Chapter 331 Parting Ways
On the other end of the camera was Sonny Warren, the head honcho of the Warren family, one of the local gangs.
Sonny had originally teamed up with Sawyer to take out Jerry, but now things were getting interesting.
Sonny eyed the defiant Jerry on the screen and said, "I want to recruit him. If a guy like him works for me, I can take over other territories and become the king around here."
Sawyer was already fuming that Jerry hadn't been taken out, and now Sonny's words made him even more furious.
But Sawyer was just calling in a small favor, not strong enough to go against Sonny.
Sawyer warned, "Jerry's dangerous and cunning. Recruiting him won't be easy, and his methods are ruthless. If we don't kill him now, he'll definitely come back for revenge."
"I like him," Sonny's eyes sparkled. "It's been a while since I've met someone this interesting."
Sawyer thought, 'What is it about Jerry that everyone likes him?'
Sawyer was most annoyed by Jerry's arrogance, like no one in the world could touch him.
Wait, there was one person.
Sawyer said, "Mr. Warren, if you want to recruit Jerry, I have an idea."
Meanwhile, Madison was preparing to go on a business trip for the launch of a high-budget TV series. It had hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, and the props and costumes alone took months to prepare.
Two very talented actors took the roles because of Madison's influence, so she had to make an appearance at the launch.
Madison asked, "Jerry said he'd be back in a couple of days, right?"
I wasn't sure, but to reassure Madison, I nodded.
While changing her shoes, Madison added, "Let Elissa come and keep you company for the next couple of days. Don't stay cooped up alone. You can also go out for a walk; there's no one left to bother you now."
"Okay, I'll do as you say," I replied.
Only then did Madison leave, and I was left alone in the big house.
I didn't feel like going out, so I sat at the desk drawing. But my mind was a mess, and I wasn't happy with any of the sketches I made.
Jerry said he'd call me back when he was done, but I hadn't heard from him yet.
It was nighttime where he was, and I was afraid of disturbing him if he was sleeping, so I didn't call him.
I didn't know how people in long-distance relationships managed; every second was torture for me.
"Hope!" Elissa entered using the password and came towards me, shaking a bag in her hand. "I bought cake! Come on, have something sweet; it'll lift your spirits."
I sighed, "How did you know I was in a bad mood?"
Elissa pinched my cheek. "Madison told me. She saw you on the balcony last night, looking so lonely. She called me to ask, but I didn't know the details, so I just gave a brief explanation."
"Then this morning, she called me again, saying you seemed down, but she had to rush to the set, so she asked me to come and cheer you up," she added.
During breakfast, Madison did ask me what was wrong, saying I looked unwell.
I used the excuse of a poor appetite because of pregnancy to cover it up.
I was holding back a bit. For one, she was about to join the team and I didn't want her to freak out. For another, I didn't have all the details myself, so it was better to keep quiet.
"Francis really didn't say anything to you?" I asked.
Speaking of this, Elissa got a bit angry and ground her teeth. "No, I asked him nicely, but he just turned and walked away. When I called him again, he didn't answer, and he didn't reply to my messages either. What does that mean? Jerry hasn't called you back yet?"
"He did." But I was still worried and restless. "He said it was just a problem with the collaboration, but I know something happened to him."
After listening, Elissa thought for a moment and said, "It's true that abroad isn't as safe as here, but it's much better than it used to be. And Jerry is so smart; nothing will happen to him. Don't overthink it. Maybe it's just that the collaborators don't want to wait. Abroad, he can't be treated like he is here, with everyone accommodating his schedule. Alright, stop worrying."
Seeing that I was still down, Elissa pushed the cake in front of me and said, "He said he'd be back in a couple of days. Just wait. If he doesn't come back or something happens, I'll personally go abroad to check on him for you. Will that make you feel better?"
What else could I say?
I tried to smile. "No need. If Jerry got into trouble, how could I let you go alone?"
Elissa's eyes twinkled and she smiled. "What if I don't go alone? Francis and Jerry are close, right? He must be worried too. Even if he's not, he could still go and help."
I couldn't help but laugh. "You little schemer."
Elissa hugged me. "You're happy now. Shouldn't you think about my happiness too?"
"I want you to be happy." I scooped a piece of cake and fed it to her. "But isn't it too risky to go abroad for a date at such a critical time? I can find some opportunities for you here."
"No." Elissa let go of me, sat up straight, and waggled her index finger with a mysterious look. "Taking risks can better heat up the relationship."
I disagreed, "Isn't life more important than love?"
Elissa laughed. "No, love is more important."
Francis and Jerry did have a phone call.
Francis asked, "What's going on over there?"
Francis hadn't explained to Elissa because he wasn't clear on the details himself.
Elissa and Hope were so close that if he said something wrong and upset Hope, Jerry wouldn't care about their friendship.
"Sonny," Jerry said coldly.
Francis frowned. "Is your business a bait?"
Jerry made a sound of agreement.
Francis was silent for a few seconds and thought of someone. "What about Cecil?"
Cecil had been operating behind the scenes for so long without being discovered. Francis had always thought there must be someone behind him.
"No leads." Jerry's voice turned cold, "For now, we can only confirm that Sawyer is in the Warren family."
"Sawyer?" Francis pondered and then said, "He even worked with Cecil, yet he was willing to blow him up to kill you."
Jerry swirled the wine glass in his hand and finally took a sip. He asked, "Are you sure Cecil is dead?"
Francis replied, "I went there myself and pulled some strings. I haven't slept since, so I'm very sure he's dead."
"He'd better be." Otherwise... A flash of murderous intent crossed Jerry's eyes. "Don't tell Elissa about my injury."
"I know." Then Francis asked, "If Sawyer is connected to the Warren family, will he let you go after you captured his wife and kids?"
Jerry laughed. "That's exactly the condition he proposed. But I'm more curious about how he managed to blow up the place where I was holding Cecil."
The place was abandoned, and almost no one knew Jerry was holding Cecil there.
Sawyer had fled abroad for the Harris family's assets, even abandoning Skylar. How could he have had the time to arrange this?
For some reason, Jerry just felt that someone as elusive as Cecil wouldn't die so easily.
Francis said, "I'm still investigating, but Cecil definitely couldn't have survived. The chemical plant is in ruins, and none of the guards you arranged survived. He was locked up, and they found his body parts and confirmed his DNA."
Jerry set aside his suspicions for now and said, "You need to come over. I promised Hope I'd be home in a couple of days, or she'll definitely come running over."
"I'll bring Skylar and Kimberly over." Francis agreed. He couldn't resist a bit of teasing, as it wasn't often he saw Jerry in a tough spot. "How does it feel to be a hostage?"
Jerry, always wild and unrestrained, wouldn't be easily hurt by such a situation. "Not bad. There's wine, meat, and a bunch of people to help me relax my muscles."
To distract me, Elissa took me out shopping to find inspiration for designing dresses.
I didn't want to go out initially, but I couldn't resist her persistent persuasion.
Just as I finished changing, Jerry called me on video.
I quickly answered, and seeing Jerry's familiar handsome face made my eyes well up.
Sensing my emotions, Jerry stood up and spun around, his handsome face magnified on the screen without any flaws, with his usual casual and mischievous demeanor. He said, "Feeling better now?"
I wasn't reassured. "Take off your clothes."
Jerry laughed, raising an eyebrow at me. "Are you having some inappropriate thoughts about me?"
I didn't react immediately, then I heard him say, "They say hormones are unbalanced during pregnancy. Now I believe it. But don't worry. I asked a doctor. To be safe, we have to wait three months. Just hang in there a bit longer."
I wanted to crawl through the screen and kick Jerry. I glared at him, gritting my teeth. "You're hiding something from me and trying to change the subject on purpose."
Jerry touched his nose and finally admitted, "I did run into some trouble."
I got nervous. "What kind of trouble?"
Jerry sat up a bit straighter. "Sawyer."
"Sawyer?" I was puzzled. "Weren't you dealing with him before?"
Jerry replied, "Yes, but he fled abroad. I came here for business and ran into him. He wants me to release Skylar and Kimberly."
I held my breath and asked, "So you're trapped over there? Are you hurt?"
Sawyer was part of a gang.
Jerry patted my face through the screen. "I'm fine. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want you to worry. Francis is coming over with some people. I'll be in front of you in a couple of days. Trust me, okay?"
I was about to complain when I heard Elissa calling me. "Hope."
I looked up and saw her peeking around the door, sneaking.
Elissa asked, "Are you talking to Mr. Hammer? I think I heard Francis' name."
I knew what Elissa was thinking and instinctively hung up the video call, stopping Elissa, who was about to leave. "No, you don't need to go. You know it's dangerous, so why go?"
Elissa flipped her hair and started booking a flight on her phone. "You're worried about Jerry, so I'll go check on him for you."
I didn't really need that. I admitted I was worried about Jerry, but I couldn't let Elissa put herself in danger.
"You..."
Just as I was speaking, a video call invitation popped up on my phone.
Seeing it was from Jerry, I answered, "What's up?"
"What's up?" Jerry repeated my words very slowly.
I just remembered that I hung up on him earlier. "I didn't mean to hang up; Elissa wanted to go abroad with Francis to your place, and I was in a hurry to stop her."
Jerry's voice deepened, "Don't let her come."
Before I could say anything, Elissa said, "Mr. Hammer, I'm an adult..."
Before Elissa could finish, Jerry suddenly hung up the video call. I sent him a question mark.
He replied: [Someone will stop her. Don't worry.]
I replied: [Got it. I'll wait for you to come back.]
With Jerry's assurance, I watched Elissa leave.
There was no point in worrying now, but I felt a bit of discomfort in my lower abdomen, probably from the stress.
Feeling anxious at home, I decided to go to the hospital for a check-up and unexpectedly ran into Declan.
"Not feeling well?" Declan asked.
I answered honestly, "A bit of discomfort in my lower abdomen, so I came to check."
Declan took me to an examination room and checked me. "Feeling down?"
I nodded. "Jerry went abroad and ran into some trouble. I'm a bit worried."
Declan withdrew his hand and prescribed some medication. "You need to manage your emotions and not worry too much. Last time, you almost lost the baby. You need to be careful."
I wanted to, but I couldn't control it.
The baby was important, and so was Jerry.
Declan saw what I was thinking and said, "I know it's not easy. Take some medication to stabilize the pregnancy for now."
He asked, "Did Jerry say when he'd be back?"
I replied, "In a couple of days."
Declan nodded. "Take the medication for these two days. Stop when he gets back. Call me if there are any issues."
I stood up and said, "Thank you."
Declan said, "No need to be so formal with me."
I thanked Declan again and left the hospital.
It had started raining outside. A bodyguard held an umbrella for me, making sure I didn't get a drop of rain on me.
When I got back to Tranquil Haven, I saw someone drenched from head to toe.
"Why didn't you find shelter from the rain? Why didn't you call me?" I quickly walked over and pulled her into the bathroom. "Take a hot shower first. It's not summer anymore; it's still quite cold."
While she was taking a shower, I made some soup.
Elissa came into the kitchen with her damp hair, hugged me tightly, and pouted. "Hope, from now on, I won't chase after Francis, no matter what."
When Jerry told me not to worry, I only thought about keeping Elissa from going abroad. I didn't expect it to turn out like this.
I patted her head and asked, "What did he do to you?"
Elissa rubbed her head against my shoulder. "He didn't say a single nice thing. For the sake of the baby, I won't tell you."
Elissa's words made me even more curious. "I don't think a few words will corrupt my child."
Elissa let go of me, her eyes looking forlorn. "You just love gossip."
I laughed. "Then tell me."
Elissa leaned against the door frame, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes.
It was the first time I had seen her so downcast.
I said, "Forget it. I don't want to hear it."
Judging by her expression, Francis must have said something hurtful. Making Elissa repeat it would only make her more upset.
"Drink some soup."
Elissa took the soup and sipped it slowly. Seeing me take some medicine, she asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing much." I told her about going to the hospital and running into Declan. "I can't control it myself, so I have to take medicine."
Elissa poked my forehead. "I said I'd go check on Jerry for you, but you didn't want that. Instead, you teamed up with Jerry to have Francis break my heart."
I apologized, "I was really just worried about your safety. If Jerry can get trapped, what about you? I've never seen Jerry compromise before."
Elissa disagreed, "You're wrong. If someone threatened him with you, he would surrender without hesitation and could even kneel."
I didn't know what to say. "I'm thinking of you. Yes, you're right. He'd do anything for me. But now, I only have to worry about him. If you go, I'd have to worry about both of you. Then the medicine wouldn't help at all."
Elissa was silent. After finishing the soup, she finally spoke, "Forget it. I'm not chasing Francis anymore, whatever. As long as you're okay. Otherwise, when Jerry comes back and sees you're not well, he'll kill me."
I said, "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, I won't let him kill you."
Francis had just landed and turned off airplane mode when his phone was flooded with work calls and messages.
There was also a message from Jerry asking if he had landed.
But the usual flood of messages from Elissa was absent.
Francis replied to Jerry, put away his phone with a calm expression, and headed to Jerry's hotel.
When Francis walked in, Jerry received a Facebook message from me, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Jerry looked at Francis. "Tough journey."
Francis sat down next to him, picked up a glass of wine from the table, and downed it in one gulp.
Jerry mercilessly mocked, "I asked you to stop Elissa, and you ended up breaking up with her?"
Francis unbuttoned his shirt, still feeling stifled. "I came all this way to save you, and this is how you treat your savior?"
Jerry spread his hands. "What did I do? Didn't I pour you a good drink to welcome you?"
Francis leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and refused to communicate.
Jerry kicked him. "You didn't like her anyway. Breaking up is for the best. At least you won't drag me into it."
Francis opened his eyes. "When did I say I didn't like her..."
Seeing the teasing look in Jerry's eyes, Francis shut his mouth and rubbed his temples. "Stop gloating."
Jerry slapped his shoulder hard. "That's not important. What's important is, with your actions today, you definitely lost our bet on who would get married first."
Francis was also angry. "Who was I doing it for? Ungrateful."
Jerry retorted, "Who else could it be for? Isn't it because you were worried Elissa would come and get into danger? But how could you call her ungrateful? So rude."
Francis thought, 'I really don't want to save Jerry anymore.'
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