Love's perfect match novel (Elspeth and Callum)
Chapter 398

Chapter 398 A Brazen Provocation

Has Arthur returned as well? Max already knew what kind of person Arthur was, so he immediately frowned when he saw the man. "Who invited you?"

"Mom did. What's wrong? Am I not welcome here?" replied Arthur with a faint smile, seemingly unaffected by the others' emotions.

"I don't know what's on Mom's mind. She's still willing to invite you to her birthday party when you've already become like this." Max had always been straightforward, but this statement did not affect Arthur at all.

"Mom raised me. Is there any problem with her inviting me back to attend her birthday party?"

It was pointless to argue with him about such things, so Max glared at him coldly before turning back to sit on the couch.

Meanwhile, Arthur raised his head and casually glanced at Elspeth, who was standing not far away. "Long time no see, Elspeth," he said smilingly.

Elspeth put on a fake smile and replied, "That's not quite true. We just met two days ago, after all."

The group's conversation was extremely awkward, and the atmosphere was oppressive.

Just then, Yelena arrived. When she saw the group of people sitting on the couch while looking at each other awkwardly, she was slightly startled and didn't say anything. "Why are there so many people here? Am I late?"

Her sudden appearance happened to resolve the awkwardness there.

Of course, she was quite sensible; she immediately noticed Arthur, who seemed out of place in the crowd. With a hint of disgust on her face, she said, "Why are you here too?"

Arthur looked down upon her boisterous personality, so he ignored her completely.

"Hey! I'm talking to you." She rolled up her sleeves and was ready to confront him, but Max quickly held her back.

Even Elspeth rubbed her temples resignedly. This little one loves causing trouble.

"No matter where I am, what does it have to do with you?" Arthur's eyes were cold, and his words were very unpleasant. "You're just an outsider to the Winthrop Family, so you have no right to judge me." "Hey! You'd better watch your words, Arthur. I've disliked you for a long time. You bullied Elspeth so badly before this, and now, you dare come here without any shame. Are you looking for a beating?" Yelena was angry for Elspeth's sake, and she was displeased at the sight of Arthur.

"Me? Bullying Elspeth? Who told you that? Was it Elspeth herself or someone else?" Just then, an affectionate smile tugged on his lips, and there was a hint of reluctance on his face. "We got along quite well when we were abroad, so you're defaming me." He emphasized the words 'quite well', so everyone couldn't help but imagine what had happened between the two.

Hearing that, Yelena became furious. "I'm warning you don't tarnish Elspeth's reputation anymore!"

"Okay, the last dish is ready. All of you, come and eat!" shouted Margot from afar, breaking the tense atmosphere between the two at once.

With that, they all shuffled toward Margot respectively. Along the way, the furious Yelena passed by Arthur and angrily bumped into him. However, she was too weak, so he didn't feel anything. It was just like a mosquito bite, not doing much harm.

As they sat down at the table, Elspeth saw that Yelena had deliberately chosen a seat opposite Arthur. At that moment, a faint sense of ominousness rose in her heart.

It was Margot's birthday today, so she had dressed up for it.

"Mrs. Winthrop, I wish you eternal youth and a life filled with happiness," Yelena wished her sweetly and passed her a birthday gift, which made happiness bloom inside Margot. Then, she looked at Arthur opposite her and asked provocatively, "What present are you giving to Mrs. Winthrop?"

Hearing that, Arthur took out a gift box from his pocket. The packaging was small and exquisite, looking expensive at first glance.

As soon as he placed the gift box on the table, Yelena reached out her hand and snatched it. "Let me take a look at your gift. I'm quite curious."

She was inherently a childish person and coupled with her coquettish and cutesy way of speaking, no one dared say she was rude, so everyone just let her be. Even Margot sat there and smiled with half- closed eyes, appearing to like this prospective daughter-in-law very much.

After opening the box and taking a glance, she noticed an emerald ring inside. Then, she took it out to study it under the light. Right after that, she pursed her lips in disdain. "The emerald in this ring doesn't look like much. Are you giving this to Mrs. Winthrop?"

"It's still a token of appreciation from Arthur." Margot knew that Yelena was straightforward, so she didn't criticize her. "No matter how much it's worth, it's the thought that counts."

Dissatisfied, Yelena tugged on Margot's arm and said coquettishly, "I think you deserve the best in this world, Mrs. Winthrop. You're so beautiful that wearing a ring like this will only degrade you. I'll take you out and get you a bigger gem when I have the time." These were the words of a young girl. Although it was rather rude, she still sounded adorable.

Margot was flattered by her words. "Okay, I'll wait for you to buy a bigger one in the future."

"Alright! In that case, I'll take care of this ring for you, Mrs. Winthrop." As soon as she said that, she threw the ring into a nearby trash can. Obviously, she was provoking Arthur.

She was secretly pleased with herself after doing that, knowing that her behavior was humiliating him. She was ready to see him snap, but she didn't expect him to be expressionless when she looked at him. How can he endure this? In the end, she sat back down, dejected.

When Elspeth saw her actions, all she could feel was panic. Fortunately, Margot had a good temper and liked Yelena. Otherwise, if someone else had thrown her birthday gift directly into the trash can, she would have flipped the table by now.

At this thought, Elspeth tugged on Yelena's sleeve and whispered, "Don't go too far."

"I know what I'm doing; I'm just standing up for you. Look at how cocky this guy is. I just want to knock him down a peg." Yelena snorted. When she lowered her head, she noticed a familiar pair of shoes under the table and hatched another plan.

Pretending to drink water, she picked up the cup next to her and carelessly spilled it on the ground after taking a sip. As such, the water landed on the man's feet. She had spilled quite a bit, so the inside of his shoes was completely soaked. Still feeling unsatisfied, she stretched out her foot and stomped on his shoe.

"Who spilled water on my shoe and stepped on me?!" A surprised cry rang out, and the man's shriek echoed through the air.

When she heard the voice, the smile on her face faded instantly. Why is Max the one yelling?

"It's still a token of appreciation from Arthur." Margot knew that Yelena was straightforward, so she didn't criticize her. "No matter how much it's worth, it's the thought that counts."