Chapter 44 What's More Important Than Your Wife
Following Amelia's gaze, Harper looked down to the floor below. There they were, Francis and Chloe making their grand entrance—he, with an air of distinguished elegance, and she, with her demure and lovely grace. Standing together, they seemed a match made in heaven.
At that moment, Harper felt a void in her mind. 'Francis? Did he come to the party with Chloe?'
She recalled the confrontation from the previous day, his questioning of her fidelity. 'But what about him? Does he remember that he's a married man? Flaunting his first love at such an event feels like a public statement.' Harper wanted to laugh it off but found she couldn't muster even the slightest smile. 'Francis, what a hypocrite!'
Amelia noted Harper's troubled look, and a scornful grin flickered in her eyes, "Poor thing. You seem out of the loop—Francis is bringing Chloe tonight."
Harper bit her lip hard, reminding herself not to care. It was only a matter of time before they went public, right? Yet it felt like her heart had a gaping hole, with a cold wind blowing through it. She chastised herself for being weak... for caring.
Amelia reveled in Harper's distress, "So what if Francis married you? You'll always be the one in the shadows. He only married you to appease Dylan. You really think too highly of yourself!"
Her words sharp with mockery, she continued, "Look at how perfect Francis and Chloe are together. You know what you look like? A clown, a deluded clown."
Suddenly, an icy voice cut through, "Who did you say was deluded?"
Caught up in her triumph, Amelia blurted out without thinking, "I'm talking about this—"
Slap!
Before she could finish her sentence, a resounding slap landed on Amelia's face. "Ah!" she cried, reeling from the impact, "Who dares hit me?"
Slap!
Another slap, even harder than the first one, left her cheeks both red and swollen, sending her crashing to the floor in total disarray.
"Ah!" Amelia's scream echoed through the air.
"Shut up! Continue, and I'll have you thrown out," Abigail commanded, her voice a frigid warning.
As soon as Amelia realized it was Abigail who had struck her, her bravado evaporated. Scrambling up, she stammered, "A-Aunt..."
"Who is your Aunt?" Abigail sneered. "Looks like you've grown bold, Amelia. How dare you bully my daughter-in-law?"
Amelia's legs turned to jelly at the sight of Abigail. She knew just how Abigail could be, and now she was sweating bullets.
"It's not like that, Abigail... you're misunderstanding, I didn't..."
Abigail scoffed, "Why are you so proud, acting like some dignified lady? Have you forgotten your mother was a maid's daughter?"
"You—!" Amelia's eyes blazed with anger, incensed by the old woman's humiliating words.
On the way here, Abigail had already filled Harper in about the family dynamics of the Hearst family.
Abigail's father, typically not one to indulge in affairs, became involved with the nanny while Abigail's mother was unwell. Following her mother's passing, the nanny and her illegitimate daughter assumed their roles within the household.
That nanny was Amelia's grandmother, and her illegitimate daughter was Amelia's mother.
Abigail's father buried this inglorious history to save his face.
But Abigail remembered it all too well, the countless times the nanny had tripped her up, treating her with disguised cruelty.
If it weren't for Abigail's own resourcefulness, she might very well have been destroyed long ago.
Today was her grandfather's birthday celebration, and Abigail didn't want Amelia to spoil it. By making her leave, it was a page turned.
As Amelia walked away, her eyes were full of malice. If it hadn't been for that wretch Harper, she wouldn't be enduring this humiliation.
'The old witch dared to insult my grandma for being a nanny. I'll go to her grandma right now. Let's see who'll win this battle,' Amelia thought.
Meanwhile, Amelia's defiance had riled up Abigail. Abigail couldn't stand it if anyone tried to mess with Harper!
"I'm going to announce you as Francis' wife right now, and we'll see who dares to mess with you after that!"
She began pulling Harper toward the stairs, but Harper quickly intervened, "Mom, let's not be hasty..."
Before she could finish, Francis appeared. Getting a closer look, Harper observed a fine line on his forehead that seemed to have been treated.
Seeing Francis, Abigail snapped, "Where have you been? Didn't I tell you to come take care of Harper?"
"Got held up by something," he answered calmly.
"What's more important than your own wife?" Abigail demanded with visible irritation before noticing a scar on the man's forehead. "How did you get that?"
"Scratched by a cat."
Harper's heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, her eyes darted toward Francis.
Their gazes met in a silent exchange.
Francis narrowed his eyes knowingly.
Oblivious to their fleeting eye contact, Abigail continued with concern, "A cat? Is it vaccinated? You don't think it has rabies, do you?"
"Just got it," Francis said nonchalantly. His eyes, however, rested on Harper, "it needs a bit of discipline."
The way he lingered on 'discipline' sounded intentional, a word stretched out with deeper implication.
Harper hung her head under his gaze, unsure where to look.
Francis saw Harper in a gown for the first time. The color complemented her ethereal beauty, making her appear as pure and radiant as the moon. But as he looked at her dress, chosen by his mother, he frowned. The subtle reveal at the waist was tempting people to explore—a little too tempting.
Suddenly, he stepped forward, slipped off his suit jacket, and draped it over her shoulders. "Who picked this out for you?" His voice was low. Only Harper could heart him.
"Is it not to your liking?" she retorted, without really expecting an answer.
Francis paused, taken aback. After a few seconds, he replied, "It's beautiful."
She was so beautiful that he wanted to hide her away for himself.
His raw, unguarded compliment caught Harper off guard, making her heart skip a beat.
She had been irritated moments before, prompting her pointed rebuttal to Francis. Now, she was annoyed with herself for being affected by his comments. She knew he was just putting on a show for Abigail, yet she couldn't suppress a flutter of excitement.
Watching the couple's exchange, Abigail's heart swelled with sweetness as if it were filled with honey, and she began, "You do realize your wife has been insulted..."
She stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes fixed on the figure of Chloe, a vision of soft grace, behind Francis. Abigail furrowed her brow in confusion.
But Chloe, as if she hadn't seen Abigail's frown, approached warmly with a greeting, "Abigail."
Abigail's complexion turned chilly. "What are you doing here?!"
Chloe blanched under the scolding, a pitiable pout forming as she looked to Francis for support.
"Why are you looking at Francis?" Abigail snapped, turning her stern gaze on him. "Did you bring her here?"
Before Francis could respond, Chloe jumped in, "Abigail, you've got it wrong. Amelia invited me."
Abigail's expression softened somewhat. She wanted to reprimand her son, but this wasn't the time or place. They would have a proper talk when they got back home.
Meanwhile, Harper felt a shiver.
'It's not hard to guess that Chloe was trying to deflect the heat from Francis. It's almost laughable how, just moments ago, I was flustered by a mere compliment from him.'
"Since Francis didn't bring you here, perhaps you should find somewhere else to make yourself comfortable, Miss Musk. My son is busy taking care of his wife and doesn't have time to entertain you," Abigail said icily, her gaze piercing Chloe as if it could cut. Her disdain for Chloe's pitiful act was palpable.
"Francis..." Chloe's voice broke. She grabbed his sleeve, her head bowed as tears began to fall. Her shoulders shook as if the weight of the world had come crashing down upon her. But inwardly, she reveled in the thought, 'Keep it up, you old witch. The more you scold me, the more your son will pity me.'
Harper felt a sharp pang of heartache as she watched their interaction, like needles piercing her heart. She couldn't shake the feeling that she must have been a terrible person in a past life to deserve this punishment from fate. Seeing the man she had loved for so long showering affection on someone else was unbearable.
"Let go!" Abigail snapped, barely able to contain her anger, as she marched forward and smacked Chloe's hand away.
"Ah!" With a thud, Chloe crashed to the ground. Going all out for the charade, it seemed, her knees scraped and bleeding. She looked so frail and pitiful.
Abigail's expression changed instantly. The little damsel-in-distress act had gone too far. 'She should pull this trick on me!'
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
