Chapter 383: She Is Not Your Child
Harper's glare was like a punch to Francis's gut, making him feel like he couldn't breathe.
He was Agnes's dad, for crying out loud! But Harper was treating him like he was the bad guy. Man, she was really giving him a hard time.
When Agnes saw Harper's hands shaking, she thought her mom was mad and started bawling. "Mommy, I'm sorry! He won't take me away. I like it when he holds me. Please don't be mad, okay?"
Seeing her little girl cry, Harper's eyes filled up, and tears started rolling down her cheeks like big ol' pearls.
Harper felt like she was losing it ever since she got her memory back.
She was constantly on edge, worried that Francis would snatch Agnes away.
And why wouldn't she be? She knew how powerful Francis was. If he wanted to, he could totally take Agnes from her.
"Agnes." Harper let her daughter lean on her shoulder, trying to hold back her tears, her eyes all red. "I'm not mad. I'm sorry, baby. I'll try to keep it together."
Francis wanted to step in and hug them both, but his hands just fell to his sides, clenching into fists.
The pain in his heart was so intense, it made his eyes go red.
Agnes looked up with her chubby little face, studying Harper carefully, and asked, "Mommy, are you really not mad at me?"
Agnes acting all grown-up like that made Harper's heart ache even more.
How could she forget that Agnes had been so withdrawn because she didn't have a dad when she was little? It had taken so much to get her to open up, and she couldn't go through that again.
With a dry, hoarse voice, she said, "I'm really not mad at you, Agnes."
"Then is Mommy mad at Daddy..." Agnes quickly corrected herself, "Is Mommy mad at Francis Daddy?"
Harper took a deep breath and said, "No, I'm not mad at Francis either. I just couldn't find you and got a bit freaked out."
Hearing this, Agnes lit up. "Francis Daddy, Mommy isn't mad at you."
Francis knew Harper was just saying that to make Agnes feel better. He stepped forward and played along, saying, "Yeah, Mom's not mad at me. I'll do my best not to make her upset."
As he spoke, he reached out to hold Agnes, giving Harper a look, and said, "Let's get you and Mommy home."
Then, Francis grabbed Harper's left hand with his free one.
He held it tight, the warmth from his palm seeping into Harper's cold hand.
Harper tried to pull away but couldn't.
Just as she was about to lose her cool, she saw Francis lower his eyes and whisper, "Let's get Agnes home first, then we can talk about everything else."
Agnes was Harper's weak spot, so she stopped struggling and let him hold her hand.
Francis left the hospital stuff to Victor.
Zoey needed to go back to the ward to pack up. After giving Harper and Francis a look, she said, "I'll go back in Mr. Perry's car."
Francis frowned a bit and gently said to Zoey, "No need to bother Mr. Perry. My assistant will take you back."
Harper noticed that Francis had a childish side too, competing with Vincent over such small things.
Francis didn't even give her a chance to say goodbye to Vincent. He just hustled them straight to the car.
Harper had to call Vincent to let him know what was up.
After she hung up, Francis still looked like he was in a bad mood.
Agnes, worn out from playing all morning, conked out in Francis's arms.
When they got to the villa, Francis carried Agnes to her room and gently laid her on the bed.
He got down on one knee to take off her shoes and covered her with a thin blanket.
Harper watched him, totally speechless for a moment.
Just as Francis was about to leave, Agnes mumbled in her sleep, "Daddy, don't go."
That tiny voice hit Francis right in the feels.
He dropped to his knees again, gently held her little hand, patted the blanket, and whispered, "Daddy's not going anywhere. Go to sleep, Agnes."
Only when she was completely out did Francis carefully pull his fingers away and leave the room.
Harper looked at her sleeping daughter, her heart heavy with worry.
But it was all over now. She took a deep breath and stepped out.
When she opened the door, she saw Francis standing by the balcony on the second floor, looking as elegant as ever.
One arm was resting on the railing, a cigarette between his fingers, though it wasn't lit. He seemed lost in thought.
Hearing her footsteps, Francis turned around, staring at her for several long seconds.
Harper felt uneasy under his gaze.
She thought, 'If he really wants to fight for Agnes, what should I do? Run away with her or...'
Seeing her lost in thought, Francis just stood there, waiting.
Harper snapped back and said, "Francis, you're wrong. Agnes isn't your child."
She had made up her mind. She needed to buy time to escape with Agnes.
As long as Francis couldn't do a paternity test, he couldn't prove anything.
Francis's face stayed blank, making Harper even more anxious.
She added, "Agnes is Allen's child. You can check the hospital records and delivery notes."
She trusted Jasper's work. If they wanted to hide it, they'd cover all the bases.
She emphasized, "Believe me, Agnes has nothing to do with you."
Francis just stared at her, then chuckled, "Harper, do I look like an idiot?"
Harper's heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Francis slide his phone screen, showing two words: paternity test.
He had anticipated her denial and had Victor expedite the process. In two hours, they'd have the results.
With the facts in front of him, he wanted to see how she'd spin her story.
Harper's eyes widened. "When did you..."
Then she realized how pointless her question was and how naive she'd been.
How could Francis come to negotiate without evidence?
"What was your plan?" Francis lifted his eyelids, his deep eyes locking onto Harper's face, his tone dark. "Were you planning to fool me for now and then run away with Agnes?"
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