Chapter 526 Vincent's Return
Audrey strutted around like she owned the place, her eyes practically screaming, "I won." She had this deal in the bag, no doubt about it.
When Francis came back, only Audrey knew he’d been poisoned. She wasted no time tracking him down and laying out her terms. Of course, Francis had no choice but to agree. It was either that or die.
The poison was nasty, but not unbeatable. Arthur had already tracked down the researcher and knew what the antidote was.
But then, out of nowhere, Francis threw in another demand: get Harper off the Charles family's hit list. It was like Francis knew Audrey had the juice to make that happen, dropping the Charles family name like it was nothing. Audrey figured, with Francis's skills, it wouldn't take him long to figure out Arthur was tight with the head of the Charles family.
Piece of cake for her. After all, she was the one who got Harper on that hit list to begin with. Since Audrey couldn't win Francis's love, she would use his love for Harper to keep him close. She was convinced that one day, he'd fall for her!
"Audrey, you got it twisted," Francis said, his eyes cold and deadly. "A deal means nothing more than the terms we agreed on. You trying to play boss here?" Francis cracked his knuckles and started walking closer.
With every step, Audrey's heart pounded harder. Suddenly, Francis's long fingers grabbed her chin, his eyes boring into hers with a chilling intensity. "So, tell me, what power do you think you have?"
Audrey's bravado crumbled under Francis's icy stare. She gritted her teeth and shivered, "Francis, you... it hurts, let go."
Francis ignored her pleas and asked, "Who gave you the right to dominate? Was it me?"
With a flick of his wrist, Audrey fell back into the soft chair, gasping for air. Under the light, Francis's face was stone-cold and furious. Audrey knew he was seriously pissed! She didn't dare to push him further. When Francis lost it, he was a nightmare.
Audrey backed down but still felt a bit defiant. She gritted her teeth and said, "Francis, no matter what, we're about to be husband and wife! At least..."
Audrey took a deep breath, her eyes red, "At least in front of others, give me some respect."
"Don't tell me you didn't read the contract you signed." Francis's eyes were dark, his voice cold and unfeeling, "Just a wedding, nothing more."
Audrey's face went pale. Marrying Francis was her obsession. Even though he didn't want to go through the full marriage process and only offered her a wedding, she took it. After all, if anything happened to Francis, she'd still be his publicly acknowledged wife. She wouldn't be left with nothing.
The food was getting cold, but Francis pulled out a chair, looking calm, and said indifferently, "Eat. Isn't this your favorite dish?"
He placed the now cold dishes in front of Audrey. Francis's lips curled slightly, "Finish it."
Audrey bit her lip hard, her face ghostly pale. The food had been sitting for ages and was probably gross by now, and she had zero appetite given the situation.
"I... I don't really feel like eating," Audrey stammered, trying to make a break for it. "If you've got stuff to do, I'll just head out."
"Sit down!" Francis's voice was cold and final, like a death sentence. Audrey's legs turned to jelly, and she plopped back down in her seat.
"Didn't you say you wanted to eat?" Francis's fingers drummed lightly on the table. "Finish it."
When Audrey locked eyes with the darkness in Francis's gaze, her palms went ice-cold with sweat. For the first time, her obsession with Francis was tinged with fear. She knew she had no choice but to eat this meal, whether she wanted to or not.
"Okay." She gripped the utensils tightly and started shoveling food into her mouth. All she could think about was finishing quickly and getting the hell out of there. Francis's presence was suffocating.
Halfway through the meal, Francis suddenly said, "Don't worry about the dress. I've already got it sorted."
Audrey choked, sauce dripping from her mouth, mixing with her smeared makeup. She looked a mess.
She wasn't thinking about the dress now; she just hoped nothing would go wrong before the wedding. As for Harper, she'd deal with her after the wedding. If she wanted someone dead, it didn't matter if they were on the hit list or not.
Besides, the hit list was only effective abroad; it was hard to execute in Northfield. When Audrey decided to kill Harper, she wouldn't wait a moment longer!
"Okay, I get it." Audrey gave in.
Meanwhile, Harper and Jessica had just finished eating and were heading out. Because of what had just happened, Harper barely touched her food. At the entrance, they saw a low-key black car parked in front. The driver got out, and it was the long-lost Vincent.
Harper was stunned, "Vincent, what are you doing here?"
Vincent walked over with a gentle smile, "Just got back from Emerald Isle yesterday. Jasper asked me to take you home."
Hearing his half-joking tone, Harper knew about Vincent's relationship with Jasper. It wasn't really an order, just a favor between friends, and he was looking out for her.
Jessica heard this, clenched her fingers, and wanted to say she'd take her. But Vincent glanced at Jessica and said warmly, "Ms. Miller, Jasper said you didn't reply to his message. He has something to discuss with you."
Jessica's face turned beet red. That Jasper was truly annoying. Especially with Vincent's look just now, it was clear he thought there was something between her and Jasper.
Harper was also taken aback. Seeing Jessica's reluctant expression, she tried to lighten the mood, "It's so late, what does Jasper want with Jessica?"
"Well, I don't know," Vincent said.
Harper looked back at Jessica, who had already composed herself and explained, "It's about a troublesome client at the studio. He got handsy with me after drinking last night, and Mr. Murphy happened to pass by and resolved it. Now the client is threatening to sue me, and Mr. Murphy said he would handle it. He probably wants to discuss that."
Jessica wasn't making it up; last night was a total mess. She suspected someone spiked her drink, leading to all the craziness that followed.
After Jasper beat up the guy, the dude had the nerve to threaten to sue Jessica for hiring someone to assault him. But Jasper handled it, finding a witness at the restaurant who confirmed the guy had been inappropriate and drugged her drink. That afternoon, they handed the evidence over to the cops, and the guy got arrested.
Harper was shocked, "Jessica, why didn't you tell me about this nightmare?"
She looked Jessica over, relieved to see no visible injuries. Harper fumed, "Did that creep hurt you? Are you okay? Tell me where he is, and I'll have my lawyer destroy him!"
Jessica felt a warmth in her heart, "It's okay, he didn't get away with anything. Mr. Murphy took care of it."
Harper had been dealing with her own stuff, so Jessica kept this drama from her.
With Jasper involved, Harper wasn't too worried. She shrugged it off and said, "Alright, if Jasper wants to talk, it's probably about this. Go call him back. Vincent will take me home, so don't stress."
Jessica thought, 'Jasper doesn't just want a call; I saw his message. He wants me to come back early.'
He got all the benefits and still wanted to settle accounts afterward. She, as a woman, didn't even mind losing her virginity, so why couldn't he just let it go? Why did he have to bring it up? It was really embarrassing.
Jessica walked sullenly towards her car, thinking she might as well go back to the studio and work late. If Jasper couldn't find her, he wouldn't wait forever.
Just as Jessica unlocked her car door, someone pressed down on the handle from behind. Because of the sleazy customer last night, she had become extremely vigilant. Using the self-defense techniques she knew, she raised her arm to strike the person behind her in the chin.
But the person seemed to anticipate her move, easily restraining her wrist. He pressed her palms against the car, and with a swift motion of his long leg, pinned her against the car door.
"What, trying to use the self-defense techniques I taught you against me?" Jasper's clear voice made Jessica's racing heart calm down instantly.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.
Before Jasper could answer, they heard a whistle from across the street. A drunken man with a flushed face staggered and shouted, "Sir, you're playing pretty wild, impressive!"
At first, Jessica didn't get what the drunk guy meant. But when she saw their reflection in the car's mirror, with Jasper's tall frame pinning her from behind, it did look like they were getting it on from the other side.
Instantly, Jessica's face turned red from her cheeks to her ears!
The drunk guy kept whistling, and Jasper let go of her and walked towards him.
The drunk guy's friend rushed over, covering his mouth and repeatedly apologizing to Jasper. "Sorry, please forgive him. He's drunk."
Jessica also took a couple of steps forward, pulling Jasper back, her face flushed as she whispered, "It's okay, he didn't mean it. He's just drunk. Let's go."
Mainly, she didn't want to make a scene out of such an embarrassing situation. Otherwise, how would she explain it if Harper asked?
The drunk guy's friend could tell from Jasper's demeanor and presence that he was not someone to mess with. He kept apologizing, "I sincerely apologize to both you and your girlfriend! I'll make sure to teach him a lesson."
Jasper's stern face surprisingly softened a bit at the mention of "girlfriend." He said calmly, "Your friend is drunk. Take him home to rest. Don't let him cause trouble and regret it later."
This was a sign of letting it go, and the friend thanked him profusely and dragged the drunk guy away.
Jasper turned, his gaze falling on Jessica's hand clutching the corner of his coat. His eyes flickered, as if deep in thought.
Jessica was stunned for a second before she realized and quickly let go. She then shuffled her feet awkwardly, feeling the atmosphere was a bit tense, and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"To take you home," Jasper said succinctly, taking the key from her hand and walking towards the car.
"But..." Jessica didn't have time to refuse as Jasper had already opened the passenger door, so she had to get in.
Jessica asked, "What about your car?"
"The driver took it."
Jessica thought for a moment and said, "I really don't need you to take me. I still need to go to the office."
"It's late. Whatever it is, do it tomorrow."
Jessica didn't want to go with him, so she made up an excuse, "No, I still have unfinished work."
Jasper took out his phone and started dialing Harper's number. "What are you doing!" Jessica was startled and hurriedly leaned over to hang up.
Jasper didn't fight her for it, lowering his eyes and saying, "I'll ask her if the studio can't function without you."
"Don't ask!" Jessica's voice raised in urgency. She had always been serious in front of Jasper, but after last night, the distance between them seemed to have lessened. Especially now, she looked like a little rabbit ready to bite, her eyes red with anxiety.
Jasper smiled playfully, "Alright, then do as I say."
In the black luxury car in front of the restaurant, Francis's thin lips were tightly pressed together as he watched the car carrying Harper slowly drive away. The atmosphere in the car seemed to drop to freezing point.
Victor still asked, "Mr. Getty, where to?"
"Follow them."
Victor complied and followed the car. When the car stopped at Serenity Manor, Victor also parked at a distance.
Vincent jogged around the car gracefully and opened the door for Harper. They stood in front of the car, exchanged a few words, and Vincent urged Harper to go inside.
Harper smiled warmly, "Vincent, thank you. I'll treat you to dinner another day."
"It's my pleasure," Vincent said.
Harper took a few steps, then suddenly turned back to Vincent, "Did you get any new information from your trip to Emerald Isle?"
"Yes, I checked the Charles family's entry and exit records. Only five people matched the timeline." Vincent had planned to tell her tomorrow, but since Harper asked, he turned and took out a secure phone. He showed Harper the photos of the five people one by one.
When Harper saw the man with the scarred eye, her hair stood on end, and she exclaimed in fear, "It's him!"
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