Chapter 419 Wealthy Dummy
Francis sure had a knack for spewing nonsense.
Harper snapped, "Says who? Put me down right now."
She needed to pop her meds before it got too late.
Harper reached for the car door, but Francis grabbed her wrist with his big ol' hand, catching her off guard. She ended up bumping into his chest.
Her head hit his rock-hard chest, and she shot him a glare. "What the hell are you doing?"
Francis's eyes were icy as he stared her down, making Harper feel a bit on edge.
She defensively asked, "What do you even want?"
Seeing her face, Francis felt a pang in his chest, his breath hitching.
He wanted to ask her, "If you're not having a kid with me, then with who?"
But thinking it might come off too possessive and make her hate him, he swallowed his pride.
Then, Francis slowly let go, his handsome face darkening, and said, "I'll go."
Francis hit up the pharmacy and grabbed two types of meds: a morning-after pill and some vitamins.
Back in the car, he poured water into a cup and handed the pills to Harper.
Harper took them, feeling a warmth in her heart, and said, "Thanks."
Even though Francis could be a real control freak sometimes, he was also super considerate. Her soft thanks instantly melted his frustration.
Watching Harper take the meds without a second thought, Francis felt way better. He figured she just wasn't ready yet, and there was plenty of time, so no rush.
The car started up again.
They soon pulled up to Harper's studio. As she was about to get out, Francis gently grabbed her hand and explained, "It's not that I don't wanna help Molly out, but it involves the law, and Robert hasn't said he wants to go after Molly. It's not my place to step in."
Harper got it. The whole mess between Molly and Robert wasn't something outsiders could fix.
Plus, Molly had chosen to take care of Robert. They were beyond help.
Harper nodded and said, "I get it."
Then, there was this awkward silence.
Francis didn't open the door 'cause he didn't want her to leave, and Harper thought he had something to say.
But after a while, Francis just stared at her with those deep, dark eyes, not saying a word. Harper felt her face heat up under his gaze and had to break the silence, "Thanks. I'm heading to the office now."
Francis wanted to keep her but had no excuse, so he reluctantly let her go. After she got out, he watched her through the car window.
"If you need anything, hit me up. And..." Francis said gently, "I'll pick you up tonight."
Even though he swore he wouldn't try to please her again in the morning, he couldn't help himself now.
Harper was a bit surprised. Francis had seemed super pissed in the morning, so why was he suddenly so chill?
She said, "No need. I have a driver..."
Francis cut her off, "I promised to be your driver. I happen to drive by for business tonight."
Harper didn't argue 'cause she suddenly remembered something. "Wait a sec."
Francis's eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile crept onto his face.
"What is it?" His voice was lazily pleasant.
Harper pulled out a check from her bag and handed it through the car window. "I ran into Thorne earlier. He said he asked you for $800,000 back then. I'm paying you back."
She had planned to return it the day before yesterday, but with all the Molly drama, she forgot. Now seemed like a good time; she didn't like to drag things out.
Instantly, Francis's handsome face turned stormy, and he pressed his lips together and said, "What do you mean?"
Harper thought she hadn't explained clearly and repeated, "I mean the money you gave Thorne. If he asks you for money again, don't give him a dime."
Harper had already given Thorne $20,000, not much but enough.
At least it was enough for rent, and with a job, he could live decently on his own.
But that was only if Thorne was willing to turn over a new leaf and not blow another $20,000.
Back in the day, she helped Thorne pay off $400,000 to the villagers, plus the cash from selling the house, totaling over $500,000. She never expected Francis to give him another $800,000! For most folks, $1.3 million could buy a sweet house and set them up for life, but Thorne? He'd never have enough.
Harper thought about how Thorne was Delaney's only son and felt she'd done more than enough for him. No way was she gonna care about his mess anymore, and she definitely wasn't giving him another dime.
Francis didn't take the check, and Harper's hand started to ache, so she plopped the check on the center console.
Then she reminded him, "If Thorne comes to you again, just tell him we divorced ages ago and cut ties. He won't have any reason to bug you for money."
She knew Thorne too well.
She figured in Thorne's contact list, Francis was probably saved as "Wealthy Dummy."
Francis's expression turned ice-cold, and he was seriously pissed!
Harper said she wouldn't have his kid. He accepted it. She said she wanted to take meds. He accepted it. Now she was bringing up old debts and returning the money to him.
And she said they had no relationship anymore! Such a clean break made Francis's hand veins bulge as he gripped the steering wheel, his chest aching with anger.
Suddenly, Francis grabbed the check from the center console and ripped it to shreds.
Then, under Harper's shocked gaze, he gritted his teeth and said, "I wanted to give it to him. It's none of your business."
With that, he floored it, and the black limo sped away.
Harper had no clue what was up with Francis; he was all over the place.
Back at the office, Harper got so busy that she soon forgot about the whole drama.
Lately, Elodie Studios had been blowing up, and they were getting tons of high-end custom orders.
Plus, CelestialGlow Entertainment hadn't taken advantage of Elodie Studios during the plagiarism scandal, earning them the goodwill of netizens and boosting their artists' status.
Jeffrey was super grateful to Harper and handed over all future red carpet styling to Elodie Studios.
Jessica, for convenience, rented an apartment near the company.
Elodie Studios' HR department was also busy recruiting, and the studio was thriving, which made Harper really happy.
Harper hoped the company's rep would grow bigger and better, spreading everywhere. If Elodie saw it, she might show up. It was this hope that kept her going!
Harper worked late and asked Jessica if she wanted to leave together. Jessica shook her head, saying she still had some work to finish.
So Harper left alone, only to find it was pretty dark outside.
The road in front of the company was empty.
Harper lowered her eyes, feeling a bit down.
Thinking about how Francis had stormed off, she figured he probably wouldn't show. She also forgot to ask her driver to pick her up in the evening, and it would take forever for the driver to come from Serenity Manor.
Harper called a rideshare for herself. Soon, the rideshare driver called, saying he couldn't get into the area her studio was in and asked Harper to cross a traffic light ahead.
Harper walked forward, replying to a message on her phone. As she reached the corner, she suddenly felt something was off. It seemed like a pair of rubber-soled shoes had been following her rhythmically.
Harper quickened her pace, putting her phone to her ear and pretending to be on a call. "Hello, are you here? Where are you?"
There happened to be a white car parked not far ahead.
Harper deliberately said, "Oh, is it that white car? I'm coming."
The rubber-soled shoes behind her seemed to hesitate and paused.
Harper relaxed for a second, dreaded to look back, and quickly walked towards the white car.
Unexpectedly, the white car was occupied, and it suddenly started and drove away, exposing her lie!
Harper's pupils contracted heavily, and she started to run. The rubber-soled shoes behind her also began to run.
After a few steps, Harper's hair was yanked backward.
Harper grabbed her hair, preventing the person behind her from hurting her more, and shouted, "Help!"
The person threw her to the ground, quickly squatted down, and covered her mouth with tape, speaking viciously, "Shut up, you bitch!"
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