Hiding Behind Her Superficiality

Chapter 197

Elspeth knew that Theodore’s response was enough to speak for itself. At the moment, he didn’t want her to go out with Callum at all, but no one told her the reason for that; it was as if she had been sentenced to death without rhyme or reason. “I’m full, so I’m going to bed first,” she said impassively before getting up and retiring to her bedroom.

Max looked at Elspeth’s plate and noticed that she had barely touched her food. Why would she say she’s full when she has barely eaten? “Miss Elspeth, what’s going on?”

Edmund shot him a glare. “Keep quiet while others are talking, you brat.” He saw through the situation better than anyone else. Although he was unaware of the problem between them, he could tell from Theodore’s response that Elspeth had almost been disqualified from becoming Callum’s fiancée. It was just that this was outside his jurisdiction, so he didn’t want to intervene.

After returning to her bedroom, Elspeth sat on her bed in a trance. She put on her thinking cap, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out the reason why she was suddenly treated like this. Unable to wrap her head around it, she decided to call Harper instead.

“What’s the matter, Elspeth? You sound listless over the phone.”

Hearing the noise on his end of the line, Elspeth raised an eyebrow, asking, “Are you drinking at the bar again?”

“Yeah, I’m at our usual place, waiting for you at Luna Bar.”

At first, Elspeth had wanted to wash up and go to sleep, but she was suddenly unable to sleep after hearing Harper’s invitation. As a result, she went downstairs and drove to Luna Bar.

The bar was rowdy and crowded with people who were drinking and seeking pleasure. Making her way ahead to their usual booth, she saw Harper sitting there drinking alone. She opened a bottle herself

and finished it in one go, asking, “What’s the matter? You look even more depressed than me.”

Harper snorted with laughter. “I’m not depressed. By the way, what’s the matter with you? Does Callum allow you to come out for a drink at such a late hour?”

Upon hearing Callum’s name, Elspeth gulped down another mouthful of wine. “Don’t mention him.”

“What happened? You two quarreled or something?”

Elspeth shook her head. “No, we’re not quarreling. We’re on the verge of breaking up.”

Harper’s face twisted into a dramatic expression. “Breaking up? What kind of unsolvable problem are you two coming across to the point where you two are breaking up?”

“I don’t know.”

Suddenly recalling what he had seen and heard, Harper couldn’t help but ask, “Is it because of that lady named Emma Walker? I saw her on the news. Is it true that she was Callum’s first love?”

Elspeth made a half-hearted attempt at a smile. “She wasn’t, I guess.” She trusted Callum; she was willing to trust him even if he was holding hands with Emma.

Harper rolled his eyes. “You don’t understand men at all. Men could never forget about the first women they were in love with.”

“Oh, really?” Elspeth suddenly became interested in the topic. Seeing him talk about the subject with ease, she couldn’t help but laugh, asking, “So you mean you can’t forget about your first love, too?”

“Yes, of course—”

Suddenly, a hostess was shoved to the ground from the adjacent booth.

The man who shoved her to the ground swore, “What the hell are you doing here, working at a bar without letting people touch you? You think you’re still a f*cking virgin or something? Who the f*ck do you think you are?”

The young lady burst into tears, looking particularly disheveled as her maid costume was creased all over.

The man shot a look at those around him, who immediately came up and grabbed the young lady’s hands. He yelled, “Get her! I’ve got to see today who such a stubborn chick is!”

The young lady cried while attempting to run away, but she was alone and outnumbered against the man and his lackeys. They held her in such a firm grip that she couldn’t move at all.

Elspeth was just about to go over and offer help to the young lady when Harper, who was beside her, rushed forward and kicked away the hoodlum who was clutching the lady’s hand. “How dare you make a scene at Luna Bar! Who do you think you are?”

Seeing how his lackeys suffered at the hands of another man, the man swore angrily, “F*ck you! Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you lay a hand on one of my people!”

Harper waved his hand, after which five men dressed in security uniforms immediately showed up around him. “Throw these people out of here for me,” he ordered.

The security guards here were all well-trained. Moreover, most of them were ex-soldiers with Herculean strength, so it didn’t take long before they chased all the men out of the bar.

In the end, the man glared at Harper and threatened with feigned audacity, “I’ll come back again!”

Elspeth kicked him in the butt. “Just get the hell out of here!” Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Scared sh*tless, the man fled from the scene for fear that he might get hurt again.

The young lady trembled all over with fear. After the danger was over, she sat on the couch and gingerly thanked Elspeth and Harper, saying, “Thank you for saving me just now. If it weren’t for you two, I’d have been bullied by that guy…” She wasn’t especially pretty, but she exuded pure innocence from her every pore, which did easily attract those who had evil designs on her.

Harper had always behaved like a loafer, but strangely, he didn’t say a word at this very moment. When Elspeth looked up at him, she realized that he seemed to have tears in his eyes, as though he were trying hard to suppress some strong emotions.

Seeing that he was silent, the young lady also looked up at him, only to be stunned instantly. “Harper?”

Harper nodded with a polite smile. “It’s me, Brianna.”

Brianna was speechless with emotion; this was the first time she met Harper in the country, after all. “What a coincidence! Why are you here? You’ve come home from overseas?”

“Yeah, I just came back recently. What about you? Why are you…” Why are you working at such a place?

Brianna could tell clearly what Harper hesitated to ask, and her smile faded. She knew how unsavory her job was.

Having basically figured out who Brianna was, Elspeth feared Harper might say something that would frighten her. She said immediately, “Miss Brianna, if you need cash, you can borrow from me. It doesn’t matter whether you can pay it back or not.” As a young woman like Brianna, she naturally understood that the only reason for her to wind up in such a situation was that she was desperately in need of money.

A light flickered across Brianna’s eyes. “Really?” she asked before hesitating for a moment. “Well, never mind. You don’t have to. I can earn money by myself.”

What a gentle young lady who stands on her own feet. No wonder Harper would like her, thought Elspeth. She quickly suggested, “Still, this isn’t a job for you. What about this? You can work as a receptionist at the bar. It’ll pay higher than working as a hostess.” In reality, the paycheck of a receptionist wasn’t much, but she could raise Brianna’s paycheck a little. As for how much the raise was, it was entirely up to her.

Learning that she could earn even more money without working as a hostess, Brianna was delighted. She instantly accepted Elspeth’s offer.

Elspeth knew that Brianna and Harper must have a lot to say to each other upon their first encounter in the country. Seeing that Harper had almost calmed down, she suggested, “If there’s nothing else, I’m going somewhere else. Have a nice chat, you two.”

Harper nodded with a look of gratitude in his eyes.

Leaving the space for them, Elspeth went alone to the bar counter and ordered a glass of wine. While waiting for her drink to arrive, she suddenly saw Callum sitting in a booth nearby with Emma seated next to him.

Seeing how close together they were sitting, Elspeth suddenly felt a burst of anger surging from the bottom of her heart. Holding the glass of freshly made drink in her hand, she slowly walked over to them.