Chapter 381 Using Others to Harm One's Own Enemies
Jessa saw Francis coming to her and was naturally overjoyed.
But when she saw Francis's cold expression, she pressed her lips together to stop smiling.
Francis often had a cold face and was not very enthusiastic towards her.
So, her intuition told her that his faint anger at this moment was because of Elissa.
Sure enough, he asked, "Where's Elissa?"
Jessa almost wanted to laugh out loud.
Everything was going according to her plan.
Elissa and Francis had broken up, and now Elissa had disappeared from Francis's sight.
"Francis, I don't know what you're talking about," Jessa said nonchalantly.
Francis rarely got this angry.
The thought that Elissa might be hurt made him restless.
He grabbed Jessa by the neck, pressing her against the headboard, and asked coldly, "Where did you take Elissa?"
Jessa could feel that Francis didn't care at all that she was pregnant and used all his strength.
She couldn't breathe at all, clawing at his arm. "Francis..."
"What are you doing!" Rainey thought it was strange that Francis went upstairs suddenly after asking them, so she followed and saw him trying to strangle Jessa.
"Francis! Let go!" Rainey tried hard to pry his hand off but couldn't move it at all.
Seeing Jessa's face turning purple, she quickly called for help.
Simon was the first to come in and pulled Francis away.
"Mr. Peterson, there's news about Ms. Wilson."
Sure enough, mentioning Elissa brought some sense back to Francis.
When Jacob came in with the bodyguards, Francis had already let go of Jessa.
"What are you up to again!" Jacob demanded.
Francis didn't even look at Jacob and asked Simon, "Where is she?"
Simon said, "There's a record of Ms. Wilson buying a ticket to Regal City. But after arriving in Regal City, she didn't buy another ticket, so we don't know exactly where she is."
Francis asked Jessa, "Is this your doing?"
Jessa had just caught her breath and was taking deep breaths.
When she spoke, her voice was hoarse.
But she didn't answer Francis, instead grabbing Rainey's hand and saying, "Ms. Ward, my stomach hurts."
Rainey lifted the blanket and quickly called Ainsley to get Vance.
Francis didn't care about Jessa's condition and continued to ask.
But Jacob stopped him. "Take him out."
The bodyguards immediately surrounded Francis. "Mr. Peterson, please."
Francis didn't move, so Jacob directly dragged him out, lowering his voice, "Have you thought about it? If this child is lost, you and Jessa will be entangled for life."
This was not the result the Peterson family wanted.
They could see Jessa's scheming clearly.
If not handled properly, it would affect Francis's future marriage alliances with other families.
"And where's your usual calm? If Jessa had taken Elissa, do you really think there'd be a record of Elissa buying a ticket under her own name? Would Jessa be so careless as to leave such an obvious trail for you to find and get so angry you'd want to strangle her?" Jacob added.
Francis lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
Jacob's questions did calm him down.
"Didn't you say you broke up?" Jacob was shocked by Francis's concern for Elissa but didn't show it, looking at him steadily and saying, "Since Elissa left, she must have a new life. Don't disturb her."
Francis didn't respond to Jacob. After finishing his cigarette, he asked Simon, "Did she go to Regal City alone?"
Simon didn't dare to hide anything. He hadn't said everything earlier to let Francis calm down first.
If he had reported truthfully earlier, Francis might have really strangled Jessa.
But as he opened his mouth, Rainey called the bodyguards to take Jessa to the hospital.
Francis didn't even look at Jessa, signaling Simon to continue.
But Rainey spoke before Simon, "Vance said the child might not survive. You need to come to the hospital with me now."
Francis remembered something and called Grant.
Grant had just finished a special patient consultation today.
When he received Francis's call, he took a moment to react, then arranged for an expert in this field to come over.
"If he directly intervenes in the abortion surgery, he can leave some tissue for DNA testing."
Francis asked, "Why didn't you mention this before?"
Grant replied, "Mr. Peterson, you didn't ask."
He indeed hadn't asked.
Since he knew Jessa was pregnant, he had only asked when they could do a DNA test.
He had forgotten about this.
"I'm heading to the hospital now," Francis said.
Jerry was about to cuddle with Hope to sleep.
Hearing about this, he still went to the hospital.
He found Francis and asked, "Has Grant arranged for someone to do the surgery?"
Francis nodded.
Jerry asked again, "Are you sure it was your impulsiveness, not Jessa forcing you to act?"
Francis hadn't thought about this. Right now, he just wanted to prove that the child in Jessa's belly wasn't his.
Then he would deal with Jessa completely and then go find Elissa to beg for forgiveness.
"Do you really not know about Elissa going to Regal City?" Francis retorted.
Jerry casually responded, "I don't know."
Francis didn't believe him.
But he didn't ask further.
He had known Jerry for so many years and understood his personality.
Except for Hope, when was he ever serious?
"Are you nervous?"
Although Francis usually spoke little, he would still say a few more words when discussing things with him.
He was clearly not himself today. Jerry asked, "Are you afraid the test will show it's your child?"
Francis hadn't planned to say more, but Jerry insisted on talking about it.
"I'm worried about Elissa. If she's just out for a break, it's fine. I'm just afraid she was taken by bad people."
Jerry laughed. Francis was still waiting here to talk to him about this.
"It's been over twenty-four hours. If Elissa was taken by your enemies, they would have tried to get something from you by now. No news is the best news," Jerry replied.
Francis fell silent again.
Jerry was helpless. "You broke up, so what happens to her is none of your business."
Francis stood there with one hand in his pocket, looking in the direction of the operating room.
Jerry leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching him.
After a while, he spoke up, "Friendly reminder, give Elissa some time. She doesn't like people forcing her."
Francis's lips moved slightly. "She contacted Hope before going to Regal City, right?"
Jerry didn't answer directly, "You shouldn't be the clingy type, Mr. Peterson."
Jacob and Rainey were sitting on the metal chairs nearby.
They didn't avoid them while talking, but they couldn't understand what they were saying.
The only thing they understood was Jerry's advice.
They also thought it would be best if Francis could calm down and not go to great lengths to find Elissa.
It was best if Elissa never returned to Maple Valley.
Jacob spoke, "Francis, have you thought about the fact that if you make a big fuss looking for her, you might actually put her in danger?"
Jerry raised an eyebrow in agreement. "Indeed, you have many enemies. Not looking for her this time is the best protection for her."
Francis thought about the incident when Elissa almost drowned.
If he really used his connections to find Elissa, it would only push her towards danger.
The news of his wedding with Jessa had already caused many to inquire about its authenticity.
Now that he had canceled the wedding and was making a big deal out of finding Elissa, all attention would be on Elissa.
After thinking it over, he spoke concisely, "Mom, the wedding will proceed as planned."
Rainey was puzzled.
Jacob was also confused. "Why do you suddenly want to have the wedding again?"
Francis was eager to have Grant perform the DNA test, clearly wanting to sever ties with Jessa quickly.
They were happy that Francis had broken up with Elissa and was dealing with the Jessa situation, so they could quickly find him a marriage alliance.
Why did he want to marry Jessa now?
Jerry was the only one who understood Francis's actions.
It was Jacob's earlier words that had reminded him.
Afraid that Elissa would be harmed by his enemies, he used Jessa as a cover.
Francis was using this move to divert attention and let Jessa face the consequences.
It saved him the trouble of dealing with other issues.
And it also extinguished the Peterson family's enthusiasm for finding him a marriage alliance.
This move could achieve three goals.
Jerry smirked, "A wedding is good. I love a good party. On your wedding day, I'll give you a big gift."
The two understood each other.
Jacob still wanted to ask something when the operating room door opened, and the doctor came out.
Rainey was the first to step forward.
Francis moved slightly, still standing where he was, while Jerry remained leaning against the wall.
Jacob also took a step forward. "How is it?"
The doctor spoke to Rainey and Jacob, but his gaze was on Francis behind them. "The surgery is done, no issues. The samples have been collected, and I'll now proceed with the DNA test. But as a doctor, I need to mention something."
Jacob replied, "Go ahead."
Grant Quill said, "Her endometrial lining is thin. This miscarriage has further weakened her body. Even with post-operative care, her chances of conceiving in the future are very slim."
Vance had already mentioned this to them.
Rainey was mentally prepared.
Moreover, since Francis had agreed to proceed with the wedding, Jessa couldn't use this to threaten him with any demands.
It was just about marrying him.
"Thank you, Grant. You've worked hard."
"Just doing my job."
After Grant left, Rainey asked Francis, "Are you really going to marry Jessa?"
Francis nodded.
Rainey's face darkened. "Are you also going to get the marriage certificate with her?"
"I'm not sure," Francis said, raising his hand. Simon stepped forward. "Take my parents home," Francis instructed.
Rainey wanted to say something, but Francis stopped her. "Mom, Dad, it's late. Go home and get some rest."
Rainey said no more and left with Jacob.
They needed to think about the wedding.
It wasn't that they couldn't stop it.
But if it got too big, it would be the Peterson family's reputation at stake.
If Francis didn't agree to marry Jessa, they could find some excuses.
But now that Francis had agreed to the wedding, it was much harder.
"Have you figured out why Francis is doing this?" Rainey asked.
Jacob hadn't understood earlier, but now he had some idea. "He must be protecting Elissa."
Rainey was puzzled. "Does that mean they haven't really broken up?"
Jacob nodded. "They probably haven't truly broken up. Maybe it's all part of a plan."
Rainey thought about it and understood, feeling dissatisfied. "It's you who unintentionally gave him the idea."
Jacob, usually serious, was momentarily at a loss. "I didn't want him to look for Elissa. Who knew he'd figure it out so quickly."
Rainey suddenly felt proud. "Of course, Francis is our son, after all.."
Jacob retorted mercilessly, "Yes, you gave birth to him. Now, for the sake of Elissa, he's willing to give up the Peterson family. Do you have any solutions?"
Rainey had no solutions at the moment.
Francis had grown up. Unlike when he was a child, although he was smart and not easily fooled, they could still control him a bit.
Jacob analyzed, "Jerry said he'd give Francis a big "gift". It's probably the truth about Jessa's pregnancy. Francis is holding the wedding to expose Jessa's actions in front of everyone, making her face the consequences."
Rainey felt uneasy. "If that's the case, Francis will still want to be with Elissa."
Jacob's expression darkened. "Then we need to crush his hopes in advance. You should secretly find out Elissa's whereabouts."
Rainey hesitated. "Do we have to go this far? If Francis finds out we did something to Elissa, he'll go crazy. Without Elissa as a shackle, Francis will be fearless and go completely mad."
Jacob had considered this possibility and said, "Of course, we can't let him find out it was us."
The DNA test results wouldn't be ready immediately.
Jerry, not one to mistreat himself, got a rest room to lie down and wait. "Want to play a game?"
He waved his phone at Francis, who was leaning on the sofa.
Francis opened the game and accepted his invitation.
While playing, Jerry said, "Your parents are smart people. After all, they've lived this long. They didn't react immediately, but they probably understand now why you want to marry Jessa. They might take action against Elissa."
Francis bit an unlit cigarette, leaning back on the sofa, his legs casually on the coffee table.
His expression was cold. "So, are you still not going to tell me where Elissa is?"
Jerry only said, "I don't know."
Francis didn't ask further.
Jerry was a bit curious and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a plan?"
Francis replied indifferently, "No comment!"
They played games until dawn when Grant finally had news.
At the same time, Jessa woke up and asked for Francis.
Francis received the test report from Grant.
After reading the results, he went to Jessa's hospital room with a blank expression.
Jerry, knowing the results, immediately went home.
He could still cuddle with Hope and sleep a bit more.
When the hospital room door opened, Jessa immediately looked over, her pale face streaked with tears.
"Francis," she said, heartbroken, "Our baby is gone."
Francis had nothing in his hands; the test report had already been sent back to the Peterson Mansion.
Looking at Jessa's pitiful and sorrowful appearance, his thin lips moved slightly, and he coldly said, "The wedding will proceed as planned."
Jessa was so shocked that her tears stopped abruptly.
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