Sweetheart, Do You Still Love Me

CHAPTER 480 YOU WERE NICE TOO

"You must be the famous lawyer that Callum often talks about. What a capable young man you are!" Anyone could utter the same polite words, yet Margot sounded especially sincere with the tone that she used. She was right—Hank's abilities were practically undefeated in the whole of Damoria. At the young age of 23, he was already widely known as the lawyer with the silver tongue, and the public wasn't even aware of the other secret identity that he had. Most people would maintain a respectful and cautious attitude toward people like Hank, who had such a mysterious persona.

"You're too nice, Mrs. Winthrop. I'm not that amazing." Hank smiled and spoke in a clear voice, yet he sounded rather distant even as he spoke. "How could you say that? We all know the great things you've achieved…" They continued chatting for a while before it was time for dinner. All of them took their seats at the dining table, and they hung their heads low as they ate dinner. For the most part, the dining room was filled with silence.

After the meal, Hank and Yelena prepared to leave the house. However, Max stopped Yelena right before they left. "Can I talk to you for a while, Yelena?" Yelena tensed up as she responded in a shaky voice, "I don't think that's a good idea. It's getting late. You can call me if you have anything to say," she replied. She found it hard to spend time with Max in private.

"It's just a short conversation. I won't take up too much of your time," Max insisted. Margot happened to be standing around to send her guests off, so Hank had to refrain from saying anything that would offend Max. The best that Hank could do was to shoot Max an icy glare.

"It's fine, Yelena. You should have a talk with him if he wants it. You can say your final goodbyes, too," Hank finally uttered. "Well… Okay." Both Yelena and Max stepped out into the backyard to be away from everyone else. The backyard was quiet, and Max enjoyed sitting there on his own sometimes. He would reminisce about the past and think about Yelena every now and then.

Right then, Max took a seat on the stairs. When he saw the helpless look on Yelena's face, he pulled out some tissue from his pocket before he wiped the surface of the step. "Take a seat. I know you're really particular about cleanliness. In fact, you were the one who built this habit in me. I've learned to keep a packet of tissues in my pocket ever since our previous fights," Max uttered. Yelena's gaze darkened when she heard his words, but she eventually took a seat beside him.

"What do you have to say to me?" she asked.

"I'm sorry about what happened the last time." Max turned to face her as he gazed at her with a look of regret and guilt on his face. "I didn't know how much I hurt you with my inconsiderate actions with her. Nothing happened between her and me. I know that you won't believe me as I'm trying to explain myself to you now, but—"

"Stop it." Yelena blinked when she felt tears forming in her eyes. "I know you're not that sort of person," she uttered.

"Then why did you insist on breaking up with me?" Max didn't understand. If she isn't bothered by my actions, then why did she insist on breaking up?

"I know you're not that sort of person, but you've crossed my limits with the things that you did. I cannot continue to forgive you unconditionally—not after what you did to me. We're just not meant for each other, Max." There had already been a lot of issues in their relationship. For example, Max didn't know how to comfort Yelena when she was sad. He made sarcastic comments when she was happy. He didn't know how to offer help when she was flustered and worried over something.

Yelena could still recall the one time she held up two ice creams of different flavors in front of him. She told him to try them, but he had been too occupied with some racecar magazine and accidentally knocked off the ice cream cones she was holding. She didn't have the words to express how she felt as she watched the ice cream melting on the ground. However, Max didn’t express any remorse then—he even blamed her for holding the ice creams up in front of him. He made it seem like it was her fault that he had bumped into them and dirtied his hands. Yelena felt like her heart shattered after she heard those harsh words.

"That day, one of the ice cream cones that I offered you was green tea-flavored ice cream. That was your favorite flavor, wasn't it?" Yelena uttered. Max was reminded of that incident, after which she ignored him for two whole days. Max wasn't bothered then—he simply assumed that she was being petty. Later on, he realized that she was really furious, and it took him a long while to finally get her to forgive him.

"I'm sorry. I know I was too harsh with my words," Max uttered.

"You don’t have to apologize. We simply have really different views in life." Yelena knew that they would have to part ways because they were just two different people.

"I know. I know we don’t stand a chance." Max shrugged before giving her a casual grin. "How have things been with him? Are you guys together now?"

Yelena blushed when she heard Max talking about Hank, and Max immediately noticed her change in expression. "Why are you smiling like that? I've never seen you look so bashful—not even when you had a crush on me." Max couldn't help but recall the past memories when he brought up Yelena's crush on him. The gorgeous young lady chased after him for two whole years back then, and he kept finding ways to reject her until she finally managed to win his heart. Coming to think of it, I didn't know how to cherish her back then. Now, she has another man who has spent so much effort trying to win her over. Why does that make me feel so sad?

"No. I'm not dating him," Yelena replied.

"Didn't he confess to you?" Max asked.