Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
“Now that you know the truth, you should take care of your health. Please tell your mother I said hi if you ever find her.”Elspeth nodded.
“Sure. Thanks again, Mrs. Winthrop.”As Margot was leaving, Elspeth added,
“Mrs. Winthrop, you’re a nice lady, and I can tell Mr. Winthrop likes you with all his heart.”
Following that, she winked at her with a hint of playfulness.Margot’s face instantly flushed due to her remark.
“Stop flattering me, you brat.”
With that, she left while covering her face bashfully.Meanwhile, Elspeth smirked before falling into deep thought. In that case, I’ll have to return to Joneson House. On the other hand, Callum and I got engaged not too long ago, and my mom found a way to get the engagement gift to me using her own methods. So, it indicates that the situation is stable for the time being and that there is no pressing need for me to return.After pondering, she did some light stretching because she felt stiff from being in bed for so long. Suddenly, her eyes landed on the stew bowl on the table, and she instantly shuddered at the recollection of the various stews she had eaten over the past few days. Maybe I should throw them away….Meanwhile, Elspeth was eager to return to work as soon as she felt better. She was informed that the crew would be filming in a studio in Blaydal. In addition, Timothy had already brought a group of actors over to the location. In other words, she was eager to get back to work so that she could make trips to Blaydal to monitor the work progress.Unfortunately, she still had not resolved Gilbert’s matter, and he was constantly blackmailing and threatening her. As a result, she had no choice but to remain in Damoria for the time being.On the other hand, Callum was extremely busy for the past few days. She only learned from indirect sources that Winthrop Group had financial difficulties, leaving him to clean up the mess. Hence, as soon as she recovered, Elspeth sneakily went to Winthrop Group to check on the situation.As soon as she entered the company, she heard the two young ladies at the reception counter muttering to each other. Out of curiosity, she leaned over to eavesdrop on their conversation.”Is Mr. Winthrop out of his mind? The stock market is doing so well, but he insists on selling off one of our successful subsidiaries at a low price. Won’t we lose money because of that?””His behavior is honestly confusing and outrageous. I heard the board of directors is planning to remove him from his position!”Hearing that, Elspeth pulled a long face. What on earth is Callum up to?!
Elspeth went directly to the CEO’s office and confronted Callum face-to-face. When he saw the rage in her eyes, his heart sank.
“What brings you here all of a sudden, Elspeth?””If I hadn’t asked you about it, were you going to keep it a secret from me? Are we even engaged? Why are you still treating me like an outsider?”Suddenly, her list of questions made him speechless.”I didn’t intend to make you feel that way.”Soon, her gaze turned colder, and she said,
“Then, show me this quarter’s proposal.”However, Callum did not do as Elspeth said, and that was enough to prove his stance.”Fine. You aren’t going to show me, are you? I’ll investigate on my own, then!”She took a deep breath to calm down the anger that was building inside of her. Then, she threatened,
“I’ll call Lisa and ask her what you did to Winthrop Group. This is definitely not a mistake you should make.”That statement rendered him speechless for a moment before he spoke,
“I’ll show you.”When the proposal was placed in front of Elspeth, she struggled mentally. When she flipped the proposal pages, it was clearly stated that the shares of one of the company subsidiaries would be given to Miss Emma Walker at no cost.E-Emma Walker?!”Are you going to tell me that you took pity on Emma and will hand this subsidiary over to her?”
She instantly froze after reading the proposal.”No. It’s not like that.”
He wanted to elaborate but chose to say nothing upon further reflection.When Callum stopped talking, Elspeth turned her head and looked at him somberly.
“Do you mind giving me a reasonable explanation, then?”
It suddenly dawned on her that she had, in fact, lost control and said some hurtful things earlier, but the expression on his face caused her heart to soften.”I can’t tell you the reason for the time being, but as long as I give away this company, Winthrop Group will not suffer any losses.”In his heart, he was more concerned about her than the company.”What would you call this if not a loss? No matter what, I need you to tell me the truth. If you don’t tell me, I’ll figure it out myself.”
Elspeth declared with assurance, knowing there was nothing her abilities could not uncover.Seeing how adamant she was, Callum sighed,
“I thought I could settle this matter without telling you, but I didn’t expect you to find out so soon.”Narrowing her eyes, she questioned,
“So, are you going to tell me or not?””It’s Arthur.””Him again? Why is he stirring up trouble this time?”After a pause, Callum glanced at Elspeth with a meaningful look.
“It’s about you.””Okay. Go on.””Arthur threatened me with your private affairs. He said that if I didn’t want your affairs to be exposed, I had to hand over one of the companies under Winthrop Group to Emma. After I saw his materials, I agreed to his proposal.”Then, she asked impatiently,
“What does he have on me? Can’t you tell me about it?””He said it was something between you and Gilbert Payne.”
Afterward, he accessed his phone’s photo gallery and placed it on his desk.
“Look, these are the photos of you and him together.”
There was an undeniable gloom in Callum’s eyes when he said that. It would be a lie to say that he was not upset after seeing the photos.Nevertheless, he could not change the fact that Elspeth had been in a relationship with someone before. After all, it was already in the past, and he did not come into her life until much later.She was stunned when she heard that and walked toward the desk to look at the phone. Then, her jaw dropped as soon as she saw the photos. There were many photos of her gazing adoringly at Gilbert. How did Arthur get his hands on these photos? Clenching her teeth, Elspeth seethed in anger,
“These are all in the past! How could he threaten you with these?!”Hearing that, Callum shook his head helplessly.
“Scroll down for more photos.”After quickly scrolling through his gallery, she noticed that her recent meet-up with Gilbert at a bar was also captured. Under the dim lights, she looked as if she was smitten with him.”He claimed that these photos were enough to prove that you are unfaithful to me, but I know you are not that kind of person, so I agreed to his condition.”
He then stepped forward and hugged her by the shoulders.
“Don’t overthink about it. Losing a company doesn’t mean anything. Above all, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”Elspeth felt mixed emotions and was not able to utter a word. While she understood that Callum was acting in her best interest, she had no idea he would go to such extremes. Soon, tears quickly pooled in her eyes as she thought about his actions.
“Thank you so much, Cal.”It was the first time that she had addressed him with such affection. Instantaneously, his heart became warm, and the frostiness on his face vanished.”Have you given her the contract?”
Elspeth inquired when she noticed that only Callum’s signature was on the contract.Then, he shook his head in response.
“Not yet, but I intend to meet Emma later and hand her the contract.””Let me settle this matter. Don’t pass her the contract yet.”Callum frowned upon hearing that.
“What are you going to do?””What am I going to do?”
She showed him a wry smile.
“Didn’t those two provoke me first? I can’t believe they even pulled such a trick. Of course, I have to return an eye for an eye.”Suddenly, he let out a laugh. An eye for an eye. This is why I like her so much!”I’ll come with you.”Then, Elspeth turned her head to look at him and asked,
“Do you still have a blank page for the contract? Let’s bring it over and see if Emma dares to sign the contract.”Afterward, the two met Emma at an open-air restaurant by the sea.When Callum walked in, he saw a variety of seafood on the table, but his eyes held a trace of disgust as he looked up at the woman in front of him.”Cal, I’m sure Arthur has told you about what is to be done, right?”
Then, Emma smiled triumphantly as she ran her fingers through her hair.”Of course. I brought the contract today, didn’t I?”However, she could not hold the excitement in her eyes as she glanced at the contract on the table.Even though Eric had agreed to help with her second debut, she had yet to hear from him. On the other hand, she was relieved that Arthur had feelings for her. He did not seem to mind that she had slept with a director before and even helped her acquire Callum’s subsidiary company.She was convinced that as long as she was at the company’s helm, she would not need to be concerned about anything else. In addition, she could rely solely on the company while developing it gradually. She would soon no longer need to count on Eric or other men.Seeing the greedy look in Emma’s eyes, Elspeth frowned and sneered,
“Emma, you’re eager to sign the contract, aren’t you? However, I have something I’d like to show you first. You can decide after that whether to sign or not.””What are you being so mysterious about? I’m not afraid of you at all,”
Emma scoffed nonchalantly.Elspeth smiled as she took out her phone and placed it on the table.From the corner of her eyes, Emma saw what was on the screen, and her face instantly turned pallid.
“H-How did you get your hands on these?”
Emma gulped as she was suddenly overcome with anxiety. It was photographs of her and Arthur, some of which were taken during their hotel stay. If these photos were leaked, she could never dream about paving a new life again!However, she could not afford to jeopardize her career, so she asked seriously,
“How did you get these photos?””Easy. I even have a recording of you two. Wanna listen to it, Emma?”While Elspeth leisurely skimmed through the recordings on her phone, Emma broke out in a cold sweat.”No, thanks.”Suddenly, Emma surveyed the surrounding crowd and felt a deep, dark hatred fill her heart. Elspeth must be doing this on purpose! She purposefully chose such an open space to humiliate me!”So, do you still want to sign the business transfer agreement, Miss Walker?”
Elspeth chuckled mockingly. Now that the matter was a foregone conclusion, Emma only asked for trouble when she agreed to meet them that day.”Let’s put this matter on hold for the time being. I’ll think about it again.”
Emma was so enraged that she trembled when she thought about passing up such a rare opportunity. Since she was the lone wolf in the confrontation, she could not afford to lose her cool, so she had to endure the demeaning treatment.She then stood up and attempted to leave, but suddenly, a mocking sneer came from behind her.
“How could we give up on the contract today? Let’s sit and have a good chat.”Arthur appeared out of nowhere, but the calm smile on his face was enough to make people feel uncomfortable. Afterward, he pulled the chair beside Emma and took a seat.”Arthur!”
The moment she noticed him, she instantly brightened up.
“What brings you here?”Then, he ruffled her hair with a smile and replied,
“I came over to check on the situation since I was free. What’s the matter? Isn’t it going well?””T-They claimed to have photos of us spending the night at a hotel, but I think they are all edited. They also threatened me and didn’t let me sign the contract.””Really?”
His face darkened gradually upon hearing that.”Be careful with your words, Emma. Don’t you feel guilty when saying that? How can you claim that the photos are edited? Shall I get someone to identify them and prove they aren’t edited?”
Elspeth instantly started mocking Emma until Emma turned red due to embarrassment.”Whether or not the photos are edited isn’t important. What’s important is that you’ve threatened Emma, haven’t you?”When Arthur retorted, Elspeth’s frown deepened. Then, she barked,
“What are you talking about? Weren’t you the one who provoked us first? Let’s be reasonable here.””Reason? Do you think I’m reasonable after knowing me for years?”
His voice carried a trace of contempt.”Nope. In that case, I have nothing to say to you. Let’s go, Callum.”Following that, she stood up and intended to leave but was suddenly stopped by Arthur.”Do you believe you can leave like that?”Elspeth burst out laughing.
“Arthur, who do you think you are? Who are you to tell us to leave or not?”He did not seem to be bothered by her response. Following a clap, the people from surrounding tables suddenly took their jackets off and revealed tight black shirts.”Sorry to tell you that I’ve reserved the whole place today since I’m in a good mood. Why don’t you two sign the contract obediently before you leave? Otherwise…”
Then, Arthur glanced at the blue sea and sneered,
“I heard there are sharks in the sea. Should I throw you two in as baits for them?”
When Elspeth heard that, she gritted her teeth and scolded,
“What a shameless beast you are!””Me? Shameless? When I was stripped of my clothes and abandoned on the road, did anyone offer me help? What about the countless times I’ve been wronged previously? I endured it all on my own. How dare you speak ill of me?!”
He was so enraged that he was on the verge of losing his mind when he said those words, but then he broke into an eerie smile.”You might regret doing this, Arthur Winthrop.””Regret? Why would I? I would be happy to see the two of you dead. I’m not killing you now because I haven’t had enough fun. Moreover, you must compensate me for everything I have endured!”Afterward, Arthur glanced at the men beside him and commanded indifferently,
“Strip them off their clothes and throw them in the middle of the restaurant for everyone to see.”Then, he glanced at the tall and burly man beside him and snickered cruelly,
“And you, didn’t you say you wanted a taste of the beauty? Go and smother Elspeth with your love.”Receiving the instructions, the man grinned lewdly and slowly walked toward her.”Are you insane, Arthur?!”Arthur ignored Elspeth’s words and ordered the remaining men to advance.
“What are you standing there for? Attack!”Meanwhile, several of them then rushed toward Callum. He dodged sideways and kicked one of them on the back.
“Don’t touch me, you disgusting piece of sh*t.””Hah. I love that clean freak side of yours! It must be fun to embarrass you!”Arthur then hinted at the person next to him with a wink.
“Don’t you fancy hot men? Go on. Isn’t my brother good enough for you?”Callum’s expression darkened upon hearing that, and he warned,
“Don’t regret this, Arthur.”Arthur sneered,
“Regret what? I haven’t even had enough of this. If I can successfully eliminate both of you, I will not think twice about ending my life!”When Elspeth saw someone dashing towards her, she kicked him in the groin out of desperation. Then, she roared,
“Get lost!”Suddenly, a groan escaped the man’s lips as he instinctively covered his groin. Damn, why is this woman so strong?!At that moment, she saw her chance and dodged to stand next to Callum.”Stop struggling, you two.”Then, Arthur flicked his wrists and urged,
“I’ll give you one last chance. Sign the contract, or don’t blame me for being rude.””Pfft. Don’t even think about it!”
Elspeth spat.”Fine. If that’s the case, so be it.”
