Chapter 228 What If I'm Crippled?
Harper looked him in the eye and said, "Of course I know what I'm saying. Your leg got hurt because of me. I owe it to you to stick around and help you get better."
Keith's eyes darkened.
'So that's it. She's still so naive. How could she think anything else?' he thought.
Keith agreed to the treatment plan and got in touch with some foreign specialists. In two days, he'd be off for surgery.
Later, the police showed up to take statements. Keith explained why he was there that night. He was worried about her, had gone to her apartment, and seem Amelia trying to kidnap her. He had followed them and saved her just in time.
The police checked the limited surveillance footage, and the timeline matched up.
Harper realized she needed to extend her leave. With the surgery and recovery, she'd need at least a month off. She was anxious because most companies wouldn't approve such a long leave.
So, she started thinking about quitting.
Mainly because Keith got hurt because of her, she felt responsible.
If it weren't for him, she'd be the one in the hospital.
But the company leadership, understanding the situation, decided to keep her position. Even her students called to say they'd keep studying hard without her.
Especially Noah, who had changed so much, promised he'd improve by at least fifty places by the time she got back.
This reassured Harper a lot. She couldn't bear to leave her students.
Before leaving, she visited Dylan at the nursing home. She didn't mention going abroad with Keith for treatment but said she was going for an exchange study to keep his family from worrying.
Dylan was pleased and praised Harper for her achievements.
Then, she went to see Molly, who had been discharged and was handling some company matters.
She didn't know where Molly got the money, but she had already repaid the $80 million to the bank, and the orders with the wrong specs were sold at a discount to other small businesses.
This resulted in tens of millions in losses, including a drop in stock prices, totaling hundreds of millions in losses.
The disintegration of the Koch Group was inevitable.
Molly was busy with the company's final liquidation.
Harper told her about going abroad for treatment. Although Molly was worried, she was too busy to help and only said that if she had time after finishing her tasks, she would visit her.
Before she left, Molly suddenly called her and asked, "Do you know about Francis?"
"What?" Harper asked.
"I heard a group of old shareholders in his company united to impeach him because he's been frequently hospitalized in the last month. They think he can't handle the company's affairs."
Harper was stunned, recalling what Abigail had said.
It was all true. Francis's frequent health issues had caused unrest as the company's president.
Molly didn't know about Amelia's matter or why Francis was injured. She just mentioned it as gossip.
"He's probably very busy lately. But there's a rumor he might marry a Hernandez. The Hernandez family is very powerful in Southvale, second only to the Getty family. This would be a great benefit for both sides."
'The Hernandez family? Isn't that Audrey's family? No wonder Abigail said their families were well-matched. So this is what she meant,' Harper thought.
Harper returned to the hospital, still in a daze.
She thought about Abigail's mention of the importance of family background. Indeed, compared to them, she couldn't help Francis at all.
For many times, she was a burden to him.
At least, it seemed so twice.
She was also responsible for the Getty Group crisis.
While waiting for the elevator, she was still lost in thought. When the elevator doors opened, she was stunned by who she saw inside.
It was Francis and Audrey.
Audrey saw Harper and greeted her, "Hello, Harper?"
Harper nodded. "Hello."
Audrey asked, "Are you here to see Francis?"
Harper shook her head. "I'm here to see another friend."
After she said this, she saw Francis give her a cold look before turning away and walking past her.
His indifferent attitude made Harper feel like her chest was stuffed with cotton, blocking her voice.
Audrey didn't follow and instead explained, "I'm really sorry about yesterday. I just found out that the bracelet was a gift from Abigail to you. I thought it looked nice and asked her for it. If I had known, I wouldn't have taken it."
Harper smiled faintly, "It's okay."
Audrey also smiled, "And Francis and I are just good friends. Please don't misunderstand us. We've been playing together since we were kids, and he doesn't have any other feelings for me."
Harper didn't expect Audrey to say this. She wanted to avoid discussing these topics in front of Francis.
"I didn't misunderstand."
Audrey smiled, "It's good that you didn't. If I caused any conflict between you two, I would feel terribly guilty."
This was too serious, so Harper explained, "I have nothing to do with him, Ms. Hernandez. Don't overthink it."
"You have nothing to do with him? But..." Audrey wanted to say more but was interrupted by Francis.
"Are you coming or not?" His tone was very impatient.
Audrey stopped talking and smiled at Harper, "I guess that's my cue. We'll find another time."
Harper nodded and entered the elevator.
As the elevator doors slowly closed, she could still see Audrey jogging to Francis's side, nudging his shoulder with hers and saying something with a smile.
She stood beside him, looking very poised and well-matched.
The elevator closed, and inside was a familiar cold fragrance mixed with another woman's scent.
Harper smelled the fragrance and felt her nose tingle, her eyes suddenly blurring.
Back in the ward, the nurse was changing Keith's dressing.
Under layers of gauze was his gruesome wound, the smell of medicine mixed with the heavy scent of blood making Harper's stomach churn.
She held back until the nurse called her, "Could you please hold this gauze?"
Harper replied, "Okay..."
This time, she couldn't help but gag.
Both the nurse's and Keith's expressions changed.
Harper quickly said, "Sorry, I might have eaten something bad!"
After saying this, her stomach churned again, and she couldn't help but run to the bathroom to throw up.
The nurse listened to the sounds from the bathroom and was momentarily speechless.
Keith's face also darkened.
Was she disgusted by him?
Harper kept vomiting until she was weak, leaning on the sink and turning on the tap to wash up.
In the mirror, her face looked gaunt.
Harper thought it might be because she had drunk cold water at lunch, causing her stomach to act up.
When she came out, Keith had finished changing, and the exhaust fan was on.
Keith looked at her and said, "Harper, if you're not feeling well, you should go for some rest."
Harper shook her head. "I'm fine. I probably just ate something bad at lunch. I'll be okay soon."
Keith looked at her pale face, his eyes dark and unreadable.
Two days later, the private jet arranged by Keith's parents was ready, and they waited at the airport in advance.
Harper and Keith shared a business car to the airport.
During the drive, Harper watched the scenery outside get farther and farther away, feeling heavy-hearted.
Since that day, she hadn't seen Francis again. Later, she saw a statement from Getty Group's PR department on TV about the internal turmoil.
The incident was quite serious, and Francis had been busy.
And she, like an ordinary person, could only watch the news to find out what was happening.
Harper increasingly felt the insurmountable gap between them, feeling herself drifting further from Francis's world.
Keith lay on his side in the wheelchair, staring intently at Harper, his eyes deep and dark.
Since discovering she was the little girl, Keith felt he had changed, becoming more possessive.
He didn't like her being distracted, suspecting that when she was, she was thinking about Francis.
This thought drove him crazy.
"Harper." Keith spoke to draw her attention back.
"Yeah?" Harper turned to look at him.
Keith asked, "Do you regret it?"
Harper was stunned, thinking he was asking about accompanying him for treatment. She smiled, "No. I'll stay with you until you are fine."
Keith's eyes darkened, and he asked, "What if it doesn't work? What if I'm crippled?"
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