Chapter 436 Suicide
The basement was dimly lit.
Francis took cautious steps forward, finally seeing the scene below.
Aiden was chained by the neck, filthy from a month of neglect. His exposed skin was cracked and bleeding.
His unkempt hair hung like branches, obscuring his eyes.
At that moment, he was on the ground, eating something from a bowl.
It looked like pig slop.
Francis couldn't bear to look and turned away.
The nausea from his pregnancy was worse than his stomach issues.
Francis said coldly, "Even in this state, you're still alive. Do you really think you'll get a chance to kill me one day?"
Aiden continued eating, ignoring the cold, indifferent voice.
Francis kicked over the stainless steel bowl.
His expression was icy. "You're tougher than I thought. No wonder the Wright family thrived under you. Without you, they're nothing but a joke now."
The feud between the Peterson family and the Wright family went back generations.
They were enemies, but also worthy adversaries.
The mistake was that Aiden targeted Elissa.
Francis pressed on, "What's the point of just one media outlet?"
Francis took a small knife from the wall and then squatted down in front of Aiden. "You went all out, and I'm still fine. A small media outlet is nothing. Public opinion is powerful, but it doesn't affect me."
Aiden finally looked at Francis, grinning menacingly. "That wasn't to deal with you. I never imagined someone as detached as you could care so deeply for a woman. When she's sad, when she's in despair, doesn't it feel like your heart is being torn apart? And her skin is so delicate..."
Francis moved slightly, and a cut appeared on Aiden's mouth, making him look like a clown.
Aiden seemed unfazed by the pain. "Francis, you've got more enemies than just me. And even if I'm gone, I'll still be there to see you crash and burn. Your weakness is deadly."
Francis felt nauseous again, his hand trembling. He dropped the knife and left the basement.
He went to the bathroom and vomited. He hadn't eaten much dinner, and his head was spinning.
Jerry handed him a glass of lemon water. "Here."
Francis took a sip and looked in the mirror, his eyes red.
Jerry found it amusing. "You can't stand any smell. How are you going to deal with Aiden? Weren't you going to make him pay a thousand times over?"
Francis hadn't expected it to be this bad. He thought being with Elissa would make it worse.
Now, he couldn't stand any strong smells.
After a moment, Francis walked out and instructed Simon. "Show him the paternity test. Don't let him off easy."
Simon hesitated. "Mr. Peterson, you..."
Francis gave him a cold look, and Simon quickly left.
Francis lifted the sleeping Willard from the couch.
Jerry helped on the other side.
Francis said, "We should've taken him to the hotel first."
"He was awake earlier. He wouldn't have stayed at the hotel. It's fine now."
They put Willard in the car. Francis could take him to the hotel and wash off the blood.
Jerry said, "Changing clothes won't fool Elissa. She'll know what you did."
Francis fastened his belt. "She already suspects."
Jerry asked, "You didn't tell Elissa about the paternity test results?"
"I'm telling her now."
Amber District.
Simon handed the paternity test report to Aiden.
Aiden saw the names and the result: no biological relationship.
He couldn't believe it.
He widened his eyes. "How is that possible!"
If Elissa wasn't Ollie's biological daughter, she wouldn't be a stain on Francis.
Even without prominent parents—or any parents at all—she was still better than Ollie's daughter.
He gasped, "Francis sent this to deceive me! Otherwise, why did he leave halfway through our conversation? My plan must be working, so he's desperate now!"
Simon kicked Aiden. "Who has time to fake this? Mr. Peterson doesn't waste time on you. I handle these things. You're not worth Mr. Peterson's time. Even if Ms. Wilson were Ollie's daughter, Mr. Peterson would still marry her—unlike you."
Aiden couldn't accept it. What was the point of losing his true love?
Francis was outside Elissa's building when he got a call from Simon.
He didn't get out of the car and answered, "Is it done?"
"No, Mr. Peterson..." Simon hesitated. "Aiden insists on telling you a secret before he dies."
Simon was smarter than Felix.
If Felix had called, Francis wouldn't have thought much of it.
But Simon's call made him think.
"Put him on speaker."
"Go ahead." Simon held the phone to Aiden.
"Francis, I want to know how you managed to marry the woman you love."
Francis scoffed. "That's your secret?"
Aiden couldn't understand why fate favored Francis.
They had similar backgrounds, both in power, on the same path.
Yet Francis overcame obstacles, saved his love, and married her.
While Aiden lost everything and became a fugitive.
He couldn't understand.
"I'll trade the Wright family's biggest secret. After that, there will be no Wright family. I have one request: bury me with Pippa."
Francis replied, "You could've protected her, but you didn't. You knew bringing her back meant death, but you did it anyway. You don't love her. You love yourself and power. That's why we're different. I love her more."
Suddenly, Simon cursed and reported, "Mr. Peterson, he swallowed poison."
He had survived a month of eating like a pig.
Now he chose to end it.
Francis lowered his gaze.
He told Simon to clean up.
He hung up and said to Jerry, "What's the point of his regret now? She's been dead for years. If he truly cared, he would've died with her."
Jerry didn't comment.
Aiden was a fraud, even fooling himself.
Jerry asked, "What about the Baker family?"
Francis lost in thought and then sent a message to Simon to deliver Aiden's body to the Baker family.
Aiden never revealed the Wright family's secret, yet he hoped to be buried with his love.
Jerry's phone buzzed twice, and he smirked. "The families of the mining accident victims have spoken. Have you sorted out the human trafficking issue on your end?" Francis had also received messages from Arthur and the others.
He glanced at his watch. "Let's head home first. We'll deal with it tomorrow."
Jerry shrugged. "Sure, letting them have one more peaceful night won't hurt."
In reality, those people couldn't sleep at all. The quieter Francis was, the more panicked they became. They wanted to see Francis but couldn't. They wandered around their homes like headless chickens.
When Jerry got home, it was lively on Elsa's side. Hope looked at him. "Anne's staying with us tonight. She wants to play with Elsa."
Jerry took her hand. "Alright, whatever you say."
After buying the place across from Tranquil Haven, there was enough space, and it didn't interfere with their privacy. Anne, being somewhat considerate, had said she wanted to stay with Elsa and not with them.
Elsa saw Jerry and stretched out her arms, babbling incoherently.
Jerry smiled. "I just got back. Let me wash my hands before I hold you."
Hope held Elsa, who immediately planted a wet kiss on her, leaving some drool behind. Hope wiped her mouth. "You might be getting a new friend. Are you happy?"
Madison laughed. "What does she know?"
At that moment, Elsa looked at Hope and suddenly called out, "Mama!"
Hope's eyes widened with joy. "Jerry, did you hear that?"
"Mom, did she just call me?"
"Anne, you heard it too, right?"
The three of them almost spoke in unison. "We heard it."
Hope pinched Elsa's cheek. "Sweetie, say it again."
But Elsa reached for Jerry. After washing his hands, he picked her up. "What, are you going to call me too?"
Elsa, eager to please her dad, stammered, "Dada." The pronunciation wasn't perfect, but it was understandable. Jerry was thrilled and tossed her gently in the air, catching her again. Elsa laughed happily and called out again, "Dada."
Jerry didn't show as much overt excitement as Hope, but she could tell he was delighted. "You're sleeping with me tonight."
"Dada, sleep."
Hope felt a bit jealous. "You only called me once but called him three times."
"Dada."
Jerry teased Hope. "Four times now, honey."
Hope glared at him. Madison found it amusing. "Are you two seriously competing over this? 'Dada' is easier to say than 'Mama.' Kids usually say 'Dada' first when they start talking. If we're talking about closeness, I've been with her all the time, and she hasn't called me 'Grandma' once."
Elsa, being a little smarty, immediately reached for Madison. Madison took her, and Hope asked, "Does she need to poop? I'll take care of it. You rest."
"No," Madison said, tapping Elsa's little nose. "I was teaching her to say 'Grandma,' but she can't pronounce it yet."
Hope understood.
Madison continued, "Alright, you two rest. The kid will be calling 'Mama' and 'Dada' plenty in the future. By the time she's five or six, you'll be sick of it."
Hope and Jerry did have some things to discuss. She went to prepare the guest room for Anne.
Anne said, "I'll staying for a night or two."
"Perfect. Garry's off to the set for at least three months. You can stay longer if you want."
Anne sat next to Madison, making faces to entertain Elsa. She said to Madison, "If you don't walk the red carpet, I can't get any stunning photos."
"You've got a sweet mouth. I'm so old now. There are so many young, beautiful people out there."
"It's different. It's a kind of elegance. No one can match you."
While they chatted, Jerry pulled Hope to the other side. Closing the door, Jerry picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. He had been in Eldoria for a while, and it had been all look but no touch. He was pent up.
Hope looked at his eager expression, half amused, half exasperated. Just a moment ago, he was excited about sleeping with Elsa. Now, Elsa was the last thing on his mind. She tried to hold back his hot hands. "Did Willard say anything when you took him back?"
Jerry didn't want to talk, just act. Hope couldn't stop him. She surrendered, exhausted, lying on the bed, eyelids heavy with sleep. He whispered in her ear, "Divorce is not an option. Don't worry about it."
On the other side, as soon as Francis walked in, Elissa noticed something was off. But she didn't ask. She just said, "You don't look well. Did you throw up again?"
Francis changed his shoes and held her hand, leading her to the couch. "I'm fine."
Elissa's hand slipped under his shirt. Francis stopped her, his eyes darkening. "Don't tempt me. You can't right now."
Elissa glared at him and withdrew her hand. "Your abs are so defined. Have you not eaten anything?"
Francis wanted to lie but ended up nodding. "I had some lemon water. It's fine not to eat at night."
"You haven't eaten all day."
"Who said that? I ate what you left."
"You threw it all up."
Elissa insisted on contacting Coralie. "At least get some supplements. You can't keep this up."
Francis took her phone and hugged her, his chin resting on her shoulder. "I'll eat tomorrow. I have something important to tell you."
Elissa refused. "If you don't eat, I won't listen to anything you say."
She added, "Give me the phone, or I'll take our child and remarry, and the child will call someone else 'Dad.'"
Francis couldn't argue with that. He handed over the phone. He watched her anxiously contact Coralie, asking for ways to help him eat without feeling sick. Spring had arrived, and a few flowers bloomed on the balcony. The warm breeze drifted in. This was home. He felt a surge of emotion, looking at her with increasing tenderness.
"Thank you, Ms. Bishop." Elissa hung up and turned to speak, only to meet his loving gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Francis spread his arms and pulled her onto his lap. Elissa cupped his face, looking him over. "You act like you're newly in love, even though we have a child."
Francis kissed her hand. "I'll always love you like this."
Elissa shivered. "You didn't drink tonight. Did Willard's alcohol fumes get you drunk?"
"I mean it."
Elissa couldn't handle it. While cheeky remarks came easily to her, serious love talk was just not her thing.
She changed the subject. "Well, what was the important thing you wanted to tell me?"
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