank. “What should I do now, then?” If Yelena didn’t get to act in films, she would be jobless once more. All the enthusiasm and excitement that Yelena had felt toward her filming earlier disappeared.
“You should just take a break. For now, you should try to avoid contacting me. You need to make it seem as if we’ve cut ties completely, okay?” Hank said.
Yelena’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. “Well, isn’t that my greatest strength?” He wants me to pretend that we don’t have any form of relationship at all… Well, doesn’t that require acting as well? Acting’s where I shine the most! Yelena nodded before grinning.
…
However, Yelena hadn’t expected to have to master her role so quickly. She was sleeping at home one night when she heard a loud knock on her door. She dazedly shuffled over to open the door, only to find an elegant lady standing outside. The elegant lady raised an eyebrow when she saw Yelena. Her skin was smooth and free of wrinkles-she was clearly someone who took care of her looks.
“Are you Yelena?” the lady asked. Yelena was wide awake with surprise at that point, and she widened her eyes as she responded to the lady, “That’s right. I’m Yelena. Is anything the matter?” Yelena’s voice was rather shaky, and it made her sound like she was afraid of the lady.
The lady knitted her brows. “I’m Hank’s mother, Simone Balkan. I’m here to ask you a few questions. Would you be free to have a chat now?”
Yelena’s face immediately lit up when she heard that the woman was Hank’s mother and her future mother-in-law. “Of course! But… I don’t have much of a relationship with Hank, so I wouldn’t know much about his recent activities if you are curious about that,” Yelena explained with a smile. She didn’t make it seem as if she and Hank were huge enemies, as she knew that she would eventually have to fake a reconciliation with Hank.
Yelena didn’t want Hank’s mother to hate her! The best she could do was to remain polite but distant. “It’s fine.” Simone brushed her hair out of her face in the most elegant manner possible. “I just wanted to know more about what happened between you two, especially since I just found out about Hank’s relationship.”
Yelena invited the woman into her house, and Simone began to frown when she looked at her surroundings. “It seems like… you’re not from that wealthy of a family.”
“Yes, Miss Balkan. Please take a seat.” Yelena politely got the woman to settle down before she brought the woman a cup of tea. “I’m just from a regular family, and I’m not all that wealthy. But don’t worry-my feelings for Hank are real, and I have no intention of snatching his inheritance or anything of that sort,” Yelena explained.
This was the first time Simone had received such a response, and she burst out laughing after hearing it. “Don’t worry. Hank is a sensible man, so I know he wouldn’t just transfer all his inheritance to you…” Are you sure about that? That sounds like what your son would do. He has already spent huge sums of money on me, Yelena thought. She could only keep these thoughts to herself as she didn’t dare to bring up this matter.
Simone cleared her throat before she continued questioning Yelena. “What I’m really curious about is how you guys met,” she uttered.
Yelena blinked. “Well, do you want to hear the truth, or would you prefer a lie? You will have to prepare yourself if you want the truth. The way we met sounds like a plot in a romance novel-even I had to take some time to process the whole situation.”
Simone let out a hearty laugh. “I want the truth, of course. I love a good story.” Yelena could tell that Simone wasn’t a manipulative or haughty woman, so she felt comfortable enough to open up. She started telling the story from when they were kids, and she went on to tell Simone about how they ended up meeting again later in life. She realized how Simone’s eyes lit up as Simone listened to her.
“So, this has been going on for such a long time?” Simone’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t expected Yelena to be the one who had saved her son. Furthermore, she had no idea that her son had been motivated to inherit the business at a younger age just so that he could support Yelena’s career to repay her kindness. Interesting… This is really interesting.
“Are you mad at me, Miss Balkan?” Even though Yelena had been transparent about everything, she still felt rather anxious. Hank spent a large sum of his money on me. Wouldn’t Miss Balkan be furious to hear this?
“Why should I be angry?” Simone chuckled. “Isn’t it great that both of you managed to support each other at different points in life?” Support… I don’t think I’ve supported Hank in any way, Yelena thought.
“I think you might have misunderstood something, Miss Balkan. We’ve already broken up with each other, and I…” Yelena felt rather helpless at that point. Does this mean that Miss Balkan is actually supportive of our relationship? In that case, why did we rush into this whole act of breaking up with each other?
“I know… But that’s such a shame.” Simone let out a sigh before she took a sip out of her teacup. “I’m sure Hank is really fond of you, but I don’t know why you guys broke up in the end. Why don’t you tell me about it?” she asked.
Yelena gulped. “We broke up because he had to go on a blind date.” Simone nearly spat out her tea after hearing Yelena. However, she was a cultured woman, so she managed to calm herself down before speaking. “So, are you saying that the brat, Hank, dumped you over this matter?” she asked in the most pleasant tone she could manage.
Hank, a brat… Yelena felt like her brain was covered by a layer of fog. For some reason, she found it rather bizarre to hear Simone speak of her son in that way. Yelena was about to explain herself when someone knocked on her door again. “Let me get that.” Yelena flashed Simone a smile before she hurried to the entrance. She had just opened the door when she found herself greeted by a warm hug.
Hank rushed into the room and scanned Yelena from head to toe to make sure that she was still in one piece. “I’m glad you’re fine,” he uttered with a sigh. “Why wouldn’t I be?” Yelena was puzzled for a moment. However, she then noticed Simone from the corner of her eye, and she finally understood what Hank meant. It seemed like Hank had found out about his mother’s visit, and he had rushed over just to support her.
However… “I’m still here.” Simone’s voice was calm, and she didn’t reveal any emotions in her tone. Yelena spun around and glanced in Simone’s direction before she pushed Hank a little farther away from her. “Miss Balkan is still here. You should watch what you’re doing,” Yelena whispered.
“I don’t know why you showed up here today, Mom. However, we’ve already broken up, so I hope you don’t come over to bother Yelena from now on,” Hank uttered in a firm and icy tone. It seemed like he was certain that Simone had visited Yelena just to threaten Yelena to stay away from him. Yelena quickly shook her head. “It isn’t what you think. There has been a misunderstanding,” she uttered worriedly.
“Don’t be afraid. I know you must feel bad. You need to tell me if she threatened you in any way,” he replied.
“Hey, didn’t you guys break up with each other already? Why are you guys still clinging to one another?” Simone let out an amused giggle. “That’s enough. I’m not as mean as you guys think I am,” she uttered while standing up with her bag. “But… It’s true that you guys cannot be together. I’m sure you know why.”
Hank shot the woman with an icy glare. Yelena was stunned by the sudden turn of events. How did things change so quickly? Didn’t I just have a really pleasant exchange with Miss Balkan?
“I believe I have full autonomy in dating whomever I like. You shouldn’t worry about this matter.” Both mother and son were insistent on their stances, and neither one of them seemed to want to take a step back. “No, I think you misunderstood what I said,” Simone uttered as she held her chin up high. “I think both of you cannot be together because I think you’re no match for her.”
Yelena couldn’t stop herself from gasping in shock.
“You were dating one another, yet you dumped her just because you had to go on a blind date. She’s such a nice girl, and she once saved you. Is that how you’re supposed to treat your savior?” Simone clicked her tongue at her son while giving him a disdainful glare. I can’t believe I spent all my years nurturing this boy into a young man with such a horrible attitude! Yelena is such an innocent and kind young lady-I can’t believe she had to suffer because of him. Well, she does seem like a rather honest and simple girl. It’s no wonder she was fooled by Hank. It looks like she’s still confused at this point.
Simone walked over to Yelena before holding Yelena’s hands and gazing at her lovingly. “Yelena, I noticed how kind and nice you are after our talk earlier. Since Hank decided to treat you so horribly, I think you should just forget about him. I have tons of connections, and I can send you all of their contacts later. You should chat with some of these men, and you can tell me if you like any of them. I’ll set you guys up.”
Is my future mother-in-law trying to introduce me to other guys in front of my own boyfriend? The entire situation was too confusing for Yelena. Hank, on the other hand, realized what was going on, and his expression darkened immediately. “What are you doing, Mom?” he hissed.
“I didn’t do much. I just figured that I’d find Yelena someone who will cherish her since you don’t.” Simone had already pulled her phone out to open her Facebook application. “Why don’t you add me as a friend? I’ll send you some contacts later.” Yelena didn’t know how to reject the woman, so she awkwardly reached out to take Simone’s phone before adding herself as a friend.
Hank reached out to stop Yelena when he saw what she was doing. “Are you going to cheat on me, Yelena?” he growled with a stern look on his face. It was then that Yelena realized what was going on. “No, no. It’s fine, Miss Balkan; I don’t need any contacts.” Yelena waved her hands to signal that she didn’t need Simone’s offer.
Simone crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Look-you would’ve continued lying to me if I hadn’t forced the truth out of you. You’re clearly still in love with each other. Why did you lie to me?”
Yelena spoke up as she was worried that Hank would receive a scolding otherwise. “It’s not what it looks like, Miss Balkan. Hank just wanted to slow things down as he was worried that you wouldn’t be able to accept it.”
“Why does he have to care about that? Back then, his father practically turned the world upside-down when he courted me. His father even gave up on the family business! How could our son be so useless? He can’t even protect his own woman.” How frustrating! Simone thought.
Yelena was too embarrassed to speak at that point, so she simply stood by the side while eyeing Hank with her large, round eyes. It was as if she was trying to tell him that she had tried her best to help, but there wasn’t much else that she could do.
“I have my own plans,” Hank uttered in a calm voice while gazing at Simone. Simone seemed rather displeased to hear this. “What plan are you talking about? I want you guys to have a good talk. I’ll handle the rest of the matters,” she suggested. I can’t trust Hank at all! He nearly lost such a good wife. I had to step in just to take things into my own hands.
Callum and Elspeth ignored each other for three days. When it first began, Callum hadn’t realized what he had done wrong. He hugged Elspeth from behind, and he had been rubbing his face against her shoulder when he noticed how her whole body tensed up in response. It was then that he realized that something was wrong between them. “Are you mad?” he asked.
