Chapter 365 Mr. Getty Spat Blood
After Harper bailed from the hospital, she threw herself into work to drown out the mess in her head.
She didn't wanna screw up any decisions while her memory was still MIA.
She picked up every call from Francis, but her replies were all half-hearted.
Busy, working, not on the schedule—she kept throwing out these lame excuses for two days straight.
Harper felt like a total jerk, like she was cheating, and the guilt was eating her up.
By day three, Francis was done holding back and didn't call. But by the afternoon, he caved and shot her a text.
Francis: [You coming over today?]
Then he remembered an article Wesley had sent him yesterday.
One line stuck out: [Women love sweet talk. Don't be stingy with your affection. Be brave in expressing your love.]
He hesitated, then sent three more words. After that, his heart was pounding.
Francis felt like a lovesick teenager, waiting for a text back from his crush.
He stared at his phone forever but got nothing from Harper.
Francis's disappointment and frustration grew. She'd promised to take care of him, but he hadn't seen her in three days.
As expected, Harper's words were just hot air. He shouldn't have trusted her that morning and let her go. Once she left, she never came back.
The more Francis thought about it, the angrier he got. He wanted to let it slide but couldn't help calling her. This time, she picked up quick.
Francis, barely holding back his anger, said in a deep voice, "Are you really that busy?"
"Hello." The upbeat voice of a young guy made Francis's heart drop.
"Who are you?" Francis's displeasure was clear even over the phone.
"I'm Harper's assistant, Ronald."
Assistant? A dude?
Swallowing his anger, Francis said, "Put her on the phone."
"Anything I can help with? I can pass the message." This assistant didn't even bother to call Harper, which made Francis fume.
"Tell her to take the call. I need to speak with her," Francis hissed.
Ronald Lewis shot back, "Sorry. Harper's busy."
Francis was so mad his chest hurt. Where did Harper find this stubborn assistant? Was his job to be annoying?
"Anything else?" Ronald's tone was flat, like he couldn't care less.
But it somehow screamed, "If not, buzz off."
When had Francis ever been treated so disrespectfully by an assistant?
He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said, "No."
After hanging up, Ronald frowned at the phone.
Just then, Harper walked over and asked, "Was that Jessica? Has the backup dress arrived?"
Today, Harper wasn't lying; she was actually swamped with work.
After losing the deal with Starlight Entertainment, another company, CelestialGlow Entertainment, hit up their studio to talk about styling for their mid-year gala.
Jessica had handled the first meeting, and surprisingly, they signed the contract after just one sit-down.
CelestialGlow Entertainment was way bigger than Starlight Entertainment.
Most of Starlight Entertainment's stars were nobodies, with only one A-lister.
In contrast, CelestialGlow Entertainment had six award-winning actors and actresses, and even their lower-tier actors had won newcomer awards. They had a ton of big names.
Starlight Entertainment was nothing compared to CelestialGlow Entertainment.
So even for a gala, many studios were fighting for the gig.
But CelestialGlow Entertainment had always worked with high-end studios abroad, and this was the first time they picked a local studio.
And they didn't go for the well-known Epoch Studio but the new Elodie Studios, which was pretty wild.
Everyone was watching Elodie Studios, eager to see what they'd bring to the gala.
Harper knew this was a big deal. If they could impress CelestialGlow Entertainment, Elodie Studios would be halfway to making it big in Northfield. With the gala coming up, Harper was laser-focused.
So today, she was backstage at CelestialGlow Entertainment, doing final fittings for some big shots.
Since she needed to stay in touch with Jessica, Harper handed her phone to her assistant Ronald to handle calls.
Ronald told her, "Harper, some guy called earlier. I saw you didn't have his number saved, so I picked up."
The first name that popped into Harper's head was Francis. Except for him, she had Jasper and Clayton's numbers saved.
"What did he say?" Harper asked.
Ronald replied, "He didn't say much. Just asked me to give you the phone. I told him you were busy."
"Oh, okay," Harper replied.
Right then, the director came over to discuss some details with Harper.
She figured Francis had his assistant to look after him, so no big deal.
Plus, even though she hadn't visited him, she had been sending soups and fruits from a restaurant every day, so she felt he was covered.
She was busy until super late, and just as they were about to wrap up, the president of CelestialGlow Entertainment showed up to greet Harper.
Harper was surprised; she didn't know the president of CelestialGlow Entertainment at all.
The president introduced himself, "Ms. Murphy, I'm Jeffrey Campbell."
"Hello, Mr. Campbell," Harper greeted.
"I saw the makeup and styling just now. Ms. Murphy, your work is truly unique and impressive," Jeffrey praised.
Harper said, "Our Elodie Studios specializes in traditional styles, which are pretty rare in the market. If Mr. Campbell has any suggestions, I can tweak things while keeping our style."
Big-name celebs usually go for more luxurious outfits, and some might not dig traditional styles right away.
But even if there were suggestions, Harper would make adjustments while keeping the traditional vibe. If it had to be changed to a luxurious style, Harper might just pass on it.
Elodie Studios was set up to fulfill her mom Elodie's dream of promoting traditional styles, and Harper didn't want to lose the studio's unique character for money.
Jeffrey shook his head. "Ms. Murphy, you got me wrong. I meant it's very good; I like it a lot."
Harper didn't expect Jeffrey to be so straightforward. She was stoked that he appreciated Elodie Studios' style. "Thanks for choosing Elodie Studios."
"You're welcome. Luckily, Mr. Getty recommended your studio last time; otherwise, I would've missed out on something amazing," Jeffrey said.
Harper was stunned, "Mr. Getty, you mean?"
Jeffrey raised an eyebrow, surprised that Harper didn't know.
He explained, "Francis, the president of the Getty Group, was my classmate."
Harper had been wondering how a company like CelestialGlow Entertainment noticed their new studio, but now it all made sense.
Jeffrey said, "But rest assured, Ms. Murphy, we have a strict selection process. We didn't choose you because of connections. Your styling won seven out of ten in our selection committee."
On the way back, Harper sat in the car and checked her phone, finally noticing the unread messages.
With so many work-related group chats, his messages had gotten buried.
The first message asked: [You coming over today?]
A few seconds later, another message: [I miss you.]
Harper was stunned, her face feeling a bit warm. She thought about all the things Francis had done for her quietly. He had many chances to take credit, but he never mentioned them.
In comparison, she felt she might have been a bit harsh on him. After some thought, she decided to call Francis to check on him.
The phone rang for a long time with no answer, making Harper's heart tighten. Was he mad?
Just then, another call came in from Victor.
Harper answered, and Victor sounded anxious, "Can you come to the hospital?"
Harper thought that since Francis wasn't answering her call, he might not want to see her.
She was hesitating when Victor said, "Mr. Getty spat blood."
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