Chapter 355 Do You Really Want Me to Hate You?
"Francis..."
Jessa's voice was all shaky and full of tears. "I never wanted to bother you, but I have no one else. If you can't stay with me, then Rainey will have to. I just don't want to be alone right now."
"Even though it's just a small injury, I'm still really scared."
"I hate being alone in the hospital, you know that."
Jessa came back to the country because her grandpa was really sick. Lately, she'd been spending most of her time at the hospital with him, which was how she ended up in Francis's ward.
Jessa's grandpa worked as a driver for Francis's grandpa, Wesley Peterson, for his entire life. Wesley sent her abroad for a long time, keeping her away from her grandpa for years, so they never really got to live together.
So, Jessa's grandpa was put in a VIP room for treatment, but he passed away after just a few days.
Jessa had already been through some rough stuff abroad, and coming back home to say goodbye to her grandpa in a place that smelled like disinfectant was just too much.
Plus, she and her grandpa were all each other had. With him gone, she hated the hospital even more.
But because of Francis, she kept coming back.
Francis felt bad for Jessa.
If it wasn't for him, Wesley wouldn't have sent Jessa away.
Even though Francis tried to explain back then, Wesley wouldn't listen and insisted on sending her away.
"Get some rest, I'll stay here with you."
Jessa's eyes lit up, tears still in them. She looked so small and fragile under the blanket, her face as pale as the sheets, like a lost puppy hoping someone would take care of her.
"Francis, you really won't leave?"
Francis felt a bit soft-hearted, his voice gentler, "No, I won't leave."
Jessa closed her eyes.
Even if Francis left, she had already achieved her goal for today; breaking her own arm wasn't for nothing.
The next day, when I woke up, Jerry was already gone.
I touched the bed; it was cold, meaning he had left early.
I glanced at the time; it was almost noon.
I got up, washed up, changed clothes, and left the room. Madison was all dressed up, about to take Celestia out.
Seeing her makeup, I asked, "Got a date with Garry?"
"What are you talking about?"
Madison gave me a look, "He flew abroad, remember?"
I slapped my forehead, "Oh right, totally forgot."
"So, where are you off to, Mom?"
Madison said, "I'm going to see Nolan. He wanted to stay here yesterday, but I didn't let him because I didn't want to disturb you. This morning, he insisted on seeing Celestia. Jerry didn't want to wake you, so I'm taking Celestia over."
I remembered yesterday and scratched my face awkwardly, "So, you won't be back for dinner?"
Madison shook her head, "We'll be back; Celestia needs to nurse."
"But once she can eat solid food, it'll be easier. You won't have to prep milk and store it every day."
I smiled, "Got a driver?"
Madison nodded, "Jerry took care of it. Your meal's on the table, go eat. We'll be back around four or five."
"Okay."
I nodded and watched them leave.
I sat at the dining table and shot Jerry a text: [Why didn't you wake me up?]
Jerry replied right away: [Your tone sounds a bit off. I just wanted you to get some extra sleep. Is that so bad?]
I couldn't help but blush, even through the screen, thinking about yesterday. I was also amazed at how Jerry had so much energy. After all, he was the one who took the initiative.
Just as I was about to reply, the doorbell rang.
I got up to open the door and saw Elissa standing there. I quickly sent a message to Jerry, then pulled Elissa into the dining room to sit down.
"You haven't eaten, right?"
I got her some food.
Jerry saw my quick reply and knew Elissa had arrived, so he didn't text back and continued his meeting.
The higher-ups knew Jerry had just gotten married and was still in the honeymoon phase.
Even if they didn't get it, no one dared to tell Jerry to stop checking his phone during meetings.
Tranquil Haven.
Elissa took the food I offered but didn't eat, just rested her face on her hand, looking all down.
I teased, "Did you come to show me your pretty but miserable face?"
Elissa didn't laugh; she just sighed deeply.
I was totally confused, "What's wrong?"
Elissa ruffled her hair, looking frustrated.
I had a hunch, "Is it because of Francis?"
Elissa weakly responded, "Yeah."
I thought back to yesterday and asked, "After Jerry and I left, what happened with the four of you? Did you fight?"
Elissa said, "Fighting in public is embarrassing."
"So, you fought at home?"
Elissa's tone was wistful, "You've been corrupted by Jerry, Hope."
I cleared my throat, "So, what happened with you and Francis?"
Elissa recounted what had happened yesterday.
I caught one key point, "Francis confessed to you?"
Elissa rolled her eyes, "You call that half-hearted apology a confession?"
I hit the nail on the head, "You were happy about the confession, but it's because of Jessa that you're like this, right?"
Elissa explained Efren's plan, and after thinking for a moment, I asked, "Be honest with me, are you sure you don't like Francis anymore? Have you completely moved on?"
"Of course, I haven't completely moved on, but I don't have a strong desire to be with him either. So, I need to cut off his hopes completely, or he'll think I still like him and can't live without him."
Whether there was an issue between Francis and Jessa, I still trusted Jerry.
But recently, Francis did seem quite close with Jessa.
But Efren...
"If Efren truly likes you, this act will be hard to end without marriage."
Elissa ruffled her hair even more, clearly frustrated.
"How about this?"
I suggested, "Jerry and I are going on our honeymoon, but Celestia can't be away from me for too long, so my mom and Garry will come too. Since it's no longer just the two of us, why don't you and Efren join us?"
"I'll help you figure out what's really going on between Francis and Jessa."
Elissa thought for a moment, "When are you leaving?"
I opened my phone calendar, glanced at it, and said, "Next Wednesday. Jerry needs to arrange some company matters, and we need to handle some things at ElevateJoy."
Elissa nodded in agreement, "I'll go to the office."
"See you next Wednesday."
I got up to see Elissa off and immediately messaged Jerry: [I've invited Elissa on our honeymoon, but don't worry, we're still honeymooning. The others are just tagging along.]
Jerry wasn't surprised at all.
A few minutes earlier, Jared had posted a picture in the group chat.
Jessa was in the hospital with an injury, and Francis was there with her, their hands clasped together.
Jared, who was at the hospital, didn't forget to remind Jerry: [Too bad, you almost lost the bet with Francis. You won't win that easily now.]
Jared's brain was indeed too slow.
Jerry couldn't be bothered to reply but sent a private message to Francis.
Hope's message was for this purpose; how could he not cooperate?
When Francis's phone vibrated, he thought it was a group message. Seeing that Jared had no reaction, he took it out.
Jerry: [You had a chance and still didn't make things right. Hope just told me that Elissa and Efren will join us on our honeymoon. She even said that if things go well between Elissa and Efren, they might get married.]
The word "married" instantly stung Francis's eyes.
Jared sensed the tension and thought it was directed at him, so he quietly left.
Jessa noticed something was wrong and called Francis, but he shook off her hand.
"Francis, where are you going?"
Francis didn't respond. He walked to the end of the hallway and called Jerry. The first thing he said when the call connected was, "What do you mean?"
Jerry chuckled, "You're asking me?"
Francis pressed his brow, "Taking so many people on your honeymoon, how is that still a honeymoon?"
Jerry replied nonchalantly, "The world doesn't revolve around just Hope and me. Even if Elissa and Efren weren't coming, there would be other couples."
"They're not a couple," Francis said.
"Why are you telling me this?" Jerry retorted.
After a moment of silence, Francis asked, "When are you leaving?"
Jerry smirked and leisurely said, "Next Wednesday."
With so many people and a child coming along, Jerry had arranged for a private jet.
When I saw Francis and Jessa at the airport, I wasn't surprised.
After all, I was the one who leaked the information.
"Hope."
Jessa greeted me first, and I responded politely, "Hello."
Then I asked courteously, "Jerry mentioned you were hospitalized a few days ago?"
Jessa, with a perfect smile, gently said, "Thank you for your concern. I slipped while taking a bath. Luckily, it was at Francis's house; otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to do alone."
'Taking a bath at Francis's house, huh? Impressive.' I thought.
I pretended not to catch any hidden meaning and said, "That sounds dangerous. Good thing someone was there."
"Yes."
Jessa suddenly looked sad, "I have no family left now. If it weren't for Francis taking care of me in the hospital, I wouldn't have anyone to call a nurse to remove the IV if I fell asleep."
I had learned what I needed to know, so I casually replied, "I'm glad you're better now."
Jessa smiled again, "Francis told me about your love story with Jerry, so I invited myself along to join you on this trip."
I linked arms with Jerry and, after giving Madison a look, we boarded the plane first.
While I was talking to Jessa, Elissa didn't glance our way once, instead whispering closely with Efren.
What intrigued me was that Francis kept looking at Elissa but didn't refute Jessa's words. I wondered what he was thinking.
After the plane took off and leveled out, Francis followed Elissa to the restroom area.
Efren noticed and stood up. Before I could say anything, Madison called out to him.
"Efren."
Efren stopped in his tracks.
Madison was Efren's idol in the entertainment industry and was close to Garry.
Garry had also taken good care of him on set.
So, Efren bent slightly and humbly asked, "What can I do for you?"
Madison gestured for him to sit, "If you're going to act along with Elissa, that's not how you do it."
I turned my head sharply to look at Madison.
Madison said, "I've acted for so many years, and I've seen people fall in love."
I gave her a thumbs up.
Madison swatted my hand away and continued talking to Efren, "Wait two or three minutes before you go over. Better yet, wait for Elissa to call you."
"If you go now, they won't have started fighting yet, and your rescue won't mean anything."
Efren's excuse of acting was just a pretext to stay close to Elissa.
He could see that Elissa had feelings for Francis.
These two might resolve their misunderstandings and get together at any moment.
"Elissa is a girl; she can't possibly win against Mr. Peterson. If I wait, she might get hurt," Efren said anxiously.
Madison said, "An actor's basic skill is to know when they're in character and when they're not. You need to be able to get into character in a second and then snap out of it in the next."
Madison seemed to be both advising and warning, "Don't get too deep into the role; it will hurt both you and others."
Efren pursed his lips, stood there for a few seconds, and then sat back down.
I exchanged a glance with Madison.
She had said enough, so I didn't add anything. I went back to nurse Celestia.
I ran into Jerry, who had just finished a call, and he joined me.
I told him what had just happened.
Jerry played with Celestia, not really paying attention.
"Let them be."
I laughed, "Aren't you afraid they'll tear apart your plane?"
Jerry tilted his chin up, showing a bit of his rebellious nature, "They don't have the guts."
Elissa had always known Francis was following her, but she didn't expect him to follow her into the restroom.
She blocked his path and pointed outside.
"Mr. Peterson, please have some decency and wait in line."
Unexpectedly, Francis grabbed her hand and pinned her against the door.
The restroom was a bit away from the seats.
The plane's engine noise masked any sounds they made.
Elissa was really tired of dealing with Francis and shouted, "Efren!"
Efren seemed to sense it and immediately got up.
Following Madison's advice, he felt it was about time.
Madison watched Efren's departing figure and shook her head.
Garry poured her some water and said in his warm, deep voice, "You've done all you can."
After calling out, Elissa tried to push Francis away.
But Francis, provoked by her calling Efren, held her down even tighter.
Elissa's wrist hurt from his grip, and she got angry, "Francis, did you not hear what I said yesterday, or are you too dumb to understand?"
"Do you want me to hate you to make you happy?"
Francis stared at her for a few seconds and then suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"If you insist on dating and marrying Efren, then go ahead and hate me."
In the next moment, Elissa's eyes widened in shock.
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