Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Rather than being filled with hatred, I find myself at a loss as to how to make sense of the current situation. At this thought, she replied, “No, you’re overthinking it.”
After hearing this, he glanced at her with a look of affection in his eyes. “Don’t be in a hurry to leave work tonight because I’ve already arranged for someone to pick up Dami. Also, today is the fireworks festival, and they will set off fireworks near the suburbs. So, I’ll take you to the fireworks feast after work.”
As Elspeth listened to Slevin’s flawless arrangements, she couldn’t bear to decline, so she had no choice but to nod.
“I have a meeting to attend, so I’ll be off now.” After saying this, he smiled at her before turning around and walking away.
After that, she returned to her office in a distracted state. She had just turned on the computer when she recalled Callum’s words from the previous evening.
“Slevin had hidden your personal information, which was why I couldn’t find you no matter how hard I looked. Elspeth, he had ulterior motives toward you and your child, so I hope you will be able to see through his facade…”
“Slevin had hidden your personal information, which was why I couldn’t find you no matter how hard I looked. Elspeth, he had ulterior motives toward you and your child, so I hope you will be able to see through his facade…”
So, did Slevin truly have ulterior motives? What is the purpose of his actions?
On the other hand, Elspeth always had access to Damin Corporation’s insider information, and Slevin had never withheld anything from her after recruiting her. Although she had previously shown no interest in accessing these files, she had now changed her mind. Then, she navigated to a folder, clicked on it, and noticed another encrypted folder inside that only the person who had set the password could open.
Nonetheless, she seemed to be familiar with decrypting this file as strange strings of code began to appear in her mind. Soon, her fingers moved deftly across the keyboard out of pure instinct, and after some time, she had deciphered the password.
This is just too…
After that, Elspeth clicked open the folder with trepidation. It contained a list of files that appeared to be standard documents, but as she scrolled to the end, she discovered a file with the strange name EL.
She was startled when she saw it. Isn’t that my initials? This file was created five years ago?! The terrifying thoughts in her head gradually fused with Callum’s theories. Eventually, she couldn’t control her emotions and opened the file. Nevertheless, the information in the file was so shocking that it rendered her speechless. Later, she quickly logged out of the system after skimming the file’s contents, overcome by indescribable emotions.
Meanwhile, Elspeth had conflicting emotions as she made her way to the cafe below the company, where they had agreed to meet after leaving work in the afternoon. It was lunchtime, so there weren’t too many people around, and Slevin was already there when she arrived. She noticed him sitting in the corner where they often met, sipping his coffee leisurely.
In contrast, the man always appeared calm and collected. When he saw her approaching, he smiled and stood up, even chivalrously pulling a chair out for her.
Then, Elspeth sat across from Slevin, and she looked down at the table to find her favorite coffee, with sugar cubes in a saucer nearby. “We’re going to the fireworks feast, right? When are we going?”
She had only been alone with him for a few seconds when she was at a loss for what to do. In addition to what she had learned earlier in the day, she was in no mood to converse and eager to get tonight’s event over with.
“We’re in no rush. Let’s have dinner, then we’ll head there later.”
After hearing this, she nodded, and they then went to a nearby restaurant for a light meal before driving to the beach for the fireworks feast.
Since the city was close to the sea, she often went there to kill time when bored. She loved the deep, azure sea and wondered how many waves and currents raged beneath its calm surface.
Perhaps because of the fireworks feast that evening, the number of people at the beach had more than doubled.
When they arrived, Elspeth removed her shoes and stepped onto the soft sand, a sense of comfort and liberation overtaking her.
Meanwhile, Slevin trailed behind her, his lips slightly curled as he saw her frolicking on the sand. “Elspeth, the fireworks feast is in half an hour. I have something to attend to, so don’t stray too far.”
However, she felt more at ease at the beach, and the opportunity to get away from him briefly was an added bonus, so she nodded and continued to have fun. After he had left, she took a stroll in a spot further away from the sea, where she observed people building sandcastles while others gathered seashells. Suddenly, she stepped on something hard, and she frowned in pain.
Then, Elspeth bent down and picked up the hard object, realizing it was a milky white stone glistening under the lights. It looks good! At this time, the earlier discomfort caused by the stone had subsided, and she amused herself by fiddling with it in her hands. Suddenly, all the lights on the beach went out, startling her and causing her to drop the stone, which landed on the sand beneath her feet.
Then, melodious music began to play, and she heard a familiar voice reverberating in the distance. “Welcome, everyone, to the fireworks feast today. I hope you’ll have a great time and enjoy yourselves here.”
On the other hand, Elspeth could only discern that the voice sounded familiar, perhaps due to the poor quality of the microphone. However, after paying close attention, she realized it was Slevin’s voice. So, he’s the one who organized the fireworks feast. Nonetheless, she didn’t give it much thought, believing that he had organized the festival solely to promote the Damin Group.
However, the events that happened next stunned her and rendered her speechless.
Meanwhile, the fireworks went off as planned, sending a rainbow of sparks into the sky to spell out “Elspeth” rather than the usual patterns.
Caught off guard, Elspeth looked puzzled as the background music suddenly turned incredibly romantic.
In a sharp-looking suit, Slevin walked out, holding a bouquet of flowers.
As he slowly approached her, she instinctively took a few steps back and asked, “Slevin, what are you up to?”
Nonetheless, he smiled and said nothing while waiting for the music to stop. Then, he kneeled on one knee and spoke with a clear, melodious voice, “Elspeth, will you marry me? I have waited for four years and refuse to wait any longer.”
Elspeth admitted that she was aware that Slevin might have harbored romantic feelings for her, but she had always kept her distance, and it had never crossed her mind to pursue a relationship with him. However, faced with the current situation and the man’s public proposal, she wondered if he was trying to force her into submission.
Furrowing her brow, she suggested, “There are so many people here, so let’s talk about this privately.”
She didn’t want to disrespect him, so she neither publicly rejected him to avoid embarrassing him nor readily accepted him. Nevertheless, she had no feelings for him from the beginning, and if they were destined to be together, they would have been together already, not via a forced marriage proposal.
In the meantime, those around her appeared to have different perspectives, as they believed she was overcome with happiness when they saw her standing as still as a statue.
Some bold individuals even approached and tugged at her clothes, saying, “Young lady, just say yes. This young man is handsome, has a good personality, and is wealthy. He has arranged this grand fireworks feast for you. If you miss this opportunity, you won’t find it elsewhere.”
Elspeth mustered a forced smile and replied, “Sorry, but you don’t need to say more. Our relationship isn’t what you think it is.”
Soon, several girls behind her, perhaps envious of the grand spectacle, whispered to each other.
“Hmph! I don’t know what she’s pretending for. She turns down such a wonderful man and is playing hard to get.”
“Exactly! Who wouldn’t be attracted to such a great man?”
“Hey! Take a good, long look at the guy in front of her. He looks familiar, like the CEO of Damin Group!”
“This girl must be crazy to reject the CEO of Damin Group.”
“I think I remember this girl. She’s been working with Mr. Slevin for a long time and has a child, right? Ah! He doesn’t even mind that she’s divorced with a child, so why is she hesitant to marry him? Disgusting!”
Meanwhile, Elspeth rolled her eyes internally while listening to these conversations. Still, she managed to muster a reluctant smile and urged, “Slevin, don’t do this-“
He rarely forces me to do anything, but now, with his eyes wide with anticipation, he kneels before me. This put a tremendous amount of pressure on me.
“Since I’ve gone through all the preparations for this grand fireworks feast, I won’t simply give up. Elspeth, I’ve genuinely adored you for countless years. If you’d allow me, I hope you’ll marry me. Rest assured, I will treat Damian as my very own…” Slevin’s words were brimming with heartfelt sincerity, enough to move most young women to tears.
Nonetheless, she did not share the sentiment and doubted his intentions to marry her. Following the earlier discovery of the files, she felt a growing sense of unease whenever he appeared more sincere than before.
“Marry him! Marry him!”
At this point, the growing crowd and resounding encouragement echoed through the air as their cheers almost drowned out Elspeth’s voice. As she stood there unsure what to do, a deafening explosion erupted in the distance. Suddenly, an outburst of flames shot straight up into the sky, resembling a misfire from a fireworks display!
“It’s an explosion! Run for your lives!”
“Help!”
A moment of calm was suddenly replaced by mayhem as the gathered crowd dispersed in all directions.
In contrast, Elspeth and Slevin, in the middle of the crowd at first, were pushed and shoved in all directions, resulting in the bouquet of flowers being knocked out of his hands and trampled on.
As she came to her senses, she ran with the crowd for a short distance before someone grabbed her right hand and said, “Don’t be afraid. It’s me.”
Elspeth’s first instinct was to try to shake off the hand holding her, but when she heard a vaguely familiar voice, she turned her head and was surprised to see Callum. “Why are you here?” she asked, incredulous.
Nevertheless, Callum did not respond to her but instead looked for a secure location to pull her away from the crowd. After that, he explained, “For now, don’t worry. The fireworks misfire blast will not spread to this area, and there will be no casualties.”
After hearing this, she breathed a sigh of relief. Since she realized that the fireworks feast had been prepared for her, she would not have felt at ease if it had caused harm to others. Still, she quickly processed the situation and stared at him in disbelief. “Did you cause the explosion?” If he is aware of what happened, could he be responsible?
On the other hand, Callum had no guilty conscience over his actions and was instead beaming from ear to ear. “Yeah, I did.”
After a short while, the two arrived at an open space, and as soon as they stopped, Elspeth shook his hand off while chiding, “Callum, have you gone crazy? What if something dangerous happened?” Even though I know he doesn’t mean any harm, I’m concerned about his well-being, given that he set off the blast!
While her face was filled with rage, he did not appear embarrassed. Instead, his face blossomed into a broader smile, and he asked, “Are you worried about me?”
“Of course. This action is so dangerous-“
Before she could finish her sentence, she was pulled into a warm embrace.
“You finally care about me.” His voice carried a hint of grievance.
“I-” Elspeth stared at Callum as he nestled against her shoulder like a lost puppy looking for its owner. When she couldn’t think of anything else to say, she patted his back gently to reassure him.