Sweetheart, Do You Still Love Me

Chapter 532

CHAPTER 532 THE TRUTH OR A LIE

A rather embarrassed look surfaced in Yelena's eyes after she heard Hank's words. "So, after that…"

"After that, I spent two years completing my course at the university. Then, I went home to take over my father's company. I wanted to contact you to offer you help with losing weight, but I later found out that you had already slimmed down and were about to debut. So, I purchased all of the magazines that you appeared in throughout the first year of your career. I'd say that I was one of the major reasons you became so famous," Hank uttered.

Yelena hadn't expected such a thing to have happened in the past—just the thought of it made the whole thing seem rather ridiculous. "Why didn't you show up in the past, then?" Yelena was puzzled. This means that I had a famous benefactor that has been supporting me all along. Yet, no one ever knew about it, and Hank didn't even plan on telling me about it!

"Yeah. I didn't tell you about this because back then when I first wanted to open up to you, I found out that you had already fallen for Max," Hank explained. Yelena found herself walking down memory lane. She would never forget how she spent her youth—Max filled her mind on most days after he protected her.

As a result, Yelena had been blinded by what was before her eyes, and she didn't notice Hank, who had been secretly supporting her the whole time. "Well, if I had already fallen for Max, then… Why didn't you just give up on me?" Yelena asked. Logically speaking, if Hank found out that I was doing well, shouldn't he have forgotten about me and cut ties with me? Yelena wondered.

"That's what I thought at first. I figured that I would leave once you rose to fame. However, I hadn't expected myself to end up thinking about a chubby girl with a ball in her hand whenever I go to bed at

night. I couldn't erase that thought from my mind…" Yelena's face turned pink when she heard of the memory that Hank clung onto. "What are you talking about? You're the chubby one." She punched him playfully.

Hank felt like his memory was playing tricks on him when he looked at Yelena's slim and sharp face. "What I meant was that I had already fallen too deeply for you. So, I simply decided to continue liking you over the years. I've never stopped liking you," he uttered.

"Hmph. I've seen the world, young man; I don't believe a word that you say," Yelena replied jokingly. Hank pinched her nose, making it hard for her to catch her breath. "I told you I wouldn't lie to you anymore," he said.

"So, how are you planning to deal with this matter?" Yelena asked.

Hank sighed and shook his head. "You probably won't be able to figure things out with that simple mind of yours. Cecelia and I will come up with something, so you don't have to worry about it." Yelena felt intrigued by Cecelia—she felt like she had already developed a firm relationship with Cecelia although she still didn't know Cecelia that well. A woman's interest in another woman was often clear-cut and direct—one would take a liking to another woman as long as the woman had a good attitude, good looks, talent, and the absence of threat. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

"Alright. In that case, should I head back to filming?" Yelena asked.

"Filming? I wouldn't have allowed you to film this if I knew that there was such an extensive kissing scene." Hank massaged his brows before he came to a firm decision. "I'll request for a switch in the male lead of this show. I might have to oversee the plot of the whole show as well," he stated.

"I…" Yelena stuck her tongue out as she didn't know what to say. She knew that there was no use in arguing against Hank. "What should I do now, then?" If Yelena didn't get to act in films, she would be jobless once more. All the enthusiasm and excitement that Yelena had felt toward her filming earlier disappeared.

"You should just take a break. For now, you should try to avoid contacting me. You need to make it seem as if we've cut ties completely, okay?" Hank said.

Yelena's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Well, isn't that my greatest strength?" He wants me to pretend that we don't have any form of relationship at all… Well, doesn't that require acting as well? Acting's where I shine the most! Yelena nodded before grinning.

…

However, Yelena hadn't expected to have to master her role so quickly. She was sleeping at home one night when she heard a loud knock on her door. She dazedly shuffled over to open the door, only to find an elegant lady standing outside. The elegant lady raised an eyebrow when she saw Yelena. Her skin was smooth and free of wrinkles—she was clearly someone who took care of her looks.

"Are you Yelena?" the lady asked. Yelena was wide awake with surprise at that point, and she widened her eyes as she responded to the lady, "That's right. I'm Yelena. Is anything the matter?" Yelena's voice was rather shaky, and it made her sound like she was afraid of the lady.

The lady knitted her brows. "I'm Hank's mother, Simone Balkan. I'm here to ask you a few questions. Would you be free to have a chat now?"

Yelena's face immediately lit up when she heard that the woman was Hank's mother and her future mother-in-law. "Of course! But… I don't have much of a relationship with Hank, so I wouldn't know much about his recent activities if you are curious about that," Yelena explained with a smile. She didn't make it seem as if she and Hank were huge enemies, as she knew that she would eventually have to fake a reconciliation with Hank.

Yelena didn't want Hank's mother to hate her! The best she could do was to remain polite but distant. "It's fine." Simone brushed her hair out of her face in the most elegant manner possible. "I just wanted to know more about what happened between you two, especially since I just found out about Hank's relationship."

Yelena invited the woman into her house, and Simone began to frown when she looked at her surroundings. "It seems like… you're not from that wealthy of a family."

"Yes, Miss Balkan. Please take a seat." Yelena politely got the woman to settle down before she brought the woman a cup of tea. "I'm just from a regular family, and I'm not all that wealthy. But don't worry—my feelings for Hank are real, and I have no intention of snatching his inheritance or anything of that sort," Yelena explained.

This was the first time Simone had received such a response, and she burst out laughing after hearing it. "Don't worry. Hank is a sensible man, so I know he wouldn't just transfer all his inheritance to you…" Are you sure about that? That sounds like what your son would do. He has already spent huge sums of money on me, Yelena thought. She could only keep these thoughts to herself as she didn't dare to bring up this matter.

Simone cleared her throat before she continued questioning Yelena. "What I'm really curious about is

how you guys met," she uttered.

Yelena blinked. "Well, do you want to hear the truth, or would you prefer a lie? You will have to prepare yourself if you want the truth. The way we met sounds like a plot in a romance novel—even I had to take some time to process the whole situation."

Simone let out a hearty laugh. "I want the truth, of course. I love a good story." Yelena could tell that Simone wasn't a manipulative or haughty woman, so she felt comfortable enough to open up. She started telling the story from when they were kids, and she went on to tell Simone about how they ended up meeting again later in life. She realized how Simone's eyes lit up as Simone listened to her.