Chapter 249 You Are My Wife
Molly had no choice but to let Robert hold her.
Her tears, warm like poison, seeped into Robert's chest, softening his cold heart.
Sadness seemed contagious, and Robert's heart began to ache.
His fingers turned white from the tight grip. After a while, he said, "I won't let you die. Don't even think about it."
Molly was too weak to argue. Her sick body couldn't stay awake, and she soon fell asleep in Robert's arms.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a pale glow over the room.
Listening to Molly's even breathing, Robert smirked.
All the words he couldn't say before came pouring out.
"Molly, I don't know why I want to be good to you again."
"Tell me, am I pathetic?"
Time and again, Molly heartlessly fooled him, yet he still wanted her.
He, Robert, was truly the most foolish man in the world.
Harper's evening class ended at 8:30, and she headed to the subway station.
Her phone vibrated; it was Francis.
"Are you done with class?" he asked.
"Yeah," Harper replied.
"Need me to pick you up?"
Harper was surprised by his offer. She saw the subway station nearby.
"No, I'm good. I'm already at the subway station."
Francis's deep voice came through. "It's no trouble. You're my wife."
The term made Harper pause, realizing she was his wife again, but only by agreement.
Thinking it was because of Dylan that Francis wanted to marry her, Harper felt a pang of bitterness.
It wasn't that Harper didn't like Dylan, but it made her feel like a tool.
Something to be used when needed and discarded when not.
To Francis, she was dispensable and unimportant.
Seeing she hadn't responded, Francis asked, "You haven't forgotten, have you?"
That she was his wife.
Harper snapped back to reality. "I will abide by the agreement."
Since it was an agreement, she should treat it as such.
She wouldn't be as foolish as before and repeat the same mistakes.
Suddenly, there was silence on the other end.
The atmosphere turned cold.
Harper heard a woman's voice on the other end.
"Francis, Aunt Abigail asked me to bring you dinner."
The voice was familiar; it sounded like Audrey.
Audrey was the daughter-in-law Abigail favored.
Harper felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, chilling her to the bone.
"I'm about to get on the subway; I gotta go."
She hurriedly said and hung up.
In Francis's office,
Seeing Francis's displeased expression, Audrey spoke up, "Sorry, I didn't know you were on the phone."
Francis showed no emotion. "It's fine."
Audrey placed the lunchbox on the table and opened it.
"I came with a mission today. Aunt Abigail said you often skip lunch, and she told me to make sure you eat."
Francis rubbed his temples. "Just leave it there."
Audrey insisted, "No, you have to eat now. That way, my mission is complete."
Francis gave her a sidelong glance. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
Since she returned, Audrey had done a lot of these errands.
Audrey blushed and stuck out her tongue. "Hey, you're being ungrateful. I'm bringing you lunch out of kindness, and you're complaining."
Francis said flatly, "I don't need it. Don't you know what my mom is trying to do?"
Audrey blinked, pretending not to know. "What?"
"Set us up," Francis quickly replied.
Audrey's heart raced. "What do you say about it?"
"No way."
The answer was expected.
Audrey smiled self-deprecatingly. "Am I not good enough?"
Francis said calmly, "It's not about you. I'm in love, but not with you."
Audrey bit her lip. "Are you talking about your ex-wife?"
Francis didn't answer; it wasn't the right time to go public yet, as he feared Ryan still hadn't given up.
Audrey continued, "Francis, I think your ex-wife doesn't care much about you."
Her words hit a nerve, pulling at the thorn buried deep in Francis's heart.
Even Audrey, who barely knew Harper, could see Harper's indifference.
Seeing Francis remain silent, Audrey felt more at ease and adjusted her emotions.
She smiled and said, "Since this is Aunt Abigail's idea, why not go along with it?"
Francis looked up at her.
Audrey explained, "Even if it's not me, Aunt Abigail will introduce you to other girls. So why not use me as a shield? I don't mind."
Francis frowned, clearly doubting this suggestion.
Audrey persuaded, "Don't worry. I don't have feelings for you. For now, I don't want to meet anyone else, either. You use me as a shield, and I'll use you as a cover. It's a win-win."
Francis remained noncommittal.
Audrey took it upon herself to decide. "It's settled then. Consider it a favor to me. We don't need to go public; it will just be an explanation to our parents."
Saying this, she picked up the lunchbox and said, "I'll go eat this and report back."
After Audrey left the room, the innocent and cheerful expression on her face vanished instantly.
Over the years, the happiest time was when Francis treated her like one of the boys. That was when they were the closest.
Once Francis found out Audrey was a girl, he immediately distanced himself from her.
Audrey went abroad to study with a broken heart, but after all these years, she found she still couldn't let him go.
Her desire to have him grew stronger and more obsessive, but she hid it well. She wouldn't do anything she wasn't confident about.
After Audrey left, Victor knocked on the office door.
Upon entering, he immediately sensed the unpleasant air in the room.
When Francis came back, Victor had seen him looking very happy after completing the marriage formalities.
Francis had even praised his report and told him to get an extra month's salary as a reward from the finance department.
For a top assistant to be praised was almost laughable.
In essence, it was just Francis being in a good mood and sharing it in this way.
But now, Francis was clearly not quite happy.
Victor felt uneasy and braced himself. "Mr. Getty, the restaurant called to ask if you're still going at the scheduled time?"
Francis listened, his face stern, and said nothing.
He had been too eager to complete the marriage formalities to keep Harper under his watch.
But he felt the process was too rushed, so he thought of celebrating with Harper tonight. Clearly, Harper wouldn't appreciate it and didn't even want to talk to him.
Celebrate? Perhaps he was the only one who thought it was worth celebrating. To Harper, marriage was just an agreement.
Francis curled his lips. "No, cancel it."
Victor turned to leave and made the call to cancel.
The restaurant said, "The proposal package can't be canceled; it can only be voided."
This hotel used fresh roses picked that morning from their rose garden, still with morning dew, to fill the entire restaurant.
With tens of thousands of roses, what a spectacular scene!
It was romantic, luxurious, and expensive.
Victor remembered that Francis had asked him to book the restaurant yesterday. Among several high-end restaurant options, Francis had immediately chosen this one and specifically requested red roses.
Victor regretfully said, "Void it then."
Harper was still a short distance from the subway station.
Suddenly, two men in black suits blocked her path.
Harper looked at them warily, and one of them respectfully said, "Ms. Sackler, Mr. Bolton would like to see you."
Harper turned and saw a black Maybach parked by the roadside.
The window rolled down, and Keith's handsome face turned to her with a gentle smile.
That smile was as warm and elegant as ever, but it made Harper's heart tremble.
She took two steps back and refused, "Sorry, I'm busy."
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