Chapter 372 Good News
Hope was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Jerry leaned in and broke it down for her.
Hope quickly grabbed her phone and started checking it out. She hadn't had a chance to look closely earlier because of all the noise.
Now, with the sound off, she noticed the issue Jerry had pointed out.
"Does that mean Jessa has the surveillance footage from when Elissa and Francis lost their memory?" Hope asked.
Jerry nodded, "Ninety-five percent sure."
Hope got why it wasn't a hundred percent.
Jessa was sneaky enough to outsmart someone as sharp as Francis step by step. So she must have something solid.
But she could've also messed up by being too aggressive.
That was why Jerry said ninety-five percent instead of a hundred.
Hope said, "You should tell Francis ASAP."
Jerry wasn't in a rush, "He doesn't even have a phone. How am I supposed to tell him? What if the Peterson family overhears?"
Hope raised an eyebrow, "You're right, but I know you'll find a way."
Jerry's eyes twinkled, and he chuckled, "I'll have Steven bring you guys some food, and I'll go check out the Peterson Mansion."
Hope was a bit worried, "You just went to the Peterson Mansion to get Francis out. Can you get in again this time?"
Jerry had his ways. He patted Hope's head, "Don't worry."
Hope saw him off to the elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, he suddenly reached out to block them, making Hope jump.
No wonder he and Francis were tight; they both liked to block elevator doors with their hands.
Hope was a bit angry and said, "You're not a kid anymore; don't you know that's dangerous?"
Jerry shrugged it off, "Don't get too close to Efren. Speak louder. At his age, if he's not deaf, he can hear you without you being so close."
Hope didn't argue and nodded, "Got it."
Hope went back to the ward and saw Efren sitting by the bed, watching Elissa without blinking.
Occasionally, he'd dab some water on Elissa's chapped lips. Even as an observer, Hope could see the care and love coming from Efren.
But that didn't excuse Efren for hurting Elissa.
Hope walked in and said, "I'll take care of her. No matter what, bringing her to the hospital was a favor to us, and we'll repay you. No matter what happens, no one will harm your grandmother."
Efren had already seen how sharp Hope was.
Hope never believed Efren was innocent, but she also believed he truly liked Elissa and wouldn't really hurt her.
So, she left some room for doubt.
Efren stammered, "Hope, actually I..."
Hope signaled him to continue.
But Efren didn't say anything. The crew called, and he had to rush to the set. He wasn't high enough on the totem pole to keep them waiting.
In the end, he said, "Hope, I'll come back to relieve you as soon as I'm done shooting."
Hope was only concerned about whether Efren was going to talk about that night, but she couldn't push too hard.
Hope replied, "Go ahead. I'll take care of Elissa. I'm a girl, it's more convenient."
The implication was that Efren and Elissa had no relationship, and Elissa and Francis hadn't broken up. Even though he saved her, he still needed to keep a respectful distance.
Efren hesitated again, but his phone kept ringing, so he had to leave quickly.
He decided to find a more formal occasion to spill everything.
"Hope, wait for me," Efren said.
Hope didn't say anything, just watched Efren leave.
Soon after, Steven showed up.
Not only did he bring food, but he also had a video call from Jerry.
Hope grinned as she took the phone, "Mr. Hammer, any orders?"
Jerry looked behind her, "Turn around."
Hope gave him a side-eye, "He went to the set. Don't tell me you didn't know."
This whole floor was filled with Jerry's people.
Jerry smirked, "My wife is so smart."
Hope noticed Jerry was still in the car, "You really can't get into the Peterson Mansion, can you?"
Jerry chuckled confidently, "I'm just waiting for the right moment. Eat your food, I'm hanging up."
"Okay." Hope handed the phone back to Steven and said, "You take care of your own stuff. I can handle the food myself, or you can have someone else bring it."
Someone as capable as Steven shouldn't be doing something as trivial as delivering food.
Jerry had Steven come because he wasn't reassured, even if it was a bodyguard he had personally trained.
When it came to matters concerning Hope, Jerry was always cautious, having learned too many lessons in the past.
Francis's situation made him even more cautious.
"Hope, don't worry. It won't take long. I'll manage my time well." Steven smiled politely and warmly, "As long as nothing happens on your end, Jerry can handle everything smoothly."
With that said, Hope didn't argue.
So she changed the subject. "Elissa can't eat right now either. Would you like to have some?"
Steven waved his hand, "I've already eaten. And I don't eat at this time."
Since he didn't eat late-night snacks, Hope didn't insist. She sat on the sofa and started eating.
Steven went out to make a call.
Meanwhile, the Peterson Mansion was heavily guarded, and there were people stationed at the entrance. It was impossible for Jerry to get in directly.
The one checking on Jessa was the long-time family doctor, Vance Griffin.
Rainey asked worriedly, "How is she, Dr. Griffin?"
Vance put away his instruments, "Ms. Greer is just experiencing too much stress, which caused a minor miscarriage. The first three months are unstable, so try to keep the pregnant woman happy and calm, especially avoiding major anger."
This was not easy. Everyone in the Peterson family now knew how Jessa got pregnant.
The child's paternity couldn't be confirmed as Francis's yet, so everyone was reserving judgment, waiting for the day they could do a DNA test.
As for Francis, he had no feelings for Jessa and was entirely focused on Elissa. It was impossible for him to genuinely make Jessa happy.
But Rainey still said, "Thank you, Dr. Griffin. I've noted everything and will be very careful."
Vance replied, "You're welcome, Mrs. Peterson."
After Vance and his team left, Rainey glanced at Francis standing to the side, "You've heard everything."
Francis heard it clearly, but he didn't want to cooperate.
Rainey didn't wait for his response and walked closer, "You need to resolve the mess you've created. You should know the impact of this child being lost."
She added, "Either you shouldn't have let her get pregnant in the first place, or you should curb your temper and wait for the results."
At this moment, Jessa woke up. Her first word was, "Francis."
Rainey motioned for Francis to go over.
Francis was reluctant but still took a step forward.
The other members of the Peterson family left the room. When Rainey was about to close the door, Francis stopped her, "Leave it open."
Rainey complied.
"Francis," Jessa reached out her hand to Francis, "Can you help me up? I'm thirsty and want some water."
Naturally, Francis wasn't going to help. He called over the maid, Ainsley Griffin, with a cold expression.
But Jessa was persistent and kept reaching out to Francis.
Francis was still worried about Elissa and felt frustrated for not being by her side.
And the cause of all this was Jessa. Francis stayed to keep the child only to avoid being constantly threatened by Jessa.
"My patience is wearing thin, Jessa. It's not that I can't deal with you; I just want undeniable evidence. Don't think you can completely control me with this," Francis said.
Jessa's raised hand fell, along with her tears, her trembling eyelashes covering the malice in her eyes.
If it were Elissa, Francis would never say such things.
Jessa already knew that Elissa was injured and taken to the hospital. Earlier, Jerry had come to take him away to see Elissa.
If Jessa hadn't played some tricks to call Francis back, their feelings might have deepened with him taking care of her all night.
At that time, if she pushed too far, Francis might not care about anything else.
"Ainsley, thank you," Jessa said.
"You're welcome," Ainsley helped Jessa up and handed her a cup of water with a straw in it. "I'm here to take care of you, hired by the Peterson family."
Jessa bit the straw and took a couple of sips, then smiled gently at Ainsley, "You're paid to work for the Peterson family, but I can't take that for granted."
Ainsley had worked for the Peterson family for many years and had watched Jessa grow up.
When they were younger, Jessa and Francis were almost inseparable. Unfortunately, although they were well-matched in many ways, Jessa's background was too poor.
Even though Jessa's grandfather had followed Wesley for many years and Wesley treated him like family, he still couldn't change his background.
When Rainey took Jessa as her goddaughter, it was clearly to cut off her hopes, implying she couldn't marry Francis.
Ainsley had feelings for Jessa too. In her view, Jessa was always a gentle little girl, polite to the servants. She would make a fine mistress, if not for her social status.
"Ms. Greer, you're too polite. If you need anything, just call me. Mrs. Peterson has asked me to take care of you recently," Ainsley said.
"Okay," Jessa nodded softly.
Ainsley retreated to the door.
Francis also turned to leave.
Jessa called out to him, "Francis, can you not even stay in the same room with me for a while now? Weren't we good before? Why did things change after I went abroad for a few years?"
Francis had a fit. How could Jessa ask him with such an innocent face?
When Jessa first returned, didn't he prioritize her?
He fulfilled her requests as much as he could.
It was because of that guilt, fearing she would feel bad, that he took her out to have fun.
In the end, she schemed against him, leaving no room.
"Why don't you ask yourself?" Francis retorted.
Jessa smiled bitterly, "Francis, if there were no Elissa, would you still be this angry in the same situation?"
Francis coldly replied, "There's no such 'if.'"
She ignored his words and went on, "When we were kids, I also expressed that I didn't like you in that way. I just saw you as a sister and took extra care of you, that's all."
"Jessa, it's your own delusion."
"My delusion?" Jessa laughed, "Francis, didn't you also enjoy spending time with me?"
She added, "Everyone said you had a maturity beyond your years, but when you were with me, you smiled a lot and weren't as cold as you were with others. Why are you saying this now? Isn't it because of Elissa? It's all because she suddenly appeared that things changed between us."
Francis had his back to Jessa the whole time. Hearing this, he turned around, his gaze on her even colder, "If you could tell the truth, maybe we can still be friends."
"What truth do you want me to tell?" Jessa glanced at his pocket, and then continued, "Francis, you should know better than I do that secretly recording can't be used as evidence."
Francis turned and walked away, ignoring Jessa's calls.
Jessa didn't show much emotion.
No matter how much Francis hated her, she didn't intend to restore their relationship to what it was before.
She only needed that Francis and Elissa could never be together again.
Jerry waited at the entrance of the Peterson Mansion, occasionally checking his watch.
As he lowered his hand again, his phone vibrated. Seeing the caller ID, Jerry's lips curled slightly as he answered, "Can you come out?"
Francis asked, "How's Elissa?"
"I don't know."
"Don't know?"
Francis didn't want to think right now. He lit a cigarette, his voice muffled, "Can you just tell me straight?"
Jerry chuckled, "Seems like you're in trouble."
Francis silently exhaled a smoke.
After a few seconds, Jerry said, "I'm at your house's entrance. With Hope there with Elissa, what could go wrong?"
Jerry added, "As a friend, I'll give you some good news."
Francis stubbed out his cigarette, a bit excited.
If Jerry said it was good news, it must be really good news.
Jerry got straight to the point, "Jessa has the surveillance footage from that night."
"What?" Francis didn't react at first, but as soon as he questioned it, his mind caught up.
Francis remembered the video that proved he "forced" Jessa.
At first, Jessa was standing in the hallway, at the door of Francis's room, and then he pulled her into the room.
Not to mention how Francis got from the room where he was with Elissa back to his own room.
As for the hallway surveillance, when Francis went to the monitoring room, the staff said it had all been deleted.
So Jessa having this video proving he got her pregnant was also evidence against herself.
"This is indeed good news." Francis's voice had a noticeable change in tone.
"She wouldn't keep it far away. Given her caution, it's most likely on her." Jerry drawled, "That's up to you, Francis."
"Don't disgust me." Francis felt a bit relieved, at least he hadn't cheated on Elissa.
Jerry sneered, "I won't go in today to provoke them. I'll wait for your news."
Francis reminded, "Remember to tell me about Elissa."
Jerry hung up the phone.
Francis put away his phone and arrived at Jessa's door.
He saw Ainsley holding a bowl of something dark.
"What's that?" Francis asked.
"Medicine," Ainsley replied honestly, "Dr. Griffin prescribed it to stabilize Ms. Greer. She's a bit weak."
Francis reached out, "Give it to me."
Ainsley was puzzled but, as a servant, couldn't ask too many questions.
So she gave it to him and said, "If you need anything, call me. I'll be at the door."
Francis nodded, holding the bowl of medicine as he walked in.
Jessa said, "Ainsley, I'm fine. I don't want to drink the medicine."
"If you don't drink it, I'll pour it out," Francis said.
Hearing his voice, Jessa immediately sat up in bed.
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