Elspeth narrowed her eyes. “You have no idea? Then who gave you this and made you do it?”
The young lady turned pale. “I-It was a stranger who made me do it. She said the grass would cause diarrhea, which could then cause the filming to be postponed. But I never thought it’d cause poisoning—”
Elspeth let out a laugh. “How much were you paid to do this?”
“A hundred thousand in cash.”
Just a hundred thousand in cash? That’s so stingy of Emma, thought Elspeth. “What’s your name?”
The young lady hemmed and hawed for a moment. Nevertheless, she answered honestly, “My name’s Alicia Thornton.”
Figuring out what had happened, Elspeth shook her head in resignation. “I called the police just now. You’d better turn yourself in; perhaps you’ll get a lighter sentence.”
I’m going to jail… Alicia broke down at once; she slumped to the ground and burst into loud sobs.
Elspeth was in no mood to hear her wailing, though. Instead, she dialed Callum’s number.
“What’s the matter?” Callum sounded cool and distant over the phone.
Elspeth’s chilly voice sounded even more heartless than the man’s. “Please tell Emma that I won’t let her off if she does something against my interests again.”
Callum’s imperturbable voice finally showed a hint of emotion when he noticed that something was wrong with her voice. “Did she do anything again?”
Elspeth let out a soft sneer that sounded even chillier than the freezing winter. “She knows in her heart what she has done. Just keep in mind to pass on the message for me.”
Callum fell silent for a moment. Then, he said, “I’m sorry. I’ll compensate for the losses she caused.”
Elspeth sneered in bitter disappointment. “Callum, why do you need to take responsibility for what she does? What are you, her dad?”
Callum didn’t say a word in response to such jibes, but Elspeth sensed that the man’s breathing became somewhat heavier on the other end of the line. “Alright then, protect her if you want,” she said before hanging up right away. Then, she called Harper, saying, “Harper, help me look into Emma’s recent transaction records or the transaction records of those close to her. Mark the transaction that was worth one hundred thousand and made to one Alicia Thornton.”
Anger welled up inside Harper when he recalled the person whom he had met last time. “Did that woman get someone to hurt you again?”
Elspeth let out a snort. “Yeah. She’s really quite something.”
“Take it easy, Elspeth. I’ll make her feel sorry for that.” Harper smiled. Then, he immediately hung up the phone before Elspeth could realize what he meant.
Harper was quick in doing things. Soon after the phone call, Emma came to Elspeth of her own accord.
Elspeth was resting on the couch on the filming set when Emma suddenly barged in and raised her hand in an attempt to slap her. However, the pain didn’t hit Elspeth as she had expected; she caught hold of her hand and flung it away, causing her to lurch backward.
“Darn you, Elspeth!” Emma snarled furiously. She growled, “What the f*ck did you do? Why did you have to hurt me like that?!”
Surprised, Elspeth asked, “What do you mean?”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me