Chapter 486 You, an Outsider
The camera hit the floor with a thud. The reporter who got smacked was still trying to figure out who was in front of him. His face twisted, and he yelled, "A dude from Elodie Studio just clocked me!"
As soon as those words left his mouth, all hell broke loose. Francis, with his shiny black leather shoes, stomped on the busted camera, grabbed the troublemaker by the collar, and tossed him into Victor's arms. "This guy's a fake reporter. Call the cops," he said, ice-cold.
The guy, now in a daze, started shouting, "I'm a legit reporter! Just 'cause you say I'm fake doesn't make it true!"
Victor yanked off the guy's jacket, showing off a tattoo on his arm. The dude quickly tried to cover it up, yelling, "Why are you ripping my clothes? He hit me!"
A few others started chiming in, "This is nuts!"
But that just made it easier for Victor to spot the fakes. He pointed them out, and the bodyguards quickly took them down. When their clothes got yanked off, everyone saw the tattoos. No way these guys were real reporters.
The legit reporters were left speechless. They'd gotten the scoop from their industry group and rushed over for a big story. But these guys? Total fakes. They weren't here for a friendly chat, that's for sure.
Francis scanned the crowd with a sharp look, his voice like ice, "Who sent you?"
Silence. Dead silence.
The real reporters knew they were dealing with a big shot they couldn't mess with. They stammered, "Mr. Getty, please, we had no idea. We got tricked into coming here."
Francis's lips barely moved as he said, "Since you're here, report it."
They trembled, "No, no, we won't report anything."
Francis sneered, "You got the guts to report fake news but not the real deal?"
The crowd was a bit lost.
"Ms. Hernandez is pregnant, and it has nothing to do with me." Francis casually took Harper's hand and announced, "Whether in the past or now, I've only ever loved this one woman. Got it?"
Then, without a backward glance, Francis held Harper's hand and walked into the studio. The reporters didn't dare snap pics of the two, but they could still write about Francis's public love declaration, so it wasn't a total bust.
After grilling the fake reporters, Victor came up empty. They'd taken orders online and had no clue who was behind it. But it wasn't hard to guess. Had to be Audrey.
Victor ordered them to be sent to the police station.
Harper looked at Francis, still a bit puzzled, and asked, "Why'd you come over?"
"Just passing by," Francis said, keeping it short.
By now, Francis had already told his PR team to squash all the fake news online. Jeffrey had called Francis that morning, griping.
Jeffrey's girlfriend had seen the news and started a fight with him. She thought he had some shady thing going on with Harper. He wouldn't mess with someone else's girl, especially not a friend's. Besides, Francis was not someone to mess with, and Jeffrey knew better.
Francis lowered his eyes and said, "I'll handle this. I'll also find out about that kid ASAP."
From the start, Francis never thought the kid was his. Even if he were drunk, he wouldn't touch any woman other than Harper, let alone his body condition.
Francis advised, "Watch out for Audrey. Don't meet her alone."
Harper nodded, "Yeah, I know."
Harper also got that Audrey might be desperate, which was why she spilled everything to those reporters, fake or not. Since she'd thrown away her dignity, she might do something even crazier after she failed again.
Francis leaned in to hug her, resting his chin on Harper's head, and said softly, "Thanks for believing in me."
Harper said nothing, just hugged him back tightly. It felt so good to have no misunderstandings.
At that moment, Francis's phone rang. The call was from the Getty Mansion.
"Mr. Getty, Mrs. Getty fell down the stairs."
Francis's breath caught, "What?"
The servant said, "Mrs. Getty woke up this morning complaining about chest tightness and said she was going back to lie down. Somehow, she fell down the stairs. Please come back and check on her."
Francis hung up, worry etched all over his face. Harper grabbed his arm, "Is it Abigail?"
Last time, Francis had explained the whole medication mess to her, and the idea that Audrey might've been secretly drugging Abigail all along gave Harper the creeps. No wonder Abigail's behavior had gone off the rails.
Francis nodded, "Yeah, she took a fall. I need to go see her."
Harper asked, "Should I come with you?"
Francis thought for a sec and nodded, "Yeah, that'd be good."
They quickly headed to the Getty Mansion.
Harper felt a wave of nostalgia stepping back into the house. She used to come here all the time to hang with Dylan, and now, stepping in, she couldn't help but think of him and miss him.
As soon as Francis walked into the hall, he saw Audrey waiting at the door. She looked pale. When she saw Francis, her eyes welled up, and she sobbed, "Francis, you're back..."
But then she saw Francis holding Harper's hand, and her words died in her throat.
Audrey's eyes filled with hatred, not even bothering to hide it. She stuck out her belly, making it look way bigger than it actually was.
Harper found it super offensive, especially since this was happening at the Getty Mansion. Audrey really knew how to push their buttons!
Francis asked, "What are you doing here?"
The worry on Francis's face turned to ice when he saw Audrey. His whole vibe screamed coldness, making anyone want to back off.
Audrey looked all hurt and whimpered, "I've been here keeping her company..."
"Alright, you can leave now." Francis said, pulling Harper along and heading upstairs without a backward glance. He treated Audrey like she didn't even exist.
After the medication incident, Francis had someone secretly follow Abigail to protect her from Audrey. Abigail didn't admit the meds were from Audrey and trusted her completely. Francis had no proof Audrey was behind it, so he could only take precautions in secret.
Audrey's lips tightened as she watched them walk upstairs hand in hand, their backs looking so well-matched.
This thought crossed her mind but was quickly shoved out. Well-matched? In this world, among all the living women, only she was the most suitable for Francis. If Arthur hadn't said no killing this month, Harper would be dead meat by now.
Audrey slowly hid the malice and viciousness in her eyes and followed them upstairs.
On the bed, Abigail lay there, her back injured, unable to get up for now. But when she saw Francis come in, she couldn't hide her happiness and tried to get up, her face instantly pained.
Francis quickly stepped forward, but a figure suddenly darted out.
"Mom, your back is injured. You can't get up. Please lie down." Audrey supported Abigail, propping up the pillows to make it easier for her to talk to Francis, her actions very considerate.
Abigail smiled and said, "Audrey, you should rest too. Don't tire yourself out."
Audrey stood by the bed, smiling, "Mom, I'm not tired."
Francis frowned, "Mom, how are you?"
"I'm fine, Francis. Come sit down." Abigail happily invited Francis, completely ignoring Harper behind him. Harper didn't mind. She was just here to check on her and take another look at the Getty Mansion.
At that moment, Audrey coughed. Abigail seemed to get some signal and said to Francis, "Francis, I have something to tell you."
Francis said promptly, "Go ahead."
Abigail hesitated, "Maybe Ms. Murphy should go out for a walk first?"
Harper knew they were about to discuss something she wasn't supposed to hear.
Audrey also chimed in with a smile, "Harper, why don't you let the maid take you to the garden? There are many rare flowers there that you will surely like."
Although Audrey's voice tried to keep a sense of grace, her eyes were full of provocation. She was clearly telling Harper who the real outsider was in this house.
"Ms. Hernandez, how considerate of you." Francis's eyes were cold as he chuckled, "But if anyone should invite her for a flower seeing, it should be me, not an outsider like you. You can't possibly be more familiar with this place than I am."
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