Chapter 424 Beyond the Single Path
Elissa wasn't buying it. "You just want to help Willard."
Francis chuckled. "It's your call."
The doorbell rang.
Elissa, chewing on a piece of meat, mumbled, "My place has been pretty busy lately."
Francis got up to answer the door.
It was Hayden. He hesitated, "Mr. Peterson, you didn't answer your phone or reply to my messages, so I had no choice but to..."
Francis's expression stayed neutral. "Spit it out."
Hayden glanced behind him and lowered his voice. "The investigation team is here."
Francis's eyes flickered, but his voice remained calm. "Got it."
He turned back, walked over to Elissa, and bent down to kiss her.
He said softly, "I have to go away on business."
Elissa didn't ask much. With his job, business trips and meetings were the norm.
"How long?"
"Not sure."
Francis grabbed his phone, quickly scanning through calls and messages.
As he put on his coat, he said, "Hayden will stay with you. If you need anything, just ask him."
"I might not be able to take calls for the next few days. For important matters, talk to Hope. Don't make decisions on your own," he added.
Elissa popped a strawberry into his mouth. "Save the sermon. I'm perfectly capable of handling this myself."
Francis swallowed the strawberry and tapped her forehead with his knuckles. "Is it wrong to care about you?"
"No." Elissa pushed him towards the door. "Everything you say is right. Now go. I could use a few quiet days."
Francis almost laughed in exasperation. "Am I wasting your time? Already tired of me? I haven't been that bad, have I..."
Elissa shut the door.
Francis smiled at the door, but as he turned away, his face turned serious.
Even Hayden thought Francis had lost it.
Francis instructed, "You stay here."
After giving his instructions, Francis left with Felix and a few others.
Elissa was about to call Hope to ask about the situation.
She had a gut feeling something was off with Francis.
Just as she picked up her phone, an unknown number called.
She hesitated but answered, "Hello, who is this?"
Hayden saw Elissa getting ready to leave and asked, "Are you going to see Mrs. Hammer?"
Elissa nodded. "I need to discuss some work matters. The clothes from Seaside City are ready, so I might need to travel."
Hayden didn't ask further and drove Elissa to Tranquil Haven.
But at an intersection, she asked him to turn.
"Where are we going?"
"To the office, of course, to discuss work."
Made sense.
Hayden didn't suspect anything.
The car entered the parking lot, and he followed Elissa to the ElevateJoy conference room.
Elissa stopped him. "You wait outside. You can't hear business secrets."
Hayden thought it was fine. He'd be right outside, and they were on a high floor. She couldn't fly away.
He nodded in agreement.
Elissa opened the conference room door and walked in.
Someone was already waiting.
But it wasn't Hope.
"Mrs. Peterson, would you like something to drink?"
She sat across from the person, ready to contact her assistant.
Elysia waved her hand. "No, I'm not here for a drink."
Elissa put down her phone. "Just say what you need to."
Elysia didn't have a personal grudge against Elissa. But she had that kind of father. No matter how great she was, that stain wouldn't go away.
"So, Francis told you he was going on a business trip?" Elysia asked.
Elissa felt nervous around the Peterson family. They were powerful, each member carrying an inherent pressure. She was just an ordinary person, no match for them. So she decided to be straightforward.
She said, "Just tell me what's going on or what you want to say."
Elysia didn't mince words. "Francis has been taken for investigation."
Elissa's fingers curled, her eyes showing her anxiety. Elysia noticed her small movements.
"Don't pretend to be calm. It's normal to have emotions. If it weren't for you, Francis wouldn't be in this situation."
Elissa couldn't argue.
Elysia continued, "I've known this day would come. Your father is a ticking time bomb, bound to explode. I've said it before, if you love Francis, you shouldn't be a stain in his life. I've held back before, but now I have to be the bad guy. Leave Francis. Name your terms."
Elissa clenched her hands, her fingertips turning white. Her face turned pale. It took her a while to find her voice.
"Francis is being investigated just because of me?"
"What else do you think it could be?" Elysia retorted.
Elissa took a deep breath. "Ollie didn't just hit me; he intentionally harmed me. I can sue him, and the law will sever our ties. Even if Francis and I aren't married, how am I a stain? No one online is talking about this anymore. Ollie will go to jail for his crimes. How does that affect Francis?"
Elysia's eyes flashed with a quick emotion. She hadn't expected Elissa to say that.
"As long as he's your father, he's a stain. Not good for Francis's career. If you truly love him, you should think more about him. Marriage is out of the question."
Elissa pressed her lips together, taking a few seconds before speaking, "I'm also curious. If you can't persuade him, why ask me to give up? I've given up once before, and you saw how that turned out. Repeating the same trick won't change Francis's decisions. He'd even change his life for me."
Elysia's smile faded a bit. She wasn't here to hear Elissa talk about how much Francis loved her.
"Changing his life for you, does that make you feel touched? You can't help him, and now you're making him give up his planned future for you? He could have a bright future, but you want him to walk a muddy path with you?"
Elissa smiled. "Don't say that, Mrs. Peterson. Francis's current plan is something you imposed on him. Even if he goes into business, he can still bring glory to the Peterson family. His life could take many different paths."
Elysia gritted her teeth. She felt her newly planted teeth couldn't withstand the pressure, starting to loosen. This looseness sparked her anger. She turned completely cold towards Elissa. "You don't understand, so don't speak so grandly. What benefits the Peterson family isn't for an outsider to comment on."
Elissa countered, "Then why blame everything on me, an outsider?"
Elysia wanted to say more, but Elissa had heard enough. It was just another attempt to coerce her into leaving Francis quietly. After the last time, she wasn't falling for it again.
Elissa said coldly, "Will you leave on your own, or should I call someone to escort you out?"
Hayden was shocked to see Elysia coming out of the conference room. It dawned on him that Elissa had tricked him. But now, he couldn't even report it.
"I trained you all to follow Francis, not to indulge his whims," Elysia fumed, needing an outlet for her anger. At her age, such stress could land her in the hospital. "Francis is in this mess partly because of you. Come home with me and face your punishment!"
Hayden knew he couldn't leave. "When Mr. Peterson returns, you can punish me however you want, but I can't leave now. Please calm down."
Elysia's breathing became labored with anger. "You've got some nerve! Do you know who's in charge here? Without the Peterson family, you'd have died in the slums!"
Hayden didn't deny it. He bowed respectfully. "I remember the Peterson family's kindness, but Mrs. Elysia Peterson, Mr. Francis Peterson is now the head of the Peterson family. The unspoken rule is that all subordinates must unconditionally obey the head. Mr. Francis Peterson ordered me to stay here and protect Mrs. Elissa Peterson, so I can't go back with you for punishment. I hope you understand."
Elysia eventually fainted from anger. Elissa and Hayden took Elysia to the hospital. The Peterson family members arrived upon hearing the news.
Rainey, upon seeing Elissa, raised her hand to slap her. Hayden quickly stepped in, taking the slap himself.
Rainey shouted, "You've turned against us! You take the Peterson family's salary to protect an outsider?"
Hayden was tired of explaining. He didn't mind suffering, but Elissa couldn't be harmed, not even a hair. "If you're angry, take it out on me."
As Rainey raised her hand again, Elissa pulled Hayden aside and grabbed Rainey's wrist. "He's just doing his job. This isn't the old days with slaves you can beat at will."
Rainey's eyes blazed with fury. She pulled her hand back, still aiming to hit Elissa. Elissa didn't flinch. Rainey's hand didn't come down.
Fuming, she said, "You have only one option: leave the country. If you want a good life, you'd better agree."
Elissa smiled. "Mrs. Peterson, you don't have the authority to decide whether I stay or go."
Rainey gritted her teeth. "Francis can't even protect himself now. Do you think he can still protect you? If I want to send you away, can you resist?"
Elissa put a finger to her lips. "Mrs. Peterson, this is a hospital. No loud noises."
Rainey was momentarily speechless, then even angrier. She raised her voice. "This is a VIP ward. If I want, I can book the whole floor and be as loud as I want. Only a commoner like you would follow such useless rules."
Elissa was speechless. First, she talked about the Peterson family rules, and now this. She didn't bother responding. It was the same old argument, a waste of breath.
She said, "Hayden, let's go."
Rainey blocked Elissa. "You think you can just leave after putting my mother in the hospital?"
Elissa's patience was wearing thin. "I'll cover the medical bills and take responsibility for any issues. Is that enough?"
"We don't need your money. If you don't get along with our family, leave Francis and leave the country."
Elissa's patience finally snapped. "I can give up Francis."
Hayden was shocked. "Mr. Peterson..."
Elissa raised a hand to stop him and looked at Rainey. "If you can meet one condition, I'll leave the country immediately."
Rainey, seeing her relent, calmed down a bit. "Name it."
Elissa said, "Have Francis break up with me himself, and I'll leave him."
Rainey realized she was being played and raised her hand. Elissa sidestepped. Rainey overextended and strained her back. Jacob quickly supported her, about to speak. Elissa had already walked away with Hayden. His eyes grew cold.
In the car, Elissa asked Hayden, "Is Francis really leaving just you to protect me?"
Hayden started the car. "Of course not. I'm just the visible one."
Elissa sighed in relief. "Good, otherwise I'd worry. If the Peterson family came after me, I'd be a goner."
Hayden rarely laughed. "Don't worry. Mr. Peterson is in charge now. Even if the Peterson family wants to do something, we'd know immediately. Even if they hired outsiders, they couldn't touch you."
Elissa asked, "Tell me the truth, what's going on with Francis?"
Hayden hesitated. Elissa kicked his seat, threatening, "You know Francis believes everything I say. If I tell him you were inappropriate with me..."
"I'll tell you!"
Elissa crossed her arms, waiting. Hayden made her promise, "If Mr. Peterson asks, you have to protect me."
Elissa agreed. "Fine."
Hayden finally said, "Don't worry too much. It's just routine questioning. Aiden wasn't caught. He must be unwilling to leave the country quietly, so he reported Mr. Peterson. They'll probably question him for a few days and release him if they find nothing."
He made it sound easy, but Elissa was worried. Even if she didn't understand, she knew there were undercurrents.
"If they investigate us as an unmarried couple, wouldn't that..."
"Don't think that way. It's not really related to you. Your situation isn't a stain."
The paternity test results couldn't be revealed to Elissa yet. After a long pause, he added, "Mr. Peterson can always change direction."
Elissa had said that to Elysia. But she didn't want Francis always changing his plans for her. She couldn't help him in his career. She didn't want to be a burden.
"Take me to Tranquil Haven." She needed to talk to Hope.
Hayden was eager to take Elissa to Hope. As long as she didn't overthink, he'd be grateful.
Hope had already heard the news. When Elissa arrived, she wasn't surprised. She made her a hot latte and brought some sweets.
Hope smiled. "Something warm and sweet to calm you down."
Elissa hugged her. "You know me so well."
Hope patted her back, comforting her. "Don't overthink. Even if you make a decision, wait for Francis to come back and tell him face-to-face. It's a decision for both of you, not just one."
Elissa countered, "But he didn't tell me about this. He kept it from me, thinking it was for my own good, not wanting me to worry."
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