Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
If it were before, Elspeth would’ve talked to Arthur right away to deal with him or negotiate. But she was a different person now.
“It’s okay. I’ll handle this.”
She chuckled.
“Elspeth, this might be unnecessary, but he’s a cunning guy. You have to be careful and watch out for his traps.”
Elspeth didn’t care about traps. Even when she was alone in the past, Arthur couldn’t do anything to her.
Now, she not only had friends, but she also had shares in Joneson Corporation, and also Callum. Elspeth was surprised. She didn’t realize it, but she had already placed her trust in Callum.
Still, it was quite a nice feeling.
“I’m glad that you’re confident about this. Just tell me if you need me to do anything.”
Harper had always been looking out for her. After all, they were friends who had faced death together, so he hoped that Elspeth would be safe and that Azure would be unharmed.
Elspeth nodded as she felt unlimited warmth flooding her heart. After Harper left, she narrowed her eyes as she quickly came up with an idea. She seemed to have decided on a person to plot with.
Three days later, Elspeth invited the president of Hopper Corp, for a meal. The president of Hopper Corp., who was previously quite courteous, suddenly turned prideful for some reason and dragged it out for three days before agreeing to have a meal with Elspeth. Still, Elspeth didn’t mind it one bit as she followed his will and scheduled the meal for three days later.
When it was time to meet, Elspeth wasn’t in a hurry to get there. Instead, she came in half an hour late on purpose. When she opened the door and walked in, she quickly spotted the middle- aged man seated within. A look of disdain and disgust flashed across his face.
“You’re quite bold, Miss Lynwood. You’re the one who invited us, but you came in 30 minutes late!”
Elspeth smiled, seemingly unaffected. Even though she was feeling disgusted, she still pretended to be fine.
She didn’t mind it at all as she took a seat in the chair at the side.
“How can you say that, Mr. Hopper? When I sent the invitation, you finally agreed after delaying for three days, didn’t you? I was only half an hour late, so in comparison to you, I’m quite punctual.”
Elspeth wanted to mock him by mentioning his late reply. Just as expected, his expression immediately turned sour, and his huge face was distorted into a terrible sight.
“Miss Lynwood, this isn’t something you should say as a contracting party who took the initiative to invite me.”
Elspeth was surprised.
“Contracting party? Mr. Hopper, I didn’t know you were still aware of our contract.”
“What are you trying to say? If this conversation is going nowhere, I’m leaving.”
He stood up in a huff and got ready to leave.
“Mr. Hopper, calm down. It’s not the end yet.”
Elspeth took out the contract from her bag and tossed it on the table.
“Mr. Hopper, are you saying that you want to terminate the contract?”
“Of course.”
Jericho Hopper glanced nonchalantly at the contract on the table.
“I found that Azure’s suggestions do not match Hopper Corp.’s development, and after serious consideration with the board of directors, we decided to give up on partnering with Azure.”
Elspeth covered her mouth and chuckled.
“Was it really serious consideration with the board of directors, or was it just your own opinion?”
When Elspeth said that, Jericho’s heartbeat hastened.
“What do you mean by this, Miss Lynwood? I did nothing to you, so why would you slander me like this?”
“What are you afraid of, Mr. Hopper? You don’t have to feel guilty if you didn’t do anything.”
“I’ve always been blameless, and I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Jericho tugged at his tie, pretending to look like a saint.
“Mr. Hopper, if you still refuse to come clean, I might have to expose you myself.”
Jericho turned around and sneered at her.
“Miss Lynwood, you should have evidence before you try to slander anyone. Where is the evidence, then? You’rejust trying to lure me into saying something you’re waiting for. I said I did nothing, and that’s final. I won’t fall for your traps.”
“Of course, I have evidence.”
Elspeth clicked her tongue and produced another document from her bag.
“If you claim you didn’t do anything, then that’s the most blatant lie I’ve ever heard.”
When Jericho saw the familiar cover, a bad feeling invaded his heart. After a closer inspection, panic instantly colored his face.
How did Elspeth get her hands on this?!
“You must be pretty surprised now, Mr. Hopper. I guess you’re wondering how I got my hands on something like this, right?”
Elspeth raised her hand with the contract in it, flashing it right in front of Jericho’s panicky face while taunting him.
“Why do you look so scared? I won’t bite.”
“Why don’t you tell me how you got this contract first?”
However, Jericho quickly realized the way he put his words might have accidentally given himself away, so he immediately rephrased his sentence.
“I don’t know where you got that thing, but I’m sure it’s fake. So, stop framing me with whatever is in your hand.”
“Fake?”
Elspeth clicked her tongue, finding it hard to believe Jericho would deny her accusation so shamelessly.
“You could take a look at it for yourself if you think it’s fake.”
Upon hearing that, Jericho skeptically flipped through the contract just as his forehead was covered in a cold sweat. After all, he saw his own signature on the contract, his name clearly written on the paper, although the document he was looking at was just a photocopy.
“This signature isn’t mine.”
At that moment, Jericho decided to play dumb and denied everything he was accused of, thinking Elspeth would have no way to force him into submission by doing that.
In the meantime, Elspeth let out a sigh when she saw the man’s dishonest look.
“Well, if you don’t admit it, I guess I’ll just have to do it another way, Mr. Hopper.”
“Another way?”
“Yes, I’m going to find out who signed his name here through a forensic handwriting examination. Since your name was clearly signed here, all we have to do is just compare this signature to your previous ones, and the truth will come to light.”
Jericho’s back was already drenched in sweat at that moment, as he didn’t expect Elspeth to get her hands on a confidential document like the one she just showed him. In fact, he signed the contract with Arthur as soon as he verbally informed Azure Corporation about his intention to terminate their partnership. The time and date on which we signed the contract were written on the document. If Elspeth uses that to testify against me, I’m going to be in huge trouble, which is going to be something bigger than having to pay the penalty of fifty million.
“So, do you care to explain why you violated the contract, Mr. Hopper? Why did you sign another contract with Arthur even though you hadn’t formally terminated your current one with Azure?”
Jericho collapsed onto the chair, seemingly speechless, without any idea how to defend himself, “
I-It’s your words against mine. Who knows this document is fake?”
The man stammered his sentence and tried to continue playing dumb, thinking there was nothing else Elspeth could do to make him admit his mistake. At the same time, his eyes were filled with guilt and fear as he was betting on the odds that Elspeth wasn’t familiar with the law. Calm down! I’m going to find a way to get away with this.
Elspeth responded with a chuckle and clapped her hands, whereupon a tall silhouette stepped in through the door. The moment Jericho set his eyes on the figure, his face blanched in horror. Hank Damazio? He is the lawyer with a silver tongue, isn’t he?
“I know what you’re thinking, Mr. Hopper. Perhaps you have some questions that you’d like to consult my lawyer when legal matters are concerned.”
