Even Elspeth and Callum were equally shocked. Isn’t this the old man who was selling us the herbs earlier?
And it turned out that he was the owner of the black market. This was too far-fetched!
Also, when did I become his goddaughter? Elspeth couldn’t help but wonder.
However, Irving didn’t allow her to react as he glared, his temperament rising high. “What? Is it weird that I have a goddaughter?”
Arthur chuckled apologetically. “Of course not.”
Influential and powerful, Irving also had many men working for him, so Arthur could only soften his attitude and speak to him peacefully instead of colliding head-on with him.
In this situation, any normal person would stop before things got out of hand and leave while they still could.
“So, tell me. What does my goddaughter owe you? It seems to me that you’re about to rob them, Mr. Winthrop. The black market has always operated normally. Don’t you think that you’ve gone too far?”
The entire black market had to show Irving some respect, but who did Arthur think he was for him to have the nerve to act as he pleased on Irving’s turf?
Knowing that he was at the losing end this time, Arthur gritted his teeth and apologized to Elspeth, “I’m sorry, Miss Lynwood. I was rude earlier, and I ask for your forgiveness.” Then, he was about to leave with his men, but Irving’s men stopped them.
“Don’t be in a rush to go. Make things clear. If it’s my goddaughter who’s at fault, I’ll apologize to you on her behalf.”
Obviously, Irving wasn’t ready to let Arthur off easy, and he turned to Elspeth with a smile. “Tell me what happened.”
Seeing how Irving was ready to be her backbone, Elspeth immediately understood the situation—he wanted to help her vent her frustrations.
“During the auction earlier, he was the one who gave up bidding. But now, he wanted to rob us. Perhaps he doesn’t have so much money, so he has no other choice but to rob my ginkgo,” she answered honestly without embellishments.
Opposite her, Arthur was livid from the anger. When Irving came over earlier, a lot of people started gathering around, and after Elspeth’s statement, everyone now knew that he was here to rob them because he didn’t have the money.
Irving snickered at his lie. “Mr. Winthrop, is Elspeth telling the truth?”
Stumped for words, Arthur couldn’t come up with any explanation now that things had come to this stage. Never did he imagine that Elspeth had such strong backing. Goddammit!
However, all he could do now was explain in a soft tone to set up an innocent and gentle persona. “Well… I really need this ginkgo, so I wanted to discuss with Miss Lynwood to purchase hers because I don’t have that much money…”
Despite knowing that his explanation was very crappy, he had to find himself an excuse, somehow.
Then, his gaze fell on Callum and lit up expectantly. “Besides, he’s my brother. Why would I fight with him? I swear I only wanted to negotiate with Miss Lynwood, not rob her.”
At the sudden mention of his name, Callum ignored his plea for help and retorted nonchalantly, “You’ve already broken all ties with the Winthrop Family. Why are you still using this family name when you’re outside?”
Arthur’s face went stiff. He didn’t expect that a person as aloof as Callum would shoot him down so directly.
There were also some socialites around them, and they agreed with Callum after he said that. “That’s true. Last month, Arthur Winthrop announced on his own that he’s cutting off all ties with the Winthrop Family, making Mr. Theodore Winthrop so mad that he’s still feeling unwell in the hospital now.”
All of a sudden, Arthur became the topic of criticism as the audience started pointing their fingers and looking down at him while Callum and Elspeth stood silently at the side and watched him getting scorned.
Embarrassment washed over him, but he still held his head high despite the people around him jeering at him. He channeled all of his hate on Callum.
Meanwhile, Elspeth didn’t want to push Arthur to a corner and smiled at Irving. “Forget it. We were friends in the past, after all. Let’s not make things too ugly.”
Irving nodded in agreement. “You’re considerate and gentle. Okay, we’ll let Mr. Winthrop go, then.” Right after he said that, something popped up in his mind and he added, “Also, in the future, please avoid stepping into any black market that I’m operating, Mr. Winthrop.”
His words made Arthur, who was already feeling in the dumps, ball his fists tightly. Callum and Elspeth… Just you wait!
After he left with his tail between his legs, the people around them dispersed because there was nothing else to watch. Irving turned to Elspeth with a smile. “It’s a good thing that I showed up on time. Otherwise, you’d be in trouble.”
She returned his smile. “Thanks for your help, Mr. Cole.”
The way she addressed him sent disgruntlement through his chest. “I already said you’re my goddaughter, and that makes you someone under my protection. From now onward, you’re my goddaughter for real.”
Biting her lip, she felt caught in a dilemma. “How could I—”
“Why not? Since you can’t be my daughter-in-law, you can be my goddaughter. I’m really quite happy with you, young lady. You’re talented and brilliant. I should really introduce you to my useless son and make him learn from you!”
Elspeth burst into laughter at his words. The boss of the black market was just another regular father, and the way he nagged was a little similar to her father.
At the thought of her father, she couldn’t help but let her gaze drift away, and she was more determined than ever to find her mother.
As though reading her mind, Callum stroked her hair. “If that’s what Mr. Cole says, just accept his intention.”
“Okay, Uncle Irving,” Elspeth said tentatively, which made Irving smile from ear to ear.
“Good. Come to me if you need anything, and I’ll give them all to you for free. There’s everything here. As long as you want it, I’ll set it aside for you beforehand.”
Without a doubt, being spoiled in such a generous manner moved Elspeth, and she said, “Thanks, Uncle Irving.”
However, getting such an ace card accidentally was kind of a surprise.
“If there’s a chance next time, I’ll introduce you to my son, but I gotta go now because of some other matters. See you.”
After Irving left for his business, Elspeth and Callum left the black market as well, and she could sense that something was amiss with Callum’s condition the second they went out because his steps were light, and there was an abnormal blush on his face.
“What’s wrong, Callum?”
Holding his arm, she used her right hand to feel his forehead, which was burning hot.
“You’re having a fever, Callum!”
Immediately after the words left her lips, Callum, who was swaying on his feet, passed out the next second.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me