Hiding Behind Her Superficiality novel Chapter 391
“ID, please.”
“I’m your female lead’s friend. She told me to come over,” said Elspeth.
“What proof do you have? Show it, or you will have to leave.” The guard was doubtful. He wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth. It would be bad if she were an obsessive fan who just wanted to see her idol.
“I can call her.” Elspeth took her phone out.
The guard stayed silent.
She called Yelena, but nobody picked up the phone. She must be busy. Elspeth called her two more times, but the calls went unanswered.
Her prolonged silence made the guard impatient. “It appears to me that you don’t have any proof. So, it’s time for you to leave, lady. Don’t get in the way of my work.”
Elspeth turned around and bumped into someone’s chest. She rubbed her nose and complained, “Hey, can’t you see someone standing right here? Watch where you’re going.” What if my nose got flattened?
Callum didn’t even apologize. He merely said, “You should watch where you’re going, then.”
That voice sounds familiar. The woman looked up and saw Callum. It’s him, huh? Just my luck. She mocked, “You came when you knew I was here. You’re the one who wasn’t watching where he was going.”
The man knew she was mocking him, but he didn’t respond. “Move away.”
Such a heartless man. Oh, wait. He’s my ticket to get inside, thought Elspeth.
She suddenly got in his way and looked up at him. “Can you help me out, Mr. Winthrop?”
“No,” he refused straight away.
She tossed her dignity aside and kept pleading like a child, “I need to go in, but the guard wouldn’t let me. So—”
Callum looked at her coolly. “Not my problem.”
“Do you have to be this heartless?” Elspeth looked dejected. She wouldn’t get angry, no matter what he said to her, but she didn’t like how he refused her right away. I can’t do anything about it. She sighed. Need to come up with another idea. Should I climb over the wall? No, that’s just too humiliating.
Right then, Callum broke her train of thought. “Why do you want to go in?”
“To see my friend,” she answered quickly.
“Yelena?”
“Yes.” She froze. How did he know?
He stayed silent for a long time. Then, he said, “Let her in.”
The guard allowed Elspeth to enter right away.
The woman instantly cheered up. “Thank you, Mr. Winthrop.” Then, she went inside without saying another word to the man who helped her.
Callum narrowed his eyes, something glinting within them.
Elspeth weaved through the set according to the map Yelena gave her, and eventually, she found Yelena. Her friend was going through the script with the director, and her eyes lit up when she saw Elspeth. However, since the director was there, she needed to stay back, so she signaled Elspeth, telling her to do what she wanted.
Elspeth sat down. There was a copy of the script beside her, and she picked it up to look through it. Good. Timothy did a good job. She read further and noticed a familiar name among the list of actors—Jasmine.
And she was given the role of female deuteragonist. Probably used her status as an investor to get this role. Elspeth frowned. I see why Callum came.
“Can you open this bottle for me, Callum? I can’t do it.”
“Sure.”
She heard the sweet conversation, and Elspeth turned around only to see Callum and Jasmine sitting together like a loving couple.
The man opened the bottle easily, and he noticed someone staring at him. When he raised his head to look around, there was a glint of questioning in his eyes. Elspeth met his gaze, and she quickly turned around.
“What is it, Callum?” Noticing him staring into the distance, Jasmine got curious.
She looked in the direction he was staring, and she saw Elspeth. This woman again? Her good mood was spoiled, but she pretended to be nice nonetheless. “That’s Elspeth. Do you want to say hi?”
She wanted to poke around. For one, Jasmine wanted to know why Elspeth was here. Two, she wanted to know how much Callum still cared about Elspeth. It seems to me that he still can’t forget about her.
Callum looked at her right away, his gaze icy. “I don’t know her. Why should I say hi?”
“But you were staring at her,” muttered Jasmine.
“I was only spacing out.”
Jasmine wasn’t sure how much of that was the truth, so when Callum left for the restroom, she came over to Elspeth. “It’s been a while, Elspeth.”
Elspeth saw through Jasmine. She’s not here to say hi. Refusing to talk to her further, Elspeth said curtly, “I’m here to see a friend.”
“Who is it?” Jasmine smiled. “Can you introduce me?”
Elspeth rolled her eyes. The way you talk isn’t cute at all, b*tch. She snapped, “Don’t you have your own friends? Go talk to them instead.”
That was not the response Jasmine expected. If Elspeth had refused the request, Jasmine would have mocked her. However, Elspeth went straight for the jugular instead. Did she just say I have no friends? Jasmine was red with fury. “I just wanted to say hi, Elspeth. How could you say that to me?”
“Is that Jasmine, Elspeth? Do you know her?” Yelena only realized something after she finished her sentence. Jasmine is Callum’s fiancée. Of course, Elspeth knows her! Yelena hesitated for a moment before she continued with her words. “That woman is really pretentious and entitled. She thinks she can do whatever she wants just because she invested a large sum into the production of this show. The director would’ve kicked her out if she hadn’t for that. She isn’t just bad at acting; she also causes tons of other trouble. Gosh.”
Elspeth was in complete agreement with Yelena’s words. Elspeth could tell that Jasmine was just fooling around, but she couldn’t tell what Jasmine was trying to do. “I wonder what Callum likes about her. She’s not that pretty either,” Yelena muttered. Elspeth nodded agreeably—it was true that Jasmine’s looks were considered average in the entertainment industry. She wasn’t from an especially wealthy family, either—they were probably just a household with an above-average income. Elspeth, too, had no idea what Callum liked about Jasmine.
“She’s fortunate that you’re a good-tempered woman. If I were in your position, I would’ve stormed over to curse at her already,” Yelena grumbled. “What is there to get mad about? You’re a lady, yet all you talk about is picking fights with others.” Elspeth chuckled as she flicked the tip of Yelena’s nose playfully.
Yelena waved Elspeth off before speaking in a whiny tone. “Hey, you have been too busy to spend time with me recently. I’m free tonight. Why don’t we go for a meal?” she asked. Elspeth rolled her eyes. “Didn’t Max ask you out?” Elspeth asked.
Yelena felt rage building in her upon the mention of Max’s name. “Stop bringing him up. I’m sick of staring at his face all the time. Furthermore, he has been too busy for me, and he keeps claiming that he’s occupied whenever I text him. I’ve no idea what he’s up to.”
Elspeth was certain that Max would never do anything to hurt Yelena, but Elspeth couldn’t help but tease Yelena. “Maybe he found another woman outside.”
“Yeah, that was what I was thinking about!” Yelena pressed her palms against her cheeks as she pouted. “We were supposed to celebrate our 100th day a few days ago, but he was too busy, so he only bought me a gift. He didn’t even spend time with me! While I had requested a day off work just for that!” she cried.
“That’s bad…” Elspeth was confused. Are all men from the Winthrop Family equally unreliable? “Alright, alright. Let’s stop talking about him.” Yelena glanced at the clock. “I have another two scenes after this. Could you wait for me here? I’ll be back really soon.” Someone called out for Yelena right after she finished her sentence, so she shouted back and hurried over.
Elspeth got bored after sitting around for a while, so she decided that she would go over to watch Yelena’s filming. They were filming a scene between the lead and supporting female characters right then. The show was set in the olden days, and the plot was about rivalry within a family. The lead female character was depicted as a sweet and thoughtful girl who was perceived as a helpless and weak figure in the household.
The lead female’s gentle personality placed her in a situation where she was vulnerable to being bullied by the supporting female character, who was a mistress in the same family. The scene they were filming involved the supporting female character slapping the lead on her face before the lead was pushed into the river.
It was autumn then, so the weather was rather chilly. Elspeth had a bad feeling about the scene as she watched it unfold. Jasmine spread her lips into a gentle smile as she looked at Yelena. “I apologize if I go too hard on you—I’m not that good at controlling my strength. You should tell me if I’m hurting you,” Jasmine uttered.
“It’s fine,” Yelena replied with a straight face. Despite appearing calm on the outside, Yelena felt rather anxious deep down. She had noticed the malice in Jasmine’s gaze, and she wasn’t sure what was running through Jasmine’s mind. “Action!” The actresses got into their roles once the director shouted for the filming to start. They went along with the script at first, where they were supposed to have an argument.
Jasmine spread her lips into an evil smirk. “I’m warning you now—you should stay away from Goliath.”
“I’m his first wife, and it seems like you’ve overstepped some boundaries.” Yelena held her head up, but she seemed rather comical as she wore a meek expression on her face.
‘You? You’re just some poor girl from a village. Do you really think you can win Goliath over?”
Yelena’s gaze turned cold. “Who are you calling a poor villager?” She had a rather intimidating aura surrounding her figure then.
Jasmine hadn’t expected Yelena to act in such a calm manner, so she decided that she would teach Yelena a lesson there and then. “Well, I’m about to show you who’s the one who really belongs here.” Jasmine then held her hand up to give Yelena a fierce slap. Smack! The loud, crisp sound filled the air.
Elspeth could immediately tell that Jasmine hadn’t held back during the slap. Is that woman doing this to get revenge on me?! Elspeth curled her fists. She’s bullying Yelena because she can’t do anything to me.
Even Yelena widened her eyes in surprise. Why did she use so much strength?
“Hold on, director.” Jasmine smiled as she signaled for the director to halt the filming. “Yelena was supposed to give me a firm and determined glare in this scene, but she looked a little too shocked and flustered just now. She’s out of character.” In other words, they would have to retake the scene.
The director nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. Retake.”
“I’m afraid the slap wasn’t done right as well. I might have used a little too much strength, and I don’t think it’d look good for me if others saw this. Should we redo the slap?” Jasmine added. She seemed gentle and soft, but her words were sharp like a knife. Her suggestion put the director in a tough position.
The director took a glance at Yelena, and he could tell that Yelena’s face was starting to swell up. “Yelena’s face is already swollen. If you do it again, I’m afraid—”
“A good actress should learn how to tolerate such hardships, right?” Jasmine’s words were hard to argue against, and the director hesitated for a while before he decided to ask Yelena’s opinion. “Are you okay to do it again, Yelena?”
Yelena shot Jasmine an icy glare. “Let’s do it.”
Jasmine’s slap was just as harsh the second time. This time, blood formed around the corner of Yelena’s mouth, but she maintained a firm glare in her eyes. The scene went on for a while more before Jasmine asked to stop the filming again. “Hold on, director.”
The director could tell that something was wrong at that point. “What is it this time?” he asked in an agitated tone.
“I think that angle didn’t look good. Can we do it with a different angle?” It was obvious to everyone that Jasmine was just trying to torture Yelena.
“But Yelena’s face…” the director muttered.
Jasmine chuckled with her hand over her lips. “I’ve already invested 100 million into the production of this show, you know. If you’re going to act this way, then…”
“How are you going to do that—” Jasmine was puzzled at first. Before she could finish her sentence, Elspeth gave her a tight slap across her face. “Did you see that? That’s how you should slap someone else.” Elspeth had used all of her strength to hit the woman. Jasmine’s slap had made the corner of Yelena’s mouth bleed earlier, but Elspeth’s slap made Jasmine collapse onto the ground.
Pain shot through Jasmine’s entire body. She parted her lips to speak, but she then realized that there was too much blood in her mouth for her to even enunciate her words properly. “That… That was too…” Jasmine mumbled.
“What was it? Was I too soft?” Elspeth scoffed. “You’re just as weak as I expected, Miss McGrath. I can’t believe you fell to the ground when I just gave you a light slap. Some might even say that you were faking it.” The rest of the crowd was stunned—they hadn’t expected someone as petite and slim as Elspeth to have so much strength.
Elspeth’s revenge gave Yelena a burst of excitement. Yelena had already disliked Jasmine from the start, but she had never found an opportunity to attack Jasmine until that day. Even though her cheek still hurt, the sight of Jasmine’s current state made up for it. Jasmine had never been treated in such a harsh manner, so she began to wail and cry. She caught a glimpse of Callum through the corner of her eye, and she shakily got to her feet before hobbling over to him. “Help me, Callum…”
Callum’s gaze darkened as he glanced around before fixing his eyes on Elspeth. “Why are you staring at me, Mr. Winthrop? I was simply teaching your fiancée how to act.” Elspeth placed extra emphasis on the word ‘fiancée’ as she looked directly into Callum’s eyes.
“You should apologize to her.” Callum’s gaze was cold, and his voice deep and firm. Jasmine had found a cup to spit out the blood in her mouth. Furthermore, with Callum on her side, she seemed to stand a little taller and speak a little louder this time. “I might consider forgiving you if you’re willing to apologize, Miss Lynwood.” Jasmine was tempted to just hit Elspeth, but she had to put on a kinder persona since Callum was there. She wanted to maintain his impression of her.
“Why should I apologize?” Elspeth was stubborn with her reply.
Jasmine’s face turned a little sour then. “You used so much force to hit me. Shouldn’t you apologize for that?”
Elspeth responded with a curt smile. “Shouldn’t you apologize to my friend as well, then?”
“We were acting earlier, but you only hit me to get revenge. That’s the difference.” Rage was written all over Jasmine’s face at this point.
“What’s the difference? I made myself clear earlier—I was teaching you how to act better.” Elspeth remained firm with her stance. Jasmine couldn’t come up with a better argument, so she turned to look at Callum with a helpless gaze in her eyes. Callum pressed his lips together as he spoke again. “I’ll say this one last time—I want you to apologize.” There was a dark, heavy aura surrounding his figure.
“Why should I?” Elspeth scoffed in anger. She hadn’t made a mistake, and she couldn’t believe how irrational and unfair Callum was being. If this is the person that he truly is… then I had a completely wrong impression of him.
Callum’s gaze turned darker than before. “You have to apologize to her by today.” Elspeth looked up before protesting against his words. “I’m not going to apologize to her today, or ever, Callum. If you insist on interfering with our matters, I hope you know that I’m not going to take into account the history that we had.”
Callum let out an icy scoff. “Do we have any history between us?”
Elspeth laughed. Fine. If he’s being so stubborn about protecting Jasmine, it just shows that he doesn’t care about our past at all.
“Okay, Callum. I’ll forget about this. My dad always told me to be a little more agreeable with others. I’ll pretend this never happened.” Deep down, Jasmine was pleased to watch the two people arguing with one another, but she acted as if she was a mediator instead. “My face hurts. Why don’t you come to the hospital with me?” Jasmine’s words indirectly implied that Elspeth’s father hadn’t taught her manners.
Elspeth curled her lips into an icy smirk. “Well, my father always said, ‘an eye for an eye.’” Jasmine looked rather embarrassed for a second—her initial intention to shame Elspeth had failed, and she didn’t know what to do. Finally, she rested her head on Callum’s shoulder before speaking in a soft voice. “I’m really going to just forget about this, Callum… But I’m rather scared because she’s really scary.”
Callum looked at his surroundings with a stern gaze in his eyes. “Winthrop Group will withdraw our investments,” he told the director. Then, he held Jasmine’s hand before leading her out. Elspeth was silent for a long while after she saw both of them leaving. If Winthrop Group withdrew their investments, it also meant that Jasmine would give up on her role as the supporting female character.
The director’s face turned glum after realizing that the production crew had lost 100 million worth of funds as well as one of their cast members. “What should we do now? Oh, dear.” The director hadn’t expected such a thing to happen, and he was so troubled that he felt like pulling all of his hair out of his scalp. “Why were you so rash, Miss Lynwood?!” They were already halfway through the show—how was the director going to find new investors?
“I’ll give you the 100 million.” Everyone turned their attention to Elspeth as she stood up. “D-Did you say that you’d invest in the show?” The director couldn’t believe his ears.
Yelena tugged on the corner of Elspeth’s shirt as well. “Think about this, Elspeth. You don’t want to make reckless decisions like this.” Yelena had never thought of Elspeth as someone who would do such things. Could she be offering to invest only because she’s angry after what Callum and Jasmine did earlier?
“I know I’m not going to lose anything if I invest in this show.” Elspeth gave Yelena an assuring gaze. Elspeth had seen the script, and she was certain that the show would be popular as long as the filming was done right.
“Are you sure?” The director’s eyes lit up.
“Of course. However, I’ll need you to help me with something,” Elspeth added.
The director patted himself on his chest. “Don’t worry. You are the benefactor of our production team. We’ll help you with whatever you want.” Elspeth gazed at her surroundings for a while. She had another purpose for visiting the set that day—she wanted to look for a few influencers for her company.
As expected, there were a few decent-looking individuals in the crew. They all responded with a fearful nod when they met Elspeth’s gaze. “I’d like to pick out a few of the extras to work as influencers for my company.”
Elspeth was someone who could easily offer a 100 million investment, so she was clearly also a person who had the power to turn others into an influencer if she wanted to. The extras’ eyes lit up with passion when they heard about the opportunity that she offered them.
The girl seemed pretty good-looking, and she had a few lines in the show. It was clear that she didn’t have a lot of parts as her script was made up of only a few pieces of paper. The girl had a clean and fresh look; she seemed to stand out among the rest of the girls who had thick makeup on their faces. Furthermore, the girl had a mole on the corner of her eye, which made her look rather intriguing. The mole made her seem a little less innocent and slightly more seductive. She was the first girl that Elspeth was drawn to.
Elspeth walked over before squatting down to come to the same level as the girl. “What’s your name?” Elspeth asked with a smile. The girl didn’t seem too comfortable with strangers, and she retreated backward before responding to Elspeth. “My name’s Agnes Braille.”
Agnes. What a nice name, Elspeth thought. “Would you like to take a walk with me?” Elspeth raised an eyebrow while glancing at the girl amusedly. Agnes got to her feet before she rolled her sleeves up. “No, thanks. I’m a little occupied as I have a scene to shoot later.”
“What sort of character are you playing in the show?” Elspeth smiled.
“I’m just a nobody in the show. Please stop asking about me, Miss Lynwood.” Agnes spoke in a firm tone, which made Elspeth admire her even more. Elspeth was certain that a girl with a personality like Agnes would be able to go places in Elspeth’s company. The more Elspeth spoke to Agnes, the more Elspeth wanted to work with Agnes.
“You’ll only remain as a nobody if you stay here, but if you come with me, I’ll turn you into an influencer who gets a lot more attention and recognition,” Elspeth uttered. Agnes shook her head before responding in a rather exasperated tone. “That’s fine. I’ve never wanted to be an influencer. I’d just like to focus on acting my part.” It turned out that Agnes wasn’t interested in fame at all.
Elspeth rubbed her chin as she thought about the situation. It’s going to be hard to lure her in if she doesn’t want to be famous. Elspeth hesitated for a while before she spoke again. “You enjoy acting, huh?”
Agnes seemed to be more engaged in their conversation when Elspeth talked about acting. “Yeah. My dream isn’t to be some influencer but to be a good actress.”
Elspeth leaned closer to the girl before smiling at her. “Do you know who I am, then?”
“Miss Elspeth Lynwood, the CEO of Azure Corporation,” Agnes replied.
“Did you know that I also have an entertainment company?”
Agnes’ gaze lit up for a moment before she returned to her usual, calm self. “I know about the company, but I also understand that your company wouldn’t hire extras and freelancing actresses like me.” She had heard of Luminous Entertainment, of course—tons of people were desperate to enter that company. Artists from that company were practically guaranteed their pathway to fame once they did a few shows. However, Agnes felt like this was still a faraway dream for her.
Elspeth nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. I wouldn’t hire some random extra, but I would definitely hire someone famous.” In other words, the company would consider hiring an individual as long as the individual was famous enough. Agnes understood what Elspeth meant at that point, and she turned around while clenching her fists. “If I accept your offer to be an influencer, and if I become famous enough, are you saying that Luminous Entertainment will take me in?”
Agnes made things clear and straightforward from the start, and Elspeth appreciated that about her. “That’s right. I promise that I’ll allow you to work as an actress in Luminous Entertainment as long as you show me some results and recognition as an influencer,” Elspeth uttered. Her offer was too good for Agnes to reject any longer.
“Alright. I’ll do it,” Agnes replied.
“Follow me back later,” Elspeth offered.
Agnes tightened her grip on the script in her hands. “But I’m not done playing this role,” she muttered with a rather troubled look on her face. “You don’t have to play this character anymore. This role isn’t going to highlight your strengths, so you’re never going to get famous by playing such roles,” Elspeth explained.
The look in Agnes’ eyes darkened. She was well aware that playing such roles wouldn’t benefit her in any way, yet a part of her wanted to take a risk. She was hoping that she could gain fame even by starting as just an extra. “Trust me. I’ll turn you into the person you’ve always wanted to become.” Elspeth’s gaze was burning with passion and hope as she looked into Agnes’ eyes.
It was then that Agnes finally threw her script onto the ground. “Okay. I got it. I’ll do as you say from now on.” She understood that Elspeth could give her everything that she wanted, so she was willing to obey whatever Elspeth said. Elspeth was pleased to hear this.
When Elspeth turned to look at the crowd of actors, she noticed two girls chit-chatting at the side. There were looks of jealousy and resentment in their gazes. “She’s the only one I need,” Elspeth announced. The girls in the crowd seemed even angrier after hearing Elspeth’s words. One of the girls who seemed to have a decent relationship with Agnes hurried forward while the others weren’t looking. The girl felt the urge to cling to Agnes after seeing that Agnes had gotten herself such a good opportunity.
“Did you know the CEO of Azure Corporation before this, Agnes? You guys seem pretty close. She even smiled at you. It seems like all your hard work has paid off!” The girl appeared to be happy for Agnes on the surface, but the jealousy in the girl’s eyes made her look like she was ready to swallow Agnes alive.
“No. This is my first time meeting her. I didn’t know her before this,” Agnes answered.
The girl was furious to hear this. I think we’re both equally good-looking. Why is Agnes much luckier than me?! “How is that possible? Why would that woman be so nice to you if you didn’t know her?”
Agnes shook her head. “I don’t know, either.” The girl knew that she couldn’t continue to express her jealousy, so she changed her approach instead. “Why don’t you recommend me to her as well? I can go along with you, and I can watch out for you in case you get scammed. We’ll both have each other’s backs,” the girl offered.
Agnes was a smart woman, and she knew where she stood in this situation. “I don’t think I have the right to say much. Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
The girl was annoyed at how Agnes refused to speak up for her, but she still forced a smile onto her face. “You guys look closer, and it seems like she likes you more. Perhaps she’d listen to you if you were the one talking,” the girl suggested again.
Agnes looked up before speaking in a firm tone. “My relationship with Miss Lynwood isn’t what you think it is…”
The girl was still convinced that Agnes was just faking it. She just doesn’t want me to be famous! The girl finally decided to just release her rage by giving Agnes a shove. “I knew it. I always thought you were a good friend, and I was always worried about how you might get scammed. It seems like I don’t mean all that much to you! You’re not even willing to put a good word in for me.” The girl spoke with intense passion as if someone had committed a huge sin against her.
Elspeth, who was just standing beside them, overheard their whole conversation. “She didn’t use any connections with me. Agnes simply stood out to me.”
Elspeth wanted to take Agnes to her usual workplace after they were done with the formalities. However, when she received a call last minute, she had to ask Harper to guide Agnes while she hurried back to her office.
With her phone in her hands, her pupils narrowed at a photo sent to her WhatsApp.
It was a photo taken from a surveillance camera’s angle. Although it was black and white, she could still clearly see a familiar figure in the corner.
She recognized the figure she had spent a long time with at a glance…
Helena Joneson!
‘Elsie, I got this photo after I looked into the surveillance footage of the places where Miss Joneson might have gone to. I compared it to the photos you gave me. There is a big possibility that this person is Miss Joneson.’
‘Big possibility? This is her!’ Elspeth replied.
‘Got it. I will help you check the next surveillance footage and let you know where she might have gone. Talk soon.’
“Alright. Thanks, Lisa.’
After ending the conversation, Elspeth stared at the photo, feeling lost.
That went on for a short minute before she suddenly noticed a serious problem. This hospital looked familiar. In fact, it looked like the one she brought Aldea to last time.
She carefully compared the photos, only to find one too many similarities between them.
At this point in time, there should be a high chance of the two of them meeting each other if they were at the hospital at the same time.
In other words, Helena might have noticed her, but she didn’t make herself known to Elspeth!
But why didn’t she? Why did she suddenly leave without a word? And she refuses to see me no matter what.
Elspeth’s frown deepened because she couldn’t understand Helena’s plan.
Right when her mind was a mess, she immediately received a call from Harper.
“Come here quickly, Elsie.”
He sounded somewhat worried. It was as if he didn’t know how to deal with the situation happening in front of him.
Elspeth collected her thoughts and nodded. “Okay, I’m on my way.”
According to Harper’s description, an irreconcilable dispute had appeared where he was.
By the time she arrived, she was greeted by the sight of Agnes clenching her fists and standing in the corner without saying a word.
Across from her was Skylar, whose sour face had turned maroon.
“You’re finally here, Elsie. The two of them started arguing for some reason. I don’t know what to do.” Harper seemed to have a headache as he massaged his forehead.
Seeing the mess in front of her, Elspeth lowered her voice and asked, “What’s this? Why did you both start arguing?”
Seeing Elspeth approaching them, Skylar thought that Elspeth would definitely stand on her side given her position as the biggie of the company.
She was completely confident when she proudly began. “Miss Lynwood! She said something rude to me. How did someone like her even get hired here?”
Clearly, she didn’t know that Agnes was someone Elspeth personally recruited.
Elspeth smiled playfully upon hearing that. “You said she was rude to you, hmm? Why don’t you tell me what she did?”
“She rolled her eyes at me when she saw me. And when I asked her why she was acting this way as a newcomer, she said it was simply because she hated the sight of me.”
Skylar was no fool. She had noticed at first glance how similar to her Agnes looked.
Not only that, Agnes had a charm Skylar didn’t have.
This made Skylar upset for some reasons that even she herself didn’t know.
She couldn’t help but worry about her future in the industry if Agnes took her spotlight one day.
Hearing that, Elspeth nonchalantly walked up to Agnes and rested her palm on her shoulder. “What about you? Was it as she said?” she asked coolly.
“I have never said anything like that.” Agnes’ voice was firm and calm as she answered while shaking her head.
Everyone in the company knew Skylar’s status in the company. Now that this was happening in front of them, they could only keep quiet.
“As a senior at the company, you should be more patient toward the newbies. There’s no need to kick up a fuss because of her.”
Skylar had anticipated Elspeth would advise the newcomer to compromise. She thought that she would be able to drive Agnes away if she fanned the fire.
But she sounds like she doesn’t want me to mess with the newcomer?
“Miss Lynwood!” Dissatisfied, she pouted and complained, “She was rude to me! She should be punished in some way, shouldn’t she?”
Agnes wanted to throw a fit when she watched how forceful and relentless Skylar was when she didn’t achieve her goal, but after she took a look at Elspeth, she decided to hold it in.
For some reason, she kept feeling like she could trust Elspeth to handle this matter well without compromising her.
“Skylar, everything requires evidence. You have to show me actual evidence instead of making indiscriminate claims if you want me to punish her.”
Elspeth then stretched out her hand, beckoning Skylar to give her proof.
Of course, Skylar didn’t have any. She thought that she could surely have this newcomer dealt with. It turned out to be surprisingly challenging.
Thinking of this, she bit her lips and resignedly smiled in order to restore her usual pure and innocent image. “Alright then, Miss Lynwood. You are right. I shouldn’t be so fussy with a newcomer. It’s just that people don’t usually treat me like that. I felt a little uncomfortable when an ill-tempered person popped out of nowhere.”
In other words, she was saying that Agnes was not someone easy to get along with.
Elspeth’s eyes narrowed as a dangerous glint flashed in them when she heard how Skylar was putting a new label on Agnes with every word that she casually uttered. “It is a good thing that everyone has their own personality. If you can’t accept her, cut down on coming in contact with her.”
Every other employee instantly understood when they heard those words.
Elspeth was brazenly speaking out on behalf of a newcomer!
Everything was clear as day then.
“I agree! This company encourages its employees to develop in their own ways. Nothing wrong with that!”
After one person spoke up, the others quickly echoed.
Seeing this, Skylar knew she had to carefully calculate her next move no matter how much she wanted to get rid of Agnes.
She was struggling to keep her temper in control. As her smile started to look twisted, she chose to let her head hang slightly to appear weak to avoid putting on the wrong expression.
“I understand, Miss Lynwood. There won’t be a next time.”
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