Chapter 435 See You at City Hall Next Monday
Willard could hear them even from a couple of people away. She was right next to them, so there was no way she couldn't hear.
Hope glanced at Willard and reached out to fix her hair. "Just some casual chat, why are you so tense? I was thinking, if you don't have anyone you like, once you're divorced, I could introduce you to someone."
Willard tightened her grip on the glass in her hand. A faint crack appeared in the transparent glass.
Jerry's lips curled up, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Mr. Larson can't stay single after the divorce. The family needed a woman to take care of things."
Willard's eyes narrowed slightly. What game were this couple playing?
Willard said flatly, "I'm not planning on getting divorced."
Jerry responded with a drawn-out tone, his arm resting on the back of Hope's chair, his finger poking her head. "Honey, he doesn't want a divorce. Don't mess things up with your good intentions."
Hope nodded, "I was being presumptuous. My apologies. I'll drink to that." She raised her coffee cup to Willard and downed it in one go.
Willard pressed his tongue against his cheek and downed a large glass of wine. The food hadn't even arrived yet, and he was already showing signs of drunkenness.
Jerry leisurely refilled his glass. Hope put down her coffee cup and looked at Anne, speaking softly, "You can tell me in secret. I won't tell anyone."
Elissa leaned in. "I won't tell anyone either."
Anne didn't believe them. She shook her head. "There's no one."
The waiter started bringing out the dishes, temporarily halting the conversation.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise nearby. She watched as Francis abruptly stood up, knocking over his chair, and quickly ran out.
Jerry got up slowly, supporting the half-drunk Willard to go check it out. Leaning against the bathroom door, he peeked inside and let out a sigh.
Willard pressed his throbbing head, feeling slightly sobered by the sound of Francis vomiting. Francis hadn't eaten anything; he was just vomiting.
After a moment in the stall, he came out, rinsed his mouth, and washed his hands. Jerry took the opportunity to talk business. "Aiden is still locked up. When are you going to deal with it?"
Francis grabbed a paper towel, wiping his hands as he said, "In a bit." He threw the paper towel away, glanced at Willard, and said indifferently, "Let Anne keep them company and chat for a while."
Willard reacted a beat late, "The internet is buzzing with the paternity test issue. Why haven't you announced it yet? What are you waiting for?"
"I see you only have Felix with you. The driver who brought us here, besides Simon watching Aiden, what are the others doing? Why haven't you kept us in the loop?" he added.
Francis paused. He finally looked directly at Willard, and after a few seconds, asked Jerry, "Is he drunk?"
Jerry stroked his chin, amused, "Looks like it, but if he were really drunk, he wouldn't be able to analyze the situation so rationally."
Francis's lips curled slightly. "He needs more drinks."
Willard felt a headache, rubbing his head several times, not quite catching what Francis said. He asked, "What's the plan?"
Francis supported him back, "If you sober up, you'll find out. If not, don't blame me for not giving you a chance to see for yourself."
Back in the private room, while the three men were in the bathroom, Elissa and Hope were staring at Anne from either side. Anne had just eaten and was quite happy. Now, being stared at, she felt uneasy. She awkwardly changed the subject, "Elissa, did Francis really have morning sickness?"
Elissa laughed, "You're asking a bit late, aren't you? He's probably done by now."
The food smelled too good, Anne couldn't resist. She hadn't wanted to ask initially because she already knew about Francis's morning sickness at the door. She was just making conversation.
She said dryly, "Francis really loves you..."
"I know that." Elissa added food to her plate, "So, you and that teacher, there's nothing romantic?"
Anne's eyes widened, the food in her mouth losing its flavor. "Don't say that. The teacher and I are completely innocent."
"So you really don't have anyone you like?" Hope confirmed again.
The three men happened to walk behind the screen, stopping at her words. Anne hesitated, rubbing her hands, not speaking for a long time.
Hope pressed, "You're hesitating, seems like you still have someone in mind."
"No, it's not..." Anne scratched her head in frustration, but after denying it, she didn't continue.
Hope sipped her tea. "I don't mean anything by it. Just thinking if you truly have someone you like, maybe Mr. Larson would agree to the divorce."
Anne shook her head. "No?" Elissa guessed, and Anne quickly said, "No, if I tell him I have someone I like, he definitely won't agree to the divorce."
Hope asked, "You know him that well?"
Anne smiled bitterly. She had once loved him deeply, knowing his likes and dislikes better than she knew herself. But her efforts had gone unnoticed. Now that she no longer cared for his response, he began to cling to her. She had once understood him, but now he was a mystery to her.
She replied, "I don't have anyone I like, and I don't want to... put my heart into loving someone again."
At that moment, Willard felt like he was lying on train tracks. The train roared past, taking away all his senses, leaving only endless despair. This pain was worse than death. The thought of Anne liking someone else was unbearable, but the idea of her losing her ability to love was even more devastating."
Elissa and Hope didn't expect Anne to cry in the end. Elissa quickly hugged her, Hope wiped her tears.
Hope said, "I didn't mean to make you sad. Just wanted to break the stalemate between you and Willard."
Anne held Hope's hand, "I know, you and Elissa truly care about me." She sniffled, "The worst times are over. I don't know why... tear incontinence is just annoying."
"Alright, let's not talk about it. Let's eat!" Elissa let go of her, adding more food to her plate, "Eat while it's warm, it won't taste good cold."
"Elissa, Hope, you eat too."
"Okay." They replied in unison.
After a few seconds, the three men returned to their seats. Elissa wanted to add food for Francis, but he stopped her. "Not hungry, you eat."
Elissa had ordered soup for him. "Drink some."
Francis took a sip, then put it down. "You eat, don't worry about me."
Elissa felt concerned. "I'll ask Ms. Bishop..."
Francis interrupted her, "It's fine. If I weren't like this, you'd be suffering."
"But..."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice, "Later, keep Anne company. I'll take Willard home. Jerry has things to do later, let Hope stay with you."
Elissa didn't miss the cold glint in Francis's eyes. He wasn't just taking Willard home, nor did Jerry have things to do. He was going to handle something. She didn't ask, just smiled, "I'll wait for you at home."
Francis picked out fish bones for her, "If you're tired, sleep first. I'll definitely come home, I promise."
"Okay."
Nearby, Jerry whispered a few words to Hope. Hope nodded, indicating she understood. Anne looked around, feeling awkward sitting there. Better to eat.
The dessert was placed right in front of her.
She didn't look up, but she could feel someone staring at her intensely.
Her long lashes fluttered quickly, but she stayed still.
Hope reached out and handed her a dessert.
Hope asked casually, "You like sweets?"
Anne paused, took a bite of the lotus root cake, and mumbled, "Yeah, I do. Sweets make me happy."
Hope chuckled, "No wonder you and Elissa hit it off. She loves sweets when she's down too."
"Exactly." Elissa handed Anne another dessert, "Eat up, you're so skinny. No need to diet."
Suddenly, a deep, hoarse voice filled the room, heavy with the scent of alcohol, "She doesn't gain weight."
The others turned to look, but Anne kept her head down.
She quietly finished her dessert.
She almost forgot, Willard hated sweets the most.
Despite making birthday cakes for him for years, he never took a single bite.
The private room fell into an awkward silence.
When the waiter came to serve the dessert, he didn't dare make a sound, quickly placing it down and leaving.
Willard sat in his seat.
The mango cake was right beside him.
Maybe because of the alcohol, he picked up a piece and took a bite.
It did cut the bitterness of the alcohol, but he still didn't like the overly sweet taste.
Elissa broke the tension, turning the lazy Susan to give Anne some cake. "I remember you love mango."
Anne suddenly said, "I don't like it anymore."
Willard's usually straight back slumped.
Hope chimed in, "Jerry, Mr. Larson is drunk."
She signaled to Jerry.
Jerry patted her head, stood up, and helped Willard up.
He nodded at Francis, who also stood up.
"Order whatever you want, it's on me." Then Francis whispered to Elissa, "Felix will take you home. Call me if you need anything."
"Got it. Don't worry. Make sure you eat something too."
"Okay."
As Francis approached Willard to support him, Willard pushed him and Jerry away, staggering towards the door.
At the door, he opened it but paused.
Everyone heard his clear yet firm voice, saying, "See you at City Hall next Monday."
Anne clenched the tablecloth tightly.
Francis and Jerry quickly stepped forward and escorted Willard out.
In the car, Francis asked, "Is he completely wasted?"
Willard pressed his forehead, shaking his head in denial.
"So, are you really getting divorced?" Francis took a sip of lemon water, continuing, "Did the alcohol help you think clearly?"
Jerry glanced at the lemon water in Francis's hand, unable to resist teasing him, "You're living like a pregnant woman now."
Francis didn't respond, feeling nauseous, he leaned back in his seat to rest.
Willard spoke up, "How could I really get divorced?"
Francis opened his eyes, meeting Jerry's gaze.
They knew Willard was always calculating.
Back in the private room.
Elissa tried to lighten the mood. "No mango today. I don't feel like eating it either."
Hope teased her, "You should cut back on mango now."
Elissa stuck out her tongue and called the waiter over. "Can we get a cake without peanuts?" Then she turned to Hope and Anne. "How about blueberry?"
"Sure, blueberry sounds good," Hope replied.
"Great, I'm actually in the mood for a blueberry-flavored cake today," Anne also said.
"Please wait a moment," the waiter said before leaving.
After the waiter left, Elissa and Hope noticed Anne still seemed down. They exchanged a glance, and Elissa asked, "Shouldn't you be happy about the divorce? Isn't this what you wanted most?"
Anne crumpled the corner of the tablecloth. She couldn't understand Willard, but she knew him well enough. With a sigh, she said, "When he decides something, he rarely changes his mind. Like those three years, he said he wouldn't contact me, and he really didn't."
Elissa raised a question, "So you mean, if he says no divorce, he won't easily change his mind?"
Anne nodded.
"Maybe he saw how upset you were," Hope analyzed. "Perhaps you mean a lot to him." She originally wanted to say he liked her a lot but changed her words to avoid pressuring Anne.
Elissa patted her shoulder, "You'll find out at City Hall next Monday."
Anne couldn't be that optimistic. "Last time I told you guys in the group, he changed his approach. I think agreeing to the divorce is part of it. And he said it while drunk. If he claims it was just drunken talk, what can I do?"
Elissa and Hope agreed. "Didn't Willard's parents promise to help persuade him? Maybe they did. Anyway, don't be so pessimistic. We'll see then."
Hope echoed Elissa, "I have business in Seaside City next Monday. I'll go with you."
Anne felt more confident now. When the blueberry cake arrived, she ate two pieces.
In the basement of Amber District, Simon knew Francis was coming and waited at the door early. "Mr. Peterson, please."
Francis walked in, but as soon as he reached the stairs, he felt nauseous. His brows furrowed, and he quickly turned to leave.
Jerry took a step inside. The smell was indeed unpleasant, with a faint scent of blood in the air. But it was exaggerated to not tolerate any other smell?
Willard leaned against the wall, having taken hangover medicine, but his head still hurt. His reactions were slower than usual. Jerry asked him to sit, but he refused.
After several seconds, he asked, "Is Francis's morning sickness that bad?"
Simon was shocked. He had been isolated to guard Aiden, with no communication signal to prevent anyone from rescuing Aiden. Though investigations showed no one could rescue him, precautions were necessary. So he had just contacted the outside world, learning Francis was coming.
His jaw dropped to the floor. "Mr. Peterson, morning sickness?"
Jerry smiled meaningfully. "You didn't know? Mr. Peterson is pregnant."
"What!"
Jerry was about to say more when he sensed something behind him and dodged Francis's kick.
Simon stared at Francis, his mouth wide enough to swallow a stone. "Mr. Peterson, you..."
Francis gave him a cold look. "Use your brain."
He wore a mask and walked into the basement. Jerry raised his hand, tapping his forehead with his finger. "Use your brain."
Simon was speechless.
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