Chapter 390 It Has to Be Her
They went to City Hall, avoiding the main road.
Even the side road shouldn't be this deserted.
It was clear that these people had been waiting for him for a long time.
It seemed that the news of his and Elissa's wedding had reached the Peterson family the moment they boarded the plane.
Francis's indifferent gaze shifted upward, landing on the middle-aged man's face for a moment.
He rolled up the car window.
The middle-aged man raised his hand, signaling the armored vehicle to move aside.
Simon drove past, originally supposed to turn left to City Hall, but he turned the steering wheel to the right.
Elissa listened to everything, still a bit frightened. "Francis."
Francis turned his head and said directly, "You can only be with me now; there's no chance to escape."
Elissa had been holding back her anger since the church.
Now she couldn't hold it back any longer.
But she didn't become hysterical; she just calmly said the most hurtful words. "Francis, I hate two people the most in my life: my mother who abandoned me and my father who hit me when he drank. But now, I find that compared to hating them, you make me feel even more hatred and disgust."
Francis, however, held her hand, his thumb rubbing the ring on her finger.
His handsome face remained calm, showing no anger at her words. "Don't worry, it took me a lot to get you. I won't let anything happen to you."
Elissa pulled her hand away, her eyes cold and distant. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have to face these things."
Francis slightly lowered his eyes, then curled his lips and said, "Weren't you the one who pursued me first?"
Elissa also smiled, but her eyes were cold. "Just for fun. I've always pursued anyone I'm interested in. You're not an exception, and later I played with Efren too."
Simon floored the gas pedal, wishing he could teleport to the Peterson Mansion.
These two weren't having a furious argument, but the tension was palpable. Even Simon, who had undergone rigorous training since childhood and had seen it all, felt a twinge of fear.
The small space in the back seat felt like a battlefield.
"Elissa, I'm different from Efren. Once you get entangled with me, you're in for life."
Elissa felt more and more that separating from Francis was the right decision.
Fortunately, they separated early, and she saw through him quickly.
Otherwise, if she had fought the Peterson family for him, she would have lost her life.
Thinking of what she said to Elysia back then, she felt she was out of her mind.
She was just a small fry; how could she fight against powerful people?
That was overestimating herself.
She didn't want to drag Hope into this either. Jerry had financial ties with the Peterson family, and if Hope got entangled in this, it could implicate her. That was the last thing she wanted.
But what she didn't expect was that Francis, who seemed calm and rational, could go this crazy.
"Francis, I don't want to face challenges together," Elissa said.
Francis once told her, 'We're in this together, no matter what.' Even at the height of their passionate romance, those words never truly moved her. She just wanted to live well and savor life.
Thinking of this, she let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. She blamed herself for foolishly giving her heart away.
"Don't be afraid." Francis held her hand, finding it cold and sweaty.
He took a tissue to wipe her hand, soothing her in a gentle voice.
It was as if he hadn't heard what she just said.
Elissa slapped his hand away, trying to take off the ring on her finger.
But her fingers were red and swollen, but the ring still wouldn't come off.
Francis held her hand again, gently massaging her ring finger to ease the pain.
Elissa watched coldly.
She felt no emotion for his considerate actions.
This wasn't what she wanted.
No matter how well he did, it couldn't hide his inherent domineering nature.
He claimed he wanted her to be free, but his actions had already clipped her wings and trapped her in an invisible cage.
She had a lot of anger to vent.
But then she felt it wasn't necessary.
After all, he would just respond with a dismissive remark.
She didn't even bother to shake off his hand.
The latter part of the journey was silent.
This made Simon, in the driver's seat, even more uncomfortable.
This suffocating silence was worse than arguing.
Maybe arguing would solve it.
The worst was when neither said anything, letting the misunderstandings deepen.
The car passed through the woods and entered the Peterson Mansion.
The moment the car stopped, Simon quickly got out.
He took a deep breath and opened Francis's car door.
Francis got out first, then reached out to Elissa.
Elissa ignored him, getting out from the other side.
She didn't even close the car door, just ran.
Francis seemed to have anticipated this, showing no displeasure, and quickly caught up, grabbing her.
He didn't say anything, just intertwined his fingers with hers, leading her to the Peterson Mansion.
Elissa took a deep breath to steady herself and, with a blank expression, followed him through the Peterson family's front gate.
The living room was full of people.
Besides Francis's family, there was Jessa.
Elissa saw the middle-aged man who had spoken to Francis earlier walk to Jacob's side, whispering something.
Then he stood aside.
There was nowhere to sit within her line of sight.
Francis gently squeezed her hand, comforting her.
He raised his other hand, tapping his index finger twice.
Simon brought over a chair, and he pressed her to sit down.
"I don't..." Elissa felt uneasy, wanting to get up, but Francis held her down firmly.
He stood behind her, looking at everyone in the living room, and asked in a calm voice, "Weren't we called back to have dinner with my fiancée Elissa? Why is everyone sitting in the living room?"
The word "fiancée" made the Peterson family's faces look somewhat unpleasant.
They almost got fooled by Francis.
They thought his wedding with Jessa was just to attract enemies' attention to Elissa.
Unexpectedly, he was diverting their attention by making them focus on Jessa, all the while secretly planning to marry Elissa.
Fortunately, someone tipped them off.
Seeing no one speak, Francis patiently spoke again, "Sorry, but if there's nothing to eat at home, I can't let my fiancée Elissa go hungry. We'll have to head out."
Saying this, he pulled Elissa to leave.
Wesley spoke, "Stop!"
Francis didn't stop, but Elissa tugged at him.
She didn't want to get involved in the Francis family's issues, and she definitely didn't want to be the cause of their arguments. Otherwise, everyone, including Francis, would blame her, saying he did everything because of her. That was absolutely out of the question.
"Everyone, rest assured. I don't want to get entangled with Mr. Peterson either. If you can make him give up on me, I would be very grateful," Elissa said.
Francis squeezed her hand hard, making Elissa frown in pain, but she didn't make a sound.
She didn't even look at him.
"When I say break up, I mean it. Of course, it's my fault for getting involved with Mr. Peterson, but now I've realized, the gap between us is too big. I'm not qualified to date him, let alone marry him," Elissa added.
Francis's face darkened, and his gaze turned cold.
Elissa felt like her wrist was about to be crushed and tried to pull it away. "Let go, it hurts."
Francis pulled Elissa closer, holding her tightly in his arms.
Don't think saying these things will work; they can't control me." Francis's voice was cold and hard, clearly angry.
But Elissa didn't care and continued to provoke him. 'If you were really that powerful, you wouldn't be here right now. We'd be at City Hall, signing the papers. Francis, deep down, you know you can't get out from under the Peterson family's control."
Francis's voice grew colder. "I'm doing this for you."
"No need." Elissa struggled to get out of his embrace, and when she failed, she stomped hard on his foot.
But Francis didn't even flinch.
Elissa's voice also turned cold, "Stop saying you're doing this for me."
"Your family is also doing things for your good, so why don't you accept it? Why do you go against them?"
"For example, sometimes I just need an orange, but you insist I eat an apple, saying too many oranges are bad and apples are healthier. But I don't think you're doing this for my benefit; on the contrary, I feel like you're trying to control me!"
"I just need you to let me go. I want to be myself, living freely every day, without anyone holding me back or having to worry about someone trying to kill me when I'm off guard."
After Elissa finished speaking, the entire living room fell silent, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
The Peterson family was initially surprised, but their shock quickly turned to concern.
Francis had always gotten what he wanted, except for Elissa.
If he had lost interest in her, it wouldn't have been a problem. But he was clearly still invested, and now Elissa wanted to leave him. This wasn't good; it would only fuel his desire to possess her. His defiance was likely driven by this very desire.
The only one present with just resentment was Jessa.
Jessa was the only other person present, and she was filled with nothing but rage. Her face was already contorted with anger.
It wasn't enough that Francis used her to divert attention from Elissa's enemies; now he wanted to marry Elissa?
She had always known Elissa was important to Francis, but now she saw with her own eyes that Elissa meant more to him than his own life.
She was unwilling to accept this, but she also knew it wasn't the right time for her to act.
After all, she didn't need to do anything herself; the Peterson family would surely oppose Francis and Elissa getting married. She could then step in and give things a little push.
After a long silence, Francis finally spoke. His voice was flat. "Elissa, do you know why news of our wedding spread to Maple Valley so quickly?"
Elissa didn't care about this and remained silent.
Francis said, "It was Efren."
Elissa didn't have any special reaction.
Francis, clearly frustrated, said, "Efren is such a deceitful person, pretending to be nice while secretly ruining your happiness, and yet you keep giving him chance after chance. What do I lack?"
Elissa just said calmly, "I don't like you anymore."
Francis's grip on her waist tightened.
Then he let out a laugh, angered.
"Elissa, I don't believe you. Do you dare to bet?" Francis asked.
Elissa didn't dare to bet, nor did she want to. Who knew what trap he might set for her next?
"Jessa, you schemed so hard," she shifted the conflict, "how come you still didn't get married in the end?"
Jessa wasn't innocent. Let them fight among themselves; then she could escape.
But Francis saw through it at a glance, "Efren schemed against you, and you don't mind. Why only blame Jessa?"
"She was the mastermind," Elissa said.
"But Efren was involved too," Francis retorted.
Elissa countered, "You didn't blame Jessa either, why blame me?"
Francis retorted, "How did I not blame her? If it weren't for your good relationship with Efren's grandmother, I wouldn't have kept Jessa around to match her story with Efren's. Without a confession, there's no way to press charges legally."
Jessa wasn't surprised; she knew Francis's ways.
And it didn't matter now.
She couldn't do anything now, just wait for the right time to escape the country.
As long as Francis didn't send her to prison or kill her, there was always a chance.
"Ms. Wilson, even if you don't like Francis and want to leave him, please don't use me to draw attention from our enemies. We're both women; can't you show me a bit of kindness?" Jessa said.
Elissa sneered, thinking, 'She's such a hypocrite!' Then she said, "Efren told me everything; your acting is unnecessary now."
Francis chimed in, "If you don't want to see her, fine, let Efren come. After they confront each other, they can be punished."
Francis chimed in, "If you don't want to see her, fine. Bring Efren here. Once they match their stories, they'll both face the consequences."
Elissa definitely wanted to see Jessa behind bars, but Efren was involved too.
Jessa was too cunning not to have an escape plan.
However, Elissa feared that if Efren went to jail, there would be no one to take care of Cinda. She also didn't want his future to be ruined.
"Elissa, if you stand with me, I can solve what you worry about. Otherwise, you know what will happen," Francis said.
Even if Efren was tricked by Jessa into participating in the Oceancrest City plan that night.
With Francis's power, he could still send him to prison.
Elissa once again felt she really couldn't speak well.
How did it always end up with results she didn't want to see?
Clearly, she wanted to use Jessa to get away, but ended up involving Efren.
"Do you enjoy using your power to bully us regular folks?" Elissa retorted.
Francis's face darkened as he heard her defend Efren. "Elissa, don't push me."
"That's what I want to say to you," Elissa replied coldly.
The atmosphere was tense, Wesley stood up and said, "You can try to get what you want by any means. But Elissa has her own ideas. In the end, using forceful tactics will only lead to loss. If she really loved you, we might not be so against it. But she doesn't love you and just wants to leave. We can't just stand by and watch you keep making a mess of things."
Jacob immediately gestured to the middle-aged man beside him, who then restrained Francis.
Simon and a few others stepped forward, but were held at gunpoint.
The middle-aged man stepped forward and grabbed Francis's wrist.
The moment Elissa was free from Francis, she left without looking back.
"Let go!" Francis's voice was extremely cold, filled with great anger.
The middle-aged man tightened his grip on his wrist, still smiling, "Mr. Peterson, I don't hold back. If you end up in the hospital, don't blame me."
Francis's gaze was sharp and cold. "Teddy, you can try touching me."
Teddy Peterson wasn't intimidated. "Then excuse me, Mr. Peterson."
"Stop!" Rainey immediately came over, Jacob raised his hand but couldn't stop her. He could only call out to her, "Don't interfere."
Rainey was angry about Francis and Elissa, and wanted them to separate.
But she couldn't watch Francis get hurt by Teddy.
After all, Francis was her son, whom she had given birth to with great effort.
"Francis, she doesn't love you; why do this?" Rainey said.
Francis smiled. "But I love her. She's the only one for me."
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