Chapter 414 His Path Is Not Limited to One
Hearing Ollie's name made Elissa's spine stiffen instinctively.
Francis raised his hand and gently stroked her back. "Relax. I'm here," he said softly.
Elissa wanted to relax.
But Ollie was like a curse.
Even though she hadn't seen him or been hit by him in years.
Seeing him again brought back all those dark days.
And she couldn't deny that he was her father.
He was indeed a stain on her life.
In this situation, staying with Francis was actually making things harder for him.
How could she relax?
Francis continued, "Eat up before it gets cold—it's not good for your stomach."
He added some food to her plate, ignoring the expressions of the people across the table, focusing only on Elissa.
In this situation, Elissa couldn't eat.
Under the table, she patted Francis's thigh.
Francis held her hand and whispered, "We'll talk about it tonight, don't make a scene now."
Elissa withdrew her hand.
She looked at Rainey, about to speak, but Francis interrupted, "Why isn't anyone eating? Don't you like the food?"
He stood up and served everyone more food.
He added, "Didn't you say you wanted me to come back for dinner? I even bought Velvet Gourmet's special dishes just to have dinner with you all."
The others remained calm, but Rainey couldn't.
She said, "You promised Ollie wouldn't show up, but now he's not only here, he's become a threat to the Wright family. Francis, since you're the head of the Peterson family, you need to prioritize the family."
Francis sat down and replied, "When did I say I wouldn't handle it?"
Rainey glanced at Elissa.
Though she didn't speak, her eyes expressed distrust in Francis.
She wanted Francis and Elissa to completely separate.
That was the best solution.
Francis began, "Everyone, since I'm now the head of the Peterson family, I have the absolute authority to decide what to do and what not to do."
"I'll bear the responsibility for the Peterson family, and there won't be any damage to our interests."
"And don't think you can use this situation to exploit the Wright family to destroy my relationship with Elissa."
Rainey slammed the table, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're one of us. Even if we're unhappy with your actions, we wouldn't team up with outsiders against you."
Francis didn't respond, focusing on preparing crab for Elissa.
Rainey wanted to say more, but Elysia stopped her.
She smiled kindly at Elissa, "Elissa, did you have something to say earlier?"
Elissa did have something to say, but she wasn't sure if the atmosphere was right.
"Say whatever you want." Francis fed her a piece of crab meat, "We're all family, there's nothing you can't say."
Elissa saw the faces of the Peterson family members, all looking somewhat displeased.
She took a sip of water and stood up.
Francis reached out, but she blocked him, "I'll stand and speak."
Francis frowned slightly, "It's not necessary."
"Don't say anything yet."
Francis closed his mouth.
Seeing how obedient Francis was to Elissa, the Peterson family members' expressions darkened.
Elissa had never been this nervous before. She took a deep breath and slowly began to speak.
"Ollie is my father, I can't change that. But I have evidence of years of abuse and neglect, so I can apply to sever our father-daughter relationship, ensuring it won't affect Francis's work."
"Secondly, I want to say that I was indeed intimidated by Francis's family background and the disapproval from the elders when I first came to the Peterson Villa. That's why I broke up with Francis and ran away."
"But fate brought us back together, and this time, I'm standing by Francis no matter what. Nothing and no one can tear us apart."
She paused, taking another breath. "That's all I wanted to say."
Just as she was about to sit down, Elysia spoke, and Elissa immediately straightened up.
But Francis gently pulled her back down to sit.
She felt a bit anxious, but Elysia said, "Just sit and speak. We're not your bosses or elders. You don't need to stand to show respect."
It seemed they still didn't accept her.
Elissa didn't argue.
Elysia asked, "Do you really love Francis?"
Elissa answered without hesitation, "Yes."
A hint of a smile appeared in Francis's eyes as he handed her a bowl of soup. "If you don't want to eat, at least drink some soup to warm you up."
With Elysia talking to her, Elissa couldn't drink the soup.
"Today is a family dinner," Francis comforted her, "not a trial. You should be able to eat."
Elissa knew Francis cared for her. This was his home, and she was the outsider. He had to protect her more.
But the more he did, the more the Peterson family would think Francis had no limits for her.
It wasn't a good thing.
It would only make them more determined to separate her and Francis.
She was about to give Francis a look when Elysia spoke, "Francis is right. You should eat something. Drink the soup first."
Elissa finally drank the soup.
Elysia continued, "Francis chose you, and we can't stop him. His feelings for you are clear. To be precise, he made sure we understood. We know his intentions. But you say you love Francis, and I can't agree."
Francis's lips moved slightly, but a soft hand covered them.
He turned to see Elissa giving him a look before speaking, "Because you think I'll hold Francis back, that my father's situation will make Francis's work difficult, and enemies will use it to threaten him."
"You also think Francis's open affection for me will make others see me as his weakness."
"Because my background is weak, if they capture me and control me, they can control Francis and force him. I wouldn't be able to do anything."
"I would drag Francis down."
Elysia looked at Elissa for a long time before speaking, "You see things clearly, but you haven't done anything about it."
"I tried before, but I realized the problem isn't entirely mine." Elissa relaxed her tense nerves slightly, "Melinda and Sylvia's families are powerful, but what happened to them? You've all seen it."
Melinda was in the past, but since Sylvia was mentioned.
Elysia asked Francis, "Are you really not letting Sylvia go? The Hamilton family has started contacting the Wright family. If you keep holding Sylvia, you'll be creating more enemies for the Peterson family."
Francis looked calmly at the people across the table, "Wasn't Sylvia forced on me by you? Now that she's in my hands, you're unhappy?"
They didn't mean that.
But he twisted their words.
Elysia said, "Francis, are you really willing to go against the world for her?"
Francis sneered, "Choosing a wife makes me go against the world?"
Elysia took a deep breath, feeling a bit blocked, and continued, "We've said what needed to be said many times before. We used to be able to stop you, but now there's nothing we can do. But accepting your marriage is impossible."
She continued, "Even if Elissa cuts ties with her father, secrets always find a way to surface. When Ollie comes into the picture, Francis, your future will be in serious trouble."
Francis remained calm, with a hint of arrogance, "My path isn't limited to one."
Elissa agreed with this.
Francis was different from ordinary people like her.
She could only change her fate a little through hard work.
But Francis had many paths to success.
However, with her in his life, there were indeed more dangers.
Rainey couldn't help but interject, "We've already compromised by letting you date, but Francis, your future wife cannot be someone with a stain on her record."
Francis's eyes were already covered with a thin layer of frost.
Elissa felt his anger starting to leak out.
She quickly held his hand, her pinky brushing his palm.
Francis looked over.
Elissa frantically gave him a look.
He was protecting her, which made her happy.
But the more he did, the more the Peterson family disliked her.
Elissa suddenly said, "I know that no matter what I say, someone like me with no background will never be accepted by you as Francis's wife. But what I want to say is, since we've firmly chosen each other, we won't be easily separated."
Wesley was no longer in charge.
Elysia and Rainey had already said no.
Jacob was ready to make a final decision.
Francis interrupted him, "I came back today with her, and no one can stop me from marrying her."
"Right now, you can't stop me from getting married."
Rainey stood up abruptly, "You're not only going to ruin yourself, but also the Peterson family."
Francis was tired of talking because it was useless.
They were stubborn.
He had their blood, and also their inherited flaws.
So, he directly took Elissa and left.
But before leaving, he left a message for the Peterson family: "Don't try to use the Wright family to stop me from marrying Elissa. If I find out, I'll personally destroy the Peterson family you've been protecting."
In the car, Elissa was still a bit shaken.
She voiced her dissatisfaction, giving Francis a light slap, "You can't always protect me like that in front of them."
Francis understood her meaning, holding her hand, "If I don't stand by you, they'll say I don't care about you, and there's no need to continue."
"If I protect you, they'll be angry and want to separate us, but my attitude will make them restrain themselves."
"So, I will protect you."
Elissa hugged Francis, rubbing her cheek against his.
Francis patted her head, "Were you scared?"
Elissa shook her head, "It's much better than the first time. At least there was no real danger this time."
Francis held her tightly, "I'll never let anything or anyone put you in harm's way again."
Elissa trusted Francis.
But she was worried about something else now.
"Ollie..."
"If you don't like mentioning him, we won't. I have ways to handle it. You just focus on loving me, working hard, and living well."
Elissa pulled away from his embrace, "I have a question."
Francis nodded, "Ask away."
"I remember Jerry said he had people watching Ollie closely, and you mentioned sending Simon. With such tight surveillance, how did he end up in Seaside City?"
Francis unlocked his phone and showed her, "Jerry just sent this."
Elissa's eyes widened in confusion as she looked at the picture, "I can confirm he doesn't have a twin brother."
"I've investigated this. I know he doesn't."
"Then why?"
Francis put his phone away, a dark glint in his eyes. "Before you were with me, no one cared. But after we got together, many people probably contacted Ollie."
Elissa's expression darkened.
Francis lifted her chin, making her look at him. "You don't need to feel ashamed. He doesn't deserve to be your father. You've achieved everything through your own efforts. You can live proudly."
Elissa removed his hand from her chin and intertwined her fingers with his. "But I still..."
"Don't say you're causing trouble for me. I don't want to hear it."
So Elissa had to stay silent.
Francis continued, "I haven't figured out how much my family is involved yet. According to Jerry's investigation, before he sent people to watch Ollie, he might have already been taken away. The one in the village was a fake. Otherwise, with his gambling and loan issues, he would have been dead long ago."
Elissa suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
It was a meticulous plan.
The Peterson family foresaw this outcome, which is why they tried so hard to separate her and Francis.
"What about the Wright family?"
"The Wright family will definitely take action, but don't worry, I have ways to handle it."
Francis's main concern now was if the Wright family used Ollie to create a scandal.
Elissa would be caught in the whirlwind of public opinion and would be hurt to some extent.
"What's coming is a tough battle. Are you ready?"
Elissa had no choice but to face it. Since she had decided, she had to go through with it.
She held Francis's hand tightly and nodded firmly, "With you by my side, I'm not afraid."
Francis leaned in, about to kiss her, when a phone ringtone interrupted him.
It was Elissa's phone. She took it out and saw the number, immediately answering, "Sorry, Anne, I had something today and forgot to reply to your message."
Anne replied, "Okay, but you can't just leave Seaside City without saying anything..."
Hearing her aggrieved voice, Elissa felt guilty. "It was my fault. Come to Maple Valley, and I'll treat you to something delicious?"
Anne wasn't really angry. She had heard Elissa's call with Hope and knew Elissa was going back to Maple Valley.
She was upset because Elissa didn't invite her along.
To avoid being held back by Willard.
"I'll come over now."
"Okay."
Elissa momentarily forgot about Willard, hanging up the phone, but Francis reminded her.
Anne was currently with Willard and might not be able to come.
Meanwhile, in Seaside City.
Anne packed her bag, put on a mask, and headed out.
She had planned to leave after breakfast.
But Willard had video-called his parents, turning the camera towards her, so she had to chat.
The chat lasted until noon.
Willard's parents invited her to lunch at the Larson Villa.
She couldn't refuse and reluctantly asked Willard for help.
Trading lunch for freedom.
After lunch, she didn't want to stay any longer. Taking advantage of Willard being busy, she quickly called Elissa.
Receiving the invitation for a meal, she immediately made her escape.
But as she approached the door, she fell into a warm embrace.
A bullet grazed her ear, cutting off a strand of her hair...
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