Chapter 417 Reversal
Elissa rushed forward.
She wasn't doing it to help Willard.
It was because Anne was in this mess because of her.
But she hadn't really broken up with Francis.
If her actions caused a major rift between Anne and Willard, she'd be the one to blame.
"Mr. Larson, it's not a good time for you to come up. Anne's staying with me tonight, so you guys can talk tomorrow," she said, giving Anne a secretive look behind her back.
Willard got the hint.
But he doubted Elissa would say anything good about him or help patch things up with Anne.
After a moment of silence, he turned and left.
Trying to explain things to Anne now would be pointless; she probably wouldn't believe him.
The reason for the breakup had to come from the person involved.
It'd be better if he explained it later.
As soon as they entered, Elissa kicked off her shoes, not even bothering to put on slippers, and hurried to close the living room curtains. Hope followed closely, while Anne stood holding her slippers, confused.
Elissa pulled her to sit on the couch, then exchanged a glance with Hope before saying sincerely, "We're really sorry."
Startled, Anne jumped onto the couch, clutching her slippers tightly. "What do you mean?"
Elissa then explained the plan she and Francis had come up with, word for word.
Anne listened in amazement. "You're saying your breakup with Francis was... an act?" she asked.
Elissa quickly put a finger to her lips and shushed her.
Anne glanced at the heavy curtains, opened her mouth, and finally said, "Then Hope, why are you apologizing?"
Hope replied calmly, "I knew about the plan."
After a long silence, Anne sat on the couch and handed them their slippers.
"Alright," she said.
Elissa held her hand. "This was my fault. If you can't get over it, you can make demands of me."
Anne's eyes lit up, but Elissa's next words dimmed them again.
Elissa said, "I can't help you divorce Willard."
Anne's face fell. "Then I have no demands."
Hope suggested, "You could make Francis pay."
Anne's eyes lit up again.
"But," Hope added, "Francis isn't simple. He might agree to something, but it could be a trick."
Anne's eyes dimmed once more.
Elissa hugged her. "Don't lose hope. Marriage is something outsiders shouldn't interfere with."
She added, "Ruining someone else's marriage is wrong. We care about that, so we can only help you as much as we can. If he really hits you or bullies you, we won't stand by and do nothing."
Anne asked, "Isn't emotional abuse still abuse?"
"Did you really love him during those three years?" Hope cut to the chase.
Anne clutched the throw pillow, her eyes downcast. "I had some hope back then, but he said I was too young and didn't like me. He only married me because of our grandfathers. He said he'd divorce me once they passed away."
"But when that day came, I don't know why he suddenly changed and said he liked me."
Elissa could relate, having gone through something similar with Francis.
She spoke up, "Men are jerks. They always want what they can't have. When you liked him, he didn't care. When you want to leave, he clings to you. Men in power are even worse because they're used to being pampered."
Anne said, "Why should they get to do whatever they want? Elissa, this time you should teach him a lesson."
Elissa didn't dare.
Francis was a madman. If she stirred up more trouble, things would get chaotic.
Elissa said, "But Francis had the right to reject me when I pursued him."
Anne used the throw pillow to hit an imaginary Willard. "I hate him. Damn Willard."
Hope went to get some wine and glasses, along with some food Francis had made in the fridge. "Let's not think about it. Tonight's a rare chance. Let's have a drink."
Anne immediately perked up.
Elissa found a movie to play in the background.
Outside, someone was reporting to Aiden. "Francis's people have left. Only Jerry and Willard's people are at Elissa's place. We can't see inside the house. The curtains are drawn, so we can't tell what's happening."
Aiden was deep in thought. Dash couldn't help but ask, "What's going on with Francis?"
Willard arrived at the bar and found Francis and Jerry in a private room. They had already had quite a bit to drink.
To be precise, Francis had drunk a lot.
Jerry was only sipping occasionally.
Francis was downing his drinks.
But they both looked at Willard the same way, as if to say, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be comforting Anne? We gave you a chance, and you blew it. No wonder Anne wants to divorce you."
Willard took off his black coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and poured himself a drink.
Jerry swirled his glass, a faint smile on his lips. "Why are you here?"
Willard heard the mockery in his tone and his face darkened. "You've made the conflict between Anne and me even worse, yet you claim you gave me a chance."
Jerry chuckled. "You couldn't handle it, and now you're blaming us?"
Willard downed his drink. "She almost hated me."
Jerry raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything. I went to tell her how I felt, and she said she hated me. She didn't believe me at all."
"That's because you've lied to her too many times," Francis said coldly. "So she doesn't trust you. It's normal."
Willard had never failed before.
But now he felt like he had been tricked by these two.
Willard asked, "You set me up to get hurt, didn't you?"
Jerry laughed. "How can you say that? We're friends trying to help you save your marriage. Is that wrong?"
Willard sneered. "You knew she wouldn't believe me, yet you staged a breakup and sent me to her when she was defending Elissa. Isn't that a setup?"
Francis tapped his glass on the coffee table. "You deserve to be divorced."
Jerry nodded in agreement.
Willard's mind, usually sharp in business, couldn't grasp the logic here.
He complained, "I did everything you said, but the outcome was different."
Francis and Jerry exchanged a glance and smiled.
Willard stared at them for nearly five seconds.
His gaze turned icy as he grabbed a bottle and pressed it against the back of Francis's head. "Turns out, you were tricking me."
Francis raised his hands lazily, sipping his drink slowly. His voice was hoarse, slurred with alcohol. "Love has slowed you down—just let it go. It's not meant for you."
In the end, Jerry and Willard had to drag Francis out of the bar.
They noticed someone taking pictures but pretended not to see.
Once they got in the car, Francis's eyes instantly cleared up.
Jerry patted Willard on the shoulder. "I'll leave the task of getting him home to you."
He needed to get back to his precious daughter; Hope definitely wasn't coming home tonight.
Willard got in the car, and it slowly pulled away.
He rolled down the window and glanced in the rearview mirror.
He said to Francis, "It's past midnight, and they're still watching you. They're persistent."
Francis let out a cold laugh. "Aiden probably hasn't slept a wink lately."
Willard didn't disagree.
This battle was a gamble for the entire family.
They followed Francis all the way to his house before finally retreating.
As they got out of the car, Francis stopped Willard. "You don't need to come up."
Willard replied, "I'm staying at your place to save money."
Francis wasn't drunk to the point of being out of it, but his mind didn't quite catch up. "You're saving money?"
"Is that a problem?"
Francis didn't argue and headed to the bedroom.
Willard followed him inside, only to be blocked at the door. "The guest room is across the hall."
"I checked. No blankets."
Francis waved Hayden over.
Hayden immediately stepped forward. "Mr. Larson, let me know if you need anything."
In that moment of distraction, Francis shut the master bedroom door.
Willard, realizing too late, angrily kicked the door.
He called out, "Who wants to sleep with you anyway?"
Hayden was used to their interactions and went to get Willard a blanket and toiletries.
The men went to sleep.
Meanwhile, the women, having drunk themselves silly, also fell asleep together.
At the Wright Villa, however, the lights were still on.
Aiden was wide awake, and as soon as his men returned, he urgently asked, "How did it go?"
The subordinate reported, "We couldn't get into the private room, but we bribed a waiter who said Francis was drinking alone. We got pictures of him being carried out, looking very upset. It seems like they really broke up."
Aiden's finger-twisting of his ring sped up.
After a moment of silence, Dash, anxious, asked, "Can we proceed to the next step?"
Aiden shook his head. "No, something's off."
Elissa's father had a shady past. When Francis first started dating her, the Peterson family had investigated to separate them.
It was then that Aiden had created a fake Ollie.
Coincidentally, there was someone who looked just like Ollie.
With some adjustments, they looked identical.
So, back then, despite all the chaos, Francis didn't break up with her.
Why would he now?
"Something's not right..." Aiden murmured.
The online buzz wasn't affecting him much, but it was hitting Elissa hard, and he was doing nothing, letting the video spread...
"What's not right?" Aiden's father asked.
Aiden couldn't sit still and began pacing. "He must have a backup plan."
Just then, Aiden's most trusted aide brought news.
Francis's people were investigating the mining accident.
Aiden's face changed dramatically, and he looked sharply at his father.
Dash, confused, asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Aiden took a deep breath. "Wasn't the mining accident handled properly?"
Dash's face also changed, and he stammered, "N-no... but if Francis investigates..."
If Francis investigated, they might not be able to keep it hidden.
No matter how well they covered it up, he could still find traces.
Aiden said coldly, "You keep an eye on things here. I'll handle the mining accident."
After speaking to Dash, he hurriedly left.
At the same time, Francis received a message: [Mr. Peterson, Aiden is heading to Rosewood City.]
He smirked and texted: [Start releasing the evidence gradually.]
Hayden: [Understood.]
A tremendous amount of activity took place online every day. Celebrity gossip often topped the trending charts. News like Elissa's would usually fade away within a day. However, Aiden's efforts to keep it trending ensured it stayed in the top ten.
As the evidence surfaced, it quickly drew the focus of internet users.
[Plot twist!]
[Oh my God! This isn't disciplining a child; it's outright abuse!]
[She was almost beaten to death. I wouldn't support such a vile father either.]
The video only showed part of the evidence of Elissa being abused by Ollie.
The rest would be released gradually to keep the online buzz going.
"Why aren't you sleeping, sitting by the window?" Willard asked.
Thirsty from the alcohol, Willard got up to get some water and was startled by Francis.
He was hidden in the shadows, his cold aura making the room's temperature control useless.
It felt like ice crystals were floating in the air.
Willard walked over with his water cup. "Can't sleep after the breakup?"
Francis just handed him his phone.
Willard saw the video of Elissa being abused and cursed, "Is this her biological father?"
Their family was strict, but not as brutal as Ollie. He was really beating her to death.
Francis said, "To avoid alerting Aiden, the paternity test is still being done. It has to be repeated several times to ensure no tampering."
Willard understood why Francis was standing there.
He turned off the video and patted his shoulder. "It's all in the past. With you around, no one will ever hit her again."
Francis didn't respond.
Willard took a sip of water and continued, "I don't think he's Elissa's real dad."
Elissa and the others slept off their hangover until almost noon.
It was Jerry's call to Hope that woke them up.
"What?" Hope was still groggy.
Jerry chuckled. "Check online."
Hope told Elissa to go online. Elissa found her phone under the coffee table and opened Twitter.
She saw that the people who had been cursing her were now cursing Ollie.
The video of her being abused had been posted online.
She scratched her head, still a bit dazed.
This was a bit sudden.
She thought it would take another two days.
Anne looked over and was stunned.
She knew Elissa had a rough past but didn't realize it was this bad.
Anne gritted her teeth and said, "He still came to find you and posted videos online calling you ungrateful? People like that don't deserve to live."
Elissa used to feel fear and pain when she saw Ollie or the videos of her being beaten.
But now, she felt nothing.
It was like watching someone else's story.
Elissa said calmly, "He'll pay for his evil deeds eventually."
Anne hugged Elissa tightly. "Elissa, I'll protect you from now on."
Elissa patted her head. "You should protect yourself first. I'm fine."
Anne almost forgot that Elissa hadn't really broken up with Francis.
Anne smiled sheepishly.
Elissa was about to order takeout when the doorbell rang.
Hope got up to answer it and smiled when she saw who it was on the screen.
She teased, "How kind of you to deliver food to us in his busy schedule."
Jerry handed her the food but didn't come in. He advised, "It's best not to go out for the next few days."
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