Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Callum explained, after which she gently nodded.”But what do we do? We can’t let people misunderstand the situation between the two of them, can we?”
Max’s concerns were not unfounded, as it wasn’t just a rumor but blatant infidelity; no matter how they explained it, it would have already left an impression.Yelena was no ordinary celebrity, with attention naturally drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Her romantic affairs were always under scrutiny, even more so when she was caught sleeping with the male lead of her upcoming film.Who would doubt that the two of them were set up?Adding to the drama was Yelena’s prior announcement of her fondness for Max. If she were misunderstood as a two-timer, bystanders would quickly turn their backs, fans would abandon her, and Max’s supporters would cause a scene. Yelena’s career in the entertainment industry would be finished! Everything that happened was no mere attempt to stir up publicity but an apparent attempt to destroy Yelena. Elspeth’s heart raced even faster, but she took a deep breath.
“Let’s not worry about this for now. I’ll handle it.”Regardless, Yelena’s reputation for sleeping around was thoroughly established. They would have to find a way to remedy the situation.”Alright, then. Let’s go in and take a look at them,”
declared Max, clenching his fists. Although his mood was sour, he hadn’t forgotten about Yelena’s state. However, Elspeth coughed dryly to get her attention.
“Yelena’s clothes… Ahem, it isn’t quite appropriate for you to enter now. I think I should go in and help her change first.”Callum narrowed his eyes.
“If that’s the case, does that mean Blake is also in disarray?”He didn’t want his woman to see another man’s body. Besides, it was Blake, a weakling who spent most of his time in the entertainment industry without much exercise!Elspeth rolled her eyes.
“It isn’t appropriate if you find a male at this time just to protect her reputation, right?””We can find a female servant.”Elspeth immediately showed an exaggerated expression.
“A female servant? Are you afraid that not enough people are aware of this?””Fine. just this once.”Even if Callum was uncomfortable, he had to endure it; after all, it would be more difficult to deal with the situation if they woke up any later.Elspeth was quite strong; after entering, she put on Yelena’s skirt on her with just a few simple movements, carried her out, and swiftly transferred her to another room.On the other hand, she only accidentally briefly glanced at Blake after she took Yelena out of the room.Honestly speaking, he’s really nothing more than a decoration with no practical use, pleasing to the eyes, but useless.
Coughs! I mean…Yelena slumbered till 8.00AM before waking up, while Blake was up and about bright and early. Looking at the three people before him, a hint of ambiguity crossed Blake’s face.As he lowered his head and found that he wasn’t even dressed, he instantly felt a mix of embarrassment and helplessness.”What’s going on here?!”
Blake exclaimed.Elspeth was the first to speak.
“Like finally, Blake. Tell us what happened last night. Come on!”Her anxiety was genuine. After a night of contemplation, the more she thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed. In fact, she even had a hunch about who was the mastermind.”Last night…”
Blake recalled, suddenly realizing.
“Last night, I took Max and Yelena back to the hotel. But on the way, we encountered someone unconscious by the side of the road. We thought we’d go down and help, but we never imagined that as soon as we got out of the car, Yelena would be taken away. Then, at the intersection, three or four people took me too, leaving only Max. Afterward, we were knocked out. And then… That’s all there is to it.”Blake rubbed his neck. Bro! Why do I feel so sore?”So, those people were precisely on target with their capture, accurately guessing that Yelena and Blake were in the same car.Blake thought about it and couldn’t help but agree.
“It seems that’s how it is.””Well then, there’s no need to investigate further. I know who’s behind this.”Who else could it be? Only Emma Walker from the banquet has the power to act so quickly!
The anger in Elspeth’s turned to a burst of disbelieving laughter. As she was just about to give an impassioned speech, a soft chime, like the awakening of a dream, rang from her phone. Yelena, in the next room, seemed to have woken up. Elspeth looked at the people around her; everyone knew that Yelena was awake. Soon, they marched over to the next room.Looking at the four people standing in front of her, Yelena, who had just woken up, immediately screamed and covered her eyes.Ah-Elspeth was speechless.
“What are you screaming about?””I just woke up, and I haven’t put on my makeup yet! My bare face is seen. I don’t want to live!”
As a celebrity, especially a popular one, how could she let others see her bare face?Elspeth had nothing more to say.
“But we’ve seen your bare face before. What are you nervous about?”Yelena was so triggered that she was about to explode.
“But Max has never seen it. If he sees it, he might call me an ugly beast again!”The painful experience from a few years ago was still haunting her. She used to constantly meet Max with her bare face in private while she was an emerging young talent. Max mockingly asked when he saw her,
“You’re simply an ugly beast, and you still want to pursue me?”It was a comment that had left a shadow in her heart.Elspeth chuckled.
“What’s wrong? Are you still worried that Max will dislike you for being ugly? Stop kidding. Of all these people, besides Max, weren’t we all here when you put on your makeup? We didn’t even say anything, so who gave Max the right to judge you?””I didn’t even say anything.”
Max looked at her being silly, helplessly rolling his eyes. Only then did Yelena’s dejected attitude eventually subside.”Okay, okay. Tell me quickly. What did you lose last night?”After asking, Elspeth finally realized that she was a fool. Yelena was so drunk last night that she couldn’t remember anything, so Elspeth had no choice but to dismiss the thought.”By the way, something might happen to you guys today,”
Elspeth cautiously said.Yelena and Blake spoke in unison, asking,
“What?””You two were stripped and left in the room last night, and photos were taken by a reporter. It might hit the news headlines today.”Bad news travels fast, doesn’t it?Elspeth touched her nose.
“This matter might be a bit embarrassing, but both of you have to hold it together.”After hearing this, Yelena burst into tears. She had held on for so long and was finally on the brink of a breakthrough, but this event was likely to knock her back to square one.What would Max think of me? He would surely think I am dirty and unkempt, and he would despise me. Sobs-Yelena was crying so tragically that even Elspeth thought that she was bullying her.”Okay, stop crying. It’s getting a little annoying.”
Max’s tone was not impatient, but with just one sentence, he frightened Yelena again.”Now everyone is getting annoyed with me. I know that men are all mean. I was wrong about you!”
Yelena hummed and turned her head away, ignoring him.Elspeth looked at the childish tantrum and couldn’t help but smile. As she turned, she noticed that Callum and Blake were also secretly smiling.Indeed, she has the heart of a child.”Wait, I cried for the wrong person. Elspeth, what should I do now? How can I be rehydrated?”
With this statement, Elspeth instantly became serious when she thought of how emotional Yelena was. Elspeth announced,
“Although this matter may have a certain impact on you, it will not have a profound effect on your future. So, just face it with confidence, and don’t dwell on the past. I’ll figure it out for you.”Yelena wiped her tears and nodded, feeling a little relieved.
“Really? How?””You’ll soon know.”The morning news was quickly dominated by a breaking headline: ‘Elena and Blake Had a Sexy Night Out. What About Max’s Status as a Boyfriend?’The accompanying picture was blurry, likely due to Elspeth’s meddling. Some reporters had already deleted the pictures, so no matter how hard the others tried, their pictures were all unclear. This was actually advantageous for her future plans.However, the comments section was a bleak landscape. Yelena’s fans were trying their best to defend her, but their numbers were few, and many fans were expressing their shock and announcing their decision to unfollow her. On the other hand, Blake’s fans were equally disappointed, with many exclaiming that his persona had fallen, wondering how Blake could be willing to be a homewrecker. But soon, the comments were filled with accusations of Yelena leading Blake astray or drugging him. At the end of the day, the insults flowed onto Yelena’s social media page.Just as she thought, the whole incident was aimed at Yelena. In an outburst of anger, Yelena proclaimed,
“What nonsense! How could I possibly be so frivolous? I’m such an innocent person. How could I be two-timing? The person who framed me is really f*cking sickening!”
Listening to the barrage of foul language coming from Yelena’s mouth, Elspeth was momentarily at a loss for words.Is this really the Yelena that I know? Where has the initially naive, cute, lively, and simple young lady gone? Even now, she was trembling slightly.Max immediately questioned,
“Yelena, what kind of bullsh*t is that?”Elspeth understood instantly and knew who taught her how to swear. Then, she wrote an article, and when she was ready to publish it, Callum looked at her with piercing insight.
“I think I know what’s going on.””The old switcheroo. You want Max to replace Blake.”Elspeth was surprised.
“How did you figure that out?”Callum chuckled.
“You’ve been staring at Blake and Max for half an hour. If I didn’t know your heart belongs to me, I’d think you had a roving eye.”Elspeth frowned.
“I don’t have a roving eye. Was it that obvious that I was looking at them?”Blake nodded, his senses heightened as a result of the constant flash of cameras he faced long-term.
“It’s pretty obvious. I noticed too. I thought you were planning to silence me to protect Yelena.”Elspeth replied with a smirk,
“I’m not quite ready to kill someone yet, but I do have something I want to talk to you about.””Okay.””I want everyone to believe that Max is the one they’re looking for. This way, I can establish their love identity and restore Yelena’s reputation while also providing an explanation for the fans.”Max whispered,
“What about my reputation?”Yelena, on the other hand, was unfazed. The public announcement might tarnish her once naive and sweet image, but she no longer cared. She was tired of being known as just a maiden. She wanted to do what she wanted. If it weren’t for her age, she would’ve gotten a marriage certificate already!
The paparazzi picture incident certainly didn’t cause anyone dissatisfaction since it was the wisest course of action under the circumstances. Elspeth cast a sidelong glance at Yelena.
“If there are no objections, I’ve drafted an article for you. You can publish it as is. And you too, Blake. I know you’re innocent too, so you should roughly know what to say.”Max frowned.
“What about me? Is there anything I can do?””Nothing, just sit tight in the hotel and don’t let anyone threaten you,”
Elspeth replied, sizing up Max’s physique with some dissatisfaction.Blake could be excused for lacking some skills since he had spent most of his time in the entertainment industry, but Max was a different story; he couldn’t even hold onto Yelena.Max gritted his teeth in frustration, knowing what she meant.Meanwhile, Yelena had already published the article online, causing a tempest in a teapot. However, it wasn’t directed at her but at the situation. The sudden switch from Blake to Max caught many people off guard.Blake’s fans breathed a sigh of relief, and even the more polite ones left comments apologizing for Yelena’s post. Some of her fans still felt that the cute and innocent Yelena wouldn’t have slept with a man so easily, but most were reasonable.She had all the right to sleep with her boyfriend now that she was an adult. In any case, it appeared that the situation wasn’t as terrible as they initially believed.Most of the criticisms were directed at the people instigating the online harassment, and once they realized they had been targeting the wrong person, the storm died down a bit.But suddenly, in the next second, a much more explosive news story surpassed the popularity of the article and took the top spot.The article was written by Max himself and was posted on the official account of the Winthrop Group.”Yelena is my fianc?e. Due to her busy filming schedule, we will have the engagement banquet later. After we reach the right age, we will have our wedding. Besides, Yelena and I did not have a substantive relationship. If anyone doesn’t believe it, she can show you the medical report.”This statement proved two things:First, the two were a legitimate engaged couple, and Yelena did not engage in premarital intercourse.Second, Yelena was still a virgin, and the two only slept together without having intercourse.Either way, either point could silence the rumors. In a flash, the comment section exploded.User A: ‘I knew Max and Yelena weren’t like that!’User B: ‘I don’t know too well. Have they always been this close?’User C: ‘He’s the man that Yelena pursued and got. Damn. They got engaged so quickly. This is so thrilling, isn’t it?’User D: ‘This is just my two cents, but I think people who pry into other people’s privacy must have some brain issues.’Others joined in on the criticism, but this time, the target of the insults switched to the person who leaked the news. Even worse, some have revealed that the news was leaked by the Walkers.Fangirl of Yelena: ‘This is definitely Emma Walker’s doing. The two shows wrap up at the same time and are probably going to be released on the same day. If it were you, wouldn’t you stab your competitor in the back at this moment?’I don’t give a hoot: ‘I think you’re right. Even if Emma isn’t behind this, it’s still fishy. It’s the dirty side of money. Real sickening.’ I swear to marry Yelena: ‘Bullcrap. They f*ck with Yelena every day. If I had the money, I’d definitely wipe out the Walkers!’Ya Ya: ‘Hey, dude! Just how drunk were you to name yourself that? Geez!’I swear to marry Yelena: ‘banned for three days for using profanity’.Oh well, now there was no need to change the id.The internet was full of twists and turns, and everyone offline was equally surprised.Elspeth turned to look at Max with shock written all over her face. Even Callum raised an eyebrow with some unease.Yelena, on the other hand, had the biggest reaction, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“Max, d-did you write this?”Max was a bit disdainful of her thought process.
“I didn’t write it-“Yelena hung her head in disappointment. But the next second, Max continued,
“I asked my dad to publish it.””So, you want to marry me now? Weren’t you the one who didn’t want to be with me before?”
Max only cleared his throat as he looked at Yelena and blinked her eyes, looking both curious and happy.After all, his words and actions were contradictory, so he was embarrassed.”I’m just afraid you won’t be able to get out of this trap this time, so this is the most effective and quickest idea…”However, he had already had such thoughts for a very long time. Max would never say that out loud, though, because once she knew about it, she would probably be gloating for days on end.Although Yelena wasn’t entirely satisfied with his answer, she knew that Max cared about her, and she felt much better instantly.”Max, even though I know you were too shy to admit that you liked me before, I will continue to persist and like you. Don’t worry. From today on, I will take on the title of your fianc?e-“Before she could even finish her sentence, Max swiftly reached over and covered her mouth, preventing her from spewing any more shameless nonsense.”Max, Max! Let me go. You’re going to suffocate me!”Elspeth exchanged a knowing smile with Callum, understanding each other without speaking a word.”Alright, you two. Stop fooling around. Let’s hurry back to Damoria before anything else happens. If we stay here any longer, who knows what kind of trouble we might encounter.”
Elspeth’s sense of impending danger was strong, having been through so much. So, she proposed they head back home as she felt that Waterside wasn’t a place they should linger long at.Even Yelena, who loved to play around, readily agreed with her proposal as she was bored with the place. The others had no objections either. They all boarded Callum’s private plane and flew back to Damoria that night.It wasn’t the case for Eric, who claimed to have some business in Waterside. He stayed back but promised to return on the day of Callum and Elspeth’s engagement.After they arrived back in Damoria, Yelena, and Blake went straight to the company. With one project after another, they only had a little free time. Max returned to school, where he was busy with a racing competition.With an easier commute as an excuse, Elspeth stayed at Callum’s property, conveniently located near Winthrop Group. In reality, it was to fulfill Callum’s desire to meet her as much as possible.Elspeth didn’t mind, though. It was Callum’s own property anyways, so he could do whatever he pleased as long as he remembered to pay the utility bills.On a beautiful day, Elspeth decided to pay Yelena a visit because posting messages online was not enough. The most important thing was to hurry up and hold the engagement banquet.
When Yelena heard that Elspeth was in town, she headed straight to the lounge and found her perched on the couch sipping coffee; she lunged towards her and gave her a big hug.
“Elspeth, Elspeth! Today, Timothy offered me another role, and this time it’s not the dumb and sweet leading lady. It’s a bad*ss, cool second female lead. I looked at the script, and the character is so likable. I really love it!”Elspeth smiled.
“That’s great, but that’s not why I asked you to come over.””Then, what is it?”Yelena had been cooped up in the office these days, not knowing what was going on with Elspeth.”Do you remember the framing incident from last time?”Indeed, she would not be able to forget that, so she nodded vigorously.
“Of course, I remember. Wasn’t it resolved already? Wait, don’t tell me Emma Walker, that two-faced, is causing trouble again?”Elspeth shook her head.
“No, it’s that you promised the people something with Max. You should follow through with it.”What did I promise?Her mind immediately caught on.
“OMG! You’re not talking about us getting engaged, are you?””Yes, when are you guys planning to get engaged?”Elspeth’s words stirred up a storm in Yelena’s mind.The engagement wasn’t something that she had put much thought into, as she always felt that Max was just joking around. Plus, if they were really going to get engaged, Max should be the one to come to her. If he didn’t make a move, she wouldn’t have the audacity to shamelessly go up to him!”Alright, you know that Max is not expressive. Have you forgotten how he was? Even if he truly likes you, he will not have the audacity to bring up the engagement himself.”Now, that kind of makes sense. Upon hearing this, Yelena felt her expression soften.
“Is that so? Then how do I get him to propose?””I have a plan,”
Elspeth replied with a light laugh.Then, Yelena leaned in, listening to her plan, and a smile crept onto her lips.
“But won’t that be shameless?”In response, Elspeth rolled her eyes.
“We can all see that he likes you. We’re just allowing him to express himself. How is that being shameless?”Yelena usually listened to Elspeth’s advice, so her concerns were quickly brushed off as well.The two were laughing and joking when suddenly, Timothy burst through the door with a grave expression.
“Bad news.””What?”
Yelena asked, taken aback.”The director changed his mind about the role he promised you this afternoon. He said he’s giving it to Emma instead.”Emma Walker again!Elspeth’s eyes flashed with a hint of iciness.
“Don’t worry. Let’s call the director first and find out what’s going on.”So, Timothy gave Elspeth the director’s number immediately, and without hesitation, she made the call.The director seemed to be enjoying the company of beautiful women on either side of him, but Elspeth’s status was too unique to be ignored. He reluctantly answered the phone.
“Hello, Miss Lynwood. Is there something you need?””Just wanted to ask why the female lead role you promised Yelena isn’t available anymore all of a sudden.”
When Elspeth brought up the subject casually, the director giggled awkwardly while simultaneously displaying a tinge of apathy.
“It’s just a role. We chose the person who’s most suitable for the role. If we find someone better, of course, we’ll consider replacing the previous choice. Besides, we haven’t started filming yet, and there’s no contract signed, so it’s not a breach of contract.”Since the decision was made verbally, it is permissible for the director to go back to his own words. Besides, his mouth began to water when he recalled the soft curves of Emma’s body from last night.Emma had said that if he helped suppress Yelena, she would sleep with him just once! How could he resist the allure of a starlet like her?”Promises are meant to be kept, so it’s downright heartless of you to go back on your word.”
Elspeth initially hoped to persuade him through reasoning, but she quickly abandoned this idea after realizing he was not reasonable.”Fine. Since you have your own ideas, we won’t bother you anymore. Let’s hope that you won’t regret it in the future,”
