Chapter 538 Audrey's Scheme
Harper was feeling super queasy. After stepping out, she splashed some water on her face and grabbed her portable mouthwash to freshen up.
Just as she was about to bounce, she spotted a woman by the sink. This lady reeked of booze and BBQ, like a greasy, spicy mess. Harper instantly covered her mouth and nose, feeling like she was gonna hurl again. She bolted back to the restroom and puked her guts out. After a bit, she came out again.
To her surprise, the lady was still there. The woman asked, "You okay?"
She had cleaned up a bit, and the smell wasn't as gnarly anymore.
Harper slightly covered her mouth and nose, "I'm good."
The woman looked kinda sorry, "My bad, a waiter bumped into me earlier, and I got food and drinks all over me. Does it smell that bad?"
Harper waved her hand, "It's not your fault. I've just been super sensitive to smells lately."
"You look just like I did when I was first pregnant. Are you pregnant too?"
Harper paused and didn't answer. She was always wary of overly friendly strangers.
The woman handed her a pack of wet wipes, "These are alcohol-free and non-irritating, safe for pregnant women."
Not wanting to be rude, Harper took the wipes and said, "Thanks, but I just have an upset stomach, not pregnant."
Even though the woman was being nice, Harper felt her questions were kinda nosy. Harper hadn't mentioned being pregnant, yet the woman kept hinting at it, making her uneasy. Plus, Harper was rocking a black high-waisted trench coat today, which hid her figure pretty well. No way anyone could tell unless she took it off. She couldn't figure out why this woman kept bringing up pregnancy.
The woman smiled, "Sorry, my bad."
"No worries," Harper said as she got ready to leave.
Suddenly, the woman's high heel twisted, and she stumbled right towards Harper. Even though the woman wasn't heavy, the momentum would've definitely knocked Harper down.
Harper tightly covered her belly, scared of getting hit. Luckily, the woman managed to grab the wall and didn't fall. She kept apologizing, "I'm so sorry, it's really slippery here. I didn't hit you, did I?"
Harper was so freaked out that her face went pale. She shook her head, "No, are your feet okay? Be careful."
The woman smiled, "I'm good."
"Alright, I'm outta here." Harper smiled politely and then left.
The woman washed her hands and then headed to a nearby private room. Seeing no one around, she pushed the door open and went in. Inside sat a pregnant woman with a pale face, it was Audrey.
"How'd it go?" Audrey asked the woman.
The woman replied mysteriously, "Ms. Hernandez, I think she's pregnant."
Audrey looked shocked. She had seen Harper cover her mouth and rush to the restroom earlier, which made her suspicious, so she sent her assistant to check. To make it convincing, she even had her assistant spill a bottle of wine and some food on herself.
Audrey found it hard to believe. She had been keeping tabs on Francis's whereabouts recently. There hadn't been any nights alone with Harper or any intimate moments, so where the heck did this kid come from? Could it be that Harper was knocked up by some other dude?
The more Audrey thought about it, the more it made sense. Harper must be pregnant with someone else's kid!
She had thought Harper was head over heels for Francis, but turned out she was with another guy right after they split and even got pregnant. So, all those years together meant nothing! How could Harper, that sneaky witch, be loyal?
Audrey felt a rush of triumph, itching to tell Francis about Harper's pregnancy and watch his reaction. Guys always seemed to get riled up when their exes moved on so quickly.
Thinking about Francis's attitude towards her, Audrey grabbed her phone, ready to call him. She wanted him to see Harper's true colors.
Worried the info might be wrong, Audrey asked again, "Are you sure she's pregnant?"
The assistant pulled up a chair and sat next to Audrey. Audrey covered her nose and waved her hand, signaling her to sit further away. The smell was too much for a pregnant woman to handle.
The assistant awkwardly smiled and moved the chair away, saying, "When I went in, she threw up again. Later, I asked if she was pregnant, and she didn't admit it. I tested her again by pretending to stumble into her, and her first reaction was to cover her belly. What else could it be if not pregnancy?"
Since getting pregnant, Audrey's intuition had become sharper. That's why she suspected Harper might be pregnant after just one look. And it turned out to be true.
The assistant, looking all experienced, said, "From what I saw, her belly isn't very big yet. Usually, you can't tell before five months. It only starts to show after five months and grows rapidly by the seventh or eighth month. I estimate her belly is about three to four months along."
Audrey was stunned at her words, her expression dazed. Judging by the timeline, could that kid actually be Francis's?
Audrey's eyes grew dark as she recalled three to four months ago, just before the explosion. At that time, Harper and Francis were super close, and no one could come between them.
The more Audrey thought about it, the more it seemed likely that the kid was Francis's. Audrey bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with hatred. She had hidden her feelings for years, staying close to Francis as a friend, loving him deeply. Now, just as she was about to become his wife, it might all be for nothing because of Keith.
According to Keith, his bid for power this time was a sure thing. That meant Francis would soon have nothing. But Audrey wasn't ready to give up. Even if Francis lost everything, she didn't want to hand him over to someone else. Especially not to Harper, who seemed indifferent to fame and fortune. If Francis's true identity was revealed, Harper might even pity him, and they could get back together.
Audrey would never let that happen! She couldn't let go of her obsession with Francis after all these years. Even without his background, Francis, with his brilliant mind, would definitely create another successful Getty Group. The plan was simple: Francis had to agree to team up with her, so Audrey could help him dodge Keith's wrath after his downfall.
Audrey was sure Francis wouldn't turn down her offer. She had it all mapped out, making Francis generate wealth for her in the little time he had left. Anyway, Francis had no clue what was coming his way.
But now, with Harper's pregnancy, things might take a wild turn! Audrey couldn't let any loose ends mess up her plan. Her grip tightened, almost bending the utensils in her hand. She was dead set on making sure Harper's kid would never see the light of day!
Harper got back to the room and chatted with the dye factory owner for a bit. After wrapping up their meal, they got ready to head downstairs. Just then, Agnes called via video, so Harper stopped to chat with her for a bit before leaving.
After about five minutes, Harper told Agnes, "Agnes, I need to get to the car now. Can we talk once I'm in the car?"
"Okay, bye, Mom!" Agnes blew a kiss to the screen. Harper smiled happily and reluctantly hung up the phone. Thinking that she would see Agnes soon, Harper's eyes were filled with a gentle light.
After a few steps, a passing waiter told her that the floor ahead was slippery with oil and that the cleaning staff was working on it, suggesting she use the back door. Harper glanced ahead and saw that the floor was indeed covered in oil and looked super slippery. She didn't dare to walk there, so she turned and headed for the back door.
At the back door, she looked up and saw someone she didn't want to see. She didn't expect to run into Audrey while out for a meal.
Harper didn't even want to give her a glance and tried to walk around her. Unexpectedly, Audrey called out to her, "Harper, what a coincidence!"
Harper didn't lift her eyes and didn't want to say a word to her, just sidestepping to leave. Audrey grabbed her arm and said, "Where are you going? How rude of you to ignore me just like that!"
Harper coldly replied, "I only show courtesy to those who deserve it."
There was no need to be polite to someone who had framed her multiple times and had ill intentions towards her child. Besides, Audrey wouldn't have anything good to say. She probably just wanted to show off, and Harper had no interest or time to listen!
Audrey was furious, "Are you insulting me?"
Harper smiled, "You're right, I am insulting you."
Audrey's face twisted in anger, making her look even uglier, "Harper, how shameless can you be? Francis doesn't want you anymore, and you're still thinking of giving him..."
Audrey stopped mid-sentence, realizing she couldn't let Harper know she was aware. But Harper immediately became alert, and when she saw Audrey's eyes scanning her, her palms began to sweat nervously. Could Audrey know something?
Thinking of this, Harper didn't want to stay in the same space with Audrey for another second. She stepped aside and said cautiously, "Please move."
Audrey stood still, arms crossed, staring at her with a sinister look. Was she nervous? How interesting. Audrey became increasingly convinced that Harper's child must be Francis's. Harper was such a witch. Was she thinking of using the kid to win Francis back? Audrey would never let Harper succeed. Even if Francis had to die, he would be hers!
Audrey spat out, "Still trying to seduce my man? Do the women of the Murphy family just love being mistresses?"
Harper was about to leave but froze at those words. She turned and asked, "What do you mean by the women of the Murphy family?"
Audrey's expression faltered, realizing she had almost let slip about Elodie. This was something she had just learned from one of Felix's trusted subordinates. But she hadn't confirmed it; it was said that Elodie was likely hidden by Arthur.
Audrey sneered, "Aren't you a woman of the Murphy family!"
Harper heard it clearly and wasn't about to let it go, "You just implied that there are other women in the Murphy family!"
Audrey's expression cracked for a second, not expecting Harper to be so sharp. She quickly regained her composure, "Just a slip of the tongue. You seem eager to drag your family through the mud. Does the Murphy family have many mistresses?"
Harper smiled, "The Murphy family would never have a mistress, but I see one standing right in front of me."
Audrey glared fiercely, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Isn't it true?" Harper maintained her smile, "I don't need to repeat the past, do I? During my marriage to Francis, didn't you claim to be his fiancée? Even after knowing, you didn't stop and even paid for articles to promote your fiancée status?"
"You..." Audrey was furious, pointing at Harper, "Shut up!"
Harper smirked, "Audrey, don't provoke me, and I won't bother you. But if you keep coming to challenge me, don't blame me for exposing you publicly. Let me reiterate, I have no interest in Francis, nor do I care to do anything immoral. You'd better stop causing trouble for me and focus on securing your position as Mrs. Getty!"
Audrey's face turned pale, thinking about her past. If Harper spread it around, how could she hold her head high in the circle? Audrey thought Harper was just pretending not to care. One day, she would definitely use it to threaten her.
Harper took out her phone, checked the time, and asked Audrey, "Are you going to move?"
Audrey stood at the door, furious, refusing to move. Harper didn't want to argue with her and thought the front should be cleaned up by now, so she decided to go through the front door to avoid Audrey's nagging.
As Harper turned to leave, Audrey rushed over and grabbed her. Harper was extremely nervous, staring at her, and shouted, "What are you doing? Why are you grabbing me?"
Audrey's face twisted with rage, looking hideous, "Harper, why can't you just disappear? Why do you have to be such an eyesore?"
Audrey's grip tightened, deepening Harper's unease. Audrey's expression and actions were definitely not well-intentioned.
Harper once again suspected that Audrey knew about her pregnancy and intended to harm her unborn children!
"Let go!" Harper shouted at her.
Unexpectedly, Audrey pulled her back a few steps and then yanked hard!
Harper saw a table corner right in front of her, aimed directly at her stomach, extremely dangerous! In a panic, she grabbed the door handle beside her and forcefully shook off Audrey's grip.
She noticed the sinister glint in Audrey's eyes as she suddenly let go of Harper's hand!
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
