Chapter 412 Please
Hope immediately stepped in front of Elissa.
She had never met him in person, but she had seen photos.
This was Elissa's father, Ollie Wilson.
Ollie shouted, "Living the high life, huh? Fancy cars and bodyguards. Elissa, you hit it big and didn't think to take care of me? Instead, you hide. Good thing I tracked you down."
Elissa clung to Hope's coat, hiding behind her, not saying a word.
Even though it had been a long time since she was last hit or saw this so-called father, the memories of those beatings from her childhood resurfaced.
She knew she had the power now and wouldn't be beaten again, but she couldn't control her instinctive fear.
"It's okay." Hope held her hand to comfort her. "I'm here. He can't touch you."
And with Hayden and the others around, there was no way Ollie Wilson could get close to Elissa.
"Hope, let's go..."
"Alright, let's go."
Hope opened the car door and helped Elissa inside.
Just then, Ollie spoke in a low voice, "Elissa, I heard you're dating a guy from a big family. They hate scandals. You better stop right there."
Elissa froze.
Suddenly, her vision went dark.
The faint smell of tobacco mixed with a unique freshness filled her nose.
A deep, gentle voice whispered in her ear, "It's okay; I'm with you."
Recognizing Francis immediately, Elissa's tense body relaxed.
Hope stepped back, giving them space.
Jerry put his arm around her and asked, "Are you okay?"
Hope shook her head.
"So, you're Elissa's fiancé, huh?" Ollie's eyes gleamed. "I'm her father."
Francis just stared at him, his eyes dark and emotionless.
He didn't say a word, just raised his hand, and Hayden immediately took Ollie away.
Ollie declared, "You're treating me like this? I'm telling you, without my consent, no one can marry my daughter! If you have the guts, kill me. Otherwise, you have to take care of me!"
Francis noticed Elissa trembling, her palms slightly sweaty.
He turned her around and saw she was crying.
Gently wiping away her tears with his thumb, his voice softened even more, "He's not worth it."
Elissa reached out and hugged him, burying her face in his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears.
Francis didn't say anything else, just held her, letting her vent.
They had planned to go for a shoot, but that had to be canceled now.
Everyone quietly got into the car, giving them space.
Hope whispered to Jerry, "Weren't they supposed to be watching him closely?"
Jerry rubbed his forehead. "We're looking into it."
Seeing he was tired, Hope let him rest his head on her lap and massaged his temples.
Hope said, "If the Peterson family finds out, there'll be trouble again."
Jerry patted her hand to reassure her.
Hope glanced out the window, feeling a bit agitated.
Elissa had finally started to live a good life.
"I remember Ollie borrowed money from loan sharks and couldn't pay it back. He was even chased by them. Those people don't mess around."
Jerry understood what she meant. "Yes, and he also owed money to a casino. He almost died there."
"Then why?"
"Back then, we didn't pay much attention. Later, when Elissa and Francis started dating, we took notice."
Hope's mind raced. "You mean, when you got involved, the Peterson family and Aiden also took action?"
Jerry nodded. "The Peterson family sees this as their only way to stop Elissa and Francis from getting married. As for Aiden, he'll do anything to trip up Francis."
"And Francis humiliated Aiden badly. He's extremely vengeful and won't let it go."
Hope asked, "Is Aiden's investigation over?"
"Yeah, it wasn't too hard to dig up. The Baker family helped clear things up. His wife is a Baker, so it didn't affect him much."
Jerry sat up. "But being humiliated by Francis? That's a huge blow to his ego."
Hope could understand. Aiden was from an older generation. How could he let a younger guy insult him?
Meanwhile, Elissa's sobs gradually subsided.
Francis gently patted her back, helping her calm down.
Then he helped her into the car.
Felix handed over a thermos and closed the door, standing by the car.
Inside, Francis poured some hot water and handed it to Elissa to warm her hands.
He stroked her head and kissed her on the top. "He won't show up in front of you again."
Elissa suddenly looked at Francis, the cup in her hand shaking.
Francis quickly took it from her, preventing the hot water from spilling.
Elissa didn't care about that. She grabbed Francis's arm. "Don't dirty your hands."
She and Francis were worlds apart. Their journey to love had been hard enough.
If he got a stain on his record because of her, how could she stay with him?
"Don't worry, I won't."
In the past, he would have done anything.
But now, with her, he thought things through more carefully.
Elissa sniffled. "Can you tell them we can't go to the shoot because of me?"
"Alright, I'll handle it. You don't need to think about anything."
Francis poured her another cup of hot water. "Drink some."
After she took it, he got out of the car.
Felix reported, "Simon said they have another Ollie."
Francis's eyes turned cold. He tapped on the nearby car window.
Jerry rolled it down, and Francis said, "I'll take her home first."
"Okay."
Francis instructed Felix, and Felix went to inform Uma and Anne.
He said, "Sorry, Ms. Uma Larson, Mrs. Anne Larson, Mrs. Peterson isn't feeling well. We'll reschedule."
Anne didn't know what happened, but seeing Elissa cry like that, it couldn't be good.
"Is Elissa okay?"
"Mr. Peterson will be with her."
Felix bowed slightly and then informed Finn.
Finn had heard a bit about Elissa's situation. He only said, "Please tell Mr. Francis Peterson to take good care of Mrs. Elissa Peterson."
"I will."
Felix completed Francis's instructions and drove away.
In the back seat, Francis put away the cup, held her, and placed her cold hands on his stomach to warm them.
Elissa leaned on his shoulder, eyes closed, soaking in his warmth.
When they reached Willard's place, Francis carried Elissa to the room.
He changed her clothes, gently removed her makeup and hair, and asked, "Do you want to eat something?"
Elissa shook her head.
Francis got up to get an ice pack to prevent her eyes from swelling, but she grabbed his sleeve.
Just a little bit, but it broke his heart.
He had never seen Elissa like this.
Carefully holding onto his sleeve, afraid of being abandoned, yet scared of being a burden.
Francis immediately bent down and hugged her tightly.
Willard knew Francis wouldn't be coming out of the room anytime soon.
Seeing Jerry return, he approached. "The media sent me a video."
"Let's go inside." Jerry held Hope's hand. "It's cold outside. Hope's hands are freezing."
Not waiting for Willard's response, he led Hope to the living room and poured her some warm tea.
Hope shook her head. "I'll go freshen up first."
Her current outfit wasn't very convenient.
"I'll go with you."
"You should talk to Mr. Larson."
Hope quickly walked away.
Willard sat at the head of the table, and his assistant immediately poured him some tea.
Jerry drank the tea that was meant for Hope and asked, "What video?"
Willard gave a look, and his assistant handed Jerry a tablet.
Jerry opened the video.
Seeing Ollie's face, he forced himself to watch despite feeling disgusted.
"What did they say?" Jerry asked.
Willard replied, "It was a USB drive sent by courier, from a station in the neighboring city."
He added, "Following the surveillance footage, we couldn't see the face clearly. Based on the build, we can tell the person has some combat training, but we can't determine if they're from the Peterson family or the Wright family."
Jerry said, "Let me see the surveillance footage."
The assistant tapped on the tablet and brought up the footage.
Jerry paused and zoomed in, finding no flaws.
He put down the tablet and said, "Aiden is quite something. The Peterson family wouldn't be so roundabout. With this video, they'd directly force Francis and Elissa to break up."
"And they're also afraid. If Francis goes crazy, he won't care about anyone. So using someone else to do their dirty work isn't impossible."
Hope came back, asking, "What video?"
Jerry handed it to her.
Hope saw Ollie and felt disgusted, her brows furrowing and her face turning pale.
Jerry took the tablet back and turned it off. "Don't watch it. Ask me if you want to know anything."
Hope had seen enough. The video wasn't important, just Ollie being a scoundrel.
But if this video got online, it would be a different story.
With Aiden and the Peterson family fanning the flames, Elissa would definitely be thrust into the spotlight.
Old wounds, still raw and bleeding, would be ripped open again.
She didn't want Elissa to relive those nightmares.
Hope asked, "Is there a way to handle this without getting our hands dirty..."
Jerry met her meaningful gaze and patted her head. "Maybe before, but not now. It would backfire."
Aiden wouldn't let go of any leverage over Francis. He'd bite down hard.
The Peterson family already wanted Francis and Elissa to break up. Now they had a good reason.
They could just sit back and watch.
Hope felt frustrated. "If only we had known..."
Jerry hugged her. "Leave it to me. You should go back to Maple Valley."
Hope had been away too long and needed to check on the kids.
They had planned to return after the shoot today.
Who knew Elissa would have an incident.
She felt torn.
Jerry reassured her, "Willard is here. He'll keep us updated. Don't worry."
Hope finally felt a bit relieved and headed back to Maple Valley.
Before boarding the plane, she asked Jerry to tell Elissa.
With Francis by her side, it wasn't good to disturb them.
Jerry agreed, and even though it was their private plane, he waited until it took off before leaving.
When he returned, Francis was sitting in the living room.
He noticed Willard seemed pleased and sat across from him, casually crossing his long legs.
"Anne came?" Jerry asked.
Willard's deep voice also carried a hint of joy. "She's with Elissa."
Jerry was surprised.
When they returned from the exhibition earlier, Anne hadn't mentioned coming over.
"Did you trick her into coming?"
Willard was annoyed. "Francis invited her."
Jerry understood and asked Francis, "Did you watch the video?"
Francis nodded, his expression dark. "Yeah, I saw it."
Jerry leaned back, crossing his arms. "What's the plan?"
Francis stubbed out the cigarette and stood up, his cold gaze sweeping over Willard. "I'm going to the Peterson family. Don't bother Anne tonight. Let her stay with Elissa."Willard was puzzled. "Why the rush?"
Francis didn't want to leave either. Elissa clearly depended on him.
But time was of the essence. If they didn't act quickly, once the video spread online, anything they did would hurt Elissa.
Jerry stood up too. "I'll check on the other Ollie."
"Leave this to you." Francis's voice suddenly became serious. "Please. The news must not get out."
Willard was slightly taken aback.
In all the years they'd known each other, Francis had never asked him for anything.
Because of their friendship and the favors owed, they usually spoke directly.
He also became serious. "Don't worry."
After sending off Francis and Jerry, he had someone bring food over.
Anne wasn't very good at comforting people, so she just stayed quietly with Elissa.
After all, it was a request from a benefactor.
The room door was knocked. "Mrs. Anne Larson, Mr. Willard Larson asked me to bring some food."
Anne opened the door and took the food. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Mrs. Larson."
The servant helped close the door, and Anne placed the food on the bedside table.
"Elissa, you should eat something."
Elissa shook her head. "You eat."
Anne had been rushing all day and hadn't had time to eat.
She gave an awkward smile. "Then I'll have some."
Elissa tried to smile. "It's okay. Thank you for staying with me. I'm keeping you from making money."
"Making money isn't as important as you."
Anne took a bite. "Elissa, we haven't known each other long, but I really like you. It's like we've known each other forever. Being with you and making you feel better makes me happier than making money."
Elissa also felt the magic of fate. Before meeting Anne, she had admired Anne's work.
After meeting, she felt a kinship, like long-lost family.
If she had family like Anne, her journey wouldn't have been so painful.
Thankfully, God wasn't unkind and let her meet Hope.
Just as she thought of her, Hope called on video.
She answered.
Hope had just gotten off the plane, and Steven had picked her up.
She immediately called on video.
If Elissa didn't answer, it meant she wasn't available. Seeing her answer, Hope felt relieved.
Hope said, "I'll check on Elsa and come back. Don't overthink. If you need to, call me anytime."
Elissa replied, "It's okay. You don't need to run back and forth. Anne is here."
Anne leaned in to say hello. "Hope, spend a few days with the kid. I'm here with Elissa. Don't worry. I'll take good care of her."
Hope was a bit surprised. "How did you..."
Anne smiled. "A benefactor asked me. He had to rush back to the Peterson Villa but was worried about Elissa. You can't leave the kid unattended either."
Elissa had told her about Francis saving Anne, so she knew who the benefactor was.
But...
Francis rushing back to the Peterson Villa showed the urgency of the situation.
Hope said, "Elsa is older now. It's fine. I'll come back after checking on her."
"You just rest. Besides calling me, don't look at your phone."
Elissa nodded, smiling to reassure her. "I was just scared when Ollie showed up suddenly. I'm better now. Stay with Elsa. I'm planning to go back too."
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