Chapter 75 – Love’s Perfect Match Novel Read Online (Elspeth & Callum)

“Callum, Ophelia only came here out of filial duty. The years I spent doting on her when she was little weren’t in vain, after all.” Margot shot a glare at Callum before taking Ophelia’s hand and patting it. “Look how nice Ophelia is. Now she’s not only obedient but also sensible and gracious. Why don’t you reconsider going out with her—”

“What are you talking about, Mrs. Winthrop?” Ophelia blushed shyly while giving Margot a light push.

Callum didn’t say anything in reply, but his silence already spoke volumes.

Seeing that the man didn’t respond at all, Ophelia suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. She retracted her hands, saying, “Mrs. Winthrop, now that Callum doesn’t like me, let’s not force him into it. It’ll make it sound like I’m threatening him.”

“What nonsense are you talking about, Ophelia? Your engagement to Callum was decided by your mother and me when you two were little. Moreover, you two grew up together, so how can he possibly have no feelings for you?” Margot said in a gentle voice, comforting Ophelia for fear that she might be hurt by Callum’s attitude.

Callum replied at once, “I already have someone I love.”

Elspeth was startled, and her fork froze in midair with a meatball on it.

“You already have someone you like? Who is it? Don’t tell me it’s Elspeth?”

Callum nodded. “That’s right. It’s her.”

Ophelia forced a smile. “Oh… Is that so?”

“You can’t love her,” Margot blurted out subconsciously.

Baffled, Callum turned to look at her with a puzzled expression. “Why?”

“Because I said you can’t. Callum, even if you have no feelings for Ophelia, you can’t love Elspeth,” Margot said solemnly as though there were some dark secret behind this.

The instant she said so, everyone at the scene fell silent. Having no appetite for dinner, they hastily finished their meal before returning to their respective bedrooms.

Since it was getting late, Ophelia decided to stay at the Winthrop Residence for the night before leaving tomorrow.

It was late at night when Margot came to Callum’s room with a glass of warm milk in her hand. After knocking on the door, she pushed it open and came in. “Callum, I have something to talk to you about,” she said softly while putting the glass of milk on his desk.

Callum seemed to have predicted what she was going to say. He asked, “What do you want to say?”

“It’s not that I’m not allowing you to go out with Elspeth. It’s mainly because… Sigh!” She let out a deep sigh as her thoughts wandered. “You know what? Your dad had a first love when he was young—”

“What does this have to do with Elspeth?”

Seeing Callum’s puzzlement, Margot explained, “His first love was Elspeth’s mother! Do you know that the woman you love is probably your half-sister who shares a father with you?”

Callum found such words ridiculous. “Impossible!”

Margot sneered. “Why is that impossible? Elspeth is just as stubborn as your dad. You know what? Your dad disappeared for six months when I was pregnant with Blake. Nobody knows what happened during those six months. Now, look at Elspeth. Isn’t she the same age as Blake?!”

This was so ridiculous that Callum simply couldn’t believe all this. “Still, you can’t prove that Elspeth is Dad’s illegitimate daughter.”

Margot replied with a sob in her voice, “I didn’t know your dad was in love with an unattainable woman until half a year into our marriage. I was already pregnant with you at the time, so I put up with it instead of divorcing him. Do you know that?”

Callum patted her on the back in an attempt to calm her down. “Calm down first, Mom. All of this might be a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding, huh? Have you ever wondered why your dad is so nice to Elspeth if it’s not because of this?”

“Dad is friends with Elspeth’s father. They’ve been through thick and thin together, so it’s very normal for Dad to be fond of his daughter.”

“Alright, I won’t say any more about it. In any case, just remember that Elspeth isn’t a good match for you,” Margot advised earnestly. “Callum, I won’t do you any harm. I’ll definitely find you a lady that’s better than anyone else. You know—”

Callum replied, “It’s enough, Mom. I have my own judgment.” He wasn’t that gullible. Although what Margot had said sounded very true, he was nonetheless doubtful deep down. Skeptical about her words, he saw her out of the room.

“Remember to drink the milk before it cools,” Margot urged before going back to her bedroom.

Callum returned to his desk, picked up the glass of milk, and finished it in a gulp. After that, he sorted out his documents and went to bed.

However, after lying in bed for a while, he felt unusually hot. He turned up the air conditioner, but it was of no use. He couldn’t sleep, and his body was hot as though it were on fire; he even had some strange reactions. Before he knew it, Elspeth’s face appeared in his mind; the thought of her smile, her delicate features, and her seductive red lips was tempting him. “Sh*t,” he swore under his breath. What am I thinking about?

Just when his mind was getting jumbled, he suddenly heard the sound of the door being unlocked.

The lights were off, so he couldn’t see clearly who the person was. All he felt was an ice-cold hand that caressed his face before naughtily moving all the way down. He seized the person’s wrist. With the last bit of reason that he could muster, he asked, “Who are you?” Judging by the person’s silhouette, it had to be a young lady. The only young lady who can enter my room is probably…

“Callum…” Feeling the burning heat on the palm of her hand, Ophelia was both surprised and anxious. Am I about to get my hands on Callum?

“Ophelia?”

Ophelia mustered the courage to kiss him, only to be shoved away forcefully.

“Ophelia, what are you doing?” Callum panted out under his breath while feeling his body gradually become weak.

“Callum, I love you. I want to be with you forever, okay…” Ophelia said in a tearful voice as she hurriedly undressed him. “But you only have eyes for Elspeth, and I can’t accept you going out with her. Callum, you’re mine. You can only be mine—”

Callum calmed down. With all his might, he clutched Ophelia’s wrist to stop her from continuing what she was doing. “Ophelia, even if you and I really end up sleeping together tonight, I won’t marry you.”

Ophelia never expected him to say something like this, and her eyes widened in disbelief. “Callum, how could you do this to me?”

“I know you’ve changed a lot since your return this time, and I really thought you’d gotten over me,” Callum said as his voice grew colder and colder. “But I never thought you’d drug me. Ophelia, you’re really quite something.”

Fearing that he might get angry, Ophelia lowered her voice to a whisper. “Please don’t get mad, Callum. I love you, but I don’t want you to hate me—”

Callum let go of her and took half a step back. “Get out of here now.”

“Callum…”

Seeing that she seemed to have no intention of giving up, Callum gritted his teeth, picked up the glass on his desk, and smashed it against his head. The next second, he passed out.