Hiding Behind Her Superficiality novel Chapter 441
“You’re right. They are going to get married in two days, but who could guarantee that the wedding will go smoothly?”
Michael’s lips trembled due to anger. “I’m warning you. Don’t try to provoke the Winthrops again.”
Elspeth raised her head and glanced at him. Being under her icy cold gaze, Michael was shocked.
“I’m not trying to provoke them. I’m going… to seek accountability.”
Finally, she was able to tell Michael the truth.
Seek accountability?
Michael never expected that she still wanted to seek responsibility. However, why would she do that?
“What do you think is the direct cause of my mother’s death?”
As soon as Elspeth reminded him of those words, Michael understood everything in an instant.
Arthur Winthrop!
He directed that Helena be handed over to Arthur so that she could be treated.
Not only did she not recover, but she even lost her life just like that.
Wasn’t it all Arthur’s fault?
Michael trembled all of a sudden. The grief he had felt for the past few days had clouded his brain to the point that he couldn’t even connect the dots.
Now that he found out the reason, he was eager to smash Arthur, that b*stard, into pieces!
“I’ll support you on this matter.”
Shutting his eyes, Michael hid the resentment that piled within him.
“I don’t need your support. All I need is for you to not cause trouble for me.”
“No way. You’re doing this for the sake of your mother. I must help you.” While saying that, Michael took out a stack of documents under his pillow and passed them to Elspeth.
“These are the agreements that I’ve signed beforehand. They include 51% of shares owned by our family, and the remaining 49% distributed among Frank and Kenneth. Besides that, there are also some small shares in the hands of a few members of the board of directors. From today onward, I will transfer all the shares I own to you. You will become the largest shareholder of Joneson Corporation, and no one will dare provoke you anymore. You are free to do whatever you want to.”
Elspeth merely expected that he wouldn’t get involved in her upcoming plans, but she didn’t imagine that he would actually offer her the largest share of the company! Wasn’t it equivalent to announcing her as the heir to the family business?
“Have you long prepared to do this?”
Elspeth was no longer surprised but in utter shock.
After all, everyone knew that Michael didn’t adore her.
Transferring all of his wealth to someone he disliked wasn’t something that the seasoned head of a corporate giant would do.
“Yeah, I’ve had it ready since you returned with your mother’s body.” Michael shut his eyes tightly, letting a teardrop slip down the corner of his eyes. “I’ve always known that you were a good girl, Elspeth.”
His words caught Elspeth by surprise.
Complicated emotions surged in her chest. Seeing the worn-out look on his face, Elspeth felt her soft spot triggered.
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
Hearing that, Michael flung his eyes open immediately. “What did you just call me?”
“Grandpa.”
Michael suddenly broke into a smile. That was the first time she saw him sincerely happy because of her.
“As expected of my own granddaughter. I can see that you’ve inherited my demeanor. You’re way better than Frank, that incompetent brat.”
With a beam, he reached his hand out to her, so Elspeth followed suit and reached out to place her hand in his.
“You might have to guide him in the future. Frank, that brat, is very playful, just like his brother. He doesn’t understand a lot of business principles. Though he is older than you, you are more mature than him. You must discipline him so that he doesn’t act impetuously.”
His reminder sounded a little strange.
“Why don’t you guide him personally?”
At the mention of that, Michael huffed in anger.
“I tell him off every single day until he’s tired of me, but I realized later on that he listens to you and cares about your feelings.” Michael sighed. “I, on the other hand, should take good care of myself and retire soon.”
The soft spot that was triggered deep down in her heart suddenly hardened again. Is he trying to shove his responsibilities on me and retire as soon as he can?
Despite that, she was still grateful that he offered to give her such strong support.
Joneson Corporation was one of the three giant corporations in Blaydal. Their power and authority were immeasurable.
Elspeth chatted a little longer with Michael before she noticed how weary he was. She then bid him goodbye and left.
After heading out of the room, she was surprised to see that Frank didn’t go too far. Instead, he stood under a bridge, waiting for her.
Fallen flowers were scattered around his feet. Apparently, he was the one who picked the flowers as he was too bored while waiting.
“I can’t believe you’re still here. Weren’t you bored while waiting for me?”
Elspeth walked over, mirrored his actions, and picked a flower.
Frank glared at her as if blaming her. “Of course, I’m bored! But you’re not familiar with this place. What if you get lost here?”
While saying that, he noticed the stack of documents in her hands. “What are those?”
Instead of hiding the truth, she announced, “This is what Grandpa gave me. From today onward, I’ll be in charge of Joneson Corporation. You better listen to me from now on.”
Frank pulled a long face. “I knew it! All you had to do was call him Grandpa and he won’t be able to resist handing you the entire company.”
Elspeth felt amused hearing the jealous tone in his voice.
“That’s not all. Grandpa even told me to discipline you.”
Discipline?
Frank was instantly exasperated. “I’m older than you! Why should you discipline me? Grandpa must be senile to say something like that!”
With that, he turned around and intended to leave.
Watching his back, Elspeth uttered in a serious tone, “By the way, I’m going back to Damoria tomorrow.”
Hearing her words, he halted in his steps.
“What does that mean? Are you leaving so soon?”
Elspeth nodded. “I have something more important to do.”
Frank pondered for a moment. “Allow me to accompany you.”
Elspeth chuckled at that. “Sure, but before that, please help me settle my mother’s funeral before I bring you over.”
Ugh. She’s making me her errand boy again, Frank silently mused.
On the day of the funeral, Michael walked out of the yard to watch her burial in person. He couldn’t hold back eventually and passed out crying in front of the grave.
Elspeth came secretly, but she still insisted on showing up from the beginning to the end. Anyway, she would return to Damoria in a few days. It would take a few days for the news from Blaydal to reach Damoria, so she had no intention of hiding her presence.
Once Helena’s funeral was over, Elspeth bid farewell to Michael and left for Damoria with Frank.
The day she returned happened to be the eve of Callum and Jasmine’s wedding.
At the thought of marrying Callum the next day, Jasmine was so thrilled that she had a feeling she wasn’t going to get a wink of sleep.
Before going to bed, she even gave her fiancé a call.
“Hello.”
Hearing the familiar voice sounding from the other end, Jasmine softened her voice. “Callum, I’m a little nervous tonight. I can’t sleep.”
“Why not? It’s our wedding tomorrow. Rest well or you’ll be easily exhausted tomorrow.”
Jasmine felt much more at ease after hearing Callum’s patient reassurance. “Are you really not going to regret marrying me?”
She had always wanted to ask that question, but she was afraid that it would agitate Callum, so she kept it in her heart for a long time.
“Haven’t I given you an answer a long time ago?”
Callum’s voice suddenly softened.
Although he didn’t give her a direct answer, Jasmine understood what he meant, so she nodded with a smile. “Okay. I’ll go to bed first, and you should too. Don’t stay up working too late.”
Callum hummed before hanging up the phone.
At this moment, he was sitting in front of his desk in the room. A huge gift box was placed on the desk where his suit was kept.
He was getting married tomorrow, to a woman he had zero interest in.
The wedding didn’t feel exciting to him, but at the thought of the benefit he could gain from the wedding, he couldn’t help smiling.
At least Elspeth’s illness could be cured, and that was better than anything else he could get.
All of a sudden, he heard a gentle knock on the glass windows. His keen sense of hearing made him turn his head around.
When he noticed the face behind the glass window, he was instantly taken aback.
Wasn’t that woman who had an innocent smile and enchanting eyes, Elspeth?
Why would she show up in Winthrop Residence in the middle of the night? And why did she climb over the wall of his house?
Callum doubted his eyesight for a moment, but when he took a closer look, he realized it was not an illusion.
It was indeed Elspeth!
Callum couldn’t explain how he felt, but his heart was racing, yet there was still no hint of emotion on his face.
Elspeth had been outside for some time now, and since Callum’s room was on the second floor, she climbed up with great difficulty. He, on the other hand, had the guts to stand in a daze while she felt her hands getting sore.
Eventually, she parted her lips and mouthed at him to open the windows.
With an indifferent expression, Callum opened the windows and let her in.
“Are you pretending to be a ghost to scare me off in the middle of the night?”
Elspeth thought that he would at least ask her why she came, but she didn’t expect him to say something like that out of the blue.
“Don’t you find it romantic that I came looking for you in the middle of the night? It’s just like that play, ‘Romeo and Juliet’.” Elspeth couldn’t help cracking a joke.
Suddenly, the two broke into a banter like they always did back when they just knew each other, although it was Elspeth who teased him most of the time.
“Nope.”
Callum turned his back against her, but the corners of his lips curled into a smile subconsciously.
“You’re so boring.”
Elspeth took a seat beside him and watched his back. Unable to suppress her doubt, she questioned, “What’s wrong? Are you shy now after being away from me for so long, Mr. Winthrop?”
“I’m getting married tomorrow.”
When he blurted those words, Elspeth couldn’t help feeling as if a bucket of cold water was poured over her.
“It was a long journey for me to come all the way here, you know? I can’t believe you gave me such an anti-climatic response.”
Lowering her head, Elspeth fiddled with her fingers and presented an aggrieved look. “Hey, it wasn’t easy for me to sneak out here. I just wanted to meet you, but I didn’t expect you to get married so soon. Fine, then. I’ll leave now to meet Harper for a drink. Hmm, or should I look for Gilbert? Otherwise, I can also meet—”
Before she could finish her sentence, her whole body spun because Callum pinned her against the wall.
“You can try.”
Though there wasn’t any significant fluctuation of emotions on his face, Elspeth could feel the anger he exuded.
“You’re still as dominant as ever, Mr. Winthrop.”
She smiled before pecking his lips, gaze hinting a trace of slyness.
“There’s really nothing I can do about you.”
Letting go of all of his strength, Callum bent over and pulled her into his embrace.
As he leaned his head against her shoulder, he uttered in a baritone voice, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Elspeth felt sorry for him. She knew she was not worthy of him as she took such a long time to settle the matter.
“Aren’t you scared that I’m here to give you my blessings?”
Callum wasn’t afraid of that at all. He even wished she would come over sooner and send herself into the tiger’s den.
“The reason you’re here with me is that you’ve settled everything by now. If there is nothing else that will stop us, I will never let you go again this time.”
After hearing his logical explanation, Elspeth felt enveloped by his warmth.
This might be the reason why she fell in love with Callum.
He always trusted her unconditionally, always understood her intentions, always stood by her side, and kept his pace with hers.
“What about Jasmine, then?”
That was indeed a serious issue.
However, Callum wasn’t bothered at all because he already had a complete plan, which included getting Elspeth’s illness cured and what to do with Jasmine.
When he narrated his plans in detail to her, Elspeth furrowed her brows, not completely agreeing with him.
“Do you mean you’re going to send someone to dress up as you and sleep with her on the first night?”
Although Elspeth hated Jasmine, she didn’t want the latter’s reputation to be ruined. After all, Jasmine’s grandfather used to be her mentor.
“I’m not going to ruin her reputation, of course. I’m just going to pull a trick and recruit reporters to take a few photos before threatening her to call off the wedding. I won’t spread it on the Internet.”
The McGrath Family cared about these matters. Hence, he was certain that they would call off the wedding.
Only then did Elspeth feel relieved.
Caressing her hair, Callum promised her in a clear tone, “Don’t worry, I will settle this matter properly without disappointing you.”
For now, it would not cheer him up; it would make him even more troubled.
“In that case, I will not disturb your rest, Mr. Winthrop.”
She stood up to leave.
However, she had only taken a few steps before she was hugged from behind.
The warm sensation made her heart skip a beat.
“Don’t leave. Stay with me tonight.”
He yearned for the warmth of her embrace.
For so very long, he had to constantly pretend he hated her; doing that nearly drove him crazy.
“How about I sleep on your bed tonight while you sleep on the ground?”
She turned around and solemnly looked into his eyes.
He immediately refused the suggestion without hesitation.
“Let’s sleep together.”
She nearly choked out of shock when she heard that. “No way. Just what are you thinking?”
“I said, let’s sleep together on the same bed.”
He then continued, “We won’t do anything else.”
She naturally trusted his character, but this all seemed a little too sudden.
“Why don’t I head back? You’re getting married tomorrow. It will be bad if they find us sleeping in the same bed tomorrow.”
It was only then that he realized he was getting married tomorrow. Immediately, his face darkened.
It was all this damned wedding’s fault. If he was not about to get married, he could be sleeping with her in his arms.
At that thought, he had no choice but to nod in agreement. “You should go home.”
The frigid look on his face made her grin as she stepped closer to peck him on the cheek. “All right, don’t be angry. Look at how unpleasant your face is. You look like an old man.”
Before he snapped back to his senses, she let out a loud chuckle before leaping out of the window.
The sight of her lithe form gently sweeping out of view calmed his anxious heart.
Sprawled in front of his window, he watched as she slowly walked away. At that moment, an unexplainable emotion surged in his heart.
…
Early the next morning, the Winthrop Residence was bustling with life.
The faces of Theodore and Margot were full of joy. Their favorite son was finally getting married, which meant something that had been bothering them for a long time was finally resolved.
All of their sons had rushed home for Callum’s wedding because they wanted to see him off.
Blake looked so much more energetic than usual in his groomsmen’s outfit. When he saw Callum standing nearby with a blank look on his face, he walked over to tap Callum on the shoulder. “Brother, it’s your wedding. Why are you not happy?”
“I’m quite happy.”
Callum’s response was very lukewarm.
“Happy? You almost have the words ‘I am very upset’ written all over your face. If you don’t like her, why are you getting married to her? I don’t understand you, Callum,” Edmund retorted.
He was currently sitting on the couch with his legs crossed. When he saw Callum standing there with a dead look on his face, his face twisted in disdain.
“Now, Edmund, we can’t say that. What if Callum is going through some difficulties? You know he’s not one to decide on his own marriage without care.”
Blake tried to mediate between his two brothers.
“I don’t care what hard times he’s going through. I only know he has betrayed Elspeth. She must have been blind to have fallen in love with him. Had I known you would do this to her, I would never have let you be with her.”
The mention of Elspeth’s name brought a somewhat awkward tension to the air.
Callum merely glanced at Edmund before saying in an icy voice, “You can try. I would like to see if you could really get her to be yours.”
Edmund glared at him in return with a fire blazing in his eyes.
As the two were about to fight, Blake stepped in once more to mediate. First, he pushed Edmund back to the couch. Then, he tugged at Callum to dispel the tension. “Alright, Callum. It’s your wedding day. Keep the peace. You’ll soon have your bride. Let the past stay in the past.”
Naturally, he was talking about Elspeth.
Callum stared down at him. As Blake had always been somewhat dense, Callum decided not to say anything.
Meanwhile, there was another person sitting in the corner of the room. Ever since Max broke up with Yelena, he had never been the same. He would be brooding and sulking the whole day in dejected despair.
Edmund had been feeling uneasy from not getting his way in the encounter with Callum, so he turned his attention to Max. “Why are you upset as well? Are you still bothered about the breakup?”
In the past, Max would have definitely started fighting with him. Today, however, Max didn’t bother to interact with Edmund at all. In fact, he did not even try to retort.
Finding Max boring, Edmund decided to just stay quiet.
Soon, it was time for Callum to fetch the bride. The ceremony would only be complete after he took Jasmine from the McGrath Residence to the hotel before bringing her back to the Winthrop Residence.
Everything went as planned. Callum headed to the McGrath Residence with a few members of his family and personally carried her into the wedding getaway car.
Jasmine had a bright but shy smile on her face, looking like she had truly married into happiness.
The couple was driven to the hotel. As there was an hour before the wedding ceremony started, Jasmine took a break in the hotel room while waiting for her time to shine.
Elspeth watched it all happen.
In the room next to Jasmine’s, Elspeth was leisurely sprawled out across the couch while enjoying some grapes.
Next to her, Yelena was infuriated by her nonchalant attitude. “Even if this is just a fake wedding, you don’t need to be so calm. What if they really got married?”
After being told about Callum and Elspeth’s plans, Yelena only realized everything was just an elaborate scheme. Meanwhile, she had been kept in the dark like an absolute fool.
However, since Elspeth told her what was going on, there was nothing for her to do but silently cheer Elspeth on.
“Don’t worry. This is a perfect plan.”
Elspeth winked. When she noticed just how obviously worried Yelena was, she chuckled. “Enough. Don’t worry about all this. I’m waiting here only to prevent any unnecessary problems or unexpected situations.”
It was only then that Yelena stopped worrying and nodded. Then, as if she suddenly recalled something, she broke out in a cold sweat.
“Well, in that case, does this mean you’ll still be with Callum?”
“Kind of.” Elspeth nodded.
Yelena recalled how she had screamed and shouted some rather offensive statements at Callum. “Callum…” There was an awkward and panicked smile on her face. “He doesn’t hold grudges, right? Haha…”
She had been so preoccupied with defending Elspeth that she forgot she would be in trouble if they got back together.
Yelena gulped as she imagined the scene. “Why don’t I introduce you to some other guys?” she asked with a racing heart. “I think there are a lot of great men out there…”
“I think if Callum hears what you’re saying, he will hate you more.”
Elspeth immediately sentenced Yelena to her death.
It was only then that Yelena realized just how great of an enemy she had created for herself. At that, she started moaning and groaning in agony.
“Alright. I won’t scare you anymore. From now on, behave and wait. The show is about to start.”
Elspeth looked at the time. There was one minute left.
One minute later, someone suddenly kicked open the door to the room next to them.
There was a loud, chaotic burst of footsteps stomping into the room; they sounded like reporters.
With a mask and a pair of sunglasses on her face, Elspeth stepped out of the room. Before leaving, she reminded Yelena to stay in the room and not to come out unless needed.
Yelena knew she would only cause trouble if she left the room, so she obediently nodded in agreement.
The moment Elspeth stepped out of the room, she saw a bunch of reporters crowding around the room next door while frantically snapping photos of what was happening inside. She could not resist peeking in.
As expected, she saw Jasmine unconscious inside and dressed in a shredded wedding dress while a man was on top of her, seemingly as if he was doing a certain unmentionable act.
The reporters at the head of the pack all blushed and looked away while coughing. Even so, they continued to film what was happening in the room.
It took a few long minutes before Jasmine slowly regained consciousness. When she realized what was happening and saw the man on top of her, she nearly choked out with anger.
“Who are you? Why are you in my room?!”
A few minutes ago, she had been feeling so lethargic that she decided to take a short nap. When she woke up, she suddenly found herself doing the deed with a man.
The man ignored her though and continued to lay on top of her. However, he did not do anything more than that.
She tried to push him away, but he was too strong; he barely moved an inch.
“Get up! Do you know who I am? I will not forgive you if you have done anything to me!”
The man shuffled her tattered dress around to cover up her body while softly stating, “Of course, I know who you are, Miss McGrath. I suggest you behave though. Otherwise, I might actually do something to you while everyone is watching.”
When she heard him say that, her eyes widened with outrage.
“Scram!”
Outside the room, Elspeth had seen enough. With a wave of her hand, she made the crowd part to allow her to walk through them.
Sometime during the scene, Callum walked over and saw what was happening. With a “pale face”, he “angrily” asked, “What are you doing?!”
This was the first time Jasmine had seen Callum angry. She stared at him in shock for a moment, not knowing what to say. The man lying on top of her reacted before anyone else did. “Do you still not get it? Miss McGrath only loves me. She doesn’t want to marry you at all!”
Jasmine immediately reached out and pinched him hard. “What are you babbling about? Cal, don’t believe him! I have only ever loved you. I don’t even know why he’s in my room…”
“Enough!” Callum shouted, interrupting her.
Behind Callum, Elspeth’s eyes flashed in mirth when she saw the fake disbelief and fury on his face.
He was such an amazing actor, fooling each and every person on site.
It was such a pity he did not become an actor.
Naturally, Jasmine had not expected Callum to be so furious in public. Immediately, she started to panic.
“You know me, Cal. There’s no way I would do something like this on my wedding day. You know I’ve always wanted to marry you.”
“Enough.”
With one word, she had been declared guilty.
Jasmine fell to the ground. Even though Callum was standing right in front of her, he felt so very far away from her.
She stepped forward to grab the edge of his pants, but he avoided her touch with a disgusted look in his eyes.
“Let’s cancel the marriage.”
Callum finally spoke up, unable to hold back any longer.
When she heard that, she felt as if the dream she had fantasized about for years shattered.
“Cal…”
She did not want to cancel the marriage.
It took her a lot of effort to reach where she was now. Currently, she was about to marry Callum. Thus, how could she agree to cancel the marriage on this day?
“Please, Cal, I beg of you. Reconsider this. We are about to be wed soon. If we suddenly cancel the marriage, wouldn’t it be a waste…”
She began to sob about all the sweet memories they shared, but Callum remained emotionless the entire time, just staring down at her as she performed.
Then, as if she realized just how laughable her act was and how deathly silent the room was, she finally caved in.
“Fine. Let’s cancel the wedding.”
Now that he had what he wanted, he left the room without even glancing backward.
He did not leave her with even a tiny shred of hope.
The show finally drew to a close.
The wedding everyone had been looking forward to was suddenly canceled. Callum went to the McGarths with his proof. When Bobby, Jasmine’s father, saw the picture of his nearly naked daughter, his face went stark white.
In the end, he agreed to cancel the marriage as expected and took her away from the hotel.
Callum took his wedding suit off and redressed himself in the casual clothes that he had prepared earlier on. Soon, he was ready to leave the hotel.
Before he could do so, he was stopped by a familiar voice.
“You’re quite talented, Callum.”
The voice might be familiar to him, but it made him extremely uneasy.
It was Arthur, again.
Staring at Arthur’s fake smile, Callum had no interest, or the time, to bother with him.
“Is there something you want?”
Callum’s rudeness did not anger Arthur though. Instead, he continued smiling as he stepped closer. “I just feel like you are a great schemer who has Jasmine wrapped around your pinky. Whether you two marry or not, it is all up to you.”
“Are you done?”
“Of course not. Also, thank you for giving me two spectacular performances today. If I had not been keeping an eye on you the entire time, even I would have been fooled.”
Two performances…
Callum narrowed his eyes. It seemed like Arthur knew something.
“You’re welcome.”
In that case, there was no point in trying to hide it.
“While your act was amazing, I still have to tell you something.”
Callum’s ears perked up. “What is it?”
“Elspeth’s mother has passed away.”
Callum went stiff when he heard that.
“Judging by your reaction, you don’t know yet, right? Have you never wondered why Elspeth would suddenly come back and look for you?”
Every word Arthur said rang with cold mockery.
Callum was about to stop him from saying something crazy, but his feet were reluctant to move. He wanted to hear just what other incredulous statements Arthur might spit out.
“Stop with your madness.”
Arthur was familiar with Callum’s aloof and cold nature, so he merely smiled and said, “That is all I’ll say for now. The rest is up to you to find out.”
He then walked away, leaving Callum alone with his mysterious statement.
Callum watched him walk away with a cold glare, blandly staring at him while his eyes flashed with disdain and hatred.
He then headed to a restaurant nearby.
He arrived at the restaurant and found that Elspeth had been waiting for him at the entrance for ages. She was chatting and giggling with Yelena who was standing next to her. Standing next to Yelena… was Hank, who stuck close to Yelena as expected.
Elspeth’s eyes lit up when she saw him arrive. “You’re finally here. I’m starving.”
The bright smile on her face reminded him of what Arthur said. He could not help the pitying look that flashed in his eyes. “Sorry, I’m late.”
Just from the doting look on his face, she had a rough guess of what had happened.
“It’s fine. Let’s head in.”
When Yelena saw just how affectionate and close they were, her heart went cold.
She was doomed. Would Callum badmouth and backstab her?
Would it make a difference if she groveled now?
As thoughts raced through her mind, Callum walked over to her.
It was impossible for her to stay hidden, so she looked up at him with an innocent and sincere smile on her lips. “I don’t remember what I did before, Callum. If I have offended you in any way, I hope you can forget about it too.”
Pfft.
Elspeth nearly choked on her saliva.
She had always known Yelena was rather blunt, but she never expected Yelena to be that frank.
“Oh?”
Callum raised his eyebrows as he began to sift through his memories.
“You mean when you called me a liar?”
Yelena broke out in a cold sweat.
“A beast?”
She was no longer nervous now. Instead, she was panicking in terror.
“Do you instead mean…”
“Stop. That’s enough! I’m sorry, alright?”
She sobbed as she lowered her head, looking as if she had been terribly tormented.
Meanwhile, Hank naturally noticed Callum’s trolling behavior.
He stepped forward and grabbed her hand, his broad palm surrounding her soft hand.
“I never imagined Mr. Winthrop would be a prankster interested in teasing young women.”
That statement tore Callum’s image to shreds.
Giddy joy shimmered in Callum’s eyes when he saw how blatantly protective Hank was of Yelena.
“I never thought there was such a side to the cold-blooded lawyer known as Hank Damazio.”
The two men stubbornly stuck to their stances as if they were fighting in court.
In the end, Elspeth and Yelena had to drag them away from each other and into the restaurant to stop the standoff.
Once they were seated, Elspeth poured them a glass of wine each to celebrate their plan’s success.
“Elspeth, you mean those reporters who barged into the hotel were all your men and they were there just to cause trouble?”
Yelena looked at Elspeth with a worshipful gaze.
She never imagined Callum and Elspeth would actually come up with such a detailed and exquisite plan. They actually made that evil woman agree to cancel the marriage.
“That’s right. I even hired the man inside the room.”
She felt safer if her men were handling the situation. It was the best way to ensure her plan executes as expected.
As the McGarths disliked airing their dirty laundry, they did not look too closely into the situation and immediately locked Jasmine up.
“You’re amazing. When can I ever be as crafty as you?”
An eye for an eye; how Yelena dreamed of being able to make karma bite back at her enemies.
“Oh, you. That’s not a good thing. Why do you want to learn that out of all things? If you’re being bullied, I will help you take care of them.”
Elspeth chuckled when she saw how silly Yelena was acting.
“Are you saying I’m a fool?”
Realizing she was being teased, Yelena hung her head in dejection as she sniffled.
“Are you not? You might end up sold out by someone and still help them out.”
Hank mercilessly had a go at her as well.
He had thought she was cute in a weird way, but after spending so much time with her, he knew she was actually just a fool.
Nevertheless, let her be a fool. He was willing to spoil her.
“What’s the meaning of that? Do I not help you with your firm’s business?”
She held her head up high in pride when she said that.
“Oh? You mean the civil case?”
She fervently nodded. “Yes, the civil case indeed. Was it not only settled because I stepped in?”
Elspeth was very interested in what they were talking about.
“Oh? Does Yelena have a knack for law?”
Yelena giggled but her head was abruptly pressed down mid-giggle.
“The clients were discussing how to split up the five puppies produced in a mating. As there were five of them, the puppies could not be evenly split. Guess what Yelena said.”
“What?” Elspeth’s curiosity grew.
“She said they should turn the last puppy into dog meat and split according to weight.”
Elspeth was rendered speechless by that answer.
That was certainly an outrageous statement she would expect from Yelena.
“Not only that, but she even gave one of the clients’ kids a detailed explanation about how the dog would be killed. The kid ended up bursting into tears, screaming about how he didn’t want a dog anymore. In the end, all the puppies were given to the other family.”
Elspeth stared at Yelena. “You’ve… killed dogs before?”
Yelena scratched her head. “I watched someone butcher pigs in the village when I was a kid…”
“Don’t you think you went too far with the joke?” Hank sighed as he facepalmed.
That immediately had her huffing in anger. “Well, did the issue get resolved?”
Elspeth chuckled and ruffled Yelena’s hair when she saw how angry Yelena was. “You certainly came up with a good solution. Haha…”
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