Chapter 431 Give It a Try
The phone went dead again. Harper was kinda thrown off, thinking Francis was acting super weird tonight.
Just as she was about to ask, she heard a faint cough from inside. Sounded like Taylor was coughing. Harper freaked out a bit, covered the receiver, and whispered, "I'm hitting the sack now. Let's chat tomorrow."
Then, she hung up. The busy signals blared like a mocking tune, taunting Francis.
Francis couldn't even put his feelings into words. He shouldn't have bailed on the meeting early to rush back to Northfield. And he definitely shouldn't have gone all over the place looking for Harper when he couldn't reach her. And coming to Willowbrook Falls? Big mistake.
Just a bit ago, he was trying to persuade himself that Harper and Vincent must've been swamped with work or something, which was why they were at the hotel together.
When Francis saw Vincent carrying a bag of meds inside, his first thought was that Harper might be sick. He really wanted to barge in right then, but he decided to stay in the car and wait for her call.
He was doing his best not to do anything Harper would hate.
Even a second before Harper called, he was reminding himself. As long as she said she was with Vincent, he had to trust her and not get all jealous or do something dumb.
But Harper didn't say that; she said she was with someone he didn't know.
Francis's grip on the phone tightened and then loosened. "Let's head back."
Victor was shocked and asked, "Mr. Getty, go back?"
Victor hadn't heard what Harper said, so he was kinda lost.
Francis had been running around all day, cramming meetings, rushing from Southvale to Northfield, and then from Northfield to Willowbrook Falls. All just to see Harper.
"Yeah," Francis said, his voice heavy, mood in the dumps.
Victor didn't dare ask more. He quickly started the engine, and when they got back to Northfield, Francis got out without a word.
Victor grabbed a big box from the trunk and asked, "Mr. Getty, should I bring this up for you?"
The box was packed with live seafood Francis had bought himself from the fish market.
While he was dreaming of a nice family dinner, Harper didn't even remember such small stuff.
Francis looked away, his face cold, and said, "You can keep it."
Victor was stunned for a sec, then put the box back in the car.
The next day.
Harper ordered breakfast to the room. After breakfast, they split up. The nanny took Taylor down first, and Harper followed later.
Once everyone was ready, Vincent drove them to their new place.
Ronald had the house cleaned yesterday, with fresh bedding and utensils. Seeing everything set, the nanny was super grateful to Harper.
The nanny had worked in the kitchen for the Koch family and had a rough life. Her husband and only son died in a car accident abroad. When she went abroad to handle things, grief knocked her down and she ended up in the hospital, where she met Molly.
Molly, understanding her situation, asked the nanny to help take care of the newborn Taylor. Since then, she had been looking after Taylor for years, treating him like her own kid.
Harper had Ronald arrange for a servant for the nanny. The bodyguard Molly had hired wasn't needed anymore, and she had Ronald find a more reliable one.
She also had the nanny call Molly.
After everything was sorted, Harper took Ronald's car back. Vincent left in a hurry because of school stuff.
In the car, Harper opened the new phone Ronald had set up and popped in the SIM card.
As soon as she turned it on, she got a bunch of missed call notifications from that familiar number, making her smile unconsciously. She opened the texts, about to text him, but her smile slowly faded bit by bit as realization hit her.
Those missed call notifications were all from before their call last night. Since their last chat, Francis hadn't hit her up again.
Harper figured he was probably swamped, just like those times she was so busy she didn't even glance at her phone all day.
After mulling it over, she decided to shoot Francis a text.
Harper: [I'm back.]
After sending it, she told Ronald to swing by the fresh produce market. The dinner she couldn't make last night, she planned to whip up for Francis tonight.
Harper spent almost an hour picking out all the ingredients at the market. Back home, she didn't ask for any help; she did everything herself from start to finish.
Once everything was prepped, Harper instinctively grabbed her phone to check for texts. No reply. She couldn't help but feel a bit bummed.
He must be really busy. She thought about calling him but worried he might be in a meeting.
After some thought, she decided to call Victor. Victor picked up quickly. "What can I do for you?"
Harper asked, "Victor, is Francis busy?"
Victor replied, "Yeah, Mr. Getty's in a meeting. If you need to talk to him, I can pass it on."
Harper said, "Then please remind him not to forget dinner tonight."
Victor glanced at the office, where Francis was already grabbing his coat, ready to leave. He hesitated and said, "Mr. Getty might be tied up until pretty late tonight."
Harper didn't catch the hint in Victor's words and said calmly, "It's okay. I'll wait for him."
Just then, Agnes's voice came through from the other end of the house.
Harper said, "Victor, I gotta go. Talk later."
After hanging up, Victor caught up with Francis, panting, "Mrs. Getty..."
Seeing Francis's cold expression, he corrected himself, "Ms. Murphy called to invite you for dinner tonight."
Francis heard him but kept his face blank as he walked away. It wasn't until he got into the elevator that a slight smile crept onto his lips.
She invited him to dinner, but it was just to repay a favor. The funny part was that he was actually happy about it. He felt like a total fool.
In the kitchen, Agnes came bouncing in. Seeing Harper busy, she asked sweetly, "Mommy, what are you doing?"
Harper replied, "Mommy's cooking."
"Wow, is someone coming over? Can we invite Daddy too? I want Daddy to come." Agnes's eyes were wide open, her face full of eager anticipation.
Harper's heart warmed, and she smiled, "Yes, we're inviting Daddy."
"Really?" Agnes looked surprised.
Harper nodded.
Agnes jumped up in joy and said, "That's awesome. Mommy, I love you so much."
Agnes's happiness was contagious, lifting Harper's spirits. Harper pinched Agnes's cheek and asked, "Agnes, let me ask you, if Daddy were to live with us, would you like that?"
"Yes, I would." Agnes grinned widely, "I want Daddy to be with us forever."
Harper could see that Agnes genuinely liked Francis a lot. But was this affection because she longed for a father figure, or was it because of their natural bond?
Harper looked down at Agnes's little chubby face and asked, "Agnes, do you like Daddy because he can be your dad, or because he's good to you?"
Agnes didn't quite get Harper's question, so she gave her own answer. "Our kindergarten teacher says that people have a magnetic field. When you like someone, you can feel that they like you too. I can feel that Daddy's love for me is the same as mine for him."
Harper was stunned by her words, feeling that she, a grown woman, wasn't as perceptive as a child under five.
After Zoey took Agnes out to play, Harper still couldn't calm down. She knew clearly that her heart had been stirred by Francis. The question Francis asked at the villa gate last time, she wanted to give an answer tonight.
Harper didn't just want to stop avoiding him; she wanted to give it a shot with him.
For Agnes, and for herself, she thought it was time to let go of the past.
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