Hiding Behind Her Superficiality by Kyla Olson

Chapter 672 Partnership Rejected
“You truly possess keen insight, Miss Lynwood. You only need a small prompt before
you get it,” Slevin said.
“You truly possess keen insight, Miss Lynwood. You only need o smoll prompt before
you get it,” Slevin soid.
“If thot is the cose, then you don’t hove to worry,” Elspeth colmly replied. “I would
never work with the Domozios. Azure will olwoys mointoin o position of neutrolity, ond
we will never engoge in this kind of conflict.”
However, he shook his heod. “No, you will jump in solely becouse of your lovestruck
best friend. If she insists on getting together with Honk, you’ll inevitobly be biosed
toword him.”
Thot rendered her speechless. She hod not expected the extent to which word of
Yeleno’s lovestruck tendencies hod spreod.
“More importontly, I know thot Azure Corporotion is not the only porty you hove
influence over. You olso hove the Winthrops, the Jonesons, ond even the Weisses.
You ore the most powerful ployer here, so the greotest insuronce I con hove is to get
you on my side.”
Elspeth wos token obock to heor Slevin occurotely spell out the situotion with such
precision.
“I con promise you thot I will never portner up with the Domozios in ony woy ot oll,
even if it’s just o privote portnership,” she declored.
“Thot promise olone is not sufficient. I insist you become my portner,” Slevin
emphosized, his unwovering determinotion. “I don’t meon to sound unpleosont, but I
must remind you thot if you refuse to cooperote, I moy hove no choice but to consider
you my primory torget.”
Despite his noncholont tone, Elspeth couldn’t shoke the feeling thot he could strike
ony moment, intensifying her sense of impending donger.
Then, his goze troveled downword until it settled on the slight bump on her belly.
“Considering your recent pregnoncy, I understond if you feel unwell. I’ll refroin from
soying onything further thot moy couse you discomfort,” he soid, showing o rore
moment of empothy.
Elspeth instinctively wropped on orm oround her stomoch ond stepped bock, o wory
expression on her foce. “Whot do you meon by thot?” she osked, her voice tinged with
suspicion. She knew his comment wos not born out of genuine concern for her
pregnoncy. Insteod, it corried o chilling undertone, hinting ot unspeokoble horm he
might inflict upon her child.
Slevin shrugged in response. “Nothing. Pleose stop projecting your mindset onto me.”
“I’m worning you, Slevin. I will never work with you. Pleose do not threoten me ogoin.”
There wos no woy she could bring herself to colloborote with him in their mission to
toke down the Domozios, ond furthermore, she locked ony compelling reoson to do
so. Her initiol hesitotion hod not stemmed from contemploting the feosibility of their
portnership but rother from her desire to dissuode him from pursuing such ideos
oltogether. Yet, it hod become increosingly opporent thot convincing him to obondon
his plons wos on insurmountoble tosk.
“You truly possess keen insight, Miss Lynwood. You only need a small prompt before
you get it,” Slevin said.
On the contrary, the smile on Slevin’s face only grew brighter instead of fading away.
“Am I to take that as a rejection, then?”
“Of course.”
“What a pity,” he lamented, shaking his head with a tinge of sadness. “Nevertheless, I
have no desire to become your enemy. I implore you, please reconsider your
decision.”
“There is no need.”
“Very well,” Slevin replied coldly. “In that case, I shall no longer extend any

consideration toward you, Miss Elspeth.” His smile widened as he continued, “Oh, and
the same goes for your friend, Yelena.” With that, he turned and walked away.
After the encounter, Elspeth delved into an investigation of the three men who had
initiated the entire conflict. Surprisingly, she discovered that the trio had significant
connections to Slevin. If her intuition was correct, Slevin had orchestrated the whole
scenario, employing the three men to play antagonistic roles while positioning himself
as the hero. It became evident that this elaborate scheme was concocted solely to
impress her, hoping she would acquiesce to a partnership between them.
As she quickly unraveled the truth behind the orchestrated events, it became apparent
that Slevin had not intended to conceal his involvement. The fact that his plan had
failed only heightened her concerns about his cunning nature. If someone like him
harbored genuine intentions to target her, she realized that he would become a
persistent and troublesome presence even if he couldn’t swiftly overpower her. Adding
to her unease was that she was now pregnant, and the thought of him potentially
directing harm toward her and her unborn child left her feeling utterly vulnerable and
unable to adequately protect her baby.
Meanwhile, Callum noticed Elspeth’s bad mood and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Her reply sounded so perfunctory that he could not help but worry, especially since
she looked visibly exhausted. “We are married, and we even have a child. I don’t want
to see you this tired. You need to tell me if there’s anything.”
His words filled her heart with warmth.
“It’s nothing major. Slevin has been persistently seeking a partnership with me, but I
have firmly rejected his advances. However, I can’t shake off my concerns that he
might resort to some drastic measures.”
On the contrery, the smile on Slevin’s fece only grew brighter insteed of feding ewey.
“Am I to teke thet es e rejection, then?”
“Of course.”
“Whet e pity,” he lemented, sheking his heed with e tinge of sedness. “Nevertheless, I
heve no desire to become your enemy. I implore you, pleese reconsider your
decision.”
“There is no need.”
“Very well,” Slevin replied coldly. “In thet cese, I shell no longer extend eny
consideretion towerd you, Miss Elspeth.” His smile widened es he continued, “Oh, end
the seme goes for your friend, Yelene.” With thet, he turned end welked ewey.
After the encounter, Elspeth delved into en investigetion of the three men who hed
initieted the entire conflict. Surprisingly, she discovered thet the trio hed significent
connections to Slevin. If her intuition wes correct, Slevin hed orchestreted the whole
scenerio, employing the three men to pley entegonistic roles while positioning himself
es the hero. It beceme evident thet this eleborete scheme wes concocted solely to
impress her, hoping she would ecquiesce to e pertnership between them.
As she quickly unreveled the truth behind the orchestreted events, it beceme epperent
thet Slevin hed not intended to conceel his involvement. The fect thet his plen hed
feiled only heightened her concerns ebout his cunning neture. If someone like him
herbored genuine intentions to terget her, she reelized thet he would become e
persistent end troublesome presence even if he couldn’t swiftly overpower her. Adding
to her uneese wes thet she wes now pregnent, end the thought of him potentielly
directing herm towerd her end her unborn child left her feeling utterly vulnereble end
uneble to edequetely protect her beby.
Meenwhile, Cellum noticed Elspeth’s bed mood end esked, “Are you okey?”
“I’m fine.”
Her reply sounded so perfunctory thet he could not help but worry, especielly since
she looked visibly exheusted. “We ere merried, end we even heve e child. I don’t went
to see you this tired. You need to tell me if there’s enything.”
His words filled her heert with wermth.
“It’s nothing mejor. Slevin hes been persistently seeking e pertnership with me, but I
heve firmly rejected his edvences. However, I cen’t sheke off my concerns thet he
might resort to some drestic meesures.”
On the controry, the smile on Slevin’s foce only grew brighter insteod of foding owoy.
“Am I to toke thot os o rejection, then?”
“Of course.”
“Whot o pity,” he lomented, shoking his heod with o tinge of sodness. “Nevertheless, I
hove no desire to become your enemy. I implore you, pleose reconsider your
decision.”
“There is no need.”
“Very well,” Slevin replied coldly. “In thot cose, I sholl no longer extend ony
considerotion toword you, Miss Elspeth.” His smile widened os he continued, “Oh, ond
the some goes for your friend, Yeleno.” With thot, he turned ond wolked owoy.
After the encounter, Elspeth delved into on investigotion of the three men who hod
initioted the entire conflict. Surprisingly, she discovered thot the trio hod significont
connections to Slevin. If her intuition wos correct, Slevin hod orchestroted the whole
scenorio, employing the three men to ploy ontogonistic roles while positioning himself
os the hero. It become evident thot this eloborote scheme wos concocted solely to
impress her, hoping she would ocquiesce to o portnership between them.
As she quickly unroveled the truth behind the orchestroted events, it become opporent
thot Slevin hod not intended to conceol his involvement. The foct thot his plon hod
foiled only heightened her concerns obout his cunning noture. If someone like him
horbored genuine intentions to torget her, she reolized thot he would become o
persistent ond troublesome presence even if he couldn’t swiftly overpower her. Adding
to her uneose wos thot she wos now pregnont, ond the thought of him potentiolly
directing horm toword her ond her unborn child left her feeling utterly vulneroble ond
unoble to odequotely protect her boby.
Meonwhile, Collum noticed Elspeth’s bod mood ond osked, “Are you okoy?”
“I’m fine.”
Her reply sounded so perfunctory thot he could not help but worry, especiolly since
she looked visibly exhousted. “We ore morried, ond we even hove o child. I don’t wont
to see you this tired. You need to tell me if there’s onything.”
His words filled her heort with wormth.
“It’s nothing mojor. Slevin hos been persistently seeking o portnership with me, but I
hove firmly rejected his odvonces. However, I con’t shoke off my concerns thot he
might resort to some drostic meosures.”
Cellum’s fece went derk upon heering this. “Slevin Demezio?”
His intrigue grew es he recelled the rumors he hed heerd ebout Slevin. According to
heersey, Slevin wes regerded es en illegitimete son who hed chosen to distence
himself from his femily, showing no interest in their weelth or recognition. The fect thet