Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
“Don’t be modest, Miss Lynwood. I know your abilities. You are not as simple as you appear to be.”
With a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she replied, “You’re overestimating me, Mr. Slevin. There’s no need for that.”
“Shall we work together, then?” he asked seriously as he looked into her eyes.
“I’ve already said that I don’t have the capabilities you think I do, and I have no interest in the Damazio Family either. If you insist on me helping you bring down the Damazio Family, then perhaps we can’t continue this conversation anymore.” After speaking, Elspeth stood up and got ready to leave.
“Hey, don’t be in a hurry to leave just yet. Maybe I can offer you other conditions.”
“There’s no need to say anything else. I have no interest in any conditions you might have to offer.”
“What about… Yelena’s future?”
At that, Elspeth halted and asked, “What do you mean?”
When Slevin saw her stopping in her tracks, he knew that she had taken the bait. “Nothing much. I just so happen to know some stories about Yelena’s past.”
Her expression turned cold immediately. “What do you know?”
With a nonchalant expression, he leaned back and replied, “It’s nothing much-just that she was in a relationship with Max before, and they broke up. After that, Max died because of her. Oh, and if I recall correctly, he also donated his bone marrow to her.”
“How would these things affect her future if they were revealed?” She remained calm.
“Miss Lynwood, you’ve worked in the entertainment industry before. You must know the kind of sensation these news stories would create. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have taken measures to keep these things from being exposed domestically.”
Hearing that, she clenched her right hand into a fist. How does he know about this?
“I know you’re probably wondering how I know all this. You’ve done a good job of hiding, but the truth will come out eventually. Hence, you might want to carefully consider whether or not you want to work with me.” His smile appeared harmless, but his words were lethal.
“I need to think about this carefully.” After all, it involved Yelena, so Elspeth couldn’t ignore that.
“No problem. Take your time to think it over.” He knew that her uttering those words meant there was already a 50 percent chance of cooperation. “By the way, that silly Yelena still doesn’t know about Hank’s situation. Perhaps she’ll be even more devastated when she finds out.”
Slevin then stood up and straightened his clothes. “I’ve said everything I needed to. The rest is up to you, Miss Lynwood. I truly hope we can work together. Here’s my business card. If you agree, feel free to contact me, and I’ll provide you with all the details.” With that, he took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to her.
After a moment of hesitation, she reached out and accepted it.
“I’ll be waiting for your call.” He made a phone call gesture and left with a smile.
Once he was gone, she returned to her office, unable to calm her thoughts for a long time.
It wasn’t until Harper approached her that she snapped back to reality. “What are you thinking about, Miss Elspeth?” He placed a stack of documents on her desk and teased her, saying, “Are you so happy about Alphascape Group’s downfall that you’ve forgotten about everything else?”
He didn’t know she had something on her mind and assumed she was ecstatic about Alphascape Group’s demise.
Indeed, it was a relief. Ever since Yena’s imprisonment and subsequent suicide, Alphascape Group had been on the decline. The recent scandals made it impossible for the company to recover. Executives had already fled with the money, leaving behind only a few regular employees who couldn’t make any waves.
“There’s one question now, though. Should we acquire Alphascape Group?”
Although Alphascape Group’s reputation was tarnished, it still had outstanding achievements in certain fields. If they could acquire the company, it might elevate Azure’s development even further.
“No.”
Harper couldn’t quite understand where Elspeth was coming from when he heard her answer, for it wasn’t in line with her usual style of doing things. Alphascape Group is a tempting target, even if it has been severely destroyed. Other companies are eyeing it too. Shouldn’t Elspeth know its value?
“Why shouldn’t we acquire it?”
As she rubbed her temples, she explained, “Alphascape Group’s recent troubles are related to us. Although what we did was just and right, rushing to acquire it would undoubtedly raise suspicion of ulterior motives. Even if we succeed in the acquisition, it would be a vulnerable point, potentially becoming our biggest weakness in the future. In the business world, once someone finds a vulnerability, things can easily go wrong.”
Hearing this, Harper finally understood. “You always think ahead, Miss Elspeth. Sorry, I hadn’t considered things carefully enough.”
She knew he was just thinking along familiar lines, so there wasn’t anything wrong with that. “It’s okay. Besides this, is there anything else?”
When he looked at her, his expression suddenly became somewhat embarrassed. “Well, I… I’m going to be a father.”
Instantly, her eyes widened. “What? You two haven’t gotten married yet, right?”
“We haven’t, but we just found out yesterday that she’s pregnant. The baby came as a surprise. I didn’t expect it either, but since she’s already pregnant, I need to make plans about marrying her immediately.”
Elspeth nodded approvingly. “I knew you were a great guy, and you’re certainly a responsible man. Let me know when you’ll be getting married, alright? I’ll design her wedding gown.”
With a smile, Harper scratched his head. “Thank you, Miss Elspeth. She looks up to you a lot. She’ll be extremely happy if you can design her wedding gown.”
“In that case, you’d better start preparing now. If her belly starts to show, she wouldn’t look as good in the wedding gown,” she jokingly said.
“Don’t worry. By the way, Miss Elspeth, when are you and Mr. Winthrop planning to have a baby?”
The mention of a baby reminded her of the previous miscarriage, and a trace of sadness flashed across her eyes. “My body couldn’t handle any pregnancies before this, so I didn’t consider it. I’ve recovered now, but my belly isn’t showing any signs.”
Harper appeared doubtful, his brows furrowed. “Are you sure? I feel like you’ve been exhibiting signs of pregnancy recently, though.”
“What do you mean?” She was stunned.
“When we were at home, she told me that pregnant women tend to have a smaller appetite, and they will also crave sour foods. Miss Elspeth, you’ve been eating a lot of sour foods lately, and you seemed rather fatigued. Why don’t you go to the hospital and get checked to see if you’re pregnant?”
Hearing his words, she lowered her head and glanced at her stomach, still unable to process the notion. Am I… pregnant?
Despite her disbelief, Elspeth found Harper’s words plausible. Consequently, she went to the hospital immediately after work.
While holding the report in her hand, she found herself at a loss for words. I’m actually pregnant… The report indicates that I am already two months along in this pregnancy. It’s unbelievable. Although I am emotionally and physically prepared for pregnancy, I am not yet mentally prepared for this.
Meanwhile, Margot was in the kitchen when Elspeth returned with the report, and seeing her distraught look, she asked, “What’s wrong, Elsie? Why do you look upset? Is work too busy?”
“I’m pregnant.”
Although Elspeth casually uttered these words, Margot reacted immensely as she appeared shocked and exclaimed, “Really? You’re pregnant? How many months? When did this happen? Why didn’t I realize?”
Elspeth was stumped by the barrage of questions. She then nodded, her gaze fixed on Margot’s bright smile. “Two months.”
“So, I’m going to be a grandmother? That’s wonderful! Do you know how long I’ve been looking forward to this day, Elsie?” Margot was so overjoyed that she almost reached out to grab and lift her into the air. After that, she led Elspeth to a couch, where she promptly began to slice fruits, arrange them on a plate, and set it atop the coffee table. “You’ll be at the center of our attention from now on. Anyone who dares to bully you, I won’t spare them. Just let me know what you would like to eat or do, and I will have Callum prepare it!”
When Callum walked in through the door and saw his mother’s ecstatic expression, he believed something momentous had happened, so he asked, “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean? How in the world are you even allowed to call yourself Elsie’ husband if you are completely unaware of this?” After saying this, Margot gave her son a disapproving look, which left him perplexed.
Since his mother was usually not so biased against him, he wondered if she had taken the wrong medication today as her attitude toward him seemed to have changed overnight.
Then, she placed her hands on her hips as she looked at his dumbfounded expression. “Hurry up and take care of your wife. She’s pregnant, you know?”
Pregnant? He clearly didn’t understand what was being said as he muttered under his breath.
“What’s wrong? Have you gone cuckoo from being too overjoyed?”
Nevertheless, Elspeth found Callum’s reaction amusing and uttered, “I’m only two months pregnant. It’s nothing significant.”
In the following instant, Callum quickly walked over to her, kneeled, and rested his head on her abdomen. “Let me listen to the baby.”
However, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him and stated, “It’s only been a few months, so how can you hear anything.”
“You don’t understand the bond that exists between me and my son-“
“Who said it’s a son? What if it’s a daughter?”
“A daughter would be even better. I love daughters the most.” Callum didn’t care whether they had a son or a daughter; he was just thrilled to have a child. Then, he added, “Let me think about what name to give the child.”
Elspeth couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this. “Even though the child still hasn’t fully formed, you can’t wait to give them a name.”
“I don’t know either. This is my first time being a father, and I’m nervous.” After saying this, he was at a loss.
“Are you sure this is your first time being a father? What about Cameron-” As Elspeth mentioned that name, she abruptly ceased speaking.