Hiding Behind Her Superficiality

Chapter 98

Callum stretched out his hand and wrapped it around Elspeth’s shoulders. “What do you think?” he asked, expressionless.

“You can’t do this! Mrs. Winthrop already said that she wants you to marry me, not Elspeth. What will she think if you do this when she’s lying unconscious in the hospital right now? How can you date the woman who pushed her down the stairs?” Ophelia raised her voice, practically screeching as she was unable to accept his decision.

“I have told you time and time again that I’m not interested in you. Don’t think that you’ve won after ganging up with my mother to force me to yield. And to think that you’d shove all the blame on Elspeth. Hah.” Callum took a threatening step forward as he said with undisguised annoyance, “How do you face your conscience every day while you play the victim, Ophelia Fleming?”

One had to applaud her for her tenacity as she still insisted on putting up her act. “Do you think that I’m the one who did it? Callum, why would I harm Mrs. Winthrop? She’s been nothing but kind to me, so why would I

“Stop it. Don’t make me lose that last bit of good impression I have of you.”

After he spat that last sentence, he dragged Elspeth straight into his office, leaving Ophelia behind, her heart beating wildly as it was utterly filled with terror and frustration.

In the office, Elspeth placed her palms on the desk, resting her weight on them as an amused smile spread

across her face. “Callum Winthrop, why did you suddenly speak up for me today? Aren’t you the least bit suspicious whether I’m the mastermind behind this incident?”

“I know you didn’t push my mother down the staircase.”

“Oh? What made you change your mind so suddenly?”

Callum stared out the window as he observed the bright city lights and explained, “The last time when we were

at the hospital, you were so eager to prove that you’re not the problem. You even helped me to look after my mother despite her disdain toward you. Furthermore, you succeeded in getting Mr. Schwartz back from abroad. If a person like this is actually the culprit… Then, I suppose I can only admit defeat against this individual. I can admit that such a person scares me with how far they’re willing to go to achieve their goals. More importantly, I genuinely trust you. This trust has been built up over the days we’ve spent together. My trust in you cannot be diminished by such a one-sided story filled with holes. Besides, my heart will always be biased toward you.”

Elspeth felt her heart a warm river flowing through her heart at his confession. Who would have thought that a man like him would trust me so unconditionally?

“So, what’s on your mind, Callum? Do you really want me to be your secretary?”

“I’ve never worked as a secretary before in my entire life. Listen to how confident you sound. Do you really think that everyone is as eager as Ophelia to stick to you like gum?” Elspeth said in exasperation, rolling her

eyes at him.

“She won’t be the director of the Design Department for long.” Callum lowered his eyes to hide the darkness in them. “I’ll make her pay the price the instant I have the necessary evidence to prove that she’s the one behind my mother’s condition.”

Elspeth could only give him a firm nod in the face of his resolute decision. “Okay, I’ll compromise and be your secretary for a few days.”

“Good. Start by making me a coffee. No sugar.”

After he gave out his first order, he plopped into the office chair and started reading through a business

contract.

“You sure slip into your role very quickly, eh?” Elspeth grumbled under her breath. Then, she picked up his mug and trotted out to the coffee machine nearby.

Alas, her timing was impeccable as she overheard the most recent gossip about Edmund the moment she stepped out of Callum’s office.

“Did you guys hear about it? Our vice president signed a contract with Alphascape Group, and it seems like this agreement caused us a big loss!”

“Oh, my God. Is that true?”

“100% truth. I heard from the vice president last time that he signed this agreement unexpectedly. He signed the contract the other day under influence but has yet to tell the president about this. Maybe he’s worried that he’ll be blamed for it?”

“Haven’t we always been loggerheads with Alphascape Group? So, why on Earth did Edmund sign a contract with them so easily?”

“It wasn’t easy at all. He had put in a great deal of effort to sign a contract with them. Maybe because Callum is simply too outstanding, so Edmund wanted to prove himself by striking a big deal with Alphascape, but it

didn’t occur to him that they could be so dishonest…”

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s get back to work before somebody overhears us.”

The gossipmongers scattered back to their respective offices, and only Elspeth was still quietly making coffee in the pantry.

When she raised her head to look for a teaspoon, the first thing she saw was Edmund, who was standing nearby and here to make a coffee, just like her.

He ended up getting scammed because of his naivety despite putting in such a great deal of effort to prove himself. So, there was no way he could accept his failures with a bright grin on his face.

In addition, he felt even worse now that people were gossiping about his misstep behind his back.

“Hey, Edmund- Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Elspeth began, but before she could finish her sentence, he cut her off harshly. “What? Are you going to mock me, too?”

Elspeth was briefly stunned by his rude manner, and a look of confusion washed over her face. “Mock you? About what?”

“Stop lying. They’ve practically given you my weakness on a silver platter. I know you overheard everything.” He snorted and continued, “So, just cut the pretense.”

“I’m not pretending. I simply wanted to ask you just what kind of contact you signed with Alphascape that got you scammed of millions.”

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Edmund’s face flushed crimson when she brought the topic up so candidly. “I merely bought a property them, but they gave me a piece of problematic land instead. That’s why I made a loss… Yet, I never once imagined it would be an utterly useless plot of land. I know that I’ve already thoroughly checked the inspection papers before making that purchase, and I was sure that it was marked qualified. But how…”

Even now, he still couldn’t understand how he got himself into such hot water.

“You know that we’ve been at loggerheads with Alphascape Group all this while, and it’s risky business to collaborate with the old foxes there. Furthermore, Callum wasn’t around-”

“Callum! Callum! Callum! It’s always about him! What? Will the world stop spinning if Callum is no longer around? Ever since we were young, everyone has been using him to put me down. It’s even worse since we’re from the same family. Is he that great while I’m such a massive disappointment?”

As far as he could remember, Callum had been the pride of the Winthrops. Even if he did make a mistake, everyone would create all sorts of excuses for him. He couldn’t ever recall anyone ever doubting Callum’s abilities.

However, if Edmund were the one who fumbled at something, everyone would immediately conclude that he was never capable of anything worthwhile in the first place.

“Nobody is using Callum to put you down. You’re the one who has been using him to motivate yourself. Or maybe, you’re just easily affected by his achievements, and you can’t see what you’ve achieved because you’re so busy comparing yourself to him.”

Elspeth paused and sighed before she tried to give him solid advice. “Remember, Callum is merely a person who is a little more outstanding than most people, but he’s not the greatest man alive. He dœs have his weaknesses, too. Don’t put him on a pedestal and kick yourself to the ground just because of

what others have to say. Of course, they will sing his praises because they want something from him! Always put yourself first

Her words caught him by surprise because it was the first time someone would take the time to say such things

to him.

“So, don’t belittle yourself. Now, that’s off the table. Can you tell me now what exactly happened?”