Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Initially, Elspeth thought her mom would be traumatized by the idea of returning to the Joneson Residence after what she went through. To her surprise, she agreed without even the slightest resistance.
“Elsie, years had passed since the incident took place. I have long gotten over it.” Helia was more thoughtful than Elspeth. “Besides, it’s impossible for me not to feel happy when life blessed me with such a wonderful daughter.”
A gentle smile surfaced on Elspeth’s face when she heard the words that escaped Helia’s lips. “In that case, let’s return together.”
“Sure, sure. That way, I can stay away from a certain someone too. Welson has been visiting so frequently that it frustrates me.”
The thought of him troubled Helia’s mind. No matter how much I try, I just can’t figure out why this man, who merely had an accidental one-night stand with me, keeps holding onto me. Is it because we have a daughter together? If so, why does he keep pestering me instead of seeking Elspeth?
She could not figure it out but did not want to see Welson’s awkward-smiling face. For that reason, she felt that following Elspeth back to the Joneson Residence was a good choice.
A cold sweat emitted on Elspeth’s forehead as she asked, “Does he keep looking for you these days?”
“Yes. I wasn’t even that close to him before. Who knows what’s wrong with his mind!”
A different thought came across Elspeth’s mind out of the blue. “Could the two of you know each other before?” Otherwise, no other possibilities can explain why Welson keeps pestering Mom.
“That’s impossible. I can guarantee that I’ve never encountered him before that night.”
While living in the Joneson Residence in the past, Helia was a reclusive lady who rarely got in touch with the outside world, let alone getting along with an unfamiliar man. She did not have a friend of the opposite gender nor a confidant in these years.
For that reason, Elspeth knew what Helia said was true. If Mom said she didn’t know Welson, it must be because she had confirmed he didn’t exist in her memory.
“Maybe Welson fell in love with you at first sight?”
Considering she had always maintained a more decent character, Helia could not help but roll her eyes when she heard what Elspeth said. “He’s surrounded by tons of beautiful women. Do you think he would fall for me at first sight?”
What Helia said made sense. As someone considered extremely famous among the richest, as well as an eligible bachelor, the list of women who wished to marry Welson would go as long from Damoria to Eden.
Although she had a comely and pretty face, it was still not to the point that it would make men fall in love with her at first sight, reminisce about her, or even flock to her.
Since none of the possibilities they thought of made sense, Elspeth figured they might as well not crack their brains dwelling on it. She reassured Helia that she had booked a plane ticket and directly took her back to Blaydal, which could count as helping her to stay away from Welson’s pestering.
Standing at the gate of the Joneson Residence, Helia felt an inexplicable trace of nervousness in her heart. After all, many years had passed since she left home. She would be lying if she said she did not have butterflies in her stomach. She even felt a hint of strangeness when she looked at the familiar building before her.
Elspeth squeezed Helia’s hand a little, signaling her not to be nervous. “This is your home. Be natural and just walk in.”
Before their arrival, Elspeth had already informed Frank of their visit. As such, everything had long been ready, and he even had someone welcoming them at the gate as they arrived.
Instantly, Helia recognized the woman, who was past her seventies, at a glance. The moment she saw her, tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes. She parted her lips, yet she never called out the name she knew by heart.
Marguerite, the one who used to be in charge of my daily life. I practically regarded her as my half- mother. I missed her the most after I left home. Now that I am over 50 years old, my heart is filled with indescribable emotion when I look at Marguerite’s gray hair blowing in the wind.
“Miss Helia, you have returned.”
Nodding, Helia reached out to hold Marguerite’s slightly rough hands. However, as soon as she did so, she abruptly realized that her hand was rougher than Marguerite’s.
Marguerite, too, felt the difference in the skin texture of Helia’s hand. Miss Helia had always lived a pampered life. What kind of hardships did she go through to the point that she became like this?
Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of this. “Miss Helia, you must’ve suffered a lot living outside for so many years.”
At that moment, all of Helia’s grievances came down in tears. Before this, she took her identity as Elspeth’s mother into consideration and could not easily show her fragile side in front of her daughter. Yet, she nearly cried like a baby in front of Marguerite now.
As for Elspeth, she simply watched the two cry in each other’s arms in silence. Afterward, Marguerite led Elspeth and Helia into the main hall. Although Michael seemed to have been waiting for a long time, he showed no sign of impatience, and his eyes took on an expression that Elspeth could not comprehend.
Helia, on the other hand, did not show much emotion in front of him. Still, she knelt and addressed him politely. “Dad.”
“Get up. Don’t kneel. I heard from Frank that you’ve suffered a lot of wrongs outside. Now that you’re back home, you’re still the second young mistress of the Jonesons.” Michael knew that he owed Helia, for he was the one who did not get to the bottom when she ‘died’ and let her live outside for so many years.
Nevertheless, Helia did not feel aggrieved. After all, it was her own choice. She was the one who insisted on staying out and not going home. Moreover, in her opinion, Michael’s effort was already good enough. Therefore, she maintained her kneeling position instead of getting up.
“Helia, I failed you. I know that in your heart, you were blaming me-“
At once, she denied, “No, I didn’t. The reason why I’m kneeling here now is for you to state my punishment.”
For the first time, Michael was at a loss for what to do. “You weren’t at fault in this matter from beginning to the end, so why should I punish you?”
She lowered her head, and her tone gradually softened. “I faked my death back then and made you think you had lost a daughter. Those overwhelming grief must’ve affected your health. Plus, I insisted on refusing to return home for many years and failed to fulfill my duty as your daughter…”
Regardless of the dissatisfaction that Michael had for Helia, all of it dissipated at that moment as he listened to her words. He stood up, stepped forward with the help of his crutches, and helped her up. “Helia, you’re my daughter. How can I blame you?”
Although Helia was over 50 years old, to Michael, she would always be her second daughter, who resembled him the most. The blood of the Jonesons runs deep in her body. Blood is thicker than water, so I can’t bear to blame her no matter what.
Standing on the side, Elspeth, too, heaved a sigh of relief as she watched the two reconcile. Michael waved to her, signaling her to come over. “Elspeth, thank you for bringing your mother back. If it wasn’t for you, I’m afraid I might never know that my daughter is well alive in this world.” There was an undisguised loving-kindness on his face.
It made sense why he said so because he only had one son and two daughters. His son had long passed away due to illness, and his two daughters also left successively. No doubt, seeing his children die earlier than him was a distressingly grievous blow to him.
However, not only did he now have a granddaughter, but his daughter, who had left home back then, also returned in one piece! That was simply glad tidings for him. He even felt that he had gotten much younger all of a sudden.
“You’re welcome. It’s my duty.” Elspeth was exceptionally delighted when she saw Michael in a good state.
“What’s so delightful? I wanna hear it too.”
The man who showed up at the door in a weary state was none other than Frank, whom Elspeth had not seen for a long time. The moment he saw Helia, he was instantly shocked beyond words. “As expected! They truly are alike!”
Aunt Helia is the spitting image of Elspeth. It’s just that Elspeth is more elegant and beautiful than Aunt
Helia.
“This kid… How can you comment on your aunt as soon as you show up?” Michael picked up his crutches and hit Frank hard.
Frank immediately dodged to the side, avoiding the hit at the right time. Then, he stuck out his tongue and said, “I’m just praising Aunt Helia for her beauty.” After that, he remembered his purpose for visiting. “By the way, Elspeth, I’ve already looked into the matter you told me about. Alphascape Group is indeed the only company in the entire country that can mass produce the chip you need.” He frowned, looking rather awful. “Alphascape is something.”
Hearing what Frank said, Michael asked, “What chip?”
In an instant, Frank explained from the side, “Elspeth wishes to enter the technology industry, but she currently needs a partner, and Alphascape Group is the only one able to mass produce the type of chip she needs. However, she also told me that those folks in Alphascape are a bunch of sly rats. Their quote price was 25% higher than the original, so Elspeth gave up cooperating with them.”
25% is a large sum, and Azure may suffer a loss if the two companies cooperate.
After listening to Frank’s explanation, Elspeth finally realized the severity of the matter. Don’t tell me that even a company as involved in a wide range of scientific and technological fields as Joneson Corporation can’t produce the chip I need.
Seemingly to have sensed her doubts, Frank nodded helplessly at her.
Elspeth felt rather dejected. The main reason she came over this time was to ask for the Joneson Family’s help, but she hadn’t expected Frank to reject her just like that. This is giving me a headache, she thought.
Frank felt his heart soften at the sight of Elspeth’s sorrowful expression. “Well, you don’t have to worry too much. You’ll find a way to solve the issue eventually, won’t you?”
“But the company is facing a huge challenge now, and I don’t have a lot of time left,” she replied.
“Do you have any other solutions?” Frank’s question sounded extremely na?ve to Elspeth’s ears. Does he think I would come all the way to Blaydal if I had another solution? Right then, Helia, who had been frowning earlier, seemed to calm down a little. “I might have an idea,” she uttered in a flat tone. Elspeth could tell what Helia was about to say, but she couldn’t bring herself to accept Helia’s idea.
“Welson might be able to help you with this,” Helia elaborated. The Harley Family had proven their exceptional skills in the technology industry, but Elspeth didn’t want to seek Welson’s help. Elspeth had considered this idea in the past, but after some contemplation, she decided against it. Her reasons were obvious-Welson had a unique reputation, and they had a rather awkward relationship with one another. On top of that, Helia didn’t like interacting with Welson, and Elspeth was worried that Helia might feel uneasy if she were to approach the Harley Family.
Elspeth was, therefore, surprised to hear Helia’s suggestion. “You don’t have to cause yourself such trouble, Mom. I’ll just find a different way to resolve this,” Elspeth uttered. Helia was touched to see how thoughtful Elspeth was. Furthermore, Helia simply couldn’t bear to watch her daughter struggle.
So, Helia patted Elspeth gently on her arm. “Don’t worry.”
“Who’s Welson?” Frank voiced out and interrupted the moment that they were having. Frank had only got involved with the company a while ago, so he didn’t know much about the people in the industry.
This time, Elspeth was in no hurry to clarify things with him. She simply spoke in a calm and relaxed tone. “My dad.”
Frank nearly choked on his saliva. “What? Your dad? Since when did you have a dad?”
“I can’t explain everything now, but I’ll tell you about it someday,” she replied. Elspeth’s priority then was to approach Welson to propose a partnership with him. Frank knew that this was an urgent matter, so he didn’t continue pestering her after that.
Helia stayed in the Joneson Residence for a while more while Elspeth headed back to Damoria. Right before Elspeth left, Frank tagged along behind her and insisted that he went with her. Elspeth glanced at Frank as he fidgeted around in the plane beside her. “Aren’t you busy with work? Why did you insist on coming to Damoria with me?” she asked.
“Oh, I just wanted to travel for a while,” he replied. He tried to make himself sound as casual as possible, but Elspeth could tell that he was hiding something. Judging by all his suspicious actions and his past behaviors, Elspeth quickly concluded, “Are you going to meet Agnes?”
“No. I haven’t contacted that woman in a while.” Frank was speechless after that. He had attempted to contact Agnes previously, but Agnes showed him mixed signals the whole time. Frank attempted to openly court after her, and he even tried to approach her privately. Yet, regardless of how he approached her, the woman still seemed nonchalant and uninterested as ever. All she ever seemed to care about was her acting career.
