Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
“Elspeth? Why are you here?”
For some reason, he panicked inwardly at the sight of Elspeth. Hasn’t she gone to Blaydal already? How did she come back so soon?Elspeth taunted,
“Finn, you’re really quite something, eh? How dare you run amok on the Winthrop Family’s turf?”Finn wasn’t that afraid; with someone backing him up, he was greatly emboldened this time.
“So what? I’m getting Yelena out of here today!”Elspeth took a step forward and caught hold of his hand to keep him from banging at the door again.
“Why don’t you tell me the reason you’re looking for her?””What’s wrong about me looking for her? I’m her cousin! On the other hand, you have absolutely nothing to do with us, yet you have to poke your nose into our business every day!”Revolted by the man’s cocky tone of voice, Elspeth put out her hand and slapped him across the face immediately with a look of revulsion.The slap was so loud that everyone around them was stunned by the sight of what happened.Finn was wholly stupefied; this was his first time being hit by a woman. At first, he wanted to slap Elspeth in return, but he would be lying if he were to say he wasn’t intimidated by her threatening manner and the ferocious look in her eyes. Still, with everyone around him watching, he couldn’t afford to lose face. After clenching his teeth, he growled,
“How dare you hit me! Beat her up, guys!”Elspeth kicked down a young punk who lunged at her before grinding him beneath her heel.
“This is what will become of whoever dares to come at me! Any of you want to give it another try?”Having never experienced such a situation, the young punks around her stood rooted to the spot.Yelena seemed to have heard the fight outside and got onto the second-floor balcony. Seeing Elspeth alone against Finn and his five lackeys, she quickly shouted to her,
“Stop fighting, Elspeth! Finn is just a madman. I just called the police, and they’ll arrive in a moment!”Finn spat loudly when he heard the word ‘police.’
“How dare you call the police?! If we can’t get you out of here today, we’ll come here again tomorrow!”
Only after Finn had left did Elspeth text Yelena and get her to open the door. As soon as she entered, Yelena threw herself into her arms with tears gushing from her eyes.
“What happened? How did Finn find you here?”Yelena sobbed,
“I don’t know. Perhaps he learned that from someone.””Stop crying, everything’s alright now. By the way, I happen to have something to talk to you about. I forgot to tell you about it at last time’s birthday party.”Yelena held back her tears.
“What is it?””I told you about it last time. You can sign with Luminous Entertainment after your contract is terminated.”Yelena’s tears instantly gave way to a smile.
“Really? Can I really sign with Luminous Entertainment?”Seeing the look of disbelief on her face, Elspeth couldn’t help but give her a knock on the head.
“Did you forget who’s running the company?”Yelena knew that, of course. If Elspeth were to stop concealing her identity, she’d be Luminous Entertainment’s president both in name and reality by now. I’m perhaps the only person who understands how it feels when my bestie becomes my superior overnight, no? She leaned over to Elspeth, giggling.
“Well, if that’s what you say, I guess I won’t be standing on ceremony with you.”Knowing what her friend was up to, Elspeth curled her lips into a smile.
“In that case, why don’t you come with me now?”Yelena couldn’t be any happier to comply, of course. After grooming herself a little, she went to Luminous Entertainment with Elspeth.Elspeth took her to see Timothy, who was studying a screenplay while looking madly impatient.It’s so hard to look for a suitable script for Blake! he thought to himself. He had studied the script for quite a while. Blake had the looks of a high school hunk who was more on the gentle side, but the actresses proposed for the role of the female protagonist were either plain or out of tune with the character, which was a total headache.”Timothy, what’s giving you such a headache?”
Elspeth came up with a smile and patted him on the shoulder. Despite her young age, she conducted herself with an air of sophistication that was beyond her years.Having nothing to hide from her, Timothy explained frankly,
“I’m looking for a screenplay for Blake, but there isn’t a suitable one.”Elspeth wasn’t worried about that at all. How could Blake have trouble landing a role in film or on TV with his handsome looks? A lead male protagonist with Blake’s looks would easily win the hearts of countless girls with just a wink.
“Is the problem about the lead actress?”Timothy nodded.
“Yeah, the lead actresses are no good. I can’t find a lead actress that’d make a great couple with him.”Upon hearing this, Elspeth decisively dragged Yelena in front of him from behind her.
“In that case, what about her?”Having kidnapped the lady last time, Timothy had to admit he was rather embarrassed at seeing Yelena right now. However, having spent a long time in the workplace, he had learned to know which side his bread was buttered on, so he soon regained his composure.
“Yelena, huh… She’s not one of our company’s artists, no? Wouldn’t it be a waste of time and energy to negotiate with her agency to sign her on for the script?”
Thinking from Luminous Entertainment’s perspective, he thought it wasn’t worthwhile doing so.Elspeth shook her head.
“Yelena’s contract with her agency has ended already, so I’m going to sign her with Luminous Entertainment. What do you think?”A bad feeling suddenly crossed Timothy’s mind.
“Don’t tell me… you want me to be her talent agent?”Elspeth snapped her fingers with a smile.
“Bingo! That’s exactly what I want you to do.”Timothy immediately objected,
“I already have enough headache acting as a talent agent for Blake alone, and now you want me to be Yelena’s talent agent as well? Why don’t you kill me right away instead?”
He really didn’t want to manage two talents at once. If this were to go on, he’d definitely have his lifespan shortened.
“I’ll double your salary.”Timothy hesitated for a moment.
“But-“”Triple.”Hearing the word ‘triple,’ Timothy suddenly thought it was every employee’s duty to give their all for their company, so he shouldn’t shirk his duty.
“I got it. I’ll work hard as her talent agent.”
He eyed Yelena up and down; the young lady’s pretty and innocent looks were simply made for teen romance dramas.
“I have eyes on a TV show that’s calling for a lead actor and a lead actress, and I suggest that we buy the rights to the show. Trust me; the show will definitely be a big hit!”
He was very confident in his judgment.Elspeth trusted him, too. She replied with a nod,
“I got it. If there’s anything you want to do right now, just go to the Finance Department for funding. There’s no need to go out of your way to come to me anymore.”This was the first time someone trusted Timothy so much, so he would be lying if he were to say he wasn’t touched. At this moment, he was full of zeal and couldn’t wait to start showing his capabilities immediately.Elspeth turned to smile at Yelena.
“Alright, now that your place isn’t safe anymore, why don’t you stay here for the time being? There are hotel suites on the third floor. Just let Timothy pick the suite you like so that it’s convenient for you to come to work,”
she said.
Then, she said to Timothy,
“As for the contract, Timothy, can you help print it out? The stamp is in the safe in my office; the passcode is six eights in a row.”
With that, she left the room and returned home, leaving Yelena and Timothy in complete bewilderment in the office. Can the passcode… be disclosed to anyone?Elspeth didn’t go to the Winthrop Group in the afternoon. When she returned home and saw Callum, she was startled for a moment and almost unable to come to her senses. It’s not time to get off work yet, yet Callum is already at home. Something is amiss, no?”Where have you been?”Elspeth noticed that Callum seemed to have heaved a sigh of relief the instant he saw her.
“What’s the matter? Only now do you know to come to me of your own accord, huh?”Callum looked away impassively.
“I only came home to fetch some documents.”He’s got nothing in his hands, yet he says he came home to fetch documents… Elspeth clicked her tongue.
“Tsk, tsk. Callum, I don’t know what you’ve gone through, but keep in mind that if you’re still in love with me, you can tell me what you’ve come across. We can solve it together,”
she said earnestly and sincerely, but the man turned around and left as though he hadn’t heard her.He didn’t come home that evening.At the dining table in the evening, Max poked his fork into one of the beef ribs on his plate, asking casually,
“Why haven’t I seen Mom at home lately? Where has she been?”Theodore smiled.
“Your mom has gone traveling with her friends. You won’t get to see her for a long time.””She didn’t even answer my phone call when I called her last time. Why would she have no time answering the phone while having fun out there?”Theodore shot him a glare.
“It’s not easy for your mom to go out and have fun. Why would you disturb her by calling her every day? Can’t you let her have fun to her heart’s content?”Max mulled over his words and thought there was some truth in them. Margot hadn’t gone out traveling for a long time; she’d never had time to go out because she’d always been looking after them at home.
“Alright, but you’re probably right. Once Callum and Elspeth get married and have kids, Mom will probably have to take care of her grandchildren at home.”He only mentioned it thoughtlessly as a joke, but the instant he said that, the others immediately fell silent.Elspeth bit her lower lip without saying a word, whereas Blake’s heart twinged sharply as he was still hung up on her.Theodore laughed in an attempt to lift the atmosphere.
“Yeah, you’re right. Your mom will have to take care of her grandchildren by then.”
Elspeth knew that Theodore’s response was enough to speak for itself. At the moment, he didn’t want her to go out with Callum at all, but no one told her the reason for that; it was as if she had been sentenced to death without rhyme or reason.
“I’m full, so I’m going to bed first,”
she said impassively before getting up and retiring to her bedroom. Max looked at Elspeth’s plate and noticed that she had barely touched her food. Why would she say she’s full when she has barely eaten?
“Miss Elspeth, what’s going on?”Edmund shot him a glare.
“Keep quiet while others are talking, you brat.”
He saw through the situation better than anyone else. Although he was unaware of the problem between them, he could tell from Theodore’s response that Elspeth had almost been disqualified from becoming Callum’s fianc?e. It was just that this was outside his jurisdiction, so he didn’t want to intervene.After returning to her bedroom, Elspeth sat on her bed in a trance. She put on her thinking cap, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out the reason why she was suddenly treated like this. Unable to wrap her head around it, she decided to call Harper instead.”What’s the matter, Elspeth? You sound listless over the phone.”Hearing the noise on his end of the line, Elspeth raised an eyebrow, asking,
“Are you drinking at the bar again?””Yeah, I’m at our usual place, waiting for you at Luna Bar.”At first, Elspeth had wanted to wash up and go to sleep, but she was suddenly unable to sleep after hearing Harper’s invitation. As a result, she went downstairs and drove to Luna Bar.The bar was rowdy and crowded with people who were drinking and seeking pleasure. Making her way ahead to their usual booth, she saw Harper sitting there drinking alone. She opened a bottle herself and finished it in one go, asking,
“What’s the matter? You look even more depressed than me.”Harper snorted with laughter.
“I’m not depressed. By the way, what’s the matter with you? Does Callum allow you to come out for a drink at such a late hour?”Upon hearing Callum’s name, Elspeth gulped down another mouthful of wine.
“Don’t mention him.””What happened? You two quarreled or something?”Elspeth shook her head.
“No, we’re not quarreling. We’re on the verge of breaking up.”Harper’s face twisted into a dramatic expression.
“Breaking up? What kind of unsolvable problem are you two coming across to the point where you two are breaking up?””I don’t know.”Suddenly recalling what he had seen and heard, Harper couldn’t help but ask,
“Is it because of that lady named Emma Walker? I saw her on the news. Is it true that she was Callum’s first love?”Elspeth made a half-hearted attempt at a smile.
“She wasn’t, I guess.”
She trusted Callum; she was willing to trust him even if he was holding hands with Emma.Harper rolled his eyes.
“You don’t understand men at all. Men could never forget about the first women they were in love with.””Oh, really?”