Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
“My mom divorced my dad and remarried Alex Fowler a few years later when I was four.”Elspeth listened attentively to Tina, but she could already guess what had happened in her mind.”Unfortunately, Alex showed his true colors just a couple of years later and started abusing me. He would beat me up whenever my mom wasn’t around. My mom really liked him. So, despite all the violence he had hurled at me, I kept my silence. I kept it a secret and didn’t even tell Spencer. Alex’s abuse worsened because of my lack of reaction.”Tears rolled off Tina’s cheeks as she told her tale. It was agonizing to bare her story to another after keeping it a secret for so many heartrending years.”Then, the heliophobia…”Pain flashed across Tina’s eyes as she muttered bitterly,
“I don’t have heliophobia. I just didn’t want to see people. The beating was frequent, and I was constantly covered with bruises. I was afraid people might notice. So, I came up with an excuse to avoid ever leaving.”Only Spencer, her childhood friend, didn’t distance himself from her and often came over to accompany her.”Why didn’t you fight back?”Elspeth couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Why would Tina be willing to suffer the beating for such a long time?”I’ll tell you only because your eyes were… It was filled with such strength despite being gentle. You make me feel safe. But you’re also a young girl. You may be able to treat me, but it’s probably impossible for you to save me from this hell.”Tina knew very well that her mother liked Alex. She didn’t have the heart to destroy her mother’s dream.”My mom likes him. I don’t want to disappoint her.”Elspeth listened to her, and her gaze turned sharp at that comment.
“How do you know that your mom wouldn’t feel disappointed instead? You saw how she looked at you just now. Do you really think this is good for her? Her daughter suffering in silence for her happiness? Any mother would be miserable if they knew what you’ve hidden. You should talk to her about this. Maybe the happiness you thought was right for her was only a fa?ade.”Tina opened her mouth to defend herself, but no words came to mind. She couldn’t find the words to refute Elspeth’s remarks.Elspeth gazed right into Tina’s frightened eyes, then turned to walk out of the room where she saw Spencer and Mrs. Fowler. Then, she asked Mrs. Fowler,
“Mrs. Fowler, please come in.”Just when she was about to leave, she glanced at Spencer.
“You too.”Spencer nodded and hastily followed her in.”Mrs. Fowler, Tina isn’t sick.”Mrs. Fowler was in disbelief,
“How is that possible?””You’ll understand when you see the wounds on her body.”Mrs. Fowler gingerly moved forward and lifted Tina’s long-sleeved shirt and long pants. Sure enough, all sorts of wounds covered her body. Some looked like knife cuts, whip lashes, and even pinch marks…It was a scary sight to behold, and Mrs. Fowler immediately burst into tears when she saw all the wounds covering her baby daughter’s body.”Your husband, Alex Fowler, abused her. That’s why she pretended to be sick because she didn’t want to see people.”Tina also started crying silently as she saw her mother’s remorseful face. Mrs. Fowler carefully embraced Tina in a bear hug. This was the first time she had hugged Tina in six months. She never knew that Tina had been suffering all this while!”Thank you, Miss Lynwood. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t know what else that beast would do to Tina.”Her heart felt constricted as she delicately caressed Tina’s hair, treating her daughter with utmost care.”What do you plan to do now, Mrs. Fowler?”A ferocious glint flashed across Mrs. Fowler’s eyes.
“Divorce. Ours was a casual relationship, to begin with. I married him only because I wanted Tina to have a better life. I always thought that a father figure was important to a child’s development. Who knew… I was so blind to have made such a huge mistake.”Elspeth scanned the wounds on Tina as a thought popped into her mind.
“But Tina’s injuries can’t be in vain. We need to make Alex pay for this.”As Mrs. Fowler’s mind was filled with thoughts of leaving this dumpster fire behind, she didn’t think of that.”But… the Fowler Family is considered a prestigious family in Blaydal. I’m a mere citizen. I can’t go up against him.”Spencer, who was standing by the side, sneered when he heard that.
“The Fowler Family is nobody. They can’t even compare to the White Family. Tina is my friend, and I will make him pay for making her suffer!”At the same time, Tina thought of something and murmured with a slight waver in her tone,
“There was once he beat me up when he was drunk. He kept muttering about working with the Alphascape Group and evading tax worth a total of 200 million. Maybe this could be strong evidence to bring him down?”The Alphascape Group?Elspeth recalled that the Alphascape Group headquarters was in Blaydal. So, maybe she could kill two birds with one stone this time and bring down the Fowlers as well as the Alphascape Group in one fell swoop.”Don’t worry. Bringing him down is like child’s play.”
Spencer gave her a comforting look.
“Pack up your stuff, all your precious items and such. You’re not coming back here ever again. Once the divorce is finalized, you can both stay in one of my villas, and no, I won’t be taking no for an answer.”A trace of sunlight shone into the room, showing Tina’s tears flowing down her face like precious diamonds.
“Thank you, Spencer.”Elspeth and Spencer quietly left the Fowler Residence as if nothing was out of the ordinary. This way, they wouldn’t startle their prey and let him live for a while longer.After that debacle, Elspeth returned straight to the Joneson Residence and saw Callum was reading in the study. So, she told him what she had learned from Tina.”You’re saying that the Alphascape Group evaded a few hundred million in taxes?””Yea. If we can find evidence that they worked with Alex to evade tax, they’re done.”It didn’t matter how powerful the Alphascape Group was. They would still be under the mercy of the law.”I’ve never thought of that. Since he would go as far to evade tax, he’s probably involved in several shady dealings.”
Callum lowered his eyes as he was deep in thought.
“Leave this to me. I’ll make sure to catch them both red- handed.”Elspeth nodded in agreement as she canceled any mental plans in asking Harper for help to investigate this matter.”Old Mr. Joneson came by just now.”Elspeth’s heart leaped to her throat as she forced herself to speak,
“What did he want?””He asked how I was recovering. He said that if I’m well, I should leave the Joneson Residence as soon as possible.”She knew that it was just another excuse, so she wasn’t worried about it.
“It’s fine. Take the time you need to heal. You can leave once you feel better. You don’t need to be bothered by him.”The corners of Callum’s lips curled into a smile.
“Are you saying that you want to sleep with me?””What?”
Elspeth had not considered this issue. A better way to put it would be that she utterly forgot about this issue.”There’s only one bed in this room. So, doesn’t that mean that you want to share the bed with me by asking me to stay?”
As soon as the words ‘sharing the same bed’ fell from Callum’s lips, Elspeth immediately felt her face burning red. She was at a loss for how to answer and could only give Callum a fierce glare.
“Fine, then leave.”
Callum didn’t seem to notice her glare as he turned his head away.
“I’m not leaving.””I’ll prepare the guest room for you.”He shook his head.
“I’ve already built a relationship with your bed, and it says it doesn’t want to part with me.”The corners of her mouth twitched at his daring.
“In that case, why don’t you call out to it and see if it agrees with you?”Then, she saw him sitting on the bed, holding the side and asking,
“Do you want me to leave?”The bed shook violently three times, making loud creaking noises.Just as she was about to interject, he added,
“Do you want me to sleep with Elspeth?”He rocked his body, and the bed creaked once.Callum shrugged and spread his hands.
“Look, I told you; you need to sleep with me. Otherwise, your bed will be very upset.”Elspeth couldn’t help but feel amused at his antics.
“Callum, how childish can you be?””Also, a ghost will hide under your bed tonight if you insist on sleeping alone. While you’re sleeping, it will climb out from under your bed and watch you sleep…”She smacked her palm against his head.
“I’m not scared of ghosts.”He took the slap without protest and looked at her aggrievedly.
“But I’m scared. I don’t dare to sleep alone.”In that case, who were you trying to scare with that ghost story?Elspeth rested her forehead against her palm as she tried to find a way out of this. Eventually, when she saw how persistent he was being, she pointed at the ground and announced,
“You can sleep in my room tonight. But you will sleep on the floor, and I will sleep on the bed.”Callum opened his mouth to probably say something cheeky. Alas, before he could say anything, he promptly swallowed his words after seeing the evil eye she was giving him.
“Also, I will kick you out if I find you climbing into my bed.”The bed smelled like her, so he was truly very reluctant to leave.Nevertheless, he obediently listened to her demands and slept on the ground. That way, he could at least lie to himself better as he was sleeping in the same room as her.She could not get a good night’s sleep that night. It was her first time sleeping in the same room as a man, so her nerves remained tense throughout the night.On the other hand, he seemed utterly unaffected and slept soundly that night.Callum fell silent when he woke up the following day. The moment he noticed the deep and dark circles under Elspeth’s eyes, he hesitantly said,
“Was it… Very tiring last night?”Elspeth yawned and snapped irritably,
“Yeah, that’s all thanks to you!”After the butler passing nearby heard her words, he was so shocked that he nearly slipped and fell.When she saw the horrified look that the butler was giving her, she immediately knew that he had misunderstood her words. Her voice became a little anxious,
“It’s not what you think!”He glanced at the butler lightly and smiled at her.
“Don’t be shy. I won’t press you for answers.”After the butler heard those words, he couldn’t help but shudder.
“Didn’t I prepare a guest room for you last night, Mr. Winthrop? Why…”He never expected the two to sleep together, even though Michael had explicitly ordered them to sleep separately last night.Elspeth seemed to realize upon hearing the butler’s mutterings. Sure enough, a glint of murderous intent appeared in her eyes.
“Callum Winthrop… There was a guest room prepared for you, wasn’t there?”Callum rotated his wrists with an indifferent expression.
“The bed in the guest room is too hard. I couldn’t sleep well.”What bed would be harder than the ground? She gritted her teeth and forced a smile.
“You sure are something.”He graced her with a small smile.
“I know how capable I am. But there are others here. It’s inappropriate to talk about that here.”After he said that, he glanced at the butler with a seemingly unintentional look.The butler smiled awkwardly, cold sweat pouring profusely down his back. Why are they telling me about their bedroom matters? If old Mr. Joneson discovers that I failed in my task, I might be fired on the spot! The butler cursed vehemently at Callum in his heart, but he still had to pretend to be pleasant and generous on the surface.
“I don’t know anything. Old Mr. Joneson is calling for me, so I have to go.”Elspeth had never seen the butler walking so quickly before. Yet, she merely turned to roll her eyes at Callum when she saw the butler fleeing in panic.”Why are you giving me that look?”She took a deep breath, trying to restrain her temper for her sanity’s sake.
“I’m going to the hospital to visit Frank later. Will you be coming with me?”The humor in Callum’s eyes vanished instantly when he thought about how she was running around every day because of other men.
“No.”She looked at the sulky expression on his face and asked coolly,
“Why? Are you planning to stay at home and have tea with Grandfather?”When his mind brought up the vision of the old man who was clearly unhappy with him yet had to fake a genial appearance, he furrowed his eyebrows deeply.
“In that case, I will drive you there.”So, they cleaned themselves up without further ado. Then, they left the house and headed to the hospital in Callum’s car.Inside the hospital, Frank was chatting away with Spencer. When he saw Elspeth and Callum walking over, he quirked his eyebrows lightly at the sight of them coming together.”You’re here.”When she saw that Frank seemed to be fine, she was secretly amazed by his speedy recovery.
“Let me check your back.””No!””No!”Two voices rang out at the same time. Frank was one of pure awkwardness and embarrassment. On the other hand, Callum looked cold and forbidding. His expression almost seemed like he was about to skin Frank alive.”I am a doctor. Why are the both of you kicking such a fuss?”Therefore, she decided to strong-arm her way through their rejection as she lifted the cloth covering Frank’s back without warning. She looked at the flesh that was gradually healing on his back and nodded in satisfaction.
“You’re recovering well. It’ll probably finish healing in another two or three days.”Frank never imagined that a woman would possess such strength. She held his arm so firmly that he couldn’t even budge.”Elspeth, are you really a woman?”She looked at how easily he was being manipulated and mockingly said,
“If I’m not a woman, would that make you one?”A man being held down by a woman. Just who is more humiliated here? Frank flushed, shamefaced, but he could not refute her words.At this point, Callum’s expression was as dark as the bottom of the pot. He suddenly felt highly irritated when he was forced to watch their playful yet casual interaction.
“Are you done?”Frank’s self-preservation radar probably died from discomfort earlier, as he even had the heart to joke teasingly,
“What’s this? Are you jealous? I can’t believe you’re jealous of your own uncle! Callum, you’re such a petty man.”Callum shifted his cold gaze to Frank’s face, and the look in his eyes was threatening.”Why are you glaring at me with that look? Look at him, Elspeth. Your boyfriend is such a fierce man.”Callum narrowed his eyes.
“Whom are you saying is fierce?””What’s wrong with saying something about you? You’re living in my house! If you’re going to give me such an attitude, then I’ll just kick you out!”Elspeth had always thought that Frank was an unreachable man before she got to know him personally. He had always seemed so arrogant that it was hard to approach him. Moreover, he always had a sour expression on his face.After she actually got to know the man beneath the mask, she realized that he was actually a childish man. His words were often aggressive and mocking. Not to mention, he was often sarcastic to everybody.”Alright, that’s enough. You’re both injured. Can you calm down for once?”Her head was buzzing with their noisy quarrel.Frank swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and muttered angrily,
“I would never forgive you if it weren’t for Elspeth.””If you’re going to be like that, then don’t blame me for being rude.”Callum was nearly 1.9 meters tall. Coupled with his frigid expression and terrifying temper, he certainly looked like he would attack somebody at a moment’s notice.
Frank swallowed nervously, rightfully scared that Callum might actually punch him in the next second. In the end, Callum suddenly frowned with a look of hurt in his eyes.
“Honey, he bullied me first.”Elspeth was deeply shocked. Is Callum playing coy with me?Even Frank and Spencer standing nearby never expected Callum’s reaction. Instead, they were so shocked that their jaws were agape.A 1.9-meter-tall stern-looking man acting spoiled certainly looks pretty ridiculous. Wait a minute… ‘Honey’?Elspeth curled her finger and unceremoniously flicked him on the forehead.
“We’re not married. Don’t get ahead of yourself.””It’s only a matter of time.”The corner of Callum’s mouth quirked into a triumphant grin. He had plenty of techniques to deal with her.Spencer couldn’t stand the sight of them being so intimate with each other. A look of inexplicable sadness entered his eyes as he stood up.
“I’m afraid something came up. I’ll be leaving first.”After he said that, he left without another word.Similarly, Callum and Elspeth had other matters that needed their attention and left quickly so that they did not disturb Frank’s rest.Frank watched them leave with a smile on his face. However, the moment they left, the smile slid off his face, and he made a phone call.
“Come back. I know you’re still here.”After some time, Spencer entered the hospital ward with the smell of cigarettes lingering wafting from his body. There was a slight red tinge at the corner of his eyes.
“How did you know I was still here?””Pfft.”
Frank snorted and pointed out in amusement.
“Do you think I don’t know you well? When you looked at Elspeth, your eyes were practically falling out of their sockets. If I couldn’t figure out what you were thinking, then all the years we’ve been best friends would have been a waste.””But Elspeth has a boyfriend now. They also looked well-matched together. My feelings for her are nothing when they’re happy together.”Spencer laughed bitterly and sighed in dejection. He never once thought of fighting Callum for Elspeth. Yet, the sight of them standing in front of him as a couple was agonizing to him.Rather than saying that it was a painful sight, he might as well admit that he was jealous.”I should be supporting you in your pursuit for happiness, but Elspeth… She is somebody who will stick to something forever once she decides on it. Nobody can change her mind.”
Frank regarded Spencer carefully and continued,
“Besides, Grandpa has already chosen the most suitable candidate to introduce to her. I’m afraid Callum will encounter many hardships in the future.”Spencer shook his head.
“Don’t worry. I know it’s impossible. I will slowly let go of my feelings.”Frank bumped Spencer in the arm.
“Do you want a drink?”Spencer burst into laughter and agreed. He knew that Frank only suggested this to cheer him up.
