Chapter 373 Please, Tell Me
Jessa asked, "Francis, you're still worried about me, aren't you?"
Francis kept a straight face, "Just take your medicine."
Jessa's eyes sparkled with hope, "Can you feed me..."
"No," Francis shot back without hesitation. Even if he needed that deleted surveillance footage from Jessa, he couldn't just flip his attitude towards her.
It was hard not to be suspicious, considering how carefully Jessa had plotted everything.
"I'll leave it here. Whether you drink it or not is up to you. If you don't want the baby, that's your choice. It's your right to decide whether to have it." With that, Francis walked out of the room.
Jessa stared at the bowl of medicine, lost in thought.
Elissa woke up early in the morning and headed to the bathroom.
Hope quickly moved to help her, "Still feeling dizzy and nauseous?"
"Much better." Elissa's voice was raspy, and she was still a bit wobbly. "But this bump on my head really hurts."
"You're lucky you didn't get a concussion," Hope said.
Hope helped Elissa sit on the toilet and glanced at her forehead. "This bump will take a few days to go down. Just rest up in the hospital for a few days and don't stress about anything."
Elissa was about to nod, but as soon as she lowered her head, a wave of dizziness hit her, and she quickly grabbed Hope's hand.
After a while, Elissa sighed, "This is something most people have to go through. Love makes people vulnerable, just like you and Jerry."
Hope comforted her, "Life is full of hardships; it can't always be smooth sailing. Your head isn't feeling well right now, so don't think about these things."
Elissa lay back on the bed, looking pitifully at Hope, "Thirsty."
Hope handed her some water.
Elissa felt a bit better and, having slept for a long time, had some energy.
She started talking to Hope about the video. "I vaguely heard that it wasn't doctored but real?"
Hope replied, "Francis says more checks are needed and it can't be completely confirmed yet. So far, no signs of it being fake have been found."
Elissa smiled, "We were definitely drugged that night. It won't be surprising if something did happen. I won't be mad at Francis because of this. After all, I woke up next to Efren, and my clothes weren't properly worn."
Seeing that Elissa still looked unwell, Hope said, "Rest first. We'll talk when you're better."
Elissa waved her hand, "I'm fine now. I don't want to keep it inside. Talk with me, please."
"I told Francis that until we prove the child in Jessa's belly isn't his, you two should stay apart. And stay away from Jessa. She will definitely try to frame you," Hope said.
Elissa agreed, "We knew from the start she wasn't a good person, but we still couldn't stop her."
Hope blamed Francis for this in her heart but didn't say it out loud.
After a moment of silence, Hope asked, "Do you have any intention of breaking up with Francis?"
Elissa smiled, "I know you're worried about me, but if I were afraid, I wouldn't have slept with him that night. For now, let's solve each problem as it comes. In the end, if there are still issues that prevent us from being together, I'll consider breaking up."
It was the first time Hope had seen Elissa take a relationship so seriously.
Hope had worried she couldn't get over Ivan before, given Elissa's dark past.
But later, Elissa let go of Ivan easily.
Even though she hadn't been in a serious relationship, she had a habit of chasing after handsome guys. If they clicked, they'd hang out for a few days. If not, they'd part ways after leaving the bar.
Only with Francis did Elissa start considering a lot of things.
Her distancing from Francis was mostly because of their vastly different family backgrounds.
Ivan's family background was way inferior to Francis's, and he eventually went along with his family's plan for an arranged marriage.
Francis's family was even more complicated, making it unlikely he'd marry her.
So, Elissa kept pulling back.
If Francis hadn't been so persistent, they wouldn't have even started.
"I guess that night you just wanted to enjoy the moment, but after falling in love, you realized Francis was different from the others, and you couldn't let go easily, right?" Hope said.
Elissa held Hope's hand, "At first, I really just wanted to try it out, but then..."
Hope smiled, "That's how people are. The easier something is to get, the less they cherish it. But the harder it is to get, the harder it is to let go. No matter what, you won't break up with him?"
Elissa lowered her eyelashes and stayed silent.
Hope understood, "I unconditionally support all your decisions."
But life was unpredictable.
Jerry knew Hope wouldn't be home tonight, so he didn't go home either.
At dawn, he circled to the back of the Peterson Mansion, climbed over the wall, and landed smoothly.
Clapping his hands, Jerry casually walked to the door.
Francis opened the door for him.
"Take a shower." Francis didn't bother with him; Jerry knew where his bedroom was.
Before going upstairs, Jerry ran into Wesley, who was returning from his morning exercise in the backyard, and greeted him with a smirk, "Morning, Wesley."
Wesley knew he couldn't stop Jerry and didn't bother getting angry.
"Just in time for breakfast," Wesley said.
"I'll take a shower first," Jerry said.
Wesley looked at Francis, "Even if Jerry helps you, I won't agree..."
"Ainsley, give me the medicine." Francis ignored the rest of Wesley's words, taking the medicine to Jessa's room.
Elysia happened to come downstairs, and Wesley gave her a look.
Elysia sat at the dining table and glanced upstairs, "Let's not worry about it for now."
Francis called a maid to knock on the door, "Go in and see if she is up."
The maid knocked, "Ms. Greer, I'm here to clean the room."
After a while, Jessa's voice came from inside, "Come in."
The maid went in, glanced at Jessa, and saw that although she was wearing pajamas, they were long-sleeved and long-pants, so she went to report to Francis. "Mr. Peterson, you can go in."
Only then did Francis enter.
Jessa smiled at him, "Francis, why are you so guarded against me? We even have a child together."
Francis suppressed his disgust. That night he was groggy, and he couldn't be sure if Jessa had touched him.
The only thing he was sure of was that even if he was under control, he wouldn't do anything to her.
"Drink the medicine. If you can go down for breakfast, don't keep Grandpa and Grandma waiting. If not, have Ainsley bring it up," Francis said.
"Can't you bring it to me?" Jessa asked.
"No," Francis rejected.
Francis turned to leave Jessa's room, only to find Jerry leaning against the door, watching the show.
Francis asked, "It's only been two minutes, and you're done?"
"No," Jerry said.
Jerry turned back to Francis's room, "I can shower anytime, but I can't always catch a good show."
Francis followed Jerry into the room and asked, "How's Elissa?"
Seeing that Francis had the intention of following him into the bathroom, Jerry blocked him at the door, "Sorry, I have a wife. Can't let you see."
Francis held back his frustration but couldn't help himself, "Get lost. Who wants to see you? I have a wife too."
"Mine's legal. What about yours?" Jerry said, "Yours might not even be legal."
Francis angrily slammed the bathroom door shut and contacted Elissa himself to check on her.
Hope returned from the hospital cafeteria with breakfast and heard Elissa on the phone.
"I'm fine. You go ahead with your stuff. Hope can take good care of me. I'm not dizzy or nauseous anymore. After today's IV, I can be discharged," Elissa replied.
Hope glanced at her but didn't say anything.
Elissa, afraid of saying too much, quickly added, "I'm hungry. Time to eat. Talk later."
Francis didn't even get a chance to respond before hearing the mechanical hang-up tone.
Francis understood that Elissa was just trying to comfort him and that she wasn't fully recovered. He needed to speed things up on his end.
"Did you ask Mr. Quill?" Francis asked.
Francis pushed open the bathroom door and went in. Jerry was just stepping out of the shower.
Jerry raised an eyebrow, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around himself, remaining silent.
Francis laughed in frustration, "What's the difference between us? I can't even take a look."
Jerry brushed his teeth, still silent.
Francis was really annoyed by Jerry's personality but had to go along with him since he needed his help, "Please, tell me."
Jerry shaved and washed his face before slowly speaking, "Get me some clothes."
Francis gritted his teeth and went to get him some clothes.
Jerry took the clothes but didn't move.
Francis turned around.
Jerry changed and walked out.
Francis, very angry, quickly blocked Jerry at the door.
"Don't push it."
Jerry finally spoke slowly, "Mr. Grant Quill said it'll take at least over a month."
"A lot can happen in just over a month," Francis said.
"That depends on your speed," Jerry said.
If they could get the surveillance footage from that night, even if it couldn't prove whether the child was Francis's, at least they would have some evidence and wouldn't be so passive.
"I want to be quick too." Francis rubbed his temples, "She's definitely on guard. It won't be that easy."
Jerry was blunt, "That's your own fault. Who told you to let your guard down for being with Elissa?"
Francis regretted it too. He never thought Jessa would be that kind of person.
Francis asked, "Didn't you find anything on your end? Like how she and Efren teamed up?"
Jerry nodded towards the door, "Open it. I'm hungry. Let's eat. I sat in the car all night."
Francis stepped aside, and they walked downstairs together.
At the dining table, the Peterson family was already seated.
Jerry, unceremonious, pulled out a chair opposite Wesley and started eating.
Francis sat next to Jerry but hadn't started eating when he heard Rainey say, "Take some food up to Jessa. She needs to rest in bed these days."
Francis asked Ainsley to do it, but Rainey said, "You go yourself. We can't prove the child isn't yours yet."
Francis wanted to argue but was kicked by Jerry.
Francis got up, took the tray from Ainsley, and went upstairs.
Jessa's room door was open, and the maid had just finished cleaning.
Francis walked in and put the tray down, "Eat."
Jessa looked at Francis, her face pale.
Francis stood with one hand in his pocket, his expression indifferent.
After a long stare, Jessa smiled, "Francis, are you trying to get something from me?"
Francis said nothing.
Jessa picked up some food and ate a bit, speaking slowly, "This is boring. How about you agree to one condition, and I'll abort the child. We can go back to how we were."
Francis had a guess about that condition.
He used to think Jessa's feelings for him were just youthful infatuation, living under the same roof and seeing each other every day.
He thought that after so many years abroad, those teenage feelings would have faded with time.
Unexpectedly, not only did they not disappear, but they also made Jessa more obsessive.
After a long silence, Francis spoke bluntly, "To be honest, I don't think you really like me. Your kind of liking makes me uncomfortable. How can that be called liking?"
Jessa laughed, "Why isn't it liking? I want to possess you, just like you want to possess Elissa. How is that not liking?"
Francis thought it was pointless to talk to Jessa in her current state.
"Eat."
Jessa smiled, "I am eating, Francis. You guessed my condition, didn't you? That's why you're not answering my question directly."
Francis said directly, "You were with other men abroad because you liked me?"
Jessa wasn't surprised that Francis had found out.
Ever since Francis realized that everything was part of Jessa's plan, she knew they could never return to the way things were before.
So, Jessa's main goal now was to make sure Francis and Elissa could never be together.
Jessa replied, "My physical needs don’t alter my feelings for you. Francis, as long as you never see Elissa again, I'll abort the child. No one will force you anymore, okay?"
Francis wanted to say that unless he was dead, he would never leave Elissa.
For now, he held back.
"Take care of yourself." After saying that, Francis turned and left.
Jessa looked at the tray on the bedside table for a moment, then suddenly swept it to the floor, shattering the bowls and plates.
Jerry said at the stairway entrance, "I found out that before Francis followed me to Oceancrest City, Jessa secretly contacted Efren."
Francis heard this as he came downstairs and quickened his pace. "What did you say?"
Jerry glanced at him, "You didn't find out such a small thing?"
Francis had investigated, "You mean the time in the secret room?"
Jerry nodded, "The surveillance in the secret room can record sound."
"It was useless," Francis sat down, "The owner of the secret room said the footage is only kept for seven days."
Jerry raised an eyebrow, "That kind can be recovered."
Francis looked sharply, "What did you say?"
Jerry said, "Are you getting older faster, or is your hearing blocked? I say one thing, and you ask one thing. Maybe you should see a doctor for your ears first?"
Francis was about to say it wasn't necessary but then understood the deeper meaning in Jerry's words.
"Yeah, I should get it checked. I've been feeling ear pain and can't hear clearly lately. Not sure what's going on," Francis said.
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