Chapter 508 Were You Just Worried About Me?
Harper's brain was all over the place, thoughts bouncing around like crazy. She kept telling herself that Francis had his reasons, and she shouldn't lose her cool before even figuring out why he was doing this.
"Ms. Murphy." A voice snapped Harper back to reality. It was Hestia Sharp, the person she had an appointment with, just happening to run into her here.
Harper forced a smile, "Ms. Sharp."
Hestia was the head of the media department, a straight-shooter, and got along well with Harper. Seeing her looking off, Hestia asked, "Why aren't you leaving? You feeling okay?"
Harper paused for a sec, even a woman who didn't know her well could see she was off. Could Francis not see it? No way she believed that. Francis was always sharp; he couldn't have missed her distressed look.
But ignoring it? That was just him not wanting to deal with it.
Hestia asked again, "Should we reschedule? You wanna hit the hospital first?"
Harper snapped back, forced a smile, "Nah, I'm good, let's go."
"What do you wanna eat?"
"Steak," Harper said.
When they got to the famous restaurant, Harper saw there was still a line. Luckily, it wasn't peak time, so it wasn't too packed.
When it was their turn, the server asked what they wanted. Harper said, "Steak."
She also wanted to try the steak Audrey had raved about.
The server apologized, "Sorry, our steak's limited, and we're out for today."
Hestia, being super caring, saw Harper looking unwell and wanted to make sure she got to eat. Hestia pointed to the food the server was carrying away and said, "Look, can those two people at that table finish all that? Could you ask if we could have some? We'll pay for it."
She asked so because it had just been brought out. If the plates had reached the table, Hestia wouldn't have made such a suggestion.
Harper looked over and saw it was indeed Francis and Audrey. She hadn't expected him to be so free as to dine with Audrey.
When she glanced over, Audrey also looked up. She didn't even need to say anything; just sitting next to Francis was already a win.
Harper's heart sank bit by bit. Last night she was telling herself not to give up, but not even twenty-four hours had passed, and she felt she couldn't hold on.
Harper stopped Hestia and shook her head, "No need to trouble them, we'll come back another time."
Hestia also felt that asking for someone else's food was a bit weird, so she gave up. After casually ordering some dishes, the two started chatting. Before long, the server suddenly brought over a fragrant steak and said with a smile, "Ladies, this is from the lady over there. Rest assured, it was separated before reaching the table, very hygienic."
Hestia was stunned and said, "Please thank the lady for us."
The server nodded and left.
Hestia, sitting with her back to Audrey, turned around and smiled at her to express her thanks.
"People are really warm-hearted these days, but we shouldn't eat someone else's food." Hestia now became cautious but just pushed the steak aside, not wanting to reject the kind gesture outright.
Harper looked at the steak and tasted it. Despite it being a delicacy, Harper could only taste bitterness. It wasn't good, really not good.
When Harper looked up, she caught Audrey's radiant smile, which was annoyingly bright.
Across from her, Hestia was saying, "They didn't spell it out, but the Getty Group's intentions are clear."
Harper was momentarily spaced out and asked, "What did you say?"
Hestia casually replied, "I asked around a few companies, including ours, and all of them are hitting roadblocks with the Getty Group. Based on our private research, the level of obstruction is similar to what Elodie Studio faced back then."
Harper's expression sharpened, and she asked in a low voice, "Can you tell me more?"
"Actually, our companies are relatively okay. We weren't trying to mess with your studio but were looking to solve problems. From what we've seen, the companies that were the harshest on Elodie Studio are now completely stuck, can't operate at all."
Hestia leaned in and said, "We all think the Getty Group is backing Elodie Studio, so now you get why everyone's changing their tune."
Harper's mind was spinning for a few seconds before she suddenly stood up, "Sorry, I need to make a call."
"Sure, go ahead."
Harper went to a quiet corner upstairs and called Victor. "Ms. Murphy, what can I do for you?" Victor answered.
Harper calmly said, "Victor, I'm calling to thank you. Thanks for helping me clean up the mess from the stolen materials incident."
Victor reacted quickly, "Ms. Murphy, I didn't do anything. Are you misunderstanding something?"
Harper faked surprise, "Wasn't it you? Jasper said it was the Getty Group's internal decision that made those merchants back off. If it wasn't you, then could it be..."
Francis's name was right on the tip of her tongue.
Victor panicked, "It was me. Ms. Murphy, please don't tell anyone. If Mr. Getty finds out, I'll be in big trouble."
Victor was distancing Francis from the whole thing, scared of any connection to him.
Harper pressed her lips together, "I know, you know what kind of person I am. I won't say anything."
Victor chuckled awkwardly, "That's good."
After hanging up, Harper confirmed that the Getty Group was definitely behind this. Elodie Studio had no business ties or financial beef with the Getty Group. They going to such lengths to help her could only be because of some highup. She couldn't think of any other reason.
As Francis's assistant for many years, Victor could help Harper privately. But he would never use the Getty Group's name to do anything for her; that would be breaking the rules. Victor wouldn't make such a basic mistake, and she wouldn't buy it!
So who gave the order was already clear.
Harper composed herself and turned around to see Francis standing silently behind her, making her jump. She took a step back, and Francis looked down and sneered, "Thinking of jumping?"
Harper turned her head and saw that the balcony railing was under repair. She had been so focused on the call that she hadn't noticed she had crossed the barrier and was standing in a dangerous spot. One wrong move, and she could've taken a nasty fall.
This restaurant was on the sixth floor of a mall; falling from there would be a disaster.
Francis just said that one line and turned to leave, like he didn't give a damn about Harper's safety. However, Harper didn't buy it.
"Francis," she quickly took a couple of steps to catch up with him. Francis didn't stop, so Harper reached out to grab him.
Sensing her move, Francis dodged, and Harper almost fell, luckily catching herself on a screen. She pulled her hand back awkwardly and forced a smile at Francis's cold face, "Were you worried about me just now?"
Harper pointed to the barrier behind her, "Were you afraid I'd fall?"
Francis glanced at her, his expression full of mockery. Just as his thin lips moved slightly, Harper reached out to cover his mouth.
"Don't say anything," Harper said firmly, "I know you still care about me."
Francis looked at her expressionlessly, "Did you wash your hands?"
This comment almost made Harper lose her cool.
Francis seemed very disdainful, walking to the sink to splash water on his face. Harper followed him, saying to his back, "I won't give up. I'll wait until you're ready to talk to me."
When Harper turned to leave, she felt much better. Although there were many things she still didn't get, she could strongly feel that the love between them hadn't faded. They had been through so much, even life and death. And Francis had risked everything for her many times. Harper couldn't believe that a love that deep could just vanish. If she left easily, leaving him to fight alone, that would be truly heartless.
So, she would fight for it. No matter the outcome, as long as she didn't betray their past love and left no regrets, it would be enough.
As she went downstairs, Harper unsurprisingly ran into Audrey, who had come looking for Francis. Since Francis returned, Audrey hadn't had a moment of peace. Just now, when Audrey saw Harper get up and leave, and then Francis excused himself to go to the restroom, her intense unease made her want to follow immediately, but she didn't dare.
This time, Francis had been much more polite to Audrey and even made promises, which should have been great news, but she felt very uneasy, worried, and scared that it was all a dream that could shatter easily.
Audrey sat on pins and needles for five minutes before she couldn't stand it and went looking for him. When she saw Harper coming down from upstairs, her anger reached its peak!
So, it was Harper who had seduced Francis!
"Harper." Audrey's face was calm as she walked step by step towards her. "You can see that Francis and I have reconciled. Please don't be shameless and stop clinging to him."
"Reconciled?" Harper mercilessly exposed her, "Were you ever together?"
"I..." Audrey was so angry she was speechless, "Can't you see?"
Audrey meant that they were already together, couldn't Harper see that?
But Harper calmly said, "I can't see it. Let me tell you, when you two stand together, Francis looks like he's just doing a good deed."
Harper, fearing Audrey's limited understanding, clarified, "Like a good person helping a pregnant woman cross the street."
Audrey was so mad she rolled her eyes, but thinking of finding Francis, she didn't want to argue with Harper and said viciously, "I'm warning you, don't go after him!"
Harper stopped her, "Audrey, do you know why you're uneasy?"
Harper's bright eyes made Audrey feel even more restless. Before she could answer, Harper continued, "Because what's not yours, you can't hold onto."
"You! Nonsense!" Audrey was furious. She thought she had won a round with that steak! But Harper still managed to infuriate her.
"Whether I'm talking nonsense, you should know better than anyone! Do you really think no one knows about the bad things you've done?" Harper smiled, "Remember, it's not that there's no punishment, just that the time hasn't come yet."
Audrey was still trembling with anger as Harper walked past her. She was extremely angry! Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly picked up a nearby potted plant, raising it high, ready to throw it down, but her wrist was tightly grabbed.
"Let go!" Audrey shouted. She was used to being domineering in Northfield, always had someone to clean up after her. Thinking she was being stopped by a busybody, she said viciously, "Do you know who I am? How dare you stop me..."
Her words stopped abruptly when she saw the limited-edition diamond watch on the hand.
"Francis." Audrey immediately looked guilty. "I saw the plant wasn't placed properly and was going to fix it."
Francis didn't speak or let go. His long fingers tightened around Audrey's wrist until a faint cracking sound was heard.
"Ah!" Audrey screamed in pain. Then, with a dull thud, the potted plant fell, smashing onto her foot, sending a wave of excruciating pain through her.
Audrey broke out in a cold sweat from the pain. But seeing Francis's pale, chillingly handsome face, she choked back her screams, covering her mouth to avoid making a sound.
Francis, dressed in black, looked down at her coldly. Audrey was trembling with fear, her voice betraying her, "Francis, I really wasn't..."
Francis, with his long legs, slowly descended the steps and gently took her hand.
"Audrey, your hands are well-maintained." Though his words were gentle, his eyes clearly warned her. At any moment, he could break her hand.
Audrey was so scared her teeth chattered, "Francis, I was helping you."
Francis raised an eyebrow, remaining silent. Audrey gathered her courage, "Don't you want to get rid of Harper? With my help, it would be much easier, wouldn't it?"
Francis's cold lips curved into a faint smile, "So, you took it upon yourself to send the steak over to help me?"
Audrey bit her lip, looking aggrieved, "Yes, Francis. You don't know how shameless Harper is. Only I can help you..."
Before she could finish, Francis let out a light laugh. "Audrey, I gave you a choice, and you made it."
Standing so close, Audrey could see her own panicked reflection in Francis's eyes.
Francis's beautiful face grew colder, "Now it seems I should find someone more obedient."
"No!" Audrey cried, pleading with Francis, "No, Francis, I'll be obedient, I promise."
"Then remember, don't provoke her." Francis glanced at Audrey's protruding belly, his gaze terrifying, "As long as you do as you're told, the Getty family will take good care of the child you're carrying."
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