Chapter 370 Prenuptial Agreement
Jasper ripped open the file bag, and out spilled a bunch of encrypted docs. The bold heading made his eyes squint—it was Francis's will.
The more he read, the deeper his frown got. Finally, he shoved the papers back, still trying to wrap his head around it.
"You're leaving eighty percent of your whole estate to Harper?" Jasper blurted out.
"Yup. The will's notarized. No changes, man," Francis replied.
Jasper was floored. Eighty percent to Harper, and the rest to Abigail. He knew a bit about this. It wasn't that Francis liked Harper more; Abigail already had six percent of the Getty Group's shares. With Francis's twenty percent, she'd definitely have more than Harper. But still—billions just handed over like that?
Francis said, "Jasper, I'm not showing you this to make you let Harper marry me right now. I just want a shot at making things right."
"I was too into my work and ignored Harper, made her go through some tough times, even lost our kid. So I get why you're mad, but I still want a chance to fix things. Don't block us. Even if Harper doesn't pick me, my will stays the same. She's the one for me," Francis said, dead serious. He wasn't the emotional type, but once he decided, he was all in. For Harper, he'd do anything.
Francis slid the papers back to Jasper and said, "I'll leave this will with you."
Jasper's lips tightened, confusion all over his face. "You're doing all this just to stop me from keeping you two apart? No other strings?"
Jasper never thought Francis would trust him with this notarized will. It was like handing his weak spot to a stranger.
If this will got out and hit the public, the Getty Group's stock would go nuts, and Francis would probably get booted as CEO. And he didn't care?
For the first time, Jasper saw how crazy love could make a guy. He just didn't get it.
To Jasper, career always came first, no exceptions.
Francis looked up and said, "I have one condition."
Jasper frowned, thinking Francis was finally gonna show his cards. But Francis just said, "Don't tell Harper about the will. I don't want her to stress over it."
Jasper was totally confused. Francis was nothing like he thought. How could he be so selfless?
Jasper frowned and asked, "So you don't care that Agnes isn't your kid?"
This was big. To see if a guy was for real, a kid was the ultimate test. No guy could just accept a kid that wasn't his without any issues.
Thinking of Agnes made Francis smile. "I really like Agnes, but I'll respect her choices. Whether she likes me or not, I'll treat her like my own daughter."
Jasper scoffed, "Talk is cheap, man. Doing it is a whole different ball game."
Francis got all serious, "If Harper doesn't want more kids, I can promise Agnes will be our only child."
Jasper's mocking grin froze. He was speechless. For a CEO of a big company to make that kind of promise? That was huge, especially with all the succession stuff.
Francis was ready to accept just having Agnes as his kid for life, even without knowing who her dad was. That was something else.
Jasper started to rethink Francis, narrowing his eyes. "You for real?"
People were selfish, especially rich folks. They got more on their plate and couldn't just do whatever.
Francis said calmly, "It's already in the prenup."
Jasper's eyes twitched. "Who said Harper's gonna marry you!"
He was really pushing it. Jasper hadn't agreed to anything, and Francis already had a prenup.
"It's all up to Harper. I won't force her, but I want to give Agnes a real family."
His dark eyes locked onto Jasper as he promised, "Just give me a shot, and I swear on my life to protect Harper and Agnes."
Jasper's face stayed cool, but inside, he was a mess. Francis was sharp, a pro at negotiating. He knew what people cared about and offered deals that were too good to pass up.
Plus, Francis's love for Agnes seemed real.
Jasper thought about Agnes's background, his brows furrowing. Could this be some kind of blood bond?
Francis coughed lightly, still not fully recovered, feeling wiped out from being out too long. "Jasper, I sent the Harris family's dirt to your email. I gotta get back to the hospital. Think about it seriously."
Jasper held the documents, his eyes deep and silent for a long time.
Back at the villa.
Harper looked at the oatmeal in the pot, a bit puzzled. She thought cooking was hard, but following Zoey's steps, she nailed it. It felt like she had done it before.
But Francis probably wouldn't get to have it, since she couldn't get out of the house today. She didn't want to break her promise, though.
Jasper had Isla watching her like a hawk this time. She could barely go anywhere besides work and home.
Harper looked at the sky outside. It was getting late. She wondered if he was still starving himself since she didn't show up.
Zoey noticed Harper's sighs and asked, "Ms. Murphy, you wanna go out?"
Harper nodded, then shook her head. "No, Jasper won't let me."
Seeing Harper's conflicted look, Zoey knew she wanted to go.
Zoey said, "You made the oatmeal for a patient, right? Why don't you go quickly and come back? I just called Isla in for dinner."
Harper hesitated, mainly because she had already ticked off Jasper over Francis before.
"When Mr. Murphy comes over, I'll cover for you and say you went to bed 'cause you weren't feeling well."
Zoey pushed Harper towards the door and handed her the thermos. "Go quickly and come back."
"Okay, thanks, Zoey." Harper felt a rush of happiness, but as she turned with the thermos, she saw Jasper stepping out of his car.
She froze. Why was Jasper here so early today?
Jasper took a few long strides and was in front of her, squinting slightly, "Where you headed?"
"Nowhere." Harper looked down at her toes, feeling guilty, the thermos in her hands like a smoking gun.
Jasper glanced at the thermos and sighed lightly.
He looked away and said calmly, "Be home by nine."
"What?" Harper thought she misheard.
Jasper's expression showed he knew where she was going, but his words were throwing her off. Why would he agree?
She asked tentatively, "Jasper, you're really letting me go?"
"Yes," Jasper answered quickly.
Harper, still unsure, repeated, "Seriously?"
By now, her courage had grown, and she wasn't even trying to hide her excitement.
Jasper, a bit impatient, gave her a sidelong glance. "Do you not want to go?"
Harper was sure now; he was really letting her go. It was unbelievable.
She wanted to rush to Francis and ask how he had convinced Jasper.
"No, I'll be on my way, Jasper." Harper hopped into the driver's car.
Jasper watched the car speed away, a sudden feeling of melancholy washing over him, as if he couldn't keep Harper.
Jasper consoled himself, at least they were just spending time together, not getting married.
At the hospital.
Abigail was waiting in the hallway.
After a while, Audrey came out with an empty thermos, smiling at Abigail, "Abigail, I got Francis to eat everything. He even praised your cooking."
"Really?" Abigail beamed, the fine lines around her eyes becoming more pronounced.
Over the years, the discord with Francis had aged her by at least a decade, stripping away her former vibrant spirit.
Audrey smiled, "Of course, I wouldn't lie to you."
Abigail, in a good mood, smiled, "Francis still listens to you the most. Audrey, Francis seems to be in a good mood today. Can I go in and see him?"
Actually, Francis's attitude towards Abigail wasn't that bad.
Years ago, when she had claimed Harper was dead, Francis had gone furious, insisting Harper was alive.
Later, the stress sent Francis to the hospital, where he had stayed for half a month, and his condition hadn't been great since. Several times, Audrey had to mediate, which, however, deepened the misunderstandings between them.
Abigail, feeling anxious, was advised by Audrey to seek psychological treatment. After treatment, Abigail became increasingly insecure, hesitant in everything she did. She wouldn't do anything without consulting Audrey, even asking her permission to see Francis.
If Audrey said no, Abigail wouldn't go, fearing she might say something to upset Francis.
Abigail had stopped paying attention to the world, not even the news, as long as her child was healthy and safe.
Audrey's eyes flickered, and she smiled, "Abigail, it seems like bad timing. Francis just said he's feeling a bit tired."
Abigail looked disappointed and rubbed her palms together.
"Maybe next time." At that moment, Audrey's phone rang.
She said, "Abigail, wait for me by the elevator. I need to take this call."
Abigail nodded.
Seeing it was Jonathan calling, Audrey moved out of Abigail's sight to answer.
Abigail paced by the elevator, her gaze wandering aimlessly to the mirrored surface.
The elevator doors behind her opened.
Abigail looked up and saw a girl hurrying past. For a moment, she felt like she had been struck by lightning. That profile looked so familiar.
Abigail opened her mouth but couldn't call out. It took her nearly half a minute to realize and catch up, but the girl was already gone.
Abigail looked at the rooms ahead, deep in thought. The rooms on this entire floor were reserved only for Francis. Could that girl be...
"Abigail, what's wrong?" Audrey saw Abigail's lost expression and asked with concern.
"I..." Abigail wanted to speak but didn't. She shook her head and said it was nothing.
Audrey thought Abigail wanted to sneak in to see Francis and felt a bit annoyed but quickly suppressed it. "Let's go then."
Abigail asked casually, "Audrey, has Francis come to terms with Harper's death?"
Audrey was momentarily stunned but replied quickly, "I haven't heard Francis mention it in a long time."
She looked at Abigail and smiled, "Abigail, what makes you bring it up?"
Abigail smiled awkwardly, "It just crossed my mind."
Audrey hesitated for a couple of seconds.
Then she warmly linked arms with Abigail, "Abigail, I happen to be free today. How about I accompany you to your therapy session?"
Abigail said, "I've been feeling pretty good lately."
She was turning down Audrey's offer. For some obscure reason, every time she underwent psychological treatment, her mind would feel empty for days, unable to remember anything. Subconsciously, she was a bit resistant to it.
Audrey said, "Come on, Abigail, I've already made an appointment for you. Mr. Sanders even postponed his VIP clients just for you."
Logan Sanders was very famous, with many wealthy people seeking his psychological and relaxation treatments.
With the conversation at this point, Abigail felt it would be impolite to refuse, so she nodded. "Alright then."
In a luxurious villa halfway up the mountain.
In a closed room filled with swirling smoke, Abigail lay on a chair, deeply asleep.
The door opened.
Audrey walked in, not even glancing at the sleeping Abigail as she was clearly used to it.
She asked, "Clues?"
Logan nodded. "Mrs. Getty said she saw her supposedly deceased daughter-in-law at the hospital."
Audrey's expression turned cold. As expected, she hadn't thought Abigail would keep this from her.
"Since she knows, tell her that if her son marries his former wife, he will die," Audrey said.
Logan said, "Should I use the same hypnosis method as before? She'll need to come back two more times."
"No need." Audrey's eyes were sharp, "Use deep hypnosis, the kind that works in one session."
"That could be quite harmful," Logan said worriedly.
Audrey smirked, "It's fine."
Since Abigail had the guts to hide things from her, she wouldn't care about her health.
After all, Abigail's only use was to help her marry Francis smoothly.
After that, she wouldn't care about Abigail's life.
"Alright." Logan nodded in agreement.
Before leaving, Audrey glanced at Abigail's pale face and smiled sinisterly.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
