Chapter 437 Not Biological
Francis said, "First off, I owe you an apology for keeping this from you for so long."
Elissa's curiosity was off the charts. "What is it? Just spill it already."
Francis wanted to ease into it, but after a moment's thought, he figured Elissa would be more relieved than upset by the truth, so he just said it. "Ollie isn't your biological father."
Elissa's eyes widened, almost bulging out of her head.
She was too shocked to speak.
She wanted to ask something, but her mouth just hung open, unable to form words.
For a moment, she thought she must have misheard.
The dark days of her past, the beatings and verbal abuse, flashed through her mind like a slideshow.
She had always felt that having such a father was a stain on her life.
On the surface, she built a tough exterior, claiming she had no heart. But deep down, she was insecure and sensitive.
After falling in love with Francis, she was constantly on edge, fearing the day her past would come to light and affect him.
And now, to hear that Ollie wasn't her biological father...
She should be happy.
She should be popping champagne to celebrate.
But her emotions were too complex to put into words.
Amidst the whirlwind of feelings, she felt something wet trickle down her cheeks.
Tears, one after another, fell onto Francis's hand.
Francis, as if scalded by hot water, trembled slightly.
He pulled her into a tight embrace, letting her release her emotions.
Elissa didn't cry for long.
Once the tears were out, her mind cleared.
A wave of joy surged through her.
She pulled away from Francis and ran to get some wine.
She said, "This calls for a celebration. I'm not stopping until I'm drunk."
Francis took the wine and glasses from her and put them back.
He looked serious. "You're pregnant."
Elissa placed a hand on her belly. "I was so happy, I forgot."
Since she couldn't drink, she wanted to share the news.
She grabbed her phone to call Hope, but Francis stopped her. "It's too late; she won't answer. She'll find out soon enough."
Feeling restless, Elissa called Anne instead.
Anne was still up, chatting with Madison.
So, Madison found out too.
"Elissa, congratulations!"
"Thank you, Ms. Ortiz."
Anne was over the moon. If Elsa weren't asleep, she would have screamed.
She said, "I always thought, what kind of father is that? I even suspected he wasn't your real dad. Turns out I was right. Maybe I have some kind of sixth sense."
"Yes, you're amazing," Elissa said, radiating happiness.
They chatted for a long time.
By the time Francis returned from giving instructions to someone, Elissa was still on the couch, talking to Anne.
"Let me tell you..."
Her phone was suddenly snatched away. She watched as Francis ended the call.
"What are you doing?"
Francis tossed the phone onto the coffee table and pulled a blanket over her.
"Phones emit radiation. You shouldn't use them for too long."
Elissa rolled her eyes but smiled. She knew the radiation from phones was minimal, but Francis was just being overly cautious.
But she also knew he was just being protective of her and their baby.
So she let it slide.
Francis patted her head. "I'm right here, and you choose to talk to someone far away."
"It's not the same."
Elissa suddenly thought of something and hugged him, her fingers playing with his shirt buttons.
Francis's muscles tensed slightly, and his breathing grew heavier. "Don't..."
Elissa turned his face towards her and kissed him.
Francis closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing. "What are you doing? Do you get off on seeing me like this?"
"Am I that kind of person? Your morning sickness makes me feel awful. Knowing you're hungry and I can't help, it drives me crazy."
"You should wipe that smile off your face before saying that."
Elissa burst into laughter.
She collapsed into his arms, laughing.
Francis sighed. "I can't win with you."
"If you have questions, just ask. No need for all this."
Elissa sat up. "You should eat something first."
"No need." The thought of food made Francis feel nauseous. "I know my limits."
"You have a stomach condition. What limits?"
Francis didn't wait for her to ask and changed the subject. "I didn't tell you earlier because Aiden is very suspicious. It's hard to make him let his guard down."
"And because we did multiple tests to be absolutely sure. We kept it secret to avoid leaking any information that might alert Aiden. That's why I didn't tell you."
"Also, I needed to announce the results at the right time to make it convincing to the public."
Elissa was amazed. "How did you know what I was going to ask?"
Francis knew her too well.
All her little actions were driven by her curiosity.
"You partly blame me, so you were trying to teased me."
"Wow, you see right through me."
Francis ruffled her hair and headed to the bathroom.
Elissa followed. "What are you doing?"
"Taking a shower."
"If you shower on an empty stomach, you'll get dizzy."
"I'll take a cold shower."
Elissa blushed, feeling a bit guilty. "Sorry about earlier..."
"No need."
Francis bent down to look her in the eye, his gaze growing intense. "Even if you did nothing, I'd still need a cold shower tonight. Just seeing you..."
Elissa covered his mouth, gave him a playful glare, and ran off, saying, "I'll order takeout. You have to eat after your shower."
Francis chuckled softly and reminded her, "Take it slow."
"Got it!"
Elissa ordered some appetizers since Francis didn't have any particular food preferences. Following Coralie's advice, she also had Felix pick up some medicine for Francis.
It actually worked.
Half an hour before dinner, Francis took the medicine and was able to eat without feeling nauseous.
Elissa was thrilled and quickly messaged Coralie to thank her.
Coralie responded quickly: [No problem, it's my first time treating a guy for morning sickness. Thanks for letting me use Francis as a guinea pig. But seriously, don't go too easy on men.]
Elissa chuckled at the messages. She replied: [Got it, I'll keep that in mind.]
As soon as she replied, Francis took her phone and placed it on the coffee table.
Elissa asked thoughtfully, "Did you know Ms. Bishop before?"
"Not really."
Francis glanced at the time and asked, "Are you tired?"
Elissa was definitely not tired.
She asked,"Mr. Armstrong said Ms. Bishop is family. But she just reminded me not to be too soft on men. Her kid is four years old. Did someone from the Armstrong family do something to her?"
Francis smirked. "You're so nosy, why didn't you become a journalist? Fashion design is really a waste of your talent. Maybe you could clean up all the societal scum."
Elissa playfully slapped him. "That's not what I want to hear."
Francis genuinely didn't know much about Coralie's situation.
He wasn't close with the Armstrong family; Willard knew more about the intricacies.
Francis replied, "I only know it was unpleasant. For specifics, you'd have to ask Willard."
Elissa stared at him.
Eventually, her gaze made him a bit uneasy. "What?"
Elissa crossed her arms and squinted. "Are you thinking that if I ask Willard, he might use it as leverage to get me to help him with Anne?"
Francis rubbed his forehead. "You really know me well."
Elissa proudly lifted her chin. "Of course."
Francis lifted his hand and gently touched her chin. "It's not about helping. Willard can solve their issues on his own. He just thought you might help by asking Anne what she's thinking."
"If he can solve it, why doesn't he know what Anne is thinking?"
Francis honestly didn't care about Willard's issues.
But Willard was a good friend and had always been there for him.
Just because he couldn't intervene directly didn't mean he couldn't help indirectly.
Elissa continued, "Sometimes, you don't need to take so many detours."
She understood perfectly.
Before they reconciled, she had seen how he and Willard schemed together.
Both of them were equally cunning.
She pouted. "I won't betray a friend for gossip. Do what you want. If I don't hear any gossip, I can't sleep. Your child's well-being depends on you."
His wife and child were more important.
Francis raised his hand in a gesture. "I swear, I really don't know the specifics. I only know Coralie's personality is like that, unrelated to the child's father. But what exactly happened, I haven't asked."
Elissa believed him.
With his indifferent nature, he wouldn't actively seek out such information unless it was brought to him.
But she couldn't betray a friend either.
Seeing her furrowed brows, Francis knew she was conflicted.
He gently smoothed her brow and spoke softly, coaxing her, "I'm not asking you to betray anyone. Just ask Anne what she's thinking. If she truly doesn't love him anymore and wants a divorce, Willard will agree. If she blames him for what he did wrong, he'll do everything to make up for it."
What Anne said and what she heard from Francis were slightly different.
Elissa thought for a moment and asked, "When did Willard start liking Anne?"
Francis answered truthfully. "Anne kissed him when she was eighteen, and he realized it then. From the moment Anne entered his home, his feelings for her weren't simple."
He added, "But because of the age difference, he felt guilty about his feelings. When Anne expressed her liking, he felt like a beast."
Elissa found this hard to believe.
She asked, "Did Willard tell you this himself?"
Francis nodded. "He thought Anne was too young. Out of all the people her age, she liked him. He felt he had crossed boundaries and made her misunderstand."
"So he thought distancing himself would let Anne figure out if she truly liked him or if it was just because they lived under the same roof and he took care of her."
Elissa found it both infuriating and amusing. "He deserved it."
Francis agreed. "Willard distanced himself, but he kept an eye on Anne through college and work."
"Especially since Anne never dated anyone. He kept wondering if she truly liked him or if he wasn't being cold enough."
"The dramatic part was when Anne turned twenty, Willard's grandfather fell seriously ill and insisted they get married."
"At that time, Willard saw the excitement and joy in Anne's eyes."
"So he drafted an agreement to divorce after his grandfather passed away."
"After they got married, he went to work elsewhere and didn't return to the Larson Villa for three years."
Elissa was shocked. "He didn't even visit his sick grandfather?"
"Someone kept him updated. His grandfather's illness was a given, and his presence wouldn't help. Besides, it was a critical time for him, and the Larson family wouldn't have agreed to him coming back."
"His return wouldn't change anything."
Elissa laughed, but it was a frustrated laugh. "He didn't return because he wanted to avoid Anne. So now, getting divorced is what he deserves. I can't help at all. If I'm curious about Ms. Bishop, there are other ways to find out besides asking Willard."
Francis was taken aback.
He hadn't expected that being honest would make Elissa angry.
He explained, "He just wanted Anne to grow up. Childhood feelings are different from adult ones."
"Self-righteous." Elissa pushed Francis away. "You men are all like this, especially those of you born into privilege, always thinking you have everything under control."
Francis couldn't say anything more.
He was wrong.
He shouldn't have brought up this topic.
"Don't be mad." He poured Elissa a glass of warm water. "Willard was wrong. Anne divorcing him is the right thing to do."
Elissa took a sip of water, her eyes still dark. "It's too late to make amends now, Mr. Peterson."
Francis felt that continuing this topic would only create a rift between them.
So he changed the subject. "Soon, the paternity test results will be posted online, and then I'll go to the hospital."
Elissa wouldn't let him change the subject. "I won't help Willard persuade Anne. In fact, when Anne successfully divorces him, I'll set off fireworks to celebrate."
Francis raised his hand and scratched his face with his finger. "We shouldn't interfere in other people's relationships. Our main focus now is to safely bring our child into the world."
It sounded nice, not interfering.
But he still wanted to trick her into helping Willard.
Did he think pregnancy made her stupid?
Elissa said, "Setting aside Willard's approach to make Anne see her feelings clearly, the fact that he liked Anne but could coldly watch her get bullied at work for three years means he should let her go."
Francis had a headache.
He took a tactical sip of water before speaking. "We need to accumulate good karma for our child. We shouldn't break up marriages."
"Stop using that as an excuse. Be honest, and I might not drag you into this."
"How am I dragged into this? I haven't done anything. Every word I've said to you is honest."
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