Sweetheart, Do You Still Love Me

CHAPTER 479 WHY DIDN’T YOU PICK UP YOUR PHONE?

Yelena felt goosebumps forming on her skin when she heard the person's voice. She hadn't told a single soul about her trip to Winthrop Residence that day. Hank, in particular, would get extremely displeased if he heard about the Winthrops, so Yelena had made it a point not to mention it to him. Hank's face turned icy whenever she mentioned the Winthrops, so Yelena figured that she would just sneak over for a while without Hank's knowledge.

She hadn't expected to see him there. "I called you. Why didn't you pick up my calls?" Hank uttered. Yelena was rather taken aback by his sudden accusations, so she pulled her phone out to check. As expected, there were five missed calls on the phone. On top of that, there were tons of text messages from Hank. "Why did you call me out of nowhere?" Yelena asked.

"Shouldn't I be the one who's questioning you? Why didn't you pick up my calls?" Hank's voice was harsh and cold. The iciness in his voice reached its peak when he laid eyes on Max. "You ignored all my calls because you wanted to come over to the Winthrop Residence to see him. Is that it?" Hank asked.

Yelena struggled to explain herself. "No. I wasn't here for him. I was here for Elspeth." She obediently held the phone out in front of Hank. "Look at this. I didn't ignore your calls. My phone just happened to be on silent mode," she uttered in a soft and meek voice. In other words, Yelena hadn't intentionally avoided him, so there was no reason for him to be so worked up.

Hank felt his temper disappearing when he saw the pitiful look on Yelena's face. He figured that it wouldn't be nice for him to continue scolding her. Meanwhile, the interactions between Yelena and Hank felt like a huge reality check for Max, who was watching them from the side. I used to be the only person who could treat Yelena that way, but now, things have changed. She belongs to another man. All I can do is stand around and watch in silence. I can't even tell her how much this hurts me.

"Alright. Let's go home." Hank instinctively held Yelena's hand to bring her home. "Why don't you stay for dinner, Yelena?" Somehow, Max stirred up the courage to voice out once more. Everyone—Yelena, especially—was shocked by Max's actions. What's this guy up to? Elspeth wondered.

Yelena took one glance at Hank before she shook her head frantically. "It's fine. I don't think it'd be right for me to stay. I should head home," she said.

Hank let out a satisfied grunt after hearing her response. "It's just a meal. Furthermore, you'll be leaving soon, right? Even if we're just friends now… I don't think there's an issue with having a meal together, right?" Max said.

Hank narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. "How did you know that she's leaving soon?" Why is this guy showing up now? Is he trying to snatch my wife-to-be? Yelena was just as puzzled when she heard Max's words. She hadn't told anyone about her plan to leave the country, and she had only caved in and told Elspeth about it earlier. How would Max know about this?

Max realized that he made a slip of the tongue, so he simply kept his mouth shut while eyeing Yelena with a hopeful look on his face. He was hoping that she would agree to dinner. Yelena knew that she could easily reject the offer, yet she couldn't bring herself to utter such words when she saw the expectant look on Max's face. "How about…" Yelena started.

Hank quickly interrupted her. "You guys broke up. Do you think both of you can still remain friends? Furthermore, the Winthrops have got nothing to do with Yelena. Why should she have a farewell dinner with you guys?" Even though Hank's words were harsh, he had a point.

Max lowered his gaze. He knew that he had overstepped his boundaries, so he decided that he wouldn't say anything further. This only made Yelena feel sorrier for him. "Why don't we just stay for the meal? It's just one meal, anyway," Yelena said. Hank was exasperated to see the look of sympathy in Yelena's eyes. "Um… We can stay for a meal, but I'll have to join you guys." Hank didn't want Yelena and Max to spend time together when he wasn't around. All his years of waiting would go to waste if they somehow managed to rekindle the spark between them. "How does that sound?" he asked.

Yelena knew that she was pushing Hank's limits at this point. She turned to give Max a look in hopes that he would allow Hank to stay. Meanwhile, Max felt a throbbing ache in his chest. The woman he once loved was now begging him for the sake of another man. Maybe I shouldn't have asked her to stay for dinner in the first place. Why should I keep her around? Isn't that just making me feel worse?

However, Max couldn't reject Yelena when he was the one who suggested the dinner. "Of course. He's your friend, so there's no harm in him staying for dinner." Max placed extra emphasis on the word 'friend'—this was his only way to express the frustration he felt. Naturally, Hank noticed the change in Max's tone, but he decided not to be petty over it. Instead, Hank tightened his grip on Yelena's hand before leading her into the house.

Max silently watched as they walked ahead of him. Elspeth noticed the look of sorrow on Max's face, so she gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I've told you this—you should know when it's time to let go and move on," Elspeth uttered.

"I've let go of her, Elspeth. I just don't know why I feel so sad all of a sudden." Max lowered his gaze to hide the pain in his eyes.