Hiding Behind Her Superficiality novel Chapter 371
Jethro stood in Elspeth’s path and smiled innocently at her.
Elspeth couldn’t go forward. He towered above her, so she had to crane her neck upward. She felt quite displeased as she declared, “I’m not taking your car. What if something happens along the way again? You’d make me late for work. It’d be safer for me to drive my own car.”
Yet, Jethro’s eyes sparkled when he heard what she said.
“You own a car, Elsie? That’s great. You can drive me to work then.”
Elspeth scoffed. “You want me to drive you to work? Who do you think you are that I’d drive you to work?”
“How about this? You can drive my car and take me to work.”
Jethro reached into the car and fished out the keys. “Here. Take this.”
“You take it. I’m leaving.”
Elspeth tossed the keys back to him.
As he quickly reached out to catch the keys, she scrambled out of the way and walked off at once.
Jethro had no choice but to watch her leave before slinking back into his car in defeat.
Once Elspeth arrived at the company, she thought the whole thing would have come to an end, so she didn’t expect Jethro to be just as difficult to shrug off as ever.
It was regular working hours and the office was full of people.
Elspeth’s office was in the deepest part of the building.
Jethro strode straight over to her office in full confidence, and under everyone’s startled gazes, he breezily closed the door behind him.
In his opinion, the way to win a girl’s heart was to be determined and unrelenting.
Elspeth was frazzled to see him sitting on her couch and playing on his phone with his feet propped up. “It’s regular working hours right now and you’re an employee at my company, so shouldn’t you be working?”
“My job is simple, Elsie. I just have to do a live stream.”
“That’s right, so aren’t you supposed to start a live stream? Why aren’t you doing it?” Elspeth urged when she saw that he had no intention of moving.
Jethro waved his phone and said with a smile, “I’m doing it now, aren’t I?”
Elspeth checked his phone and saw the mobile game he was playing.
“You’re playing a game.”
He didn’t even seem ashamed by that.
“A live stream of my game is still a live stream, right?”
Elspeth didn’t expect him to be this infuriating. She gritted her teeth and declared, “The company designated you to be a lifestyle streamer, not a gaming streamer!”
“Well, I’m streaming now, aren’t I?”
Since Jethro’s character was temporarily dead in the game, he switched out of the window.
“See? I’m streaming, aren’t I?”
Elspeth was taken aback. She used her phone to check his live stream.
As soon as she joined the stream, she saw that the comments section was blowing up.
‘Oh my god! Who was that?’
‘Why was there a woman’s voice in MyLord’s stream? Could it be his girlfriend?’
My lord… Elspeth’s lips twitched. She didn’t think Jethro would give himself such a nickname.
‘It can’t be. Didn’t you hear what he said just now? That’s his boss.’
‘Who said that his boss can’t be his girlfriend? Have you ever seen MyLord being this gentle with a girl?’
‘It can’t be… It can’t be! I don’t want to get my heart broken so soon. I just discovered a streamer that I like! He’s so cute and handsome, and he doesn’t put on airs either…’
‘Hang on. Look, everyone. Don’t you think there’s something strange about the newcomer’s ID?’
The moment Elspeth saw this comment, she immediately checked her ID.
Elsie!
Shoot! I forgot to switch accounts!
‘Oh, my goodness! I checked the profile and it really is Elsie, the e-sports expert!’
‘Are you sure about that? Did you check the number of followers?’
‘The account has 90 million followers! I can’t misread that!’
Elspeth was stuck. It would be too weird if she left the stream now, so she decided to take it in stride and type out a greeting. ‘Hi.’
Might as well use this chance to give this kid a boost in popularity.
‘What the hell? She typed something!’
“Hang on. I remember that Elise’s real identity is Elspeth Lynwood, the CEO of Azure Corporation!’
‘Isn’t Elspeth Lynwood dead? Did she come back to life?’
Coming back to life is a bit too ludicrous.
Elspeth wiped the sweat off her brow and slowly tapped out a response. ‘Well, I didn’t die.’
Ever since she got back to the country, she had been meaning to officially announce that she was still alive, but she hadn’t planned on doing it in such an absurd way.
Things occurred in mysterious ways sometimes.
‘Elspeth Lynwood is alive after all! That’s great news!’
‘I cried for ages when I heard she was dead! I didn’t think my tears had been for nothing.’
Elspeth chuckled dryly. ‘It’s fine. You can save your tears for next time.’
‘Hahahaha…’
The viewers’ sorrow turned to amusement.
Just then, Jethro finished his game. He had gotten an easy victory and was chosen as MVP as well.
After seeing the lively conversation happening in the comments, he became excited as well.
Thus, he typed out something on his screen.
‘Are you interested in seeing a match between Elspeth and me?’
Matches were thrilling enough as it was, and who wouldn’t want to watch a match between Elsie, the e-sports expert who was once the top in the industry, and MyLord, the latest up-and-coming streamer?
The response from the audience was unanimous.
‘Yes!’
‘It has been so long since Elspeth last posted a video of her games, and she hasn’t played any matches either. Do you think she’ll lose?’
‘What are you talking about? My goddess was the most incredible player back then. She defeated every single one of her opponents! Why would her skills get rusty so soon?’
‘Let’s place our bets! I’m betting on MyLord winning!’
‘I think Elspeth will win!’
Elspeth wasn’t interested in accepting the match, and when she read their flurried comments, she pulled a long face and typed her response.
‘Placing bets, huh? Watch it, or the moderators might ban you.’
Jethro couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw this.
He tapped away on the screen and made Elspeth a moderator for his channel.
“What’s the matter? Are you too afraid to accept the challenge?”
“I’m not afraid. I’m just worried that you’d lose all interest in games if you lost too badly to me. What if you end up quitting games altogether?”
Even professional gamers lost to Elspeth, let alone an unknown kid who had only been playing for a short while.
“I played professionally, you know. Why would I let you defeat me so easily?”
Elspeth snorted. “You only took part in the training for a few days. Do you think that makes you a professional gamer?”
Jethro cocked his eyebrow. “Well, tell me whether you have the guts to play a match against me or not then.”
Truth be told, Elspeth didn’t care about the game. It meant nothing to her.
However, when she saw his sparkling eyes that were lit up with hope, she didn’t want to put him down.
Well, I’ll just defeat him in the game then!
“Fine. I accept the challenge.”
First, Jethro opened up his profile page to show off his past achievements.
‘Huh? Why didn’t I know that he topped the rankings on that many servers?’
‘That’s because he kept streaming on his alternate account. This is his main account.’
‘He’s ElsOnMyMind! That’s the guy who shot up to number two on the rankings out of the blue and became number one when Elsie stopped playing.’
‘ElsOnMyMind… Don’t tell me it means Elsie’s on his mind? Whoa! Love is in the air!’
Elspeth hadn’t paid any attention to his ID, but now that she saw what the viewers were saying, their analysis made sense.
She looked up at him and caught a pair of loving eyes staring at her.
“That’s right. It’s exactly what he said.”
Elspeth scoffed. “That’s revolting.”
“You can call it romantic. How can you say it’s revolting?”
Jethro flexed his wrist and selected a one-on-one match before inviting Elspeth into the game.
“Let’s give the win to the first person who gets three kills. How’s that?”
Elspeth had no reason to disagree.
“Alright. Since it’s a competition, we should place a bet. What do you think the bet should be?”
Jethro stroked his chin and grinned devilishly. “How’s this? If I win, you’ll be my girlfriend.”
The moment Elspeth heard this, she knew for certain that she had to win this match.
“What if you lose?”
“If I lose… I’ll focus on my job and avoid pestering you for one month.”
My, my. Can the terms be any more biased in your favor?
Elspeth rolled her eyes. “That’s unfair. If you lose, you’re not allowed to bother me ever again.”
Ever again was too shocking to Jethro. He threw his phone aside and flopped on the couch.
“I’m not competing anymore.”
“What now? Are you scared to take the bet?” Elspeth smirked. “Here I was thinking that the great Mr. Wilstone was better than this. It turns out that he’s a coward.”
This was clearly an attempt to rile him up. Anyone could see that.
However, Jethro was unaffected. It was as if he hadn’t heard her.
“Are you really not competing, Jethro?”
“If you want me to stay away from you forever, you might as well kill me.” Jethro pouted like an upset child who was wronged.
Since her goading didn’t work, she had to compromise.
“Oh, alright. One month it is.”
A smile blossomed across Jethro’s face. “I knew you’re the best, Elsie.”
However, Elspeth froze soon after.
“Hang on. Did you mute your mic?”
Jethro shook his head with perfect innocence.
“I kept my mic on the whole time ever since I came in.”
Elspeth was stunned at first, but soon, she felt storm clouds gathering over her head.
She knew that the comments section would be blowing up right now.
To avoid letting anything affect her during the match, she stopped watching the stream.
The two of them chose their champions, and the match began in earnest.
Elspeth didn’t think that Jethro would be as good as she was.
His game sense and mechanical skills were both top-notch in the world of gaming.
She began seeing him in a different light.
Nevertheless, she was someone who topped the rankings too, so she easily got the first kill.
Elspeth cocked her eyebrow and smirked at him. “How about it? You can admit defeat now if you like.”
“Admit defeat? Never.”
During the second clash, Elspeth underestimated her opponent and he managed to kill her.
“See, Elsie? You’re not invincible.”
Jethro was grinning widely after getting the kill.
“I went easy on you. Let’s continue.”
This time, she no longer let her guard down.
With a sudden burst of attacks, she managed to kill Jethro a second time.
“Only the last kill remaining.”
Elspeth glanced at him with a confident smirk.
Jethro was expressionless. It was as if he wasn’t worried at all.
“The outcome hasn’t been decided yet.”
“Uh huh,” Elspeth hummed without being too concerned about his comment.
Once he revived, she waited for him in the bush beside his tower.
However, Jethro seemed to realize what was happening as he stayed in his tower and didn’t move at all. It was as if he had disconnected from the game.
Elspeth had no choice but to hide in the bush and wait.
After a while, Elspeth figured out that he was doing it on purpose, so she prepared to go into the tower and kill him.
A split second before she landed her ultimate skill, everything came to a standstill, and the screen panned to her base… which exploded!
Alas, Elspeth lost the game with the kill score being 2 to 1.
She was furious. “You tricked me! You secretly cleared my minions and got your minions to attack my base!”
Jethro knew he wasn’t going to win this matchup.
Initially, he held out hope that he could defeat her.
However, when the match was nearing the end, he realized just how terrifyingly good she was. There was a reason why she topped the rankings.
In that case, he decided to play a trick on her and destroy her base instead. That way, regardless of the outcome of the match, he wouldn’t have to fulfill the bet he made.
“As they say, all’s fair in love and war.”
Jethro put on a pitiful act. “If I lost, I wouldn’t be able to hang out with you for a month. That’s torture!”
What was the point of coming to the office if he couldn’t look for her?
The moment the viewers heard what he said, they gleefully reveled in the lovey-dovey atmosphere.
‘I never knew MyLord was such a romantic guy.’
‘He’s a guy, after all. There’s no harm in a bit of trickery. I think it’s sweet.”
‘I’m in tears. MyLord likes someone! It’s his boss, and she’s such an incredible woman too! There’s no hope for MyLord and me anymore…’
‘Stop crying already. Even if Elspeth wasn’t around, he still wouldn’t be interested in you.’
‘…’
Elspeth had turned off the live stream, so she had no idea what was happening in the comments section.
“That’s enough. You’re still streaming right now. Don’t say such nonsensical things.”
Elspeth was worried about Jethro’s popularity.
If he announced that he had someone he liked, he would probably lose a lot of his female fans.
It wouldn’t be good for his career.
“So what? Isn’t it normal for me to have someone I like? Humans are born with emotions. Why can’t I be honest about my feelings for someone?”
Elspeth glared at him. “You’re a streamer.”
“So what if I am a streamer? I want my fans to like me for my talents. I don’t feel the need to please fans who are only after my looks. They’re not worth keeping.”
Well, Elspeth couldn’t refute that.
She pinched the area between her brows with a sense of helplessness.
I’m even more worried about the comments that’ll be coming my way, okay?
What if some of the more fanatical fans start sending me nasty comments?
However, Jethro wasn’t bothered.
He raised his phone and directed the camera at his face. Elspeth was standing in the background.
“Hi, everyone. Since you heard everything, I’ll come out and say it. Actually, I have feelings for—”
Jethro’s face vanished from the screen before he could finish his sentence.
A line of words popped up.
‘Your account has been suspended due to sensitive content.’
Jethro’s expression hardened at once. “Who suspended my account?”
Jethro thought it was weird. “No. I was just confessing to you, and then my channel got banned before I could finish.”
He got banned over a simple confession? Elspeth had no idea what was going on. She called customer service, and they explained it to her. However, they did sound nervous when they spoke, since the staff had no idea what happened either.
“So, it’s probably a mistake?”
“Yes. We’re still investigating the matter. Once we’re done, we shall get back to you.”
The staff knew what actually happened, but he couldn’t say it. Five minutes ago, his boss called, asking him to ban a certain channel. He looked at the name of the channel, and he fell silent. First, the channel hadn’t said anything sensitive or spread fake news. Two, the channel was Jethro’s private channel. If he banned Jethro’s channel, he might get into trouble, but his boss adamantly told him to do it and promised he wouldn’t shoulder any responsibility. So, he did as he was told, albeit a bit reluctantly. Now that Elspeth was asking him, he got nervous.
“Can you undo the ban, then?”
The staff froze. But the boss didn’t give me that permission. “There’s something wrong with the channel. We can’t undo the ban that easily. You might have to wait.”
Elspeth narrowed her eyes and hissed, “So, you banned the channel without knowing the reason, and you refuse to unban it, is that right?”
The staff member was starting to sweat. “I didn’t mean that, miss.” Someone, help me.
“You have five minutes. Unban the channel, or I’m going to lodge a complaint against you,” Elspeth sneered. “You banned an Azure channel for no reason. I see you don’t value our partnership.”
That’s out of my depth. Things are getting serious. The staff calmed her down first before calling Callum. “Sir, Miss Lynwood demands an immediate unban of the channel.”
Callum snapped, “Refused.”
“But she’s going to lodge a complaint against me otherwise.” The customer service thought this was unfair. This has nothing to do with me. I don’t want to be blamed for this. “She’s not the boss of this company.”
I see. “Yes, true. She’s not.”
“Then, do as I say.”
The staff member was relieved, but he still was a little nervous. “What if she calls again?”
Callum was quiet for a while, then he said, “Then redirect her call to my office.”
The customer service staff member patted his chest. As long as I don’t have to deal with this.
Elspeth put her faith in the staff member and waited for an answer, but nothing happened even half an hour later. Frustrated, she made a call, but nobody picked it up even after two minutes. When she called the second time, a familiar voice spoke, and she froze. Callum? “Callum, is that you?”
“Yes. What is it?” Callum said calmly.
“You’re the company’s boss, aren’t you?” Elspeth remembered that the founder of this app was Winthrop Group.
“Yes.”
“Why did you ban Jethro’s channel for no reason?”
Callum asked coolly, “What does that have to do with you?”
“I’m his boss, and he works for me. His account’s banning will affect my company’s earnings greatly,” she lied.
Jethro being banned alone wouldn’t affect her company at all, but she had to make the issue seem as big as possible to make Callum pay attention.
However, Callum was unfazed. In fact, he scoffed. “I can’t believe you’re relying on an influencer to stay afloat.”
He’s mocking me and my whole existence? Annoyed, she mocked, “And I can’t believe your employee would ban a user’s account for no reason. But when they have a boss like you, I can see why.”
She’s mocking me? Callum frowned. Annoyance and frustration welled up within him, and conflicting emotions filled his heart.
“Just unban the account,” Elspeth said without hesitation. Callum was surprised she had the courage.
“And why do you think you can order me around?”
Elspeth stubbornly said, “You banned the account for no reason. I have the right to lodge a complaint.”
“Do it. See if it works.”
Elspeth didn’t expect Callum to act this way, and she felt powerless. “What happened to you?”
Callum was signing his documents, and he froze. “You have no right to ask. You’re no longer related to me.”
Then, he hung up right away.
Jasmine had been eavesdropping outside Callum’s office for a long time now. After Callum hung up, she walked into the office, pretending that she had just arrived. “You seem upset. Did something happen?” She put on an act of innocence, her voice as soft as cotton and velvet.
“Nothing. Just work. Got to me,” said Callum coldly.
Jasmine stepped forth and placed her hand on his shoulder, kneading it. “I know you love your work, but don’t push yourself. I would worry.”
Frustrated, Callum wanted to push her hand away, but he held himself back and smiled at her. “Thank you, Jasmine. It’s good to have you here.”
“Someone’s happy. Did something happen?” Callum took interest for the first time in a while.
Jasmine met his smile, her heart racing. “Yeah, something good.”
“As long as you’re happy.” Callum quietly pushed her hand away from his shoulder. “I have work to do. I can’t accompany you now, so why don’t you go home without me? We’ll meet when I have time.”
That disappointed Jasmine a little, but at least it was better than how they went along earlier, so she backed off to avoid annoying Callum. “Don’t push yourself, then. I’ll be going now.” She clutched her chest and ran away.
Callum saw her off and frowned. Then, he wiped his shoulder with a tissue and tossed it into the bin, feeling disgusted.
…
Elspeth was in a bind, pacing back and forth.
Looking at Elspeth who seemed ready to explode, Jethro asked helplessly, “Why are you so worried?”
“I’m not. I’m mad. Very mad.” Even if he doesn’t like me anymore, there’s no need to come at me. What’s his deal? He’s coming down on me hard. It’s like that’s his only purpose in life.
Jethro had no idea what she was thinking. He thought she was angry because his account was banned, and he crossed his legs, languidly looking at her. “Calm down. It’s not that important.”
“The account? No, no it’s not.” Elspeth took a deep breath. “But for now, it is. What are you going to do now that you have no account?”
“I can just create another one. It’s going to be fine.” My fans care about me, not my account. I can gain my fans back if I just make another account.
“But it’s hard to gain back all your fans in a short time if you make a new account.”
“What will you do, then?” Jethro scratched his head.
“I’m going to see Callum and make him unban your account.” It’s not easy to gain nearly ten million fans in just a few days. It’s doable the first time, but not the second.
“You’re going to him?” Jethro didn’t like the idea. “Nope. I told you I could make another. Moreover, it’s not like he’ll unban my account. I heard the call. He obviously doesn’t want to do that.”
Jethro just didn’t want her to see Callum. What if their love for each other was rekindled again? Then my wooing her would have been for nothing.
“Can you gain back all your fans, then?”
Jethro nodded confidently. “Of course.”
Elspeth doubted it, but she would give him a chance.
Jethro spent the next few days working earnestly, though he would still pick her up after work. She thought he was finally focusing on his work, and since it had been a busy week, she left him to his own devices. On one fine day, Elspeth was working in her office when Jethro came in and placed his phone on the table. “Here.”
What’s with that mysterious smile? Curious, Elspeth turned her attention to the phone on the table, and she was shocked. She couldn’t believe Jethro’s new account had twenty million followers, and it had only been a week since he created it. “Is this your account?” Elspeth asked.
“Yeah. Look at the new video. It has my name on it.” Jethro put both his hands behind his head, smiling.
“Where did you get this account?” Elspeth didn’t think he worked on this account himself. He wasn’t that powerful.
“Fine. I bought it.”
He bought it? An account with this many followers must have cost millions. “Your family sure is rich,” she mocked.
The disdain in her eyes didn’t escape Jethro, and he felt awkward. “I wouldn’t have done that if I could help it. I was going to work on my new account the best I could, but no matter what I did, the algorithm wouldn’t put me on the front page. I had to buy a spot on Trending, and the cost for that alone was higher than the new account’s price.” He didn’t care about the millions he spent, but the look Elspeth gave him made him uneasy.
Well, if he says so. The algorithm wouldn’t suggest his channel? Callum. But why? To get to me? “Why did you still buy it, then?” Elspeth sighed. “Someone’s obviously trying to restrict you. You should quit the influencer industry for now.” She was dissuading him.
Upset, Jethro leaped into the air. “I don’t know who’s doing this to me, or why, but since I’m here, I won’t stop until I have something to show.”
You don’t care about work. Elspeth rolled her eyes. “What are you getting at?”
“I want to be with you, Elsie.” Jethro approached her, his smile loving. “If I continue working here, I can be with you every day. Then someday, I will be able to make you fall for me.”
And I’m going to fire you someday. “That’s enough. Stop right there. We can talk just like this.”
Elspeth gulped. She was about to tell Jethro off when someone came in. Harper was shocked to see the two of them so close together, but then he remembered that he had a job to do. “Ma’am, someone wants to see you.”
Elspeth turned red and quickly pushed Jethro away. Calmly, she said, “I see. I shall be with you shortly.”
Harper nodded and gave Jethro a look before he left.
Elspeth was just wondering whom it was that wanted to see her, but Jethro wouldn’t give her the time to think. “That Harper. I swear he doesn’t know how to read the room.”
“Get back to work, you.” Elspeth rolled her eyes and picked up her coat that was over her chair, then she left.
Well, this is boring. He stared at Elspeth as she left.
Elspeth went to the waiting room Harper told her. Through the glass door, she saw a woman sitting inside. The woman seemed gentle, and she was drinking a cup of tea with her head lowered. Elspeth entered the room with a smile. “Fancy seeing you here, Miss McGrath.” She could see that Jasmine was not here for any friendly chat.
Jasmine nodded and held back her hostility. “I’ve been wanting to see you, Miss Lynwood. You’re as gorgeous as they say.”
Praise and pleasantries. They were a typical opening to a tropey banter scene. Ever since Elspeth showed up, Jasmine wouldn’t stop staring at her face. She was annoyed to see that Elspeth was a bit better-looking than she was. No wonder Callum fell for her so hard.
“What brings you here, Miss McGrath?” Elspeth asked. She didn’t think Jasmine was here for business.
Jasmine froze. Oh yeah. I came on a whim and didn’t have any excuse. “I was passing by and thought I would say hi. You do welcome me, don’t you?”
Elspeth smiled, but she was sneering inside. I thought you came to kill me. “We aren’t friends, Miss McGrath.” Elspeth stayed calm. She knew Jasmine had more to say.
Jasmine sat up and shot Elspeth a sharp look. “I have a few things to say.”
Elspeth cocked her eyebrow. It must be related to Callum. “Do speak. I have things to do, so my time is limited.”
Jasmine rubbed her cup. “I don’t know why you’re still trying to approach Callum, but let’s make one thing clear. He’s my fiancé. If you have no business with him, do not disturb him.”
“You think I’m harassing him?”
Jasmine gave her a look of disbelief. “Oh, what on earth made you think that? I just wanted to remind you. You did call him a few times.”
Ugh. She thinks I can’t wait to hook up with Callum. “I don’t love him anymore,” Elspeth said in disdain. “The calls were purely professional.”
Jasmine shook her head, smiling. “Professional? You could’ve called someone else. You still like him. That’s why you keep calling him.”
Is she stupid? Elspeth didn’t listen. She looked at the pushy Jasmine. She was furious, but she held her anger back. Impatiently, she said, “If nothing else, you should leave. I need to work, and I don’t have time for you.” She was chasing Jasmine away.
Jasmine took the cue. but she wagged her phone before she left. “Our relationship is getting better, so please don’t disturb us.” Jasmine smiled. “He also told me something about you. Want to hear about it?”
Elspeth answered without turning back, “Not interested.”
“Very well, then. I don’t want to upset you either. Even I think he was a bit too much.” Jasmine sighed.
Elspeth froze. She’s smug. For some reason, her heart ached for a moment. It was hurtful. “I know. You may stop now, Miss McGrath.”
Jasmine was a little upset since she was hoping to see Elspeth getting annoyed, yet Elspeth was calm. How could she stay calm after all that? “Ah, I was just trying to be kind, and yet a cold reception is all I got.” She tucked her phone back into her bag and got up. “Oh, and one more thing.”
Elspeth frowned. “I don’t have time for this, Miss McGrath. You don’t have to strut around like a victorious rooster. I don’t care about him anymore.”
Jasmine was annoyed about being interrupted, but she didn’t show it on her face. “Fine. I guess you’re sturdier than I thought.” Jasmine lost interest in talking to her, seeing that Elspeth looked unwelcoming.
Jasmine left, and Elspeth saw her off perfunctorily. Once she was gone, Harper approached Elspeth looking annoyed. “I heard everything. That b*tch came to brag because she’s engaged to Callum? Man, she has a big head. I should’ve told her you weren’t in.” Harper knew Elspeth still couldn’t let Callum go, and after everything Jasmine said, he knew Elspeth was upset. “I won’t let her in next time.”
Elspeth gave him a look of consolation. “It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t affected.” She’s not worth my time. “Just forget about this. Our job is to make this company better. Relationships are out of the question.”
Harper smiled. “I see the old Elsie is coming back.”
“Stop the flattering and get back to work.”
Elspeth shoved Harper back to work, then she returned to her office. She sneered as she plopped down on her chair. Did she really think I wouldn’t notice her little sabotage? If she stops right now, then all will be well, but if she goes any further, then I will go after her.
“I can’t. I have a meeting tomorrow.”
For some reason, Jasmine mustered up some courage. “If it’s not important, then delay it.” She was used to everyone doing her bidding, but Jasmine had forgotten that the list of people who would spoil her didn’t include Callum.
“Enough, Jasmine.” Callum was annoyed, but he didn’t show it. For some reason, he was reminded of Elspeth. She wouldn’t say something this stupid.
He didn’t realize Jasmine was looking dejected as he was preoccupied with his thoughts. “Callum, I’m talking to you. Why are you spacing out?” What is he thinking about? Her sixth sense told her it was Elspeth.
“Nothing.”
Jealous, Jasmine asked, “Who was it? Who were you thinking about? Elspeth?”
Callum shot her an icy look. “Enough.” He would’ve been patient with her before this, but he was already angered.
So, it’s true. Jasmine felt down. Suddenly, she was reminded of something, and she took out her phone from her bag. “Calm down, Callum. I went to say hi to Miss Lynwood yesterday when I passed by Azure, and I recorded our conversation. Do you want to hear?”
Callum saw through Jasmine’s trick right away. She’s trying to fan the flames. Since it was related to Elspeth, he pretended not to care. “No.”
“I think you should. She had a point, you know. Maybe you’ll hate her less after you’ve heard it.”
As if you care about our relationship that much. Callum didn’t refuse this time, or it’d look like he still couldn’t let Elspeth go. Since Callum said nothing, Jasmine played the recording.
“I don’t love him anymore… purely professional… no relationships… I don’t care about him… not interested…”
The recording was choppy. Jasmine had edited some of her parts out, leaving only the part where she advised Elspeth in. Once it was done playing, she looked at Callum curiously, wondering what he would say.
Callum didn’t even blink. Calmly, he answered, “Is that all? Now can I go back to work?”
Callum wasn’t fazed. On the contrary, Jasmine felt like she had wasted her time, but it was a good thing that Callum reacted that way. She went up to him with a smile and leaned over, showing off her cleavage. She did it on purpose, of course. Men think with their dicks. I have to show off sometimes. My simps told me I have a great body.
Yet, Callum wasn’t interested at all. He was focused on the document before him.
Even when she felt her back giving out, Callum still wouldn’t look up. She held her lower back and stood up straight. Annoyed, she said, “Why won’t you look at me?”
“Jasmine.” Callum raised his head, his eyes filled with cold fury. “Last warning. I don’t like anyone disturbing me when I work. If you won’t stop, then you’re not allowed to see me during working hours anymore.”
It was Jasmine’s first time seeing Callum being so harsh. Shocked, she stayed mum for a moment. “I understand.”
Perhaps I was too harsh. Callum looked away. “If you have nothing else to say, leave.”
She wes coming up with e grend plen, but he wes sterting to get ennoyed. “I’m only with her for professionel reesons. It’s not whet you think.”
Surprisingly, the video wos well received once it wos uplooded. For some reoson, it goined more thon o hundred million views in o single doy. The troffic wos unbelievoble, ond Skylor ond Jethro’s number of fons grew exponentiolly. Most of the comments under the video were mode by shippers.
She wos coming up with o grond plon, but he wos storting to get onnoyed. “I’m only with her for professionol reosons. It’s not whot you think.”
Surprisingly, the video was well received once it was uploaded. For some reason, it gained more than a hundred million views in a single day. The traffic was unbelievable, and Skylar and Jethro’s number of fans grew exponentially. Most of the comments under the video were made by shippers.
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