Elspeth was aware that Callum was too stubborn and stuck persistently to his beliefs, and that continuing to argue with him held no meaning, so she let out a helpless sigh. "But if you do this, Rayan will not easily hand the scimitar over."
Seeming to realize that he had been a little too harsh, Callum softened his expression and reached out to rub her hair. "Okay, don't worry about this anymore. He'll definitely give me the scimitar."
It was no longer relevant whether Rayan was willing to hand it over or not; his father would not easily give up this opportunity to push the Adler Family to greater heights.
"All right." Elspeth sighed. "That's all we can do for now."
While the two conversed downstairs, unbeknownst to them, Rayan, who had just been locked upstairs by his father, had witnessed everything. As he watched their intimate gestures, the suspicion in his gaze intensified.
Just then, his phone rang. After a glance at the unknown string of numbers, he decided to pick up.
"Is this Mr. Adler? I heard that you're currently with a woman called Lynwood. Is that true?" As soon as he answered the phone, the caller hastily questioned him about his relationship with Elspeth.
Rayan was already frustrated enough as his woman was about to leave with another man. When he heard a strange woman chattering on the phone, his irritation increased.
"What does that have to do with you?"
Upon hearing that that was the case, the woman on the other end didn't seem to mind his hostile tone, and there was even a trace of glee in her voice as she said, "If that's the case, I'll tell you a secret."
The word 'secret' piqued Rayan's curiosity. "What secret?"
"The secret is that… Elspeth is approaching you for a reason!"
Rayan's gaze darkened. "What do you mean?"
"Did she ask you for that scimitar? Don't be fooled by her. She has a fiancé, and his name is Callum Winthrop! She approached you just for the purpose of getting that scimitar of yours, not to be with you."
Rayan glanced at the two people who were still clinging onto each other downstairs once again. Coupled with what the person on the other end of the phone just told him, he suddenly had a realization. How dare they join forces to try and swindle me! Instantly, he burned with rage.
"Since she's already lied to you, you must not forgive her easily." Over the phone, a trace of urgency could be heard in the woman's voice.
Rayan scoffed. "Naturally. I have my own ways of dealing with women like her."
"Of course, I believe that you'll make her pay."
Listening to the pleased laughter through the phone, Rayan suddenly asked in interest, "Who are you? Why are you telling me this?"
All of a sudden, the voice on the other end lost its enthusiasm. "Who I am isn't important. Just know that I'm like you, and I hate that cunning woman too."
He didn't mind either way. Since she told him about this, it didn't really matter who she was. Once he hung up, Rayan began to contemplate his next step. How dare they try to trick me? Just wait and see, Elspeth Lynwood!
…
Early the next morning, Elspeth was still sleeping when she was woken up by a phone call. When she fished out her phone and looked at it, Callum's name was taking up the screen. After questioning him, she learned that he had already brought the scimitar, and was now waiting for her to head downstairs to get it. Immediately, her spirits were lifted, and she hurriedly changed her clothes and went downstairs.
When Callum saw her emerge from her room, he handed her the box containing the scimitar.
"Take this and give it to Logan."
"Thank you, Callum," Elspeth said sincerely.
"You're my future wife; it's my duty to do these things for you."
Callum was never one to flirt, so Elspeth immediately felt a blush bloom across her face at his sudden words, feeling embarrassed.
As Callum had other matters to attend to, he gave her a few reminders before he soon drove away. Meanwhile, Elspeth went back upstairs and dressed up. After calling Arthur to ask for his car, she went to the red light district.
It was currently daytime, so there were hardly any people around. When she arrived at her destination, she looked at the closed door and called Logan.
"Mr. Logan, I already have the scimitar. Are you in the store now?"
Through the phone, she could vaguely hear conversing voices in the background as Logan said briefly, "Elspeth? I'm currently dealing with something else, and I'm not in the store. Why don't you go back first? I don't mind taking it tomorrow."
She was already accustomed to Logan's constant absence, and since he said so, she hung up the phone and prepared to take the scimitar home. As soon as she turned around, a burst of laughter sounded from behind her.
"You're really everywhere."
Elspeth looked at Rayan, whose eye bags had deepened since she last saw him the previous night. She assumed that he was not in a good mood after being locked up. There were four men following him, most likely his bodyguards.
"What a coincidence, Mr. Adler. You're here too?" Elspeth asked, still keeping up her reserved and docile act.
"That's right. I wouldn't have heard you calling Mr. Logan if I didn't come here." Rayan's smile did not reach his eyes, and he slowly approached her. "And if I didn't come here, I wouldn't have found out that everything was part of your plan!"
Instantly, Elspeth panicked. It seemed that he already knew everything.
There was no use in playing dumb at this point, so she calmed down and softened her voice as much as she could. "I did want your scimitar, but I have my reasons, and I didn't mean to lie to you. I really do want to be your friend."
"Friend? I have enough friends. You knew that I was interested in you."
At those words, Rayan recalled something and said with a smile, "Oh, right. You already have a fiancé, so you wouldn't have fancied me, anyway."
He even knows about my fiancé! Elspeth thought frantically to herself. Suddenly, she felt like she had been trapped, as if someone was fueling the situation behind the scenes and had told him everything.
"Mr. Adler, I don't really understand what you're saying…"
Elspeth took a few steps back nervously. There was no one around at this time, so even if she shouted for help, no one would come to her aid. She could only stay calm and try to think of another plan.
"You don't have to understand. You just have to follow me."
As soon as Rayan said that, he gave the men behind him a look, and they instantly stepped forward to grab Elspeth. Upon seeing that they were intending to use brute force, Elspeth swiveled around and fled.
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