Chapter 524 He's Getting Married
Victor lugged four big ol' boxes into Francis's office. Seeing Francis's raised eyebrows, Victor mumbled, "Uh, these are your things from Ms. Murphy's place. She had 'em shipped over."
"Just put 'em down," Francis said, not even looking up from his papers, cool as a cucumber.
When the workday wrapped up, the city lit up like a Christmas tree, all neon and sparkle. Most folks had already bailed from the office.
Francis headed to the break room solo and started cracking open the boxes. Inside, there were everyday stuff, clothes, shoes, all packed up nice and tidy. He ran his fingers over the neatly folded items, like they still had Harper's touch. He could totally picture her, carefully folding each piece, just like she used to.
Back in the day, he'd come home from work, and there'd always be his clothes for the next day, ironed and ready to go. A sharp pang hit him, and he clenched the perfectly ironed clothes until they got all wrinkled.
Francis pulled his lips into a tight, silent smile, one that hurt, but somehow, the messy clothes felt more real.
This was his life, never a smooth ride.
Harper's work was back in full swing, keeping her so busy she didn't have time to think about anything else. Around noon, she went to ask Jessica about a client. As soon as she walked in, she saw Jessica glued to her computer screen. The speakers were blaring a familiar name.
"Ms. Hernandez, you've been spotted at the Getty Group a lot lately. Are you and Mr. Getty about to drop some big news?"
Harper saw Audrey on the screen, rocking a beige coat and a loose dress, her baby bump pretty obvious.
Seeing Harper, Jessica fumbled to close the webpage but ended up making it full screen instead.
Audrey smiled on the screen, "Yep, we'll have an announcement soon."
"Soon?" The reporter shoved the mic closer, "Is it from the Getty Group?"
Audrey just smiled and said, "Thanks for your concern. We'll announce when it's time. Gotta go now."
She had that whole Mrs. Getty vibe going on.
Jessica, all flustered, finally managed to turn off the monitor, but the sound kept playing.
"According to financial news and the Getty Group's spokesperson, the wedding date of Francis Getty will be announced soon. A press release is coming. Back to you, host."
The host on-site joked, "Mr. Getty's wedding is making waves, maybe to squash those rumors about the Getty and Hernandez families' beef, and the allegations of Ms. Hernandez's conflict of interest at the Getty Group."
She went on, "An insider once claimed Mr. Getty called out the Hernandez family for conflict of interest in a meeting. Since then, Hernandez Group's stock tanked. But rumors are just rumors, and now they're squashed. Hernandez Group's profits are back up. Looks like even a financial big shot like Mr. Getty spoils his wife, and Ms. Hernandez's baby bump can't wait..."
Jessica finally managed to kill the damn computer.
"Harper..." Jessica started, not sure what to say. She'd only looked up the gossip about Francis's wedding out of curiosity.
Harper stayed cool, "It's fine."
She brushed it off and opened some documents, asking, "Can you hit up the client and see if these changes are needed?"
They dove into work talk, and Harper's face stayed calm.
Jessica's worried look finally eased up a bit. She couldn't tell if Harper had really moved on or was just faking it. But when it came to feelings, no amount of comfort from others could help; Harper gotta got through it herself.
Harper went back to her office and tried to work, but she couldn't focus on anything. When it came to Francis, she still couldn't shake it off completely.
She got up and stared out the window at the green plants, trying to calm her mind, but the stirred-up feelings weren't so easy to settle.
Over at the Getty Group President's Office, Victor knocked and walked in.
Francis leaned back in his chair, looking tired as hell.
Victor said, "Mr. Getty, Mr. Murphy is here to see you."
Francis frowned a bit, "Jasper?"
"Yeah, I didn't tell him you were here." Victor didn't want to say it, but Jasper looked like he was ready to throw down. Given their current situation, it was probably best not to meet. Francis's current state probably couldn't handle a fight.
Surprisingly, Francis said firmly, "Take him to the meeting room. I'll go over."
Victor wanted to talk him out of it but just nodded, "Okay."
Francis walked into the meeting room, where Jasper stood by the window holding a Getty Group yearbook.
"Jasper," Francis blurted out, still calling him in the same old tone.
Jasper turned, looking super stern, "Mr. Getty, we are no longer on the first name basis. I don't think we have any relationship now."
Before Francis could respond, Jasper continued sarcastically, "Mr. Getty, please don't call me that again, lest people get the wrong idea!"
Even though Jasper was mocking him, Francis's face stayed calm and indifferent, not a hint of embarrassment.
As Harper's closest person, Jasper couldn't stay calm seeing Francis, his emotions running high. He'd taken Harper's words to heart. So, he waited several days before coming to see him. If it had been a few days earlier, he would've fought Francis without hesitation.
Even now, Jasper was gritting his teeth as he threw a document at him. "Mr. Getty, here's your ridiculous will back!"
Jasper sneered, "You should change the name on it; it might impress Ms. Hernandez."
Francis's expression stayed indifferent, "No need. I've already declared the will invalid."
If murder were legal, Francis would now be a pile of flesh under Jasper's feet! Such an insult, did he really think the Murphy family had no one to stand up for them?
Jasper sneered coldly, "Mr. Getty, you sure act fast."
Francis stayed silent, taking all of Jasper's mockery without a word, like he never planned to argue in the first place.
Jasper found it super frustrating, wanting to hit him but unable to find an excuse due to Francis's silence. He clenched his fist, then shoved his hands in his pockets, and turned to walk towards the door.
As Jasper pulled the door open, he paused for a moment and said without turning back, "Francis, I really regret agreeing to you two getting back together. If I could rewind time, you wouldn't have had that chance again."
Francis stayed silent. Jasper smirked, "Maybe it's for the best. Better to hurt now than later."
He actually shared the same doubts as Harper. A guy who once risked his life for Harper now said he didn't want her anymore after coming back. It was suspicious.
Jasper thought for a moment and then asked, "Are you planning something?"
Francis was quiet for a long time before slowly saying, "No."
Given his understanding of Francis's way of doing things, this answer was expected.
Jasper smiled, "You underestimate Harper. She doesn't need that much protection. The way you're handling this is exactly what she can't accept. Congrats, you've successfully lost her. Harper will never look back."
With that, Jasper turned and walked out without looking back.
Francis stared at the closed door in silent contemplation, followed by a loud crash.
The door was suddenly pushed open. Victor came in to see the mess on the floor. All the trophies in the display cabinet were shattered on the ground. He nervously looked Francis up and down, who appeared calm and uninjured.
These two didn't fight? Then what caused this mess?
Victor cautiously asked, "Mr. Getty, are you alright?"
Victor wondered if there might be hidden injuries he couldn't see.
Francis's expression was stern, "Make the announcement."
Victor was stunned for a second and uncertainly asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, set it for September 20th."
"This..." Victor didn't know what to say but was immediately corrected by Francis's icy gaze, "Okay."
"Also, arrange for both domestic and international media to release more news. We need to keep the buzz going until that day."
Victor didn't know what Francis was planning and didn't dare to ask. He nodded, "Okay."
After Francis left, Victor looked at the mess on the floor and sighed lightly. Then, he called someone to clean it up.
Harper used a lot of work to numb herself, but during breaks, her fingers uncontrollably clicked on the Getty Group's website. The latest announcement was at 2:10 PM.
Sure enough, the names of the Francis she once loved and the Audrey she loathed appeared together.
September 20th, the wedding!
The glaring words stirred Harper's heart violently. Such a high-profile, ostentatious announcement, just as the media said, was a display of affection. Yet Harper and Francis's marriage, which lasted for years, had always been an invisible, unknown existence.
Her heart seemed to stop, and her breathing became stiff.
The date was less than half a month away, the speed catching her off guard. Could it really be as the media said, that Audrey's child couldn't wait any longer? But wasn't it already proven that the child wasn't Francis's?
From what Harper knew, Francis wasn't someone who would raise another person's child. That left only one possibility, which Harper didn't dare to think about.
Maybe that child was his after all? The thought made her stomach churn.
Thinking about Francis being affectionate with her while being with another woman, Harper felt disgusted! She quickly took out her medicine to stop the nausea.
After calming down for a bit, Harper tried to close the webpage. She thought she'd shown enough signs of moving on these past few days. But right now, her fingers kept trembling, and she couldn't shut down the laptop after three tries.
Frustrated, she slammed the laptop shut!
In the following days, even if Harper didn't go looking for it, she kept stumbling across news about Francis and Audrey.
#The Getty Group president accompanies his fiancée shopping for furniture#
#The Getty Group president accompanies his fiancée for late-night snacks#
#The Getty Group president accompanies his fiancée to a beauty salon#
The media had painted Francis as the perfect fiancé, making many young girls envious and complain about their own boyfriends.
Harper went from initial discomfort to becoming numb as the news kept coming. Gradually, she began to believe what the media said, that Francis loved Audrey very much. After all, the things Francis was doing with Audrey now were quite unbelievable.
Now, Francis's image in Harper's mind was becoming increasingly blurred. Was the Francis she knew the man who risked his life by driving into the sea, or the man who had changed for love now?
She couldn't tell what was real anymore.
After work that day, Jessica knocked on the door, "Harper, want to grab dinner together?"
Jessica thought Harper had been looking gloomy these past few days and wanted to go out for dinner to cheer her up.
Harper didn't really want to eat but didn't want to make it too obvious and worry Jessica, so she said cheerfully, "Sure."
When they arrived at the restaurant entrance, Jessica's phone rang. Harper saw the car screen display that it was a call from Jasper. She gave Jessica a curious look. What did Jasper want with Jessica?
Jessica felt a bit guilty and hurriedly hung up.
Harper was puzzled and casually asked, "Why didn't you answer Jasper's call?"
Jessica didn't have time to answer before the phone rang again. Her face visibly turned red.
Harper looked at the screen and then at Jessica, as if she understood something. She casually said, "Jasper must need something from you. Go ahead and answer. I'll go up first. It's table number two, right?"
Jessica nodded but didn't immediately answer the call. She worriedly reminded her, "Be careful going upstairs. I'll be right there."
After Harper got out of the car, Jessica finally dared to answer the call.
"Why did you hang up?" Jasper's voice was cold even through the phone, "Who are you with? Is it inconvenient?"
Jessica instinctively didn't want to report her whereabouts and said lightly, "No one. Do you need something?"
Jasper seemed to be in a bad mood and said, "I left my clothes at your place last night. I'm coming to get them."
Jessica's heart tightened, "You're at my place?"
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