Chapter 317 Agnes Looks A Lot like Him
Harper nodded gratefully and rushed inside to find Agnes without looking back.
Francis told Victor, "Send everyone who got physical with us straight to jail!"
Then, he followed Harper to catch up with her.
The school staff quickly sealed off the back door.
Vincent was outside holding off the crazy fans.
Harper listened to the teacher in charge. A fan had sneaked in, pretended to be a parent, and asked a child who Agnes was. After finding Agnes, the woman went nuts, grabbing her shoulders and yelling.
It was right after school, and the kids were terrified, crying in group.
After security subdued the woman, the teachers did a headcount and found Agnes missing.
Zoey came to pick up Agnes, and the teacher informed her, leading to Zoey's call to Harper.
Zoey was crying non-stop, completely at a loss. She had helped raise Agnes since she was young and saw her as a granddaughter. Now that Agnes was missing, she blamed herself.
Harper was anxious too, but after hearing the teacher and considering Agnes's personality, she believed Agnes was still hiding somewhere in the school. She felt a bit relieved; as long as Agnes was in school, she wouldn't be in much danger.
She comforted Zoey and then they split up to search the school. Harper checked the places where Agnes might hide but didn't find her.
As it got darker and Agnes was still missing, Harper became extremely anxious.
"Agnes, Agnes," Harper called out, her voice hoarse, slumping on the lawn.
Where was Agnes?
It was completely dark now, and Agnes was always afraid of the dark. The fact that she still hadn't shown up implied how deeply she had been hurt.
Harper thought about the situation. First, there was the drugged drink at dinner, then she was taken to that rest room, and Maurice delayed her at the police station. During this time, Agnes's school and her address were exposed.
Security at Serenity Manor wasn't easy to breach, so they targeted the unprepared school.
The more she thought, the more chaotic her mind became. Harper's eyes flashed with determination. Whoever targeted her child wouldn't be spared once she found out. Right now, the most important thing was to find Agnes. Once Agnes was safe, she could think about other things.
Harper stood up again, exhausted. The park was deserted and dark.
She was increasingly worried about Agnes but couldn't cry; she needed to stay focused.
Suddenly, countless white lights appeared.
Francis had brought in a ton of lighting equipment, making the whole kindergarten as bright as day.
The bright lights instantly lifted Harper's spirits.
Francis walked over, half-squatted, and handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
Harper sniffled and said, "Thank you."
At that moment, she put aside all grievances and sincerely thanked Francis for his thoughtfulness.
With so many lights, wherever Agnes was hiding, at least she wouldn't be so scared.
Seeing Harper's red eyes, Francis felt distressed and asked softly, "Is there something special about Agnes?"
Otherwise, with so many people calling her name, she should've heard. If she chose not to respond, it could mean something else.
Harper was surprised by Francis's insight. "When Agnes was younger, she had some psychological issues, was introverted, and didn't like to talk, but she improved a lot through treatment."
Agnes was smart, kind, and mature for her age. She always appeared innocent and carefree to keep people from worrying. But she was still just a child, and sometimes her emotions showed.
Part of the reason Harper returned to the state was to fulfill Elodie's last wish, and the other part was hoping the environment and language here would better heal Agnes.
Francis pondered for a moment and said, "I have an idea that might make Agnes come out on her own."
Harper didn't know what Francis had in mind, but seeing him standing tall and making phone calls gave her a sense of peace and trust. She felt he would find a way to locate Agnes.
Soon, the people Francis contacted brought the necessary tools.
They spread out on the ground, revealing countless large balloons.
Each balloon had words written on it with a thick marker.
"Agnes, you are the best child."
"Agnes, Mommy is waiting for you on the playground."
"Agnes, everyone loves you."
"Agnes, I want to go to the amusement park with you."
The encouraging words brought tears to people's eyes.
Then, the school staff and the personnel who were called in worked together, and countless balloons flew into the sky.
The balloons had lights inside, transforming the entire expanse above into a warm, glowing tapestry, lighting up and warming everyone's hearts.
Harper looked up at the sky, the little points of light reflecting in her eyes, making her pupils shimmer.
Francis half-squatted, gently supporting Harper's back, not looking at the sky but at her.
The surroundings were noisy and chaotic, but he felt like it was just the two of them in the world.
This moment was incredibly precious.
Suddenly, a stumbling voice came from not far away. "Mommy."
Harper turned and saw Agnes's small, dirty body running over.
She immediately got up and rushed over, hugging her tightly. "Agnes!"
Agnes's small body was tightly held by Harper.
"Agnes," Harper's nose stung, and she couldn't hold back anymore, tears streaming down her face. "You scared Mommy to death."
Agnes's little face was dirty, her eyelashes fluttering as she started to cry.
Her small shoulders shook as she choked out, "Mommy, I'm sorry, I hid."
Harper, with tears in her eyes, felt a sharp pain in her heart.
She hugged Agnes even tighter.
Her Agnes was only three and a half years old, but she was sensible enough to know how to apologize.
Harper wiped her tears, looked at Agnes, and asked seriously, "Tell me, what did that bad woman say to you?"
She knew that if this knot in Agnes's heart wasn't untied, it would happen again next time. So, she had to resolve it now.
Agnes first pursed her lips, then lowered her head, and remained silent, seemingly unwilling to speak.
Harper coaxed, "Agnes, you need to tell me what they said so I can tell you if it's true or not."
Under Harper's warm gaze, Agnes's beautiful eyes gradually turned red.
She pouted and said, "That woman said Mommy is someone else's mistress, that you make money by seducing married men, and that's why you have money to send me to such an expensive kindergarten."
"Agnes, tell me, do you think what that woman said is true?"
Agnes shook her head vigorously. "No, it's not true. Agnes is Agnes Murphy. Mr. Murphy is very rich. Mommy is Mr. Murphy's daughter, so she's also very rich. Agnes is Mommy's daughter, so I'm also very rich."
This convoluted logic was something Zoey had told her.
Zoey wasn't entirely correct, but she meant well. She just wanted Agnes not to feel inferior.
"That's right, sweetheart. I don't steal or rob, and I didn't use your grandpa's money. The money for your kindergarten comes from my studio earnings. No matter what others say, I know what I am doing."
Agnes nodded; she had known this for a long time.
"Then, since you understand this, why did you still hide from us?" Harper asked.
Agnes pursed her small lips and said, "That bad woman said I'm an unwanted child, that my daddy doesn't want me anymore, and that I'm a little piece of trash that nobody wants."
Agnes, who had been pretending to be strong, finally broke down. She leaned her small head on Harper's shoulder and started crying loudly.
"I don't believe it," she sobbed, her tears soaking Harper's shoulder.
In an instant, Harper felt like a knife had been plunged into her heart, making it hard to breathe. "No, it's not like that. You have a daddy. Allen was your daddy. Even though Allen is in heaven, he still loves you very much."
Harper held Agnes's chubby little hands, explaining with immense heartache.
She knew that not having a daddy had always been a thorn in Agnes's heart, but she hadn't realized how deeply it had grown.
Agnes slapped Harper's hands away and exploded. "Mommy, you're lying!"
Agnes's chubby little mouth was covered in tears as she cried out, "You always say Allen was my daddy, but I've never dreamed of Allen even once. If he were my daddy, why doesn't he come to me in my dreams?"
Agnes's intense desire for a daddy left Harper at a loss.
Agnes's emotions continued to escalate, and suddenly she ran off again on her short legs.
"Agnes!" Harper, heartbroken, wanted to chase after her but was stopped by Francis.
He looked down at her and said, "Let me try."
Harper watched as his long legs quickly caught up to Agnes. He then bent down, grabbed her short legs, and held her horizontally in his arms.
At first, Agnes struggled and flailed, but then Francis said something, and she suddenly calmed down.
Not far away, Francis put Agnes down, bent to her level, and spoke face-to-face. "Agnes, will you listen to me for a moment?"
Agnes turned her head away in a huff, pouting. "No, I don't want to listen. I hate you!"
"Then tell me, why do you hate me?" Francis asked.
Agnes stole a glance at him, feeling a bit embarrassed, and asked, "Do you not like it when people call you daddy?"
Agnes remembered Harper saying that calling Francis daddy would trouble him.
So when she saw Francis earlier, she deliberately avoided looking at him, out of spite.
Francis honestly replied, "Well, if a stranger's child called me daddy, I would feel troubled..."
Before Francis could finish, Agnes started crying again, feeling that it was all true. "You really don't like it when I call you daddy. I'm sorry. I don't want to be annoying, but I really want a daddy."
Seeing Agnes crying continuously, Francis felt a pang in his heart. He quickly took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her tears.
"Agnes, I haven't finished speaking," Francis said patiently, "If that child is you, I wouldn't be annoyed. I would be happy because the first time I saw you, I was captivated by you."
"Really?" Agnes couldn't believe it.
"Of course, it's true." Francis pinched Agnes's soft little cheeks, full of affection. "You can call me whatever you want, whenever you want."
"Ah, I have a daddy now!" Agnes clapped her hands in joy, but the next second, her face fell. "But Mommy doesn't let me call others daddy."
Quickly, her little head came up with a solution. "Hey, how about I call you Francis Daddy?"
"Hmm, that's a very special name, thought up by our clever Agnes." Francis ruffled Agnes's little head and asked, "Now, should Agnes apologize to Mommy? I saw that Mommy was very sad when you slapped her hand."
"Mommy was sad?" Agnes thought of all the good things Harper had done for her and immediately felt guilty. She patted her little head and pouted angrily, "I am so bad."
"Agnes is not bad!" Francis took her little hands and said gently, "Even adults sometimes can't control their emotions, but you need to know who loves you and whom you love. I'm sure Mommy will forgive Agnes."
With that, the big man and the small child got to their feet and walked towards Harper.
In the night, Francis's tall and straight figure held the hand of little Agnes, who barely reached his knees.
From a distance, Harper suddenly felt confused. Why did Agnes look so much like Francis?
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
