Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
“You’re a public figure, though. It would be bad if the media found out what you did.”She spoke as if she was merely reminding Emma, but her words were meant for the journalists standing around them that it was also major news. The journalists swiftly understood Elspeth’s words and began taking photos while their pens raced across their notepads.”Hurry and apologize now, Miss Walker. Otherwise, your reputation will suffer when they break the news,”
she continued.Elspeth beamed a smile at Emma, but her cheeks and lips were left uncharacteristically unsmiling.”I’m sorry,”
Emma declared to the crowd.
“I did not mean to buy an imitation product. I only wanted to surprise Mr. Winthrop-“When they saw tears roll down her cheek, their hearts softened.
“Let’s not nitpick about this. After all, she did it with good intentions. She didn’t know it was an imitation watch.”
“Yeah,”
said another member of the crowd.
“Emma is not that kind of evil person. I believe in her.”Seeing that the crowd forgave her because of a few drops of tears, Emma immediately began crying harder.”Stop crying, Miss Walker. If you keep on like that, everyone will start to think I’m bullying you,”
said Elspeth.”Elspeth, I know you don’t like me, but you didn’t need to be so hostile,”
Emma replied, sniffling.Seeing that the crowd was starting to defend Emma, Elspeth chuckled.
“Hostile? Miss Walker, don’t you think you should go to an appraiser whenever you buy something? You are a public figure. One single mistake would negatively affect your career.”Emma shouted in her mind, Stop talking! She was panicking hard inside but still had to act feeble and meek. It was ridiculously hard for her.”Look at how tactless Elspeth is while Emma is always so kind and gentle,”
someone whispered.
“So, what if she bought an imitation watch? Who can ensure they would never make a mistake like that in their entire life?”Hearing that, Elspeth turned to look at the speaker. It was a young girl who seemed pretty well-off. Judging by how she dressed, she looked like someone from new money.”You mean to say you have bought imitation products before?”
Elspeth asked.”Of course,”
the girl replied with a huff.
“No one can be certain they would never buy imitation products. This is merely an accident.””Wait. Who told you everyone would buy an imitation product at some point?”
Elspeth found that statement hilarious as she looked at the girl disdainfully.
“Pardon me, but I became a certified appraiser at sixteen. Not once in my life have I bought anything fake. Not everyone is like you; even after buying a fake product, you’re proud of that fact instead of reflecting on your mistake.”It was a slap in the face for the girl, making her clench her jaw in anger. Still, there was nothing she could retort.As for Emma, she was feeling increasingly humiliated. Someone stepped up to defend her, only to be disgraced. That meant she was indirectly disgraced as well.”Elspeth, forgiveness is a virtue,”
Emma said. Her eyes had softened as though the incident had taken the wind out of her sails.Forgiveness is a virtue; that is not a phrase she deserves to use. Elspeth glanced at her before smiling gently,
“Well, please remember to be careful in the future. Don’t ever let your plans be leaked.”Emma glared at her before scurrying away.With that, the encounter was over. As Elspeth stretched, Callum returned from the bathroom. The victorious look on her allowed him to guess what had happened.”She was annoying you again?”
he asked. Then, he picked up a tiny cake from the plate nearby to feed it to her.”Yes,”
Elspeth replied. Her eyes slid close in satisfaction.
“It’s fine, though. She can’t win in a fight against me.””I know, but you should still avoid going toe to toe with her.”
Callum already had a plan in the works.”What? Are you feeling sorry for your poor first love? Are you scared that I might bully her?”
she shot back.”No way,”
he replied, shaking his head.
“I am worried for your sake. She is a popular and in-demand star in the country. If you anger her, her brainless fans will never forgive you.”Elspeth was not afraid of that possibility at all. Instead, she was more worried that Emma could continue to stay in Damoria if she kept causing trouble like that.”Callum, is Arthur coming?”He pursed his lips as a dark look flashed across his eyes.
“Yes, but he is not here yet, so I’m not sure if he will actually come.”She was shocked to hear that. There were so many journalists here. Would Arthur not be in an awkward position if he came? Speak of the devil; soon after their conversation, there was a commotion at the door. The crowd was whispering louder than when Emma arrived.
Arthur was wearing an all-white suit that evening and looked incredibly striking. The first thing he did was not greet Theodore with a happy birthday. Instead, he walked over to Callum and Elspeth.
“Emma told me you were being mean to her. What did she mean by that?”
Emma had apparently complained to Arthur, so he had come to question them.How hilarious! Elspeth sneezed.
“I would never dare do that. I don’t have the guts to be mean to her. She intentionally came over to disgust me. My only choice was to fight back. Still, what a coincidence. She was so irresponsible as to give an imitation watch as a gift.”Then, he politely smiled.
“Even if her gift isn’t a genuine product, she meant well by it. You knew she was a public figure, yet you repeatedly humiliated her in front of many people.”Do I have to accept responsibility for everything? She looked at Arthur with disdain as she retorted,
“Arthur, it is your business if you like her and want to protect her. I do not like her, so please never mention her name to me.”Surprised that Elspeth would say something so vile, his face went stiff.
“What a crude woman,”
he spat out.Callum shot him a cold glare as he stood in front of Elspeth.
“Whom are you calling crude?”
he asked, upset.Arthur did not respond to Callum’s question and merely shot Elspeth a stern look before turning around and walking toward Theodore.Meanwhile, Theodore had been busy entertaining some guests. When he heard that Arthur was present, emotions warred within him. Hence, he was worried when he saw Arthur approach him.”Happy birthday, Dad,”
Arthur said.Theodore flinched when he heard the familiar term and responded,
“Hey.”During their last conversation, Arthur repeatedly addressed Theodore as ‘Mr. Winthrop’ before he left, and every time he did that, it hurt Theodore. Still, Arthur was willingly calling him ‘dad’ now. Did that mean he wanted to repair their relationship?”I am so sorry for last time, Dad,”
Arthur stated.
“I blamed all of you without knowing everything about the situation. I even said I would cut off all contact with you guys. It’s all my fault. I hope you can forgive me. I still want to call you Dad.”His speech was so moving that everyone present was touched. Everyone except for Callum and Elspeth.”Say, why do you think Arthur came here to make up with your father?”
Despite the tears in Arthur’s eyes, Elspeth did not think things were what they seemed.Callum calmly peeled open the cherry and fed it to Elspeth.
“Why else? Money and power. The Winthrops could grant him a greater social standing than anything he could achieve.””You mean he’s up to something again?””I don’t know,”
Callum replied with a blank look as he wiped his hands clean.
“Judging by the current situation, though, he is definitely not doing this out of the kindness of his heart.”However, the rest of the Winthrops were not as cautious as him. Except for Edmund, who was hesitant to believe Arthur, Blake, and Max both let down their guards and dashed over to hug Arthur.”It’s good that you’re back.””Even if we’re not blood-related, you will always be my brother!”They had lived together for decades. How could their brotherhood be cut off in an instant?However, Arthur continued to cry as cameras loudly clicked and flashed. Tomorrow’s headline was set in stone.Seeing that made Elspeth smirk mockingly. At the end of the party, Theodore suggested dining in a private room in the hotel’s restaurant. He wanted a reunion dinner since Arthur had returned. When the food was all served up, someone rushed into the room.”Sorry I’m late.”Elspeth scowled. Why was Emma invited?Theodore smiled and explained,
“I invited Emma. After all, she flew so far to be here with us. She even put so much effort into my birthday celebration. I had to invite her as well.”Then, as if afraid everyone was still confused, Arthur added,
“The watch isn’t the only gift Emma prepared. There is also a luminous pearl of the Southern Sea. It’s merely arriving late.”When Elspeth heard that, she knew the pearl was likely given to Emma by Arthur to save her reputation.Theodore chuckled.
“It’s fine. I like it, even if it’s not genuine. You’re so kind, Emma.””No, Mr. Winthrop. I would never have given it to you if I had known it was fake.”
Emma ducked her head low in guilt.”Alright. Make yourself comfortable. Sit down, and let’s eat.”After Emma sat down, Callum suddenly spoke up.
“Dad, is your mind going from old age?”Theodore glared at him.
“What are you saying? I’m still sprightly. How could I be losing my mind?””Why else would you do something like this?”
Callum rebuked. He knew Theodore had been avoiding Elspeth for the past few days. Hence, he could not help but be suspicious of Theodore’s sudden affectionate behavior toward Emma.”Callum!”
Theodore barked.
“Today is my birthday. Can you save it?”Seeing that, Callum stood up, dragging Elspeth with him.
“Enjoy your meal. We have somewhere else to be.”For a moment, she was stunned. Then, she hurriedly pulled her hand out of his grip.
“Enough, Callum. Today is your father’s birthday. Don’t be rash.”Although he did not say anything, the peaceful look on her face calmed him down significantly.Theodore was shocked. He had never realized Callum had a rebellious side to him.
“What is going on with you, Callum?”Callum did not answer him, however, nor did he say another word from then on. Instead, he downed glass after glass of wine.It had been awfully long since Arthur last saw Callum so frustrated. It cheered him so much that there was no way to hide the wide grin on his face.Throughout the meal, Theodore kept chatting with Emma. Compared to that treatment, Elspeth, his future daughter-in-law, seemed like an outsider instead.”What do you do overseas, Emma?”
asked Theodore.She smiled and answered,
“I mainly work in the entertainment industry. I’ve even acted in a few famous films from Hollywood. You surely have seen some of them, Mr. Winthrop.””Of course, I have. You are an international superstar. I have heard of every film you acted in, especially ‘Napoleon’s Savior.’ It was an exceptionally great film.””You’re too kind, Mr. Winthrop. I’m only an actress. I’m not as capable as Elspeth. No wonder Callum likes her.”
Emma might be smiling on the outside, but she was burning with hatred on the inside. While I was abroad, I had never heard of her. What right did a moderately famous woman have to compete with me for Callum?Theodore awkwardly smiled. Callum has dated both of them, which makes comparisons between them awkward.
“You’re both capable women… Oh, right. Emma, when will your parents be back in the country? They went abroad to do business, right?”
Emma’s expression softened at his question.
“Yeah, they’ve been doing business abroad all this time. But if you want to meet them, I can make a phone call and ask them to come back.”
Theodore replied with a wave of his hand,
“No, you don’t have to. They just came into my mind, that’s all. Your dad and I used to be drinking buddies back when we were younger, you know.”They chatted happily, with Arthur chiming in from time to time.Contrary to the three who were talking and laughing cheerfully, Callum and Elspeth were seemingly nonexistent. He bent his head and whispered in her ear,