Chapter 465 Compulsion
Simon stood by the door, scrolling through the group chat.
Felix was excitedly posting photos from the airport. "Finally heading home! I've missed Maple Valley so much!"
Felix: [Mrs. Peterson is family to me now]
Hayden: [Same here.]
Hayden was finally able to return as well.
Just as Simon was putting away his phone, the door behind him opened. Dr. Rufus Chapman emerged, his expression grim.
"How did the session go?" Simon asked.
Rufus shook his head. "It's severe—this won't be easy to treat. He's extremely guarded; even under hypnosis, I can't access his deeper issues. He simply cannot accept that Mrs. Larson doesn't love him."
Simon didn't pretend to understand. "Please do everything you can."
"Of course I will." Rufus's eyes lit up with professional interest. "This is my first case like this. If I can cure him, it could be published in a major journal."
Simon was speechless.
He reported everything back to Francis, who was already settling into evening routines. Elissa and Anne had finished dinner and were chatting, planning to share a room for the night while he worked next door.
Uma had also reached out, and from Simon's report, Francis could tell she hadn't been able to contact Willard, which explained her message to him.
Jerry called too, mentioning that Uma had contacted Hope, clearly seeking his help when Francis didn't respond.
Francis told Jerry to stay out of it.
Jerry chuckled dryly. "She was trained alongside Willard, but she's not at his level. You can't hold her to the same standards. Give the woman some warning, at least."
Francis's tone remained flat. "If you want to help, I won't stop you."
Jerry cursed him. "If I weren't smart enough, I'd have been played by you countless times by now. Willard screwed up—take it up with Willard. Why drag Uma into this? She never crossed you."
Francis said nothing.
"This isn't about pushing Uma to grow," Jerry continued. "This is about forcing Willard to get better."
"This condition needs to be addressed."
Exactly as Jerry suspected. He hung up immediately.
"What did he say?" Hope asked.
Jerry pulled her close, his eyes dancing with amusement as he studied her face without speaking.
Hope shot him a look and leaned in for what she intended to be a quick kiss, but when she tried to pull away, he caught the back of her head, forcing a much longer, deeper kiss that left her breathless.
He pursued her lips relentlessly, giving her only seconds to breathe before continuing his assault. She couldn't even speak.
When Jerry's hands started wandering, she bit him.
He pulled back, laughing. "What's this? Looking to trade up? That's harsh."
Hope ignored the bait. "What did Francis say about helping Uma?"
Jerry pointed to his mouth, indicating his injured tongue prevented him from speaking.
Hope knew his games too well and didn't bother asking again. She'd heard enough to guess the answer anyway.
When she reached for her phone to call Uma, Jerry snatched it away just as Uma answered.
"Hope, what did Mr. Hammer say?"
Jerry replied directly, "I won't help," then hung up.
Uma was stunned. Hope was equally exasperated, reaching for her phone.
"I thought you couldn't talk?"
Jerry let her take the phone back, wrapping his arms around her from behind as she texted Uma.
[They're not trying to be cruel. They want you to figure this out yourself, to grow. If you always rely on others, you'll never be able to hold your position as head of the Larson family.]
Jerry nuzzled her neck, chuckling. "You're too kind."
Hope elbowed him. Jerry rested his chin on her shoulder, moving with her motion.
He laughed. "Head of the Larson family isn't some small media company. No need to be so gentle—she should learn how brutal the real world can be."
Hope had a question: "Willard isn't planning to retake control of the Larson family even if he recovers?"
"Willard's condition won't improve unless Anne loves him," Jerry replied.
"Then he deserves what he gets," Hope said without sympathy.
Jerry nodded. "Exactly. He handed over control knowing he could lose his mind at any moment and become unfit to manage the family business."
Hope felt a moment of melancholy, which was quickly interrupted when Jerry swept her up and carried her to the bedroom.
After two days in the hospital, Elissa was ready to go home. Louis came by ostensibly for a final check-up, though he clearly had ulterior motives.
Francis ignored him completely.
Louis followed them all the way to the parking garage, grabbing Francis's arm just as he was about to get into the car after helping Elissa settle in.
Louis's coldness came from witnessing too much death—he was cold to the bone, though his calling as a healer retained some warmth. Francis's coldness was different.
Raised in an elite system that combined rigorous academics with brutal training, Francis had been dropped into rainforests and mountains with live ammunition, surrounded by teammates' blood and enemies' blood. That heat had somehow frozen him completely.
He operated purely on calculated benefit. Anything without advantage or utility didn't merit his attention.
Even with someone as close as Willard, he wouldn't go to full lengths. His relationship with Louis was far more superficial.
Besides, he'd recently paid a price for getting involved in romantic entanglements and had no desire to upset Elissa again over such matters.
He pushed Louis away.
"Don't you have connections with the Garcia family? Deeper than mine. Why not ask Ivan?"
Louis did have closer ties with Ivan, but Ivan's brother's wife was close friends with Isla. Ivan's brother only listened to his wife, and since he controlled the Garcia family, Ivan's hands were tied despite wanting to help.
Louis had exhausted every option. Only Ondine offered a reliable path.
"She can't know I'm behind this. Ondine doesn't know her true identity yet, and being transferred to Seaside City won't raise suspicions. If I approach her directly, she won't see me. I've already forced the issue once—doing it again would end like Willard."
This was the most Francis had ever heard Louis speak, but he still had no intention of helping.
"That approach is just another form of coercion."
Louis blocked Francis's path to the car again.
"You're suggesting I give up?"
Francis replied coolly, "Shouldn't you?"
Louis managed a brief, ice-cold smile.
"If you're so quick to advise others to give up, why didn't you give up on Elissa?"
Francis followed Louis's gaze into the car, where Elissa sat upright but was clearly eavesdropping.
His eyes filled with amusement as he looked at her, though his words were for Louis.
"I'm different from you all. She loves me."
Elissa glared at him. Francis didn't waste more time, ducking into the car.
As they drove away from the hospital garage, Elissa watched Louis in the rearview mirror, standing motionless in the same spot.
She'd always seen Louis as aloof, ruthless, and taciturn—more like a brilliant surgeon than a typical doctor, despite his exceptional medical skills. But now she saw only loneliness in his figure.
"Mr. Armstrong's love life is that complicated?" she asked Francis.
"I know this story," Anne said, turning from the front seat. "I used to be close friends with Isla."
Elissa knew some details, but Francis wasn't one for gossip, so Anne, as a semi-insider, would know more.
"Tell me everything."
Francis handed her a bag of snacks with a slight smile. "You can have a little, but drink more water."
Elissa rewarded him with a kiss. Francis was pleased, while Anne felt like she shouldn't be in the car. Arthur, the driver, remained completely unfazed.
"I've got snacks ready—you can start," Elissa announced.
Anne began the story.
When Louis's mother was pregnant, they discovered she was carrying triplets. As a doctor from a family that owned hospitals, she knew beforehand they were having two boys and one girl.
Louis's father was incredibly attentive, keeping her hospitalized for most of the pregnancy to prevent complications.
Neither anticipated that on delivery day, there would be a traitor within the hospital who not only switched their daughter but also dealt the Armstrong family a devastating blow.
Louis's mother, still recovering from childbirth, tried to help stabilize the Armstrong family business. First, she developed postpartum toxemia and fatal pulmonary hemorrhaging. Then Louis's father collapsed from exhaustion.
Louis's uncle, unmarried, suddenly found himself caring for three infants while managing the entire Armstrong empire.
"Everything happened at once," Anne said, taking some snacks. "The Armstrong family never thought to question whether Isla had been switched."
"Not until she was eighteen, when Louis's real sister found them and DNA tests revealed the truth."
Francis interjected, "Louis knew."
"Knew what?" Elissa turned to him.
"That Isla wasn't his biological sister."
Elissa's eyes widened. "That means—"
"He and Yves divided responsibilities—one focused on business, the other followed their parents' medical legacy. Isla was free to pursue whatever made her happy. So he studied medicine, and being a medical prodigy, as Isla grew up, he noticed inconsistencies and secretly ran DNA tests."
The more Francis revealed, the wider Elissa's eyes grew. Anne was equally shocked—she hadn't known this detail.
"What else do you know?" Elissa offered him snacks.
She'd expected Anne to know more, but Francis clearly had deeper insights.
Francis fed Elissa a snack while continuing. "That's about it."
Elissa passed snacks to Anne. Francis chuckled. "You really do prioritize whoever has the best gossip."
"Of course."
Seeing her shameless admission and proud expression, Francis's smile grew more indulgent.
"Keep going," Elissa urged Anne.
"Once Louis knew Isla wasn't his biological sister, his feelings became obvious. But Isla couldn't accept it, especially with Louis's real sister Briar constantly targeting her. Louis protected Isla fiercely, even at the cost of his relationship with Briar."
"Isla didn't want to cause a rift between the siblings, and she felt guilty for enjoying Briar's privileged life for years while Briar suffered in the mountains. So she left the Armstrong estate."
Elissa was confused. "How does any of this relate to their romantic issues? Could these circumstances really make Isla hate Louis so intensely?"
Anne scratched her head. "Isla couldn't handle discovering that someone she'd always seen as a brother suddenly had romantic feelings for her."
"No," Francis corrected. "Isla sensed Louis's inappropriate feelings before learning she wasn't his biological sister. She was already resistant then."
"I see," Anne said.
Elissa looked exasperated. "Aren't you supposed to be Isla's close friend?"
Anne laughed awkwardly. "We are close, but she didn't want to discuss these things, and I didn't want to push and upset her."
Elissa turned to Francis with a pointed look. "You obviously knew so much more. Why didn't you speak up instead of just making corrections to show off?"
Francis offered her more snacks, his voice coaxing. "I wasn't showing off—I was just providing context to give you the complete picture."
"What else do you know?"
"I know the real reason Isla despises Louis."
Anne raised her hand tentatively. "I... I think I know this too."
Elissa turned to her. "Then you tell me."
Anne glanced at Francis, who kept his gaze on Elissa but somehow sensed her hesitation. "Go ahead," he said.
Anne spoke carefully, "Because Louis forced himself on her against her will..."
She trailed off. Elissa had already guessed where this was heading when Francis continued in his calm tone, delivering shocking information.
"When Isla was filling out college applications, Louis manipulated the system to keep her in Seaside City, but she secretly changed them. To avoid detection, she planned to leave early for university in Everglade City."
"Louis happened to have a rare day off from his hospital internship. He came home with her favorite cake, only to find packed suitcases and discover her plans."
He paused, noticing Elissa's dry lips, and offered her water.
Elissa was too engrossed to drink, urging him to continue.
Francis coaxed gently, "Take a sip, then I'll finish the story."
Elissa quickly drank, and Francis continued, "They had a massive fight. Louis had been suppressing his feelings for so long that when his temper exploded along with everything else, he forced himself on her."
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