Chapter 500 The Father of My Child
The Getty Group's press conference was buzzing.
The spokesperson, all decked out in a black suit and tie, got up and said solemnly, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your concern about the Getty Group. We have gathered today to clarify the rumors circulating about our president, Francis Getty. These whispers, unfortunately, bear truth."
With a heavy heart, he added, "It is with a heavy heart that I confirm: Francis Getty passed away unexpectedly on December 9th."
The crowd lost it. Some folks just couldn't wrap their heads around it; Francis was so young.
It was a tough pill to swallow for everyone, and people were bummed about losing such a promising man.
After dropping the bombshell, the spokesperson said, "Now, let's bring up our acting chairman, Ryan Getty."
Ryan, also in black, looked like he could barely stand and needed a hand to get on stage. He looked beat and heartbroken as he started, "Thank you all for being here. I apologize for my condition—I've been unwell, so I'll keep this brief. Francis wasn't just the president of the company; he was my son, my best son. I still can't fathom that he is truly gone."
As Ryan spoke, he wiped away tears, his weak and sorrowful look making everyone tear up.
Choking up, he said, "But it happened, and I owe you all an explanation. Even though my son is gone, he left Audrey Hernandez with a kid. Once the kid's born, Audrey will officially take over as president of the Hernandez Group, and our families will be even tighter."
Audrey, sitting in the crowd, was caught on camera wiping away tears. She was in a black dress and hat, looking like she was mourning her late husband.
Ryan went on, "To keep things running smoothly at the Getty Group, the board decided yesterday that my second son, Keith, will step in as acting president. He's got a solid background in top financial institutions and is just as awesome. Francis was always his hero, and I know Keith won't let us down and will take the Getty Group to new heights!"
Ryan puffed up with pride as he said this.
The crowd was a bit puzzled, wondering how this press conference turned into a bragging session.
Ryan cleared his throat, trying to hide his grin, "Now, let's get Keith up here to say a few words."
Keith stood up, looking sharp in his custom suit, all handsome and elegant.
Before he could get on stage, a voice cut through the quiet. "Hold up!"
Everyone turned to the entrance, where Harper, rocking a black shirt and pants with killer makeup, strutted in.
Ryan's face twisted, and he snapped, "What are the security guards doing? How'd they let her in?"
The security guards jumped into action, trying to escort Harper out. But before they could get close, a bunch of black-suited bodyguards blocked them. These guys, with their sunglasses and tough looks, totally outmatched the Getty Group's security guards.
Ryan was fuming, "What the hell, bringing these guys to mess withus? Call the cops and get them outta here."
"Wait a sec!" Victor stepped out from behind the guards, "Ms. Murphy is here to speak on behalf of Mr. Francis Getty."
Everyone was stunned. Wasn't Francis dead? How could this woman represent him?
Victor gave Harper the nod, and she coolly took the stage.
"Hello, everyone. I'm here to tell you that what Ryan said about Francis's death is not true!"
The room went nuts. Reporters were scrambling, not expecting this bombshell.
"You..." Ryan was about to lose it but bit his tongue, remembering all the cameras around. Instead, he said, "You're full of it. I wanted to keep some dignity for Francis, but since you're here spreading lies, I'll show everyone the truth."
The big screen lit up. It showed the last moments of Francis driving, caught by a security camera from a trailing car. Francis looked calm and collected, his profile sharp and handsome.
Harper was seeing this for the first time, and it felt like a punch to the gut, making it hard to breathe.
The clip was short, less than a minute. In the final seconds, the car plunged into the sea. A massive explosion followed, filling the sky with flames.
Victor glanced at Harper, never having seen her so crushed.
Since the incident, Harper had refused to believe Francis was dead, clinging to the hope he was still alive. But deep down, she was just masking her despair with hope.
When the footage ended, Ryan dropped the act and sternly asked, "With this, can you still say Francis is alive?"
Harper looked like she might break down any second. But she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them, the tears were gone.
"There is no footage of his death," Harper said, more determined than ever. "There's only an explosion, but no proof he's dead."
Ryan was about to blow a gasket. With such a massive explosion and Francis in the car, what more proof did they need?
The crowd was skeptical too. How could anyone survive that?
Harper pulled out a notice from the police department and said, "He's missing, not dead."
Ryan was fuming. So, Harper had been biding her time all these days, waiting to stir the pot at this moment. The police had concluded that Chloe's revenge led to Francis's accidental death. Ryan, as family, had no objections and signed off on the case. After everything was wrapped up, he held this press conference.
But Harper had snagged a missing person report.
Ryan was livid, "Stop this crap. Our family has accepted it. What gives you the right to challenge us? You were dumped."
This was a low blow. Ryan was saying Harper was Francis's ex-wife, hinting she was just after money.
Harper pulled out a will and said coldly, "Is this enough?"
The lawyer came up and read Francis's will, which gave Harper the right to protect his interests.
Ryan was fuming. He had a deal with Audrey to secretly transfer half the inheritance to her through shares. But Francis had made a will early on.
Harper, not done yet, added, "Francis is the father of my child. Without solid proof of his death, I have the right to keep searching for him."
The crowd went wild, shocked to learn that besides Audrey's unborn child, Francis had another kid.
Harper knew taking on Ryan, Keith, and Audrey alone would be a tough battle. But the power of public opinion was huge. If Harper played her cards right, she could keep Ryan on his toes and buy herself some time to dig deeper.
Harper looked Ryan dead in the eye and said, "Mr. Getty, it's pretty clear you're not exactly heartbroken. But what's the deal with showing that footage that doesn't prove a thing about Francis's death?"
Her tone was dripping with sarcasm as she added, "People might start thinking Francis isn't even your son, the way you're so quick to declare him dead."
This got everyone buzzing. Ryan's actions really didn't scream "grieving father."
Ryan's face turned red under the crowd's scrutiny, but Harper's words made him even more nervous. He pointed at Harper and spat, "Francis died saving you, and now you're trying to bring an illegitimate kid into this to grab his inheritance."
Ryan twisted the facts and dragged Audrey into it, shouting, "My grandson is in Audrey's belly. Don't think you can bring some illegitimate kid here to stir up trouble!"
Harper coolly pulled out a paternity test and said, "Here's the proof, notarized."
Ryan's face went purple with rage.
Harper said firmly, "And, Francis isn't dead, so it's not an inheritance."
She looked at Ryan, Keith, and Audrey one by one, then smirked, "I'm here to protect his interests from those with shady intentions. As for the kid in Ms. Hernandez's belly, only Ms. Hernandez knows who the father is."
The reporters were floored, thinking there might be more to Audrey's pregnancy. This rich family drama was getting wild.
Audrey was seething with hatred for Harper. If it weren't for Chloe's screw-up, Harper wouldn't have had a chance to speak up here. The one who should've died didn't, and the one who shouldn't have died did.
Ryan was sweating bullets; the more this escalated, the bigger the mess. If people found out Audrey's kid wasn't Francis's, his credibility would be shot.
Ryan exchanged a look with Keith, and they quickly cleared the room. All the media were told not to report on today's events, with promises of explanations later.
Harper had seen this coming. Ryan would definitely try to muzzle the media, but he forgot that gossip spreads like wildfire. Even if it didn't make the official news, it would still get around. To avoid more heat, Ryan would have to tread carefully and slow down his plan to make Keith CEO.
So, Harper's goal was met.
With the media gone, Audrey dropped her act and grabbed Harper's arm, hissing, "Bitch, don't think you can slander me. You'll regret spreading lies."
Harper shook her off, her eyes flicking to Audrey's belly with disdain, and sneered, "Audrey, you think you can just make Francis the father of your kid by killing its real dad and faking the paternity test?"
Audrey said calmly, "The paternity test says Francis is the father of my child."
With Francis presumed dead and Ryan backing her, she could spin her own story.
Harper sneered, "Then do you have the guts to do it again?"
Audrey teared up, playing the victim, "Francis is gone. You're just trying to cause trouble."
At that moment, a deep voice cut through the tension. "Francis is gone, but I'm still here."
Abigail, sitting in a wheelchair, rolled onto the stage, looking at Audrey's horrified face, and said, "What? Surprised?"
Abigail had been locked up by Audrey in a villa for days until Victor rescued her.
Audrey quickly retorted, "Mom, you got out of bed?"
Abigail suddenly stood up, leaning on the wheelchair's armrest, and slapped Audrey hard.
"You vicious bitch. You killed my son!" Abigail squeaked.
Audrey's face changed instantly. She covered her face, looking all teary-eyed and said, "Mom, what are you talking about? How could I..."
Abigail cut her off, "You want a paternity test? I have Francis's biological samples."
After being rescued, Abigail had immediately thought of going to the police. But Victor had found out that her testimony would be invalid because she had been drugged.
Abigail's teeth trembled; she regretted helping Audrey, which ended up killing her own son. It was her who had helped to kill Francis!
Audrey, of course, wouldn't agree to the test. She lowered her head, crying and insisting that Abigail was targeting her. Ryan saw the scene getting out of hand, jumped up to slap Abigail, and said, "You crazy old bat, what are you doing here?"
He wanted to confuse the situation by claiming Abigail was nuts and talking nonsense.
Victor stopped Ryan's swinging arm, handed Abigail to the bodyguards, and persuaded her to leave for her safety.
Harper also prepared to leave, but Audrey caught up, angrily saying, "With just the Murphy family, do you think you can go against the Hernandez family and the Getty family?"
Harper looked at her coldly, "Ms. Hernandez, I don't think you can represent the Getty family just yet."
Audrey clenched her fists in anger, then relaxed and lightly laughed, "No matter what, I'm the mother of Francis's child."
Now Francis was gone. What could Harper and a crazy Abigail do?
Harper's expression was even calmer as she said, "Audrey, do you think that just because your bodyguard is dead, there are no witnesses?"
Audrey frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Audrey, if you don't want people to know, don't do it." Harper didn't want to waste words with her and directly said, "I will find evidence of you instigating Chloe to harm me and bring you to justice!"
"Bring me to justice?" Audrey laughed. She brushed her hair behind her ear and said, "Just based on a few crazy words from Abigail?"
Harper faintly smiled, "You might not know, but your highly respected Mr. Sanders has been arrested. You should go to the police station and explain your relationship with him."
Audrey's pupils suddenly contracted, and she lost her composure as she asked, "How did you find him?"
She had sent Logan far away to a foreign country.
Harper coldly curled her lips and said, "You can ask the police for the details."
At the entrance of the venue, police officers were marching in. Audrey's face changed dramatically, and she gritted her teeth as she shouted, "You will regret this!"
"I do regret it," Harper coldly said, "I regret not being stronger, so you could pay for your actions earlier."
"I didn't do anything!" Audrey remained calm at the arrival of the police. "You think this will hold me? I am also a victim of Mr. Sanders."
Harper looked steadily at Audrey, who claimed to love Francis, and asked word by word, "Did you do all these crazy things out of love?"
Audrey laughed lightly. She leaned close to Harper's ear and whispered, "Of course, I did it out of my love for him. You shouldn't have taken away the man I love."
"Audrey, you only love yourself." Harper coldly said, "Your love is truly pathetic!"
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