Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Elspeth herself couldn’t bear to hear that, let alone that Yozan was genuinely hurt by those words. “Mr. Harley, I think what you’re saying is a bit too-” She was about to say something when she noticed Yozan standing up.
Yozan was incredibly furious as he said, ” I am nothing but a shameful person in your eyes and the son of a promiscuous woman. What about Elspeth? When you had sex with her mother, wasn’t her mother unconscious? You took her mother directly back to your villa and violated her. Are you any better?” He exposed the truth about what happened years ago without mercy toward Welson.
With a loud slap, Welson hit him hard. “You ungrateful b*stard! What are you blabbering about?”
Hearing that, she was equally shocked and speechless. Although she knew the truth was complicated, she never expected it to be so shocking.
“Am I simply blabbering, though? Investigate, and you’ll find out the truth anyway.” Yozan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and laughed recklessly. “Oh, right. Elspeth, aren’t you good at hacking? The clues are already here. With careful investigation, nothing can remain hidden.”
Welson raised his hand again. “You scoundrel!”
However, the expected slap never came. Yozan opened his eyes and found that Elspeth had grabbed Welson’s wrist.
“Mr. Harley.” The coldness in her voice sent chills down his spine as she looked into his eyes. “Are you so angry at Yozan because he hit a nerve?”
The word ‘nerve’ caused a subtle change in Welson’s expression. “Elspeth, let me explain. It’s not what you think.”
Then, she let go of his wrist and took a few steps back. “Don’t worry, Mr. Harley. I won’t wrong you, but I won’t let you off the hook either.”
Welson Harley was a man of privilege. He was rarely treated with such an attitude. The colors on his face instantly turned dull at Elspeth’s words. Nonetheless, he had worked so hard to locate his long-lost daughter that he was too embarrassed to reprimand her. “Elspeth, I-“
However, Elspeth retained her cold attitude. “That’s enough, Mr. Harley. If there is nothing else to address, I will leave first.” With that, she turned around to leave while the butler on her side quickly tagged along.
Once she left, Welson heaved a heavy sigh. “Yozan, have I ever mistreated you after all these years? I gave you the best education, supported you financially, and even let you inherit the family business.” He thought he had given his son everything he could besides the unnecessary fatherly love.
However, Yozan didn’t seem to be content with them. Even after obtaining everything he could, he still longed for his father’s attention and concern. In addition, he should not expect those from Welson because he wasn’t going to give those to him.
On the other hand, every time Welson looked at Yozan, it brought back memories of a woman desperately trying to get into his bed twenty years ago. How appalling! As a result, Welson harbored deep resentment toward his son. Hence, when the woman who gave birth to his son died from complications during labor, he could finally resolve one of his concerns. Nonetheless, he found it absurd that she had gone through so much to bring Yozan into the Harley Family, only to die before she could enjoy the blessing.
Watching his father plunge into his own thoughts, Yozan frowned. “I don’t need any of those from you.” He was born and raised in the Harley Family, so it stood to reason that he should be grateful.
Unfortunately, he was a rebel. Growing up, he always felt wronged and aggrieved. Perhaps, he was mindful of too many things at once and always dreamed about having something unreachable.
“What are you talking about? Are you sure you don’t need any of these?” Welson snickered at his son’s statement. “Without our family, you are nothing. Don’t you think you sound ridiculous?”
Yozan’s face turned pallid after hearing that. He’s right; I am nothing without the Harley Family. Perhaps, I would have been abandoned in an unknown orphanage where others would have bullied me. Afraid of saying anything that might provoke Welson, he lowered his head. “I’m sorry.”
On the other hand, Welson wouldn’t let his son go like that. After all, Yozan had told Elspeth everything earlier. “If an apology worked in every case, why do we even need the police?” Anger boiled in Welson’s chest. “What were you thinking? How could you tell her all that?!”
Yozan had accidentally blurted the truth out of impulse. However, he reasoned that informing her ahead of time, before she found out on her own, was a better idea. “I have told you before. Elspeth is skilled in hacking. Do you think she wouldn’t run a background check on you after she gets to know you? If you don’t tell her in advance, there’s no way she’ll accept you once she finds out that you’ve been hiding the truth all along.” He was clearly trying to justify himself by saying that, but he was also plainly speaking his mind.
“Your words appear to make sense.” Welson glanced at his son, feeling his anger dissipate a little. “So, what do you think we should do now?” Even though he looked down on Yozan, he believed his son was helpful in times of crisis.
“Our priority now is to think of a solution to win Elspeth’s heart.” Looking at the contemptuous expression on his father’s face, Yozan clenched his fists. “If you want her to accept you, you should first gain her mother’s trust.”
After hearing that, Welson did notice that Elspeth only wavered at the mention of her mother. “Okay. I know what to do now.” He smiled with satisfaction. “Since you gave me a good suggestion, I’ll treat it as you made up for your mistake this time. Let’s forgo the punishment.”
In an indifferent tone, Yozan uttered, “Thank you, Father.”
…
Meanwhile, Elspeth knew Welson would take action, but she didn’t expect him to come so soon.
Early in the morning, she heard someone knocking at the door. She thought someone had returned, but when she opened the door, a group of people was standing outside carrying a dozen or more boxes.
The man leading the group looked familiar. If she was right, it was the butler she met last time. With his head slightly bowed, he greeted her, “Miss Lynwood, these are some gifts from Mr. Harley. Please accept them.”
After skimming at the group, Elspeth replied indifferently, “Everything here is too expensive. You should bring them back.” She noticed that the boxes themselves were expensive, let alone the contents.
“Mr. Harley said he didn’t manage to send gifts to you for your wedding, so he wants to send you these as dowry.”
I haven’t even accepted him as my dad yet! Why is he acting like one already?! Elspeth felt uneasy upon hearing that. Then, she stated bluntly, “I don’t need all these at the moment. Tell him that he should know his place and make sure he keeps a distance from me.” With that, she was about to turn around and shut the door.
“Who’s outside?” At that moment, Callum walked out, saw the butler with a flattering smile, and frowned slightly. “Who’s this?”
“Someone from the Harley Family.”
Then, she briefly introduced the two to each other, giving Callum context to the butler’s identity. She had told him about what happened last night, including the matter about Yozan. On the other hand, he felt sorry for Yozan and had a negative impression of Welson, despite being his father-in-law.
“Please take all of these items back. We don’t need them.” Without a doubt, he was in the same boat as Elspeth.
The butler was in a dilemma. He wasn’t sure whether to leave or stay. “Mr. Harley told me to pass you all these items. If I bring them back, he’ll definitely be disappointed.” In other words, he was only given instructions to complete the task, and he did not have the authority to make decisions.
Looking at his white sideburns, Elspeth felt sorry for him and suggested, “Then, leave these boxes here for now. I’ll return them when I have the time to do so.”
When he heard her first sentence, the butler smiled like a flower in bloom, but when she blurted out the second, he looked distressed. Again, he tried to persuade her. “Miss Lynwood, Mr. Harley sincerely wants to mend his relationship with you, or he wouldn’t have sent you so many gifts. You should try to get along with him, so he won’t be disappointed.”
All of a sudden, her gaze turned cold. A fierce look was evident on her face. “Please return and tell Mr. Harley I don’t need it.”
Following a disappointing visit, the butler instructed the men to leave the boxes at the door before departing in despair.
On the other hand, Elspeth thought the issue was over, and the Harley Family would be quiet for a while. Unexpectedly, a few days later, she received a call from Helia. Elspeth had not informed her mother of everything she had learned that day, so she panicked when she received Helia’s call. She had a feeling that the matter wasn’t as simple as she expected it to be. Moreover, she understood Welson’s character well enough to conclude that he could have kidnapped Helia.
“What’s wrong, Mom? Are you alright?”
Helia had called to tell her about something interesting that had happened that day, but when she heard her daughter’s anxious tone, she realized something was wrong. “I’m fine, but did something happen? Why would you suddenly ask that?”
“Oh… Thank goodness you’re fine. Mom, why are you calling?”
Helia had always been concerned that she could cause trouble for Elspeth, who was now married. Hence, she avoided calling her daughter unless necessary.
“Well, this morning, I suddenly received a few parcels, which turned out to be expensive jewelry when I unboxed them.” Helia furrowed her brows tight. “I don’t have many friends, so I’m calling to ask if you were the one who sent them.”
After hearing that, Elspeth immediately knew who the sender was. “Is there anything else besides jewelry?”
After pondering carefully, Helia responded in embarrassment. “Yes, there is a letter, but the content of the letter is pretty… cheesy.”
Without a doubt, Welson is the sender. “Don’t panic, Mom. Please disregard any doorbell or phone calls you may receive over the next few days.”
Helia panicked upon hearing her daughter’s advice. “Why? Is someone going to hurt me?” She had become the target of public criticism. Almost everyone in Damoria now knew her identity. She also had a premonition that the news would soon spread to Blaydal. The Jonesons would then find out about her presence and come after her. “Did the Jonesons find out about me already?”
Elspeth shook her head and said, “I’ve been keeping this under wraps for the time being, so there aren’t many people who know about it.”
“Who could it be, then?”
Seeing how she couldn’t hide the truth any longer, Elspeth reassured her, “Stay home and wait for me. I’m coming now.”
After realizing the seriousness of the matter, Helia no longer asked through the phone. “Sure. I’ll wait for you at home.”
Hanging up the phone, Elspeth turned to glance at Callum. “I have to visit my mom.”
He nodded and suggested, “I’ll come with you.”
“Don’t worry. I think it’s more appropriate that I go alone.”
Although she had done her best to explain the situation indirectly to him, he could still sense the embarrassment that Helia might feel. If he was there as a man, her mother might be flustered.
Elspeth had always been the meticulous one between them, so Callum agreed. “Sure. I’ll stay at home and wait for you, then.”
After saying goodbye to him, she packed her bag and drove to Helia’s house. When she arrived at the entrance, she noticed her mother’s gate was wide open, which was unusual. Helia used to be quite cautious, so she always kept her gate locked.
At that moment, Elspeth knew something was wrong. She immediately exited the vehicle, but as soon as she reached the door, she detected a strong odor of blood. She noticed bloodstained drips on the floor, which, while not much, was still quite startling. The sight of that made her chest tighten. When she entered the door, she saw a pool of blood on the table by the couch. In addition, there were signs that a fight had taken place.
On the other hand, she could not locate Helia in the big living room. It was obvious that she had been kidnapped, and the perpetrator was highly likely an acquaintance.
Ultimately, Elspeth was worried and decided to call the police because the situation had escalated to a critical level. As soon as she took out her phone, she noticed a piece of paper with a sentence written on it. ‘I’m only asking her a few questions, and I won’t hurt her.’
Despite entering the police department’s phone number, she immediately turned off her phone after reading those words. Soon, her expression turned serious. Although she couldn’t figure out who did it, she felt it had something to do with Welson. He also had a motive for committing the crime.
Still, would he really use this method to kidnap Mom? After Elspeth had reason to suspect Welson, she had to know if her suspicions were justified. So, she called him, and her worried voice could be heard as soon as the call was connected. “Are you free?”
