Chapter 541 Will You Fall in Love with Me Too?
Audrey was floored. What did he mean by seeing her kid? Wasn't her baby already dead?
Before she could wrap her head around it, Francis clapped his hands, and Victor, rocking those white gloves, brought in a small square box covered with a black cloth.
Audrey's face went pale, and fear hit her like a ton of bricks. Her hands shook, and she yelled at Victor, "Don't come any closer!"
Victor acted like he didn't hear her. He only took orders from Francis and didn't give a damn about anyone else. He carried the box, ignoring Audrey's freak-out, walked up to her, and pulled off the cloth.
For a split second, everything was dead silent, then Audrey let out a blood-curdling scream.
The thing in the container, which she couldn't even call a fetus anymore, looked more like a monster. It had four legs, eight fingers, and a face that was kinda round but had no nose or mouth.
A fetus like that would suffocate and die the second it left the womb. Audrey knew this. Her shock quickly turned into disgust and revulsion.
She'd had a 4D ultrasound, which showed the kid's appearance. She'd known for a while it was an abnormal fetus. The doc said it was probably from hormone drugs.
Audrey hadn't stopped taking them to keep her looks even after getting pregnant. Especially after she found out who the kid's father was, she went nuts with the drugs to get her beauty back.
After finding out the kid was a freak, she decided to get rid of it through Harper. The docs at this hospital were all in her pocket. The plan was to deal with the kid secretly as soon as it was born, so no one would see its deformed self.
But Francis found the kid anyway.
Audrey waved her hand in disgust, knocking the box, "Get it away, get this disgusting thing away!"
She was totally grossed out but never thought that she was the reason the kid turned out so messed up.
Jonathan had burned himself to protect the kid, only for it to end up like this. But Audrey didn't feel an ounce of pity. She thought such a filthy thing shouldn't exist in this world.
Francis didn't budge at her shouting. He calmly placed the box by her bedside, "Don't you miss your kid a lot? Well, let this kid stay here and keep you company from now on!"
Audrey's eyes went wide, "What do you mean? I don't want it!"
Having such a monster by her bed was terrifying. Even though her heart was usually ice-cold, she was still scared.
"What are you afraid of?" Francis lowered his eyes and smiled at Audrey, but it was a cold, creepy smile. "Isn't this your beloved kid? The one you poisoned yourself, how could you be afraid of him?"
Audrey stared at Francis, totally freaked out. He knew everything, even that she’d pumped her kid full of hormones while pregnant.
For the first time, Audrey felt real fear towards this supposedly weak and dying Francis. What else did he know that she didn’t?
Audrey nervously clenched her fingers, trying to play it cool with a smile, "Francis, don't mess around."
"You think this is a joke? Didn't you ask me to give your precious son an explanation?" Francis said, all cold and indifferent. "Harper's leaving Northfield soon and won't be back. Is that enough?"
Audrey caught the icy undertone in his words. She was sure that if she said it wasn’t enough, Francis would strangle her without a second thought. But even she, as clueless as she was, knew that sending Harper away was ultimately to protect her.
She pretended to be all compliant, "You decide on this."
"Audrey, if you could really be as obedient as you pretend to be, you might live a bit more freely." Francis's eyes had this gentle smile, but it felt like a knife was hidden in there.
Audrey didn’t get it, but she knew Francis wasn’t saying anything nice. She nervously asked, "Francis, what are you planning?"
Soon, Audrey realized it wasn’t just her imagination.
Francis's handsome face, lit up by the overhead light, looked super cold, and even his words seemed to be coated in ice.
"Audrey, I told you everything, but you didn’t listen. You couldn’t even wait for the last few days. Since that’s the case..." The warm smile in Francis's eyes turned into an icy glare, and he said mercilessly, "Then you’ll stay here and rest until the wedding day."
Audrey's jaw dropped. Francis clearly intended to lock her up. She fought back, "Francis, I’m your bride, not a prisoner. You can’t lock me up. If you dare do this to me, I won’t marry you."
Audrey was starting to realize that trying to control Francis was a huge mistake. This guy was like a dangerous sea monster, impossible to control. One wrong move, and she’d get nothing but pain. But it was too late for her to realize this.
Francis stood tall, one hand in his pocket, facing the light, "You didn’t want to end the agreement before, and now there’s no chance. Just be a good, obedient bride."
After saying this, Francis gave an unfathomable smile and turned to leave.
Audrey scrambled out of bed, trying to catch up, but her legs gave out, and she crashed hard to the floor. She’d overestimated her body after the miscarriage, and now her butt hurt like hell from the fall.
Audrey endured the pain and crawled towards the door, but it was already locked. No matter how hard she knocked, no one answered. Francis did exactly what he said, putting her under semi-house arrest.
Exhausted from pounding on the door, Audrey had to crawl back to bed, but the hatred in her heart kept her from sleeping. Especially when she turned her head and saw the child without a nose and mouth, the fear in her heart grew even stronger.
Even though the kid's organs were all messed up, its face still had a bit of Jonathan in it. Audrey's hand hovered in mid-air, but she finally covered the box with the black cloth, feeling more at ease not seeing it.
Didn't Jonathan choose to die to protect this kid? Well, now it was perfect to let this freak die too, so he wouldn't be alone in hell. She felt like she’d done a good deed.
After lying down, Audrey still felt a deep sense of frustration. Even though the kid was useless now, she never made a losing deal. The kid that came from her had to be repaid with three lives. Since it didn't work this time, then after the wedding, she’d have the Charleses wipe out the entire Murphy Family! She wanted to see if Francis, with his frail body, could really go up against the powerful Charles family.
Did Francis think forcing Harper out of the country was protecting her? On the contrary, the Charles family might not be able to act in Northfield, but abroad, it’d be a piece of cake. As long as Audrey gave the order, Harper would be toast!
After getting back from the hospital, Harper slept like a log. Jasper, having heard about the situation, came over. Seeing Harper sound asleep, he didn't disturb her.
It wasn't until early morning that Harper slowly woke up. After getting out of bed, she saw Jasper leaning on the sofa. Harper took a blanket and covered Jasper, the slight movement waking him up. Jasper instinctively grabbed Harper's hand and called out, "Harper!"
Seeing the panic in Jasper's eyes, Harper felt a warmth in her heart. She patted his arm to comfort him, "Jasper, I'm here."
Jasper finally woke up fully, seeing Harper right in front of him, and let out a long breath. He looked her up and down, somewhat worried, "Are you okay?"
Harper shook her head, "I'm fine."
Jasper, filled with anger, said, "Audrey has framed you time and again. I won't let her get away with it."
"No, Jasper," Harper stopped him. "We shouldn't fight with them. Northfield isn't our turf. As long as we leave, we can live in peace. Besides, Dad is getting old. Why keep up the struggle? Jasper, we've been away for too long. I want to be by Dad's side."
Jasper ruffled Harper's hair. Her kindness and strength always reminded him of Elodie. He had promised Elodie to protect Harper and would not go against Harper's wishes.
Jasper nodded, "Alright, I'll do as you say."
The next day, Harper handled the company's urgent matters. Francis didn't give Harper much time, only twenty-four hours. Jessica volunteered to stay behind and clean up, letting Harper go to Clayton's place first.
After finishing her work at the company, Harper didn't take the driver's car but decided to walk alone. Unknowingly, she arrived at a park not far from the Getty Group.
In the park, there was a Lovers' Bridge, with flowers blooming all year round on both sides. Each season, there were always flowers in bloom. This symbolized the endless and everlasting love between lovers.
When Harper first applied to the Getty Group, she often accompanied Francis to walk on this bridge. Later, after they got together, they’d stroll on this bridge after work. Even after their reunion five years later, this bridge still held all their sweet memories. It was their most peaceful and happiest time.
Now, things had changed. Harper decided to walk this bridge one last time and end everything here.
Harper stood on the bridge, the cold wind blowing, and she could see the huge illuminated sign of the Getty Group from afar, which was so dazzling.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A man's voice sounded in Harper's ear. Harper turned her head and saw that it was Keith, her expression instantly changing.
Keith didn't care about Harper's change in expression. His eyes were fixed on the dazzling sign, and he said with a smirk, "I also like standing here and looking because from here, I can see the entire skyscraper clearly."
Harper turned to leave but was grabbed by Keith. Harper struggled, "Let go of me!"
Instead of letting go, Keith pulled Harper into his arms.
"Keith..." Keith covered Harper's face with his chest, muffling the rest of her words. His deep eyes were filled with dark madness, and he said heavily, "Don't worry. I just want to talk to you."
Harper was almost suffocating. The strength difference between men and women was significant, and the more she struggled, the more energy she consumed.
So, she tried to relax and stopped struggling.
Keith liked Harper being obedient. He gently stroked her hair and said softly, "When I was a kid, the word I envied the most was 'legitimate.' Why could Francis enjoy a life of wealth and honor legally, while I had to be a despised illegitimate child?"
Harper listened quietly, trying not to make any noise as she reached for her bag.
Keith seemed to have drunk a lot, and his words were tinged with the smell of alcohol.
"Harper, let me tell you a secret." Keith pointed to the brilliant building ahead, "That place should have been mine. I should be the one standing there!"
Hearing this, Harper's hand paused, straining to hear what Keith was saying.
Keith laughed maniacally, holding Harper tightly, crying and laughing, "Do you know? All the suffering I've endured over the years wasn't meant for me. Everything should have returned to its rightful place long ago."
Harper asked, "What do you mean?"
Keith, cunning as he was, wouldn't easily reveal his secrets. He smiled and said, "You'll find out soon enough."
Harper tried to talk to him calmly, "Let go of me first."
Keith's defined jaw rested on Harper's hair, filled with longing, "Harper, if Francis didn't have all these glamorous identities, would you still love him? If I had been in that position from the start, would you have loved me?"
"I will never love you." Even though it was hard to speak, Harper's answer was firm.
Instantly, Keith's eyes turned bloodshot, his refined glasses unable to hide the hatred. He stared at her and asked, "Why?"
"No reason, I just don't like you."
Keith, unwilling to accept it, said, "I'm not bad-looking. Many women are willing to be with me. Why don't you like me?"
"Because..."
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