Chapter 305 Dinner with Vincent
The woman had long, wavy hair and a gentle smile.
Seeing Harper's silence, she didn't get embarrassed and said, "I heard you had a close call. I'm really happy and was thinking of asking you out for a meal."
She stood close to Francis, half-hidden, like a delicate cat leaning on him.
Harper's sharp instincts told her this woman liked Francis.
Any goodwill from Francis's straightforward divorce vanished. He was always surrounded by women.
Harper said coolly, "Sorry, you've got the wrong person."
Audrey wanted to say more, but the elevator reached their floor.
Harper walked out without looking back, leaving Audrey awkward and Francis visibly cold.
Before she reached the corner, Harper's phone rang. She answered sweetly, "Vincent," sounding like a woman talking to her boyfriend. Francis's face turned even colder.
During the divorce, she had promised not to hide from him. Now, she acted like she didn't know him at all. Harper was making it clear he was a stranger to her.
Audrey saw Francis's anger and glanced at the closing elevator doors, her eyes darkening.
Audrey had only learned about Harper's return from Francis. He hadn't mentioned anything else.
She looked at Francis and asked, "Is Harper mad at you?"
Francis's eyes were still on Harper's swaying dress, which highlighted her curves with a mix of innocence and allure. She really dared to wear that.
He told Audrey gloomily, "No, she has amnesia."
"Amnesia?" Audrey was shocked. No wonder Harper acted like she didn't recognize her.
"It makes sense," Audrey murmured.
When Audrey first heard Harper was alive, she was flustered. She had given so much, helping Francis during his toughest times by getting her father to support him. Then, she used the Hernandez family's power to make a big move, which paid off.
With Francis's skills, he could have bounced back without the Hernandez family's help. Their support was just a bonus, but the media made it seem like they saved the Getty Group.
The Hernandez family gained leverage, controlling many of the Getty Group's new projects.
Audrey's gamble elevated the Hernandez family, satisfying everyone.
The only regret was that Audrey wasn't yet Francis's wife. Before Harper's return, Abigail and Audrey's parents had already brought it up.
Francis was the only one opposed, but Abigail wouldn't listen. As parents, they couldn't watch Francis go astray without leaving any descendants.
So, Abigail treated Audrey as her daughter-in-law, using time as an excuse when people asked about their wedding.
Francis tried to stop her, but Abigail, troubled by Ryan's issues, would cry and make a scene whenever he objected.
Facing pressure from her parents and Abigail, Audrey always stood by Francis's side.
Audrey reassured Francis she had no intention of marrying him.
She threw herself into work, landing several big projects for the Getty Group, which boosted profits significantly.
As a result, Audrey became vice president of the Getty Group.
Francis stopped mentioning calling off the marriage but made it clear through his actions that he wouldn't marry again.
The Getty family's silence led the media to believe Audrey was Francis's fiancée.
Audrey's long-term charity work painted her as gentle and kind, making people feel sorry for her.
No one considered how much the Hernandez family gained. Originally wealthy merchants in Southvale, they now had a foothold in Northfield, thanks to whom?
Audrey used public opinion and parental pressure to play the role of the magnanimous woman, gaining both benefits and Francis's guilt.
She wasn't in a hurry; she had time. Whether Francis married or not, the woman by his side could only be Audrey.
With Harper's return, Audrey felt anxious but stayed composed. Otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed by Francis's side for so long.
Audrey remained calm, speaking with concern, "Francis, how are you after the treatment in Auroa? Still having headaches?"
"It's okay," Francis replied briefly, not too concerned.
After Harper disappeared, he started having insomnia, sometimes going a week without sleep.
Abigail, fearing for his health, forced him to see a doctor. Medication stabilized his sleep, but he developed neuralgia.
When it flared up, he couldn't work, and only treatment at a research institute in Auroa helped.
It happened about once a year, but after the divorce, it flared up again.
The episodes were now four months ahead, a bad sign, but Francis didn't pay much attention.
His focus was on Harper.
If not for an important meeting tonight, he would have gone to find her right after landing. He didn't expect to run into her here.
He also heard from Victor that Harper had dinner with Vincent three times in a week and even went to the park, looking like a couple.
Harper's sweet call to Vincent made Francis extremely jealous.
Seeing Francis's mind elsewhere, Audrey felt uneasy and brought up work. "With Mr. Wood's support, I believe we can secure the energy bid."
Mike Wood was someone Audrey spent a month persuading to support the Getty family in the emerging energy sector.
To outsiders, it seemed like she was purely helping the Getty family, but that wasn't the case.
The new energy market was too vast for the Hernandez family to monopolize, but once the Getty Group secured it, the best parts would go to the Hernandez family.
Audrey had it all planned. Though it was a tough case, it would solidify her status as the future Mrs. Getty and benefit her family.
Everyone would think that if she wasn't the designated Mrs. Getty, why would she work so hard for the Getty family?
However, Audrey's eyes darkened. She hadn't expected someone to return from the dead after her one-month business trip. But so what? She had meticulously planned for five years, and it couldn't be disrupted by a supposedly dead Harper.
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