Chapter 403 Please Give a Perfect Score if Satisfied
Elissa didn't answer but instead asked, "Are you in Seaside City for work, or...?"
"For you," Francis replied.
All his answers pointed to one thing.
Elissa studied Francis for a long moment before changing the subject. "Did you mean what you said?"
Francis looked at her earnestly. "Every word I've said to you is true."
There was nothing more to discuss.
Elissa kissed him on the chin, then rolled over to sleep.
Francis embraced her from behind, his deep voice murmuring in her ear, "What did that kiss mean?"
"Exactly what you think it means." Elissa then nudged him with her elbow. "I'm tired. Leave me alone."
That night, Francis, who rarely used Facebook, updated his profile.
It was just one photo: a large hand holding a small one, with a diamond ring the size of a dove's egg on the small hand's middle finger.
Jerry commented: [Back together?]
Francis: [Yes.]
Jared, who hadn't seen Jerry's comment, heard rumors about the Hamilton family and Peterson family joining through marriage and came to gossip.
Jared: [Francis, you're not really marrying Sylvia, are you?]
Francis blocked Jared from viewing his Facebook.
Francis only replied "Elissa" before blocking him from asking more questions.
Jared then went to share this in their group chat.
Francis muted the group chat and fell into a peaceful sleep holding Elissa.
News spread quickly through their social circle.
The Peterson family inevitably found out.
When Francis landed in Maple Valley, they immediately summoned him home.
Francis had anticipated this and didn't resist, returning to the Peterson Mansion.
Even if he had resisted, the Peterson family couldn't control him anymore.
But there was no need to push things that far yet.
What he didn't expect was their first question when he walked in.
"Where's Sylvia?" Jacob asked.
Francis glanced around, noticed there was no seat for him on the sofa, and pulled up a chair to sit across from them.
He calmly replied, "Sylvia is in my custody."
Jacob snapped, "Since you and Elissa have reconciled, why don't you release Sylvia?"
"The Hamilton family has been asking me for her."
Francis said coolly, "I need to keep a bargaining chip. In case you try something behind my back."
Jacob became angry immediately. "I'm your father! Even if you're now in charge of the Peterson family, I'm still your father. Is this how you speak to me?"
Francis's expression remained unchanged. "I know the Larson family might not be enough to keep you in check, so I added the Hamilton family as leverage."
"If you do anything to Elissa, Sylvia will suffer doubly."
"If Sylvia dies, the Hamilton family will hate the Peterson family and cooperate with the Wright family. And you'll have also offended the Larson family. When that happens, everyone will turn against an isolated Peterson family. I don't need to tell you what the outcome would be, do I?"
He had calculated everything so meticulously.
Jacob was speechless for a moment, then raised his hand to strike Francis.
Francis just sat there, not even flinching, looking at him, allowing him to hit.
"We agree," Elysia spoke up.
Jacob lowered his hand, disbelieving. "Mom, what did you say?"
Elysia looked at Francis. "We're compromising. You've won, Francis."
Francis said nothing.
Elysia smiled slightly. "We certainly can't let anything happen to the Peterson family, but you don't care whether you have the family or not. Elissa is all that matters to you. So, we won't oppose you anymore, and we won't do anything to her, rest assured."
Francis stood up and said flatly, "Thanks."
Then he left.
Rainey turned to Elysia, displeased. "Mom, how could you..."
"Do you have any solution to our current predicament?" Elysia asked.
Rainey had none.
No one in the Peterson family did.
This time, Francis had thoroughly defeated them.
Elysia fingered her prayer beads. "When there's no solution, wait. Perhaps one will come someday."
When Elissa woke up, Francis wasn't beside her.
She had just picked up her phone when a call came in.
She thought it was Francis, but it turned out to be Hope.
Elissa greeted, "Hello, Hope."
"You sound in a good mood."
Elissa smiled. "I suppose so."
Hope told her about Francis and the Facebook post. Elissa minimized the call screen to look and couldn't help but laugh softly.
Hope teased, "He hardly ever posts on Facebook."
Elissa refreshed the page a few times. "You're right—just this one post."
Hope said, "I'm about to board my flight. I've sent you the flight details. Could you take a break from your romance to pick me up?"
Elissa responded with confusion, "Why are you coming so suddenly?"
Hope said, "Looking for inspiration."
"Now that you're partners with the Larson family, I don't need to wait for your feedback anymore. We're definitely doing this project, right?"
"Your information travels fast."
Elissa put on a bathrobe, tied up her hair, and went into the bathroom.
"I'll get ready. See you soon."
"See you soon."
Just after hanging up, Elissa heard the door beep.
She peeked out with her toothbrush in her mouth to see Francis entering with takeout boxes.
She was amazed at his energy.
She had slept until noon, but he had managed to get up early.
"I'm going to pick up Hope later."
Elissa sat at the coffee table and applied makeup in front of the mirror.
Francis set the food on the dining table and acknowledged her with a sound. "I have something to do later."
"You handle your business."
Elissa finished her simple makeup and changed into a sleek black suit.
She sat at the table and began eating with a fork.
Francis suddenly came closer.
Elissa recognized his intention and quickly pushed him away. "Can't you control yourself a bit?"
Francis wanted to kiss her, but Elissa stopped him. "You'll mess up my makeup."
Francis settled for kissing her hand instead.
Elissa stuffed a sandwich into his mouth. "It's mealtime now, let's focus on eating."
Francis leaned on her shoulder and laughed, then pulled away and obediently ate his meal.
After eating, Elissa was browsing her phone when she saw Jared's Facebook post.
It read: [Francis left so quickly! Next time he's back in Maple Valley, we need to catch him!]
She checked the timestamp: four hours ago.
"You went back to Maple Valley?" Elissa asked.
Francis nodded while wiping his hands. "Made a quick trip."
Elissa looked at the time. "When did you leave?"
Francis answered honestly, "Three in the morning."
"What was so urgent that you had to go back? Couldn't it wait until after finishing business in Seaside City?"
"Family matters. Urgent."
Elissa nodded knowingly. "You could have rested in Maple Valley before coming back."
Francis sat down next to her on the sofa, his gaze intense. "I missed you."
Elissa quickly left.
If she stayed in that room any longer, they'd end up in bed again.
And then everything would be delayed.
Hope's arrival time was 4 p.m.
Elissa decided to wait at the airport with a cup of coffee.
Through the window, she suddenly noticed many black-suited bodyguards appearing.
They seemed to be searching for someone.
When their eyes met hers, they immediately approached.
Elissa turned and ran.
She activated her emergency call function, pressing the power button five times rapidly.
But Hope was on the plane and couldn't receive her call.
The airport police arrived fairly quickly but were blocked outside the coffee shop by the bodyguards.
They were clearly professionals.
She took advantage of this moment to call Francis.
Just as the call connected, the bodyguards parted.
She saw a familiar face approaching.
"Elissa, please hand over Anne."
"Elissa?" Francis called from the other end of the line.
Hearing Francis call her name, Elissa responded, "I thought... it's Mr. Larson. Everything's fine, don't worry."
Francis sighed with relief. "I'm coming right over."
"No need. Mr. Larson won't harm me. Aren't you busy? Don't trouble yourself."
Francis knew exactly what kind of person Willard was.
Especially now, unable to find Anne, he would stop at nothing.
He couldn't help worrying.
"I'm nearby," Francis said.
Elissa wanted to say something more, but the call ended. She put away her phone and smiled politely at Willard.
"You can check the security footage. I came to the airport to meet my friend and have been sitting here the whole time. I haven't seen Anne."
As she finished speaking, security footage was handed to Willard.
He reviewed it, his brow furrowing deeply.
There was no sign of Anne in any of the footage.
And as Elissa had said, she had remained in the café and never met with Anne.
The exterior surveillance footage was also being checked.
Willard was about to question her further when Francis hurried in, positioning himself protectively in front of Elissa.
Francis said quickly, "She was with me all last night, and only just left for the airport. She had no opportunity to help Anne escape."
Willard noticed the fine beads of sweat on Francis's forehead.
In this weather, sweating meant he must have run here.
The traffic near the airport was congested due to the search.
Such concern didn't please Willard.
If Elissa had helped Anne, Francis might not take his side.
"I can't overlook any possibility," Willard said coldly.
Francis replied, "I understand, but she truly didn't do anything and knows nothing."
Elissa also noticed the sweat on Francis's face and took out a tissue to wipe it away.
Francis held her hand. "Go pick up Hope. This doesn't concern you anymore."
It wasn't time yet, but Elissa knew her presence wasn't helpful. She nodded, picked up her bag, and left.
But at the door, she hesitated and came back.
She said to Willard, "You may hold a high position, but power can't control love. This approach will only push her further away."
Willard didn't appreciate her words. When he spoke again, his voice had grown cold, "If Francis hadn't pursued you, would you two have reconciled?"
Francis walked over, displeased. "Your situation is different from ours. You deserve it."
"Mr. Willard Larson, I think we've found Mrs. Anne Larson's whereabouts," someone called out.
Willard immediately left with his people.
The coffee shop instantly returned to its previous tranquility.
The few remaining customers and the café staff all breathed sighs of relief.
Elissa pulled Francis to sit down and ordered him a coffee. "Thank you for rushing over."
Francis was immediately pleased. He took a sip of coffee and said, "My pleasure."
Elissa couldn't resist gossiping. "So..."
She flashed him a big smile. "You understand, right?"
Francis nodded. "I do."
He set down his coffee cup, moved from sitting across from her to beside her, and whispered in her ear, "What's my reward?"
Elissa glared at him. "You're too transactional. Don't you know that not everything needs to be an exchange? You telling me things I want to know is simply appropriate, not something that requires payment, understand?"
"Understood," Francis said, seeming to get it. He picked up his coffee and drank without saying anything more.
Elissa waited a moment and realized something was wrong.
She glared at him again. "So you won't tell me without a reward, is that it?"
Francis's lips curled into a faint smile. "I'm not sure what to say."
He was playing games again.
Elissa gritted her teeth. "With that brain of yours, you should serve the public more, not use it on me."
Francis responded, "Are you the public?"
"Of course I am."
"Are you satisfied with my service?"
"If satisfied, please give me a perfect score. I'll continue to improve."
Elissa didn't want to talk to him anymore. "You're impossible."
She stood to leave, but Francis caught her wrist. "Not curious anymore?"
"Not anymore!" She was nearly grinding her teeth.
Francis found this amusing, not understanding why she was so eager for gossip.
"I can tell you with just a small reward, okay?"
Elissa was pleased inwardly but said, "Depends on your performance."
"Haven't I performed well enough?" He reflected to himself, "Then I'll do even better tonight."
"Francis!" Elissa couldn't help shouting, attracting strange, disapproving looks from others.
She smiled apologetically. "Sorry."
Francis sensed her anger and stopped teasing her.
"Anne was taken back to the Larson Villa by Willard for dinner yesterday and was kept there overnight."
"It's not that cliché scenario, is it?"
Francis nodded. "Something like that."
"The Larson family has always opposed their divorce, but Anne insists. Willard ignored her for years, and the Larson family knows they're in the wrong, so they're trying to reconcile them."
Elissa felt indignant on Anne's behalf. "Power truly crushes people."
"Are you mocking me?"
"Please don't take it personally."
She was definitely mocking him.
Francis couldn't bring himself to mind. He continued, "No drugs were involved; she was just locked in a bedroom."
"Despite how aggressively Willard is searching for her, despite his high position and forceful nature, he wouldn't actually force Anne in that way."
Elissa's expression turned playful. "On that point, you should definitely learn from him."
Francis laughed in disbelief. "I never ignored you or gave you the cold shoulder. On the contrary, you were cold to me. If I hadn't been persistent, who knows what man you'd be with by now."
Elissa immediately countered, "But you were wavering between two women."
Francis had almost forgotten about that issue.
The situation with Jessa was truly a stumbling block.
"I apologize for that. If you can't get past it, you can punish me. I'll accept whatever you decide."
Elissa didn't hold back. "For one month, no..."
Francis covered her mouth. "Choose something else."
Elissa shook her head, her eyes full of mischief.
She removed his hand. "You can't go back on your word, or I'll be very angry, and the consequences will be serious."
Francis coughed twice and forcibly changed the subject. "It's time."
Elissa glanced at his watch and said, "Feeling guilty, are we?"
"Not at all."
Francis conceded, hugging her and nuzzling her neck. "Fine, I'll do as you say. After all, I did make a mistake."
Elissa was satisfied and brought the conversation back to the original topic. "How did Anne escape?"
Francis was about to speak when his phone rang.
It was Willard. He said, "Aiden Wright is here."
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