Chapter 369 Would You Be So Kind
Elspeth decided to ignore him. She sat back down at her desk and carried on with her work. Thanks to her unusually heavy workload today, she kept working until 11.00PM.
Jethro sat on the couch nearby and waited until 11.00PM.
At 11.15PM, Elspeth stretched and stood up. She had finally completed the day's work!
"Are you done?"
Jethro had been occupying himself with his phone the whole time, and he finally turned the screen off when he noticed Elspeth's actions.
Elspeth was startled by his voice. Feeling tired, she peered into the darkness and at last, she realized that he was still there!
"Yeah, I'm done. I'm going home now. You should hurry up and go back as well." She waved him off as she had no intention of giving him a ride.
"Do you think I waited here this long just to watch you work?"
Jethro flashed her a smile and picked up her handbag without even asking for her permission. He shut her laptop and said, "Alright. It's decided. I'll drop you off at your place."
He was too tall and Elspeth couldn't snatch her handbag back. She could only sigh in helplessness.
"Fine. I'll let you do that, but you need to give me my bag first."
Jethro waved his slender finger in front of her. "Not happening. What if you run off the moment I give it back to you?"
Does he think I'm someone who'd do such a thing?
Elspeth rolled her eyes and snapped, "Since you want to hold it for me, so be it."
She marched off at once.
Jethro had gotten what he wanted and wasn't affected at all. He happily followed after her.
Elspeth stopped by the side of the road and Jethro stopped beside her. Hah, she sneered to herself. He's a kid alright, and yet he wants to win me over, huh? He doesn't even know what he should be doing.
"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and bring the car around."
Jethro nodded and pointed at the electric scooter by the side of the road. "It's over there. I'll give you a ride home."
An… electric scooter?
Elspeth was gob-smacked. Jethro Wilstone, the Wilstones' son, has fallen so far from grace that he has to ride a scooter to work?
"Are you that strapped for cash?"
"Am I not allowed to ride a scooter just because I have money?"
It was a good question. I guess there's nothing wrong with it.
Elspeth pursed her lips and climbed onto the electric scooter.
The summer breeze was warm even at night, and due to the heat, Elspeth's palms began to sweat. However, to maintain her balance, she had to grip his shirt.
"Are you that nervous? Your sweat is soaking through my shirt."
Jethro's chuckles tickled Elspeth's ears.
"I'm not."
Elspeth let go of his shirt in a huff, but as the scooter went over a bump on the road, she nearly fell off.
"Put your arms around my waist."
When Jethro noticed her precarious position, he quickly pulled Elspeth's arm with his left hand and wrapped her arm around his waist.
Elspeth was resistant to holding him, but whenever she tried to withdraw her arm, Jethro would specifically ride over the bumpiest parts of the road as if to challenge her.
She had no choice but to keep her arms locked around his waist.
The scent that clung to Jethro's clothes was different from others. There were traces of cigarette smoke and alcohol.
In other words, it was the scent of someone who indulged in the frivolities of life.
This is to be expected of the playboy who makes those kinds of establishments his second home. Even the smell on him is just as debauched, Elspeth thought to herself. With that thought in mind, she couldn't resist piping up, "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something."
"What is it? Go ahead and ask."
"You told your parents that you like me and want to marry me, right?"
Jethro nodded. "That's correct."
"I'm curious to know why they would approve of me."
There were plenty of amazing women in the world. A prestigious family like the Wilstones could have their pick of suitable daughters-in-law.
Why me, of all people?
Jethro smiled when he heard this question.
"That's because you're the one I like. You should know that I've never settled down and declared that I wish to marry someone. Now that I've finally decided to change my ways and spend my life with someone, they're more than thrilled about it and wouldn't care who their future daughter-in-law is."
Elspeth couldn't argue with that logic.
She had just decided against trying to dissuade him when the electric scooter began jerking a little. She immediately had a bad feeling about this.
Even Jethro was frowning hard.
"I think the battery's dying."
True enough, the electric scooter slowly came to a stop by the side of the road two minutes later and didn't move again.
It was midnight, and the two of them were now stuck by the side of the road.
"I can't believe it. You didn't even bother to charge the battery before offering to give a girl a ride!"
Elspeth scoffed in exasperation.
"I've been spending all my time thinking about you, so I didn't check whether or not the scooter's battery was full."
Jethro defended himself with the air of someone who didn't think he had done anything wrong.
Elspeth couldn't be bothered to mince words with him. She got her phone out to call a cab, but she realized that they were in the middle of nowhere.
There was probably not a single car within a five-mile radius, let alone a cab!
"Jethro Wilstone! If I'm unable to sleep in my bed tonight, I'm going to kick you out of the company!"
None of this would've happened if he hadn't insisted on giving her a ride home from work.
Jethro turned away and absolved himself of all responsibility. "What does this have to do with me? The battery died. It's not as if I'm trying to keep you away from your bed on purpose."
"Is the scooter yours?"
"Yeah."
"Are you the one who insisted on giving me a ride home?"
"Yes."
"How's there any room for you to weasel your way out of this then?"
Jethro lost the verbal battle so he had to concede defeat, but even so, he commented flippantly, "No ordinary person can win an argument against you, Elsie."
Elspeth was annoyed by his childishness. All of a sudden, she had an idea.
"I got it. I'll get a tow truck to come and help."
Jethro's eyes lit up at once. "You're so smart, Elsie."
"Don't try to butter me up. I don't plan on taking you with me."
Elspeth was about the make the call when out of the blue, the glare from a pair of headlights made her squeeze her eyes shut.
They had been so engrossed in their quibbling that they didn't notice a car approaching from the distance.
Elspeth squinted. She saw a black car with a familiar license plate number.
When the person stepped out of the car, her eyes flew wide open.
Isn't that Callum?
"Did it run out of battery?"
Callum's eyes flashed derisively when he saw the electric scooter parked nearby.
It just so happened that Elspeth caught the flash of disdain in his eyes. It was as if he was questioning her, What happened to your taste in men? Why did you end up with a guy who rides a scooter after leaving me?
Elspeth clenched her fist and turned away from him.
She could still remember the way he refused to help her the last time, despite all of her pleadings.
Why are you trying to act like you're such a good person now, huh?
"That's right. Would you be so kind as to give us a ride home, Mr. Winthrop?"
Elspeth didn't respond to Callum, but on the other hand, Jethro greeted him warmly.
It was at this point that Elspeth realized Jethro only behaved like a fool in front of her. When dealing with others, he was rather shrewd.
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