Chapter 521 Victor
Right then, a chill shot right through her, making Harper feel all kinds of weird and a bit freaked out.
"Let go..." Harper's face was smushed against the person's chest, her voice muffled and barely there. She tried to wriggle free, but the dude was strong, and she couldn't break loose.
Just then, the host's voice cut through the darkness, "The easiest way to show love is with a hug. This love can be platonic or romantic. I hope on this lovely night, warm hugs can chase away all the bad vibes."
Harper called out a few more times, but her voice got swallowed up by the guy's grip. The chest she was pressed against felt like it had some kind of magnetic pull, fitting perfectly and holding her tight, like it was trying to melt her.
Harper kicked out wildly, but only hit air. It wasn't until the club's countdown hit zero that the grip finally let go.
The whole place lit up again. Harper immediately looked over to where Francis was sitting, only to see a shy face. Azalea had somehow ended up next to Francis, rubbing her arm and saying all coy, "You squeezed me so hard it hurt."
Harper's face went pale, and she suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe.
Trevor, the man on her other side, leaned in, "Ms. Murphy, I'm sorry, just now..."
Harper snapped, "It's really rude to touch someone without their consent!"
Her outburst made everyone around stop. Alvin looked worried, "Harper, what's wrong?"
Harper took a deep breath, stood up, but her voice was still shaky, "Alvin, you guys go on. I'm not feeling well, so I'm gonna head out."
Seeing Harper's pale face, Alvin didn't push, "I'll have my driver take you."
"No need, Alvin, my driver’s outside."
After Harper left, Alvin turned to Trevor, looking pissed, "What did you do to upset Harper?"
Trevor scratched his head, unable to utter a word.
Alvin cut to the chase, "Did you hug her just now?"
Trevor lowered his head and apologized, "I... I'm sorry."
Such a beautiful girl, who wouldn't like her? It was her looks that made him lose his mind and hug her, not expecting to piss her off.
"You!" Alvin slammed the table, scolding, "Idiot!"
"Alvin, can you help explain? I really didn't mean it, I didn't expect Ms. Murphy to react so strongly."
Alvin poured a glass of wine over Trevor's face. He spat harshly, "You want me to explain for you? You're lucky I didn't beat you! I'll tell your father later, how did he raise you? No manners at all!"
"No, Alvin, I won't dare again. I really didn't mean it." Trevor was almost on his knees, begging, "If you tell my dad, he'll beat me, and I won't be allowed to come to Northfield during holidays."
Alvin said angrily, "Luckily Harper saw through you. It's also my fault for introducing you."
He threw a wine glass at Trevor, "Get out, don't be an eyesore."
Alvin felt utterly humiliated and decided he needed to apologize to Harper properly tomorrow. How could his judgment be so poor?
Seeing Alvin genuinely pissed, Trevor didn't dare argue and got up to leave.
"Hold up," Alvin called out.
Trevor thought Alvin had softened, turned back eagerly, "Alvin..."
"Leave Harper's business card!" Alvin demanded.
Reluctantly, Trevor pulled out the card. Alvin pointed to Lloyd, the other young man, "You too, leave it. You guys are nothing but trouble."
"Alvin, I didn't offend Ms. Murphy!" Lloyd protested.
Alvin snorted, "You two are always together, you can't be any better."
Lloyd fell silent. To be honest, Alvin was sharp. The two of them, riding on their rich families, had indeed done a lot of shady stuff together.
He had no choice but to leave the card and slink out with Trevor.
Alvin, too mad to sit any longer, got up to leave. On the other side, Francis also stood up and said goodbye to Alvin, "Mr. Jordan, I'll be heading out too."
Alvin glanced at the poorly dressed Azalea behind Francis, his tone no longer as warm as before, "Alright, go ahead."
Since Francis had turned down Alvin's earlier gesture, Alvin's attitude had cooled significantly.
Alvin and Clayton had been friends for years, and in his eyes, Clayton's daughter was like his own. So even though Alvin had once hit it off with Francis at an art exhibition, he couldn't be friendly to someone who disrespected Harper.
Francis, seemingly oblivious, continued to sit there, as if he was waiting for something.
Alvin had initially thought highly of Francis, having heard he was divorced but still handsome, wealthy, and exceptionally capable. But now it seemed Francis' judgment was poor. What kind of women was he interested in? They couldn't compare to Harper at all.
Outside in the parking lot.
After Harper came out, her driver was already waiting. But the discomfort in her heart made her feel nauseous as soon as she opened the car door. She had no choice but to rush back to the restroom and vomit. Afterward, she washed up a bit. In the mirror, Harper's face was pale from pregnancy sickness, devoid of any color.
This time felt very different from when she was pregnant with Agnes. Harper's pregnancy symptoms were severe; she couldn't eat and often vomited, making her lose a lot of weight. Zoey, feeling sorry for her, consulted a doctor and made her a medicinal pouch to effectively stop the vomiting.
Usually, Harper would bring it to important events to prevent herself from vomiting and revealing her condition. After all, the mastermind behind the kidnapping of Agnes and Zoey had not been caught. Harper's pregnancy had to remain a secret. If discovered, her situation would become very dangerous. For the sake of Agnes and her family, she had to be extremely cautious.
Harper thought of what Agnes had said about telling the babies' father. In this situation, she really couldn't bring herself to say it. If Francis found out, he might drag her to get an abortion. Until she was sure of Francis's intentions, she could only keep it a secret to protect herself.
Harper washed her hands. She hadn't brought the medicinal pouch today, so she couldn't stop the vomiting, but having just thrown up, she would feel better for a while.
Thinking about the medicinal pouch, Harper suddenly remembered the hug earlier, which had a faint medicinal smell. She realized the hug wasn't from Francis, not just because of Azalea, but also because, although the guy's build was similar to Francis's, his body felt colder.
Francis's body was always warm, like a furnace, no matter the season, and he had a refreshing cedar scent that she could easily recognize.
The thought of being hugged by a stranger made Harper feel nauseous again.
As Harper walked out of the restroom, she heard some familiar voices. A man complained, "Why'd you have to hug that woman just now? Now I'm in trouble too."
Another voice responded, "How was I supposed to know she'd freak out? A divorced woman should like young guys like us, right? She was all bony, didn't feel like a woman at all, and still pretended to be pure!"
Harper recognized the voices; it was Trevor and Lloyd talking.
Lloyd scratched his head and said, "You hugged that woman, but who hugged me from behind?"
"Someone hugged you too?" Trevor asked.
"Yeah, and they were wearing a round necklace or something. It was uncomfortable, didn't feel like a woman. I don't know which guy took advantage of me."
"A round necklace?" Trevor's expression changed, and he suddenly hugged Lloyd from behind.
Lloyd panicked and cursed, "Are you nuts? Why are you hugging me? I like women!"
Trevor pulled out a necklace from under his shirt and said, "Could it be this necklace you're talking about?"
Lloyd was shocked, his mouth wide open, "It was you who hugged me just now!"
Trevor let go of him and hit him hard, "You didn't say anything earlier, and I got scolded by Alvin. He's gonna tell my dad!"
"How was I supposed to know? Didn't you realize you were hugging a dude?"
Trevor said irritably, "I was too excited, and it was dark, so I didn't notice."
"Why don't we go back and explain to Alvin?" Lloyd suggested.
"Forget it," Trevor backed down, "Alvin is really pissed. If he doesn't believe us, we'll be in more trouble. Better to keep a low profile. I don't want him to tell my dad again!"
As they walked away, Harper stood there, bewildered. So, Trevor had hugged Lloyd next to him. Then who had hugged her?
Harper started to recall the seating arrangement from the evening. Trevor was wearing a jacket, but the person who hugged her seemed to be wearing a shirt.
Among those wearing shirts, there was one of Alvin's friend, but he was sitting a few seats away from her, making it unlikely he could have returned to his seat before the lights came on.
Excluding him, there was only one other man wearing a shirt.
Harper's eyes widened, and her palms clenched tightly. Could it really be him?
At the club entrance, Azalea had been following behind Francis. The lights at the entrance were bright, clearly illuminating her swollen face, a few scratch marks on her neck, some bruises on her arms, and her slightly disheveled hair.
She looked like she had just been in a brawl.
Azalea had fought with her friend earlier because of Francis. Her friend claimed to have seen Francis give her a business card, but Azalea insisted he hadn't. Her friend didn't believe her and slapped Azalea twice, demanding the business card. But Azalea wouldn't give it up; it was her golden ticket!
Her friend claimed they were tight, but in reality, she always bossed Azalea around just because her family had more money. So she could easily get them into the Twilight Lounge.
Azalea, without cash, had to run errands for her friend, getting contact info from hot guys and introducing them to her friend. Only the old and unattractive ones, whom her friend didn't want, were left for her. Given the chance, who would want to be bossed around?
Now, with a Twilight Lounge membership card, Azalea could easily pretend to be wealthy. Her friend didn't even have a card, so they were no longer on the same level. After their fight, Azalea reported her friend to the club for sneaking in. Her friend was recorded and thrown out by security, banned from all Twilight Lounge venues.
Thinking of her friend's twisted, cursing face, Azalea felt a sense of satisfaction.
"Victor, I got beaten by my friend because of you," Azalea said, covering her face and playing the victim to Francis. Francis didn't seem to hear her, continuing to walk without looking back.
Azalea's heart raced as she looked at Francis's broad back, filled with an indescribable excitement. It was her first time talking to such a handsome man, and after tonight's encounter, she was determined to hold on to him.
"Victor..." Azalea called out sweetly, unwilling to give up, and tried to drunkenly grab Francis's arm, but he impatiently avoided her.
"Don't follow me." Francis's face was expressionless, but his displeasure was palpable.
Azalea's eyes reddened, and she trembled, "Victor, can you take me with you?"
Francis didn't even glance at her, finding her annoying, and said coldly, "Didn't you hear me?"
Azalea froze, tears welling up but not falling, her face showing confusion. Just a moment ago in the dark, hadn't he hugged her?
She knew the club's routine, so she had positioned herself near Francis, only to be hugged by someone. When the lights came on, she was suddenly pulled and saw Francis's face. Azalea instinctively thought it was Francis who had hugged her.
She didn't understand why his attitude had changed so quickly.
Francis walked up the steps, and Azalea didn't dare follow, fearing to upset him further.
She thought, rich people could be moody. As long as she had the membership card, she could see Francis again.
She took out the business card Francis had given her, cherishing it, and entered the number and name.
"Victor." Azalea repeated his name several times, looking at the card that said "Executive Assistant."
Though the title wasn't impressive, being able to get her a membership card meant he had significant assets. And he was so handsome, Azalea's heart was completely captivated.
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