Chapter 518 Don't Make the Same Mistake Again
Harper took a step back, hiding the checklist behind her, and shot him a wary look. "What's it to you?"
Keith missed his shot but didn't even flinch. He just smirked, "Why you doing the checkup solo?"
"Mr. Bolton, we ain't friends."
Ever since the whole mess with Agnes, Harper lumped Keith in with Chloe and Audrey—folks who'd do anything to get what they want. Keith was slick, though, letting others duke it out while he scooped up the rewards.
Keith's dark eyes locked onto her. "But we ain't strangers, right?"
Harper thought Keith deserved an Oscar. He'd threatened her last time, and now he was acting like it was all good.
"Mr. Bolton, you mean a non-stranger who threaten me when my daughter was missing?"
Keith was at a loss for words, his lips moved, and he stammered, "That was a misunderstanding, Harper. I didn't mean to use your kid against you. I just wanted you with me. I didn't know the whole kidnapping deal at the time, I was looking into it..."
"Enough." Harper cut him off coldly, "Mr. Bolton, when my kid was missing, you kicked me when I was down. You even tried to make me your side chick. And you call that a misunderstanding?"
Keith's face twisted, wanting to say something but not knowing what. 'Cause it was true, that was his plan.
"I'm sorry." Keith finally said. "Making you be with me then was messed up. I know what I said hurt you, and I won't do it again."
Harper didn't want to talk to him anymore; she just wanted him to stop grossing her out.
But Keith kept going, "Harper, if it's just about status, give me some time. I need Saskia's support now. Once I'm set, I'll divorce her and give you the status you deserve."
Harper was floored, feeling utterly disgusted. Keith was still planning to marry Saskia, use her, then ditch her for Harper. Was this guy for real? Their values were worlds apart, making any talk pointless.
"Sorry, this 'misunderstanding' is too big. I can't get past it."
With that, Harper turned to leave. But Keith grabbed her hand, eyeing the checklist, and said coldly, "What about you? Weren't you just at the OB-GYN?"
"It's none of your business!" Harper snapped, shaking off his hand. "Let go!"
Keith didn't let go; he tightened his grip. "Are you pregnant again?"
He sneered, "Francis dumped you, and you're still having his kid? You got no self-respect?"
Keith had seen the whole scene earlier. This time, Francis came back ready, but he played it cool. Ryan and Keith didn't buy his calm act; they were waiting for Francis's move.
Of course, they had backup plans, one involving Harper.
At a critical moment, Ryan planned to use Harper to control Francis, but Francis always claimed he had nothing to do with her. Francis had even said the Getty family would take care of Audrey's kid. A guy promising to take in a kid meant he was taking in the woman too.
Maybe Francis was just keeping Audrey around as a pawn. The obvious result? Audrey was now keeping her distance from them and didn't want to help anymore. But Audrey couldn't run; Keith had enough dirt on her to keep her in line.
Even so, Keith still didn't buy it and kept an eye on things. He didn't want to use Harper, but if push came to shove, he wouldn't hesitate. But if Francis really ditched Harper, she wouldn't be much use anyway.
Harper yanked her hand away, fuming. "Did you only see the obstetrics sign? It's also the gynecology department, didn't you notice?"
Harper knew Keith was sneaky and couldn't let him find out about her pregnancy. She asked calmly, "Is it weird for a grown woman with kids to visit the gynecology department?"
"Fine, my bad. But I didn't misread what happened at the VIP ward entrance, did I?" Keith shot back.
Seeing Harper's face go pale, Keith smirked and kept going, "Francis doesn't want you anymore, so why are you still hanging on? Why not consider me? No matter how many women I flirt with, the one I've always liked is you."
"Keith, what I do is none of your business!" Harper snapped. "If I wasn't clear before, let me spell it out now! We have nothing to do with each other, not even as friends. If you mess with Agnes or anyone around me, I'll fight you to the end! I hope you..."
She paused and said slowly, "Don't make me regret giving you hope when we were kids."
Those words hit Keith hard, and his breathing got heavy. His obsession with Harper came from that childhood moment, and now she said she regretted giving him hope.
Keith's face twisted in anger, "What's so great about Francis? You've been humiliated like this, and you still stand by him, against me?"
Harper looked at him coldly. "He's honest, straightforward, and has principles. He doesn't use dirty tricks to get what he wants. Need I say more?"
Harper continued, "There are too many reasons to count. Compared to you, his virtues are endless."
Keith's face showed anger, "Everything I do is to reclaim what's rightfully mine!"
Harper couldn't understand, "Keith, what belongs to you? The Getty Group's success doubled under Francis's leadership, and its prosperity is all his doing. Even if you think you deserve a share, you could've shown your skills and competed fairly, instead of scheming with shareholders to pull dirty tricks."
Keith's face turned red and livid, looking furious! He said, "Fair competition? Did he give me that chance? When I joined the company, he shut me out at every turn, making it impossible for me to succeed. And what about him? He has the best resources and connections in the Getty Group. It's a cakewalk for him to get anything done!"
Keith, embarrassed and fuming, shot back, "You think I wanna be scheming in the shadows? If I had his spot, I'd do better than Francis!"
"Better than him?" Harper scoffed, "Keith, the moment you started playing dirty, you lost any right to be compared to him."
"Why am I not worthy?" Keith's eyes blazed with anger, barely keeping it together since they were in public.
Harper's eyes were clear and piercing, "Everything he does is for the company's future. And what have you and Ryan done? Cozying up to shareholders, selling out the company's interests, forging Dylan's will, and teaming up with outsiders to sell the Getty Group's shares on the cheap to gain more supporters."
She sneered, "Which of those actions makes you worthy of comparison?"
With that, Harper didn't care about Keith's darkening face and walked away.
Keith's expression was stormy as he yelled after her, "You'll regret standing up for a man who doesn't want you. I'll be waiting for the day you regret it!"
Harper stopped and turned back, "I'm just stating the facts; it has nothing to do with my feelings for him. Keith, many things are a series of wrong steps. This is my last piece of advice: don't keep making mistakes!"
Having said her piece, Harper didn't linger.
Back home, Harper felt exhausted and drained from the day. But thinking about the blow Agnes had received today, Harper went to her room to check on her.
Agnes was already in bed, with Zoey reading her a story. She looked lively and cute, not showing any signs of emotional distress. Harper approached and said gently, "Agnes, how about I tell you a story?"
"Okay, Mommy." Agnes clapped her little hands happily.
Harper took the storybook and said softly, "Before the story, can we talk for a bit?"
Agnes nodded obediently, "Mommy, what do you want to say?"
"Do you have anything you want to tell me about what happened at the hospital today?" Harper mainly wanted to hear Agnes's thoughts first and then guide her.
Agnes twisted her little hands uneasily, looking like she wanted to say something but hesitated. Harper felt a pang of sadness and gently encouraged her, "Agnes, you can tell me anything."
Agnes thought for a moment and finally spoke, "Mommy, actually today at the hospital, Dad..."
She almost called him Daddy but quickly corrected herself, "Francis didn't push me."
Harper was shocked to hear Agnes say that.
Agnes swallowed and said, "Today, when I was hitting Daddy, I lost my balance, and when I was about to fall, the corner of the table was this close to my eye!"
Agnes pinched her little fingers together, showing a very dangerous distance!
She pouted and said, "If he hadn't pushed me away, my eye might have been hurt. I cried because I was scared. Later, I wanted to tell you, but Isla told me to wait until we got home."
Agnes had been so scared and confused that she forgot to tell Harper about it when they got home.
Harper was very surprised and shocked! Thinking back, Agnes was crying and fussing, and they didn't see clearly. They only saw Francis pushing Agnes to the ground. Now that she thought about it, from their side angle, they couldn't see what was happening in the blind spot!
So, she had misunderstood Francis?
Harper felt super conflicted! She'd been giving Francis the cold shoulder, thinking he hurt Agnes, but now it turned out to be a big misunderstanding!
Agnes couldn't read the complex look on Harper's face and thought she was mad. She reached out her little hand to hook Harper's finger and said softly, "Mommy, please don't be mad at me, okay?"
Harper snapped back to reality, held Agnes's little hand, and said gently, "I'm not mad. I wronged Francis."
"Then, Mommy, will you apologize to Francis?" Agnes asked innocently.
She'd been taught from a young age that people who did wrong should apologize.
Harper nodded, feeling all sorts of complicated, "I will find a chance to apologize."
"After you apologize, I'll join you in disliking Francis." Agnes clenched her little fist and said with shared enmity, "He made someone throw away your soup."
Harper was amused by Agnes's innocent words, and her mood, which had been frozen all day, finally began to thaw.
Although Agnes was very young, she often gave Harper a sense of maturity. Harper felt that she should tell Agnes another important thing.
"Agnes, I have something to tell you."
"What is it, Mommy?"
"Well..." Harper cleared her throat, feeling a bit uneasy, "I have babies in my belly."
Agnes was stunned, "In your belly?"
A child like her couldn't quite understand what that meant. Agnes sat up quickly, lifted Harper's nightgown, and looked around, "Mommy, where are the babies hiding? I can't see them."
Harper couldn't help but laugh, "Agnes, the babies are still embryos, very small, inside my belly. You can't see them."
Agnes asked, "Are they as small as I was when I was little?"
"Yes." Harper used a fairy tale tone to explain the process of pregnancy and childbirth to Agnes.
Agnes understood, "So the babies are very small now, only as big as an egg."
Harper nodded, "Yes."
She asked the most crucial question, "Agnes, will you like the babies?"
Agnes tilted her little head and thought for a few seconds, then cautiously asked, "Mommy, do you like them?"
Harper was taken aback, recalling her feelings when she first found out. It was very complicated. But joy was definitely there, just like when she had Agnes. Children were a gift from heaven.
Harper nodded, "I do."
"Great, thank you, Mommy." Agnes clapped her little hands happily, "Agnes really wants siblings. Whether they are boys or girls, I'll be very good to them."
Agnes's thoughtfulness made Harper's heart ache. While Harper was considering Agnes's feelings, Agnes was also considering hers.
Agnes said excitedly, "Mommy, tomorrow I'll learn to cook and do chores with Zoey. When you have the babies, you must let me take care of them."
Harper couldn't help but laugh, "Agnes, the babies can't eat food when they are very small. They can only get nutrients from the mother."
Agnes was excited for a while, then suddenly thought of something important. "Mommy, do the babies have a daddy?"
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