Love's perfect match novel (Elspeth and Callum)
Chapter 729 Side Story: Efforts in Pursuing Her 11

Yelena acted on her words. The next morning, she called Federick and asked him to drive her to work and pick her up.

Francis' face turned wrinkled due to the smile on his face when he saw Federick arrive in his car. "Good girl, I didn't expect you to accept him so quickly. Don't you worry. I can vouch for his character. He'll definitely be nice to you."

Yelena wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. "Dad, I've known him for quite a while, so there's no need for you to be worried as well. I won't casually enter a relationship with just anyone."

"That's good," replied Francis nonchalantly before he rushed over and held Federick's hand. "Federick, you're here early. Have you had breakfast? If you haven't, why don't you join us for a meal?"

Federick shook his head slightly. "Mr. Sullivan, I've already had my breakfast. I'm just here to pick Yellie up for work."

Francis shot a glance at Yelena with feigned annoyance. "How could she make you come all the way here? Your place isn't close by, is it?"

"It's alright. My place isn't too far from here. Besides, this is the first time Yelena has asked me to pick her up for work. I'm more than happy to do it," replied Federick.

His words made Yelena feel somewhat embarrassed. "Alright, now that we're all here... Let's just go."

Francis waved at them enthusiastically as he saw them off.

As they sat in the car, Yelena found herself avoiding Federick's gaze for some reason.

He naturally noticed her discomfort, so he placed one hand on the steering wheel as he reached over and took out a snack from the side with his right hand. "If you're unsure of what to say, let's start by having a snack." Thus, he chose to ease her nerves instead of pressing her further.

That being said, the cupcake he was holding did surprise her quite a bit. If I'm not mistaken, this bakery is about six miles away from his place, and it's always crowded and requires at least an hour of waiting in line. So, did he wake up early in the morning just to buy my favorite cupcake and then rush to my home? As she took the cupcake from him, she felt a mixture of unease and anxiety. She couldn't help but worry if she could handle this level of affection from a man that wasn't Hank.

Federick seemed to have a sixth sense of her unease as he said with a smile, "Come on, didn't I often run errands for you back when we were abroad? Why are you being so bashful right now?"

Indeed, when they were abroad, Yelena had often taken advantage of the fact that she was a lady to boss him around, claiming that guys should accommodate girls more.

She almost choked on the cupcake she was enjoying. Why would he bring this up right now? "Those are all things from the past. Why do you remember them so well?" she muttered softly, but unsurprisingly, every word she said went right into his ears.

"What's wrong? Are you saying that I'm petty?"

She was startled as she didn't expect him to overhear her. Her hand trembled, causing the cupcake she was holding to unexpectedly fall onto her lap. The white cream smeared onto her black leather skirt, creating a comical sight.

The smile on her face froze in the blink of an eye.

Federick immediately pulled over when he noticed her blunder and handed her a box of tissues from the side. "Wipe it off quickly. Otherwise, the cream will dry, and it'll be hard for you to clean it up later."

Yelena nodded and carefully wiped the cream off her clothes with her head down.

"Are you in a hurry to get to work? If you're not in a hurry, I can take you to a shopping mall to buy a new outfit."

"Oh, it's okay. I don't need that. I'll have other clothes to change into at the office."

Federick knitted his brows as he watched her struggle to clean the stubborn cream remnants off her clothes. "But... you have so much cream on you now. Won't people talk if you go into the office like this?"

Yelena let out a dismissive chuckle. "I'm the company's top performer. Who dares to laugh at me now?"

Since she had said so, he didn't insist further and hurried to drop her off at the company in time.

She quickly stepped out of the car and hastily said goodbye to the man after arriving at the company. Then, she headed toward the company building.

To her dismay, she ran into someone unexpected as soon as she entered the office building. She wanted to keep going, but the woman in front of her seemed to have noticed her disheveled state. So, she deliberately blocked Yelena's way and greeted her, saying, "Yelena, what happened to you? What's with all the stains on your clothes? Did something happen?"

This woman was Hermione Loquat, and she had never gotten along well with Yelena because she thought her own resources weren't as good as Yelena's. For this reason, she tried every possible means to cause trouble for Yelena. Still, this was Elspeth's company. So, Yelena had powerful backing. That was why Hermione did not dare to easily mess with her. However, she still constantly tried to replace opportunities just to make jibes at Yelena over such trifling matters.

She gave Yelena a once-over before laughing contemptuously. "Look who we have here! Isn't this our top celebrity? Why do you look so slovenly?"

"Hermione, I don't have time to waste with you right now, so move aside. I need to change my clothes."

Hermione shook her head and continued to block her way in a different position. "No, I'm just showing you some concern. Why are you treating me like this? Is it against company rules for colleagues to show concern for each other?" She purposely raised her voice in order to attract the attention of the others around them.

Just as she expected, the moment she did that, everyone's gaze was focused on her.

"That stuff on you is cream, right? As a top celebrity, shouldn't you keep yourself in shape? How could you eat things like this as you please?"

Yelena rolled her eyes at her. "How does this matter to you?"

Hermione folded her arms and raised her chin, acting as though she was a voice for justice. "Of course, it matters. You're a member of our company and have enjoyed such good resources. Yet, you take them for granted and even make a pig of yourself instead of staying in shape. Can you really justify yourself to our company?"

Other lesser-known actresses nodded in agreement upon hearing her words.

What Hermione said was something of an imposition, but it did carry some truth. Yelena had taken up almost all of the company's best resources. Others worked hard to stay in shape without being given such resources, while she enjoyed these privileges without the slightest effort and took them for granted. As a result, others were exceedingly jealous of her.

So, those who were on good terms with Hermione, envious of Yelena's resources, or simply enjoyed watching the drama unfold joined in to point fingers at Yelena.

"Yelena, don't you think you should explain yourself over these things?"

Yelena's impatience rocketed. So, she inhaled deeply in an attempt to stay her temper as she shot a discreet look at the nearly dried cream on her clothes. "Are you done yet?"