Sweetheart, Do You Still Love Me

Chapter 192

to faint, but when she heard that, she froze, unsure what to do. If she had passed out at that moment, she would have fallen into Elspeth’s trap.“Of course not. Naturally, I am willing to—” Emma said.“You’re willing to apologize?” Elspeth interrupted once more. “You’re a public figure, though. It would be bad if the media found out what you did.”She spoke as if she was merely reminding Emma, but her words were meant for the journalists standing around them that it was also major news. The journalists swiftly understood Elspeth’s words and began taking photos while their pens raced across their notepads.“Hurry and apologize now, Miss Walker. Otherwise, your reputation will suffer when they break the news,” she continued.Elspeth beamed a smile at Emma, but her cheeks and lips were left uncharacteristically unsmiling.“I’m sorry,” Emma declared to the crowd. “I did not mean to buy an imitation product. I only wanted to surprise Mr. Winthrop—”When they saw tears roll down her cheek, their hearts softened. “Let’s not nitpick about this. After all, she did it with good intentions. She didn’t know it was an imitation watch.” “Yeah,” said another member of the crowd. “Emma is not that kind of evil person. I believe in her.”Seeing that the crowd forgave her because of a few drops of tears, Emma immediately began crying harder.“Stop crying, Miss Walker. If you keep on like that, everyone will start to think I’m bullying you,” said Elspeth.“Elspeth, I know you don’t like me, but you didn’t need to be so hostile,” Emma replied, sniffling.Seeing that the crowd was starting to defend Emma, Elspeth chuckled. “Hostile? Miss Walker, don’t you think you should go to an appraiser whenever you buy something? You are a public figure. One single mistake would negatively affect your career.”Emma shouted in her mind, Stop talking! She was panicking hard inside but still had to act feeble and meek. It was ridiculously hard for her.“Look at how tactless Elspeth is while Emma is always so kind and gentle,” someone whispered. “So, what if she bought an imitation watch? Who can ensure they would never make a mistake like that in their entire life?”Hearing that, Elspeth turned to look at the speaker. It was a young girl who seemed pretty well-off. Judging by how she dressed, she looked like someone from new money.“You mean to say you have bought imitation products before?” Elspeth asked.“Of course,” the girl replied with a huff. “No one can be certain they would never buy imitation products. This is merely an accident.”“Wait. Who told you everyone would buy an imitation product at some point?” Elspeth found that statement hilarious as she looked at the girl disdainfully. “Pardon me, but I became a certified appraiser at sixteen. Not once in my life have I bought anything fake. Not everyone is like you; even after buying a fake product, you’re proud of that fact instead of reflecting on your mistake.”It was a slap in the face for the girl, making her clench her jaw in anger. Still, there was nothing she could retort.As for Emma, she was feeling increasingly humiliated. Someone stepped up to defend her, only to be disgraced. That meant she was indirectly disgraced as well.“Elspeth, forgiveness is a virtue,” Emma said. Her eyes had softened as though the incident had taken the wind out of her sails.Forgiveness is a virtue; that