Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Yelena’s eyes went wide. “You’re protecting me?”
“My parents engaged me with someone when I was a kid. That person is Cecelia.”
Yelena had looked into Cecelia after she met her. She was an internationally famous diplomat and had great success at a young age. Yelena wasn’t fazed by her achievements, but this engagement did catch her by surprise.
“Wait, your parents did that?”
“It was supposed to be a joke. My parents didn’t mean it, but Cecelia’s parents… Well, they want her to marry me, so…”
I see. That’s a shame. “So, your parents can’t take it anymore, and they want you guys to get along. That’s the reason for the blind date, wasn’t it?”
Hank said nothing, but his silence was enough.
“If that’s what your parents want, then do as they say.” She smiled bitterly. “I’m just an influencer at best. Your family won’t like me.” Cecelia’s a diplomat who’s young, successful, and beautiful. Anyone would like her. Nobody would want their son to marry a no-name influencer.
Hank got a little angry. “So, you’re giving me away just like that?” I’m working hard so this relationship works out, and she’s just going to give me away?
“But I just think…” Yelena felt aggrieved and wanted to cry. You have a perfect woman to marry. Your family won’t like me. You don’t understand.
“I know you feel insecure. Anyone would if their competitor was Cecelia.” Hank was amused. “We’re childhood friends. We know each other well, but we’re not interested in getting hitched.”
Oh. Guess I jumped the gun. “Wait. Does she have someone she likes?” Yelena couldn’t believe that. Wow, she really has high standards.
Hank’s face fell. “No. We don’t like each other.”
They don’t like each other? Yeah, right. Yelena looked at him and burst into laughter. “She doesn’t think you’re worth her time, does she?”
“You’re right. Not that part, but another. Cecelia has a lover abroad. She went on the date and kept the fact that she was dating a secret from her parents. We agreed to ruin this matchmaking. We’re not going to anger either of our parents, but we’ll make sure they know we’re not a good match.”
Okay, that’s surprising to say the least.
“My folks are already looking into my relationships, so they’ll find out about you soon enough. I kept some distance between us to protect you. To make sure the act was genuine enough, I kept it a secret. If you knew, you would have let it slip.”
Oh, so he actually was protecting me. Yelena felt a little guilty, but she wouldn’t admit to it. I don’t want to embarrass myself. “I get it, but aren’t you worried I might let something slip now that I know?”
Hank was half amused and half annoyed. “If I don’t tell you this, I might lose you.” Keeping this a secret from her was a mistake. If he knew Yelena could stir up so much trouble, he would’ve told her. Never thought she’d be this silly.
“I know I’m a bit stupid, but don’t say that out loud.” Yelena scratched her head.
“Now can you tell me why you cried at the funeral? Someone even took a picture.” Hank was still bothered about that.
“Fine. I… I was thinking about you, so I cried. I didn’t mean it. You were so cold to me. And then I saw Elspeth, so…” She looked at Hank with a puppy pout.
Hank couldn’t scold her in this situation. He did keep a secret first. “Fine, I forgive you.”
Yelena rolled her eyes. “What do you mean, you forgive me? It should be the other way around. If you had told me, none of this would’ve happened.” I thought he actually fell for someone else in mere days. I thought he was a jerk.
“You wanted to break up with me first.” Hank would never forget what she told him after she recovered from the surgery. He did start this mess to get back at her, but she started it first.
One look was enough to make Yelena feel guilty. “I…” Left with no arguments, Yelena hung her head low. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“Will you break up with me again?”
Yelena shook her head quickly. “No. Unless…”
What? “Unless what?”
“No. I won’t bring it up again.” Yelena picked her words wisely this time in case she angered him.
Finally satisfied, Hank patted her head. Mysteriously, he asked, “Do you know what else you did wrong?”
“What?” Yelena had no idea.
Hank looked at her clothes. It was a beautiful dress made of golden silk, and something flared in his eyes. “Don’t you see? That actor likes you.” He wasn’t staring at her with just lust. He wanted to start a romantic relationship with her.
“But I just got to know him. There’s no way he likes me. You’re reading into it too much. We’re filming together, so of course we have to see each other a lot.” Yelena thought Hank was just overreacting because he saw the kissing scene. But I can’t tell him that, or he’ll get mad.
“I know guys.” Hank shook his head. “I’m changing out the male lead.” He had read the script and thought it would help with Yelena’s popularity. The only problem was the male lead. I have to change him out.
“You’re actually the investor?”
Hank took a deep breath. He was speechless. My god, she can be such an airhead.
Yelena didn’t expect him to be the investor. She thought it was just a bluff.
“Everything you’ve starred in has my investment in it.”
Yelena’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“I care about you more than you think.” He paid more importance to her than she thought, yet she had no idea about that. She kept doing as she pleased, ignoring his feelings. Sometimes she would say things that angered him, but he chose her so he must endure it.
“I see. I was wondering why you suddenly fell for me. So that’s the reason. So, there is no love at first sight,” Yelena muttered. She was processing the matter. This is unexpected.
“Don’t ever doubt my love for you again, understand?”
Yelena blurted, “So how long have you been in love with me?”
Hank wrapped his arm around her shoulder and looked into her eyes. “Four years. Ever since you were sixteen, I had fallen for you. Not a day has gone by where I don’t miss you.”
That was the same year she fell for Max. That was when Max healed her, so that was why she had a great passion for him. She wanted to be with Max, no matter what. “Why do you like me then?” she asked sheepishly. Back then, she was Max’s admirer, and she wanted to know how it felt to be admired. She too had a lot of admirers, but none of them were as good as Hank. And…
Oh, so that’s what she’s gunning for. He leaned closer and hissed, “Don’t think you can make me do whatever you want just because I’m telling you the reason I love you.”
“You got me.” Hank’s breath tickled Yelena’s ears. “Fine, if you’re not answering, then I won’t ask.” If he gets mad because of that, it’d be bad.
“We first met back in Yothgurd.”
Yelena was taken back to the time when she was sixteen. Yothgurd. That’s where I lived before I turned sixteen. The Sullivans were expanding their territory in Yothgurd, a city in the south, at that time. Not only did the south have big cities, it also had the gentle air of Damoria. Her elders loved traditional houses, so she stayed in a refurbished courtyard. “I don’t remember…”
Hank looked at her with some disappointment in his eyes. “So, you don’t remember me.”
Yelena blushed. She had no recollection of ever meeting Hank. She thought he was making up a story.
“You were about fourteen and still a student. Do you remember running into a young lad on your way home from school one day?”
A lad? Yelena shook her head.
“I was vacationing with my folks back then, but the throng in Yothgurd separated us. While I was searching for my folks, I ran into a couple of kidnappers. They noticed my expensive clothes and tried to kidnap me.” Even though he was almost kidnapped, Hank only had reminiscence in his eyes and no fear or trauma at all. “I saw a girl crossing the bridge, and I called out to her. ‘Hey, Chubby! Help me!'”
Chubby… Wait a minute… Yelena stopped blushing, and a look of fury filled her eyes. Oh, I remember now. So that was him! Back in her junior high days, she gained a lot of weight and got a lot more rotund. Her classmates joked about it a lot, but it never got to her. Instead, it fed her ferocity. When she heard that boy calling her Chubby, she flew into a rage.
She was just fourteen back then, yet she was already five-foot-five. She was almost as tall as the kidnappers. She grabbed the kidnapper by her shirt and precociously said, “Hold on, miss.” Yelena cleared her throat and hissed, “I have some personal business to settle with this brat.” She shot Hank with a murderous glare.
Upset by this sudden interloping, the kidnapper tried to chase her away.
“Your son is an incredibly rude boy. He called me Chubby! I know I’m overweight, but he shouldn’t have said that to a girl like me. I need to teach him a lesson on respect.”
That was a good reason. Hank wanted the girl to buy him some time, so he just watched the drama unfold.
“It’s just a misunderstanding, girl. Just ignore it. I can apologize if you want.”
There was a crowd gathering around them, and the kidnappers were getting nervous. If the boy’s parents came looking for him, they would send the kidnappers to jail.
“No.” Yelena stood in front of the kidnappers, refusing them passage.
For some reason, Hank thought she looked like a small hill, and he burst into laughter.
“What are you laughing at? You still have no idea what you’ve done, do you?”
Hank pointed at the ladies. “They’re kidnappers.”
