Chapter 547 A Heart of Stone
Francis kept a straight face and didn’t say a word to Audrey. Audrey was freaking out inside but kept telling herself, 'It's fine, I've been through worse.' They'd already told everyone they were getting hitched; what could Francis do now?
Audrey forced a small smile and said, "Francis, are you upset about what just happened? Is that why you changed the banquet venue? It's cool. Should I change my outfit now?"
Francis, still stone-faced, said, "No need."
Audrey's smile faltered, but she tried to stay on his good side, "Francis, there were so many people earlier, I didn't get a chance to explain. They made me give them the invitations!"
She covered her eye with her arm, looking like she was about to cry, while sneaking glances at Francis.
In her head, she was cursing Keith. She never thought Keith had no ties to the Getty family. Keith had the nerve to tell her he was the heir to the Getty Group. Audrey had been duped into thinking Francis was adopted.
Now it was clear Ryan and Keith had no resemblance to the Getties. The Getties were all upstanding folks, unlike the shady Ryan and Keith.
Audrey cursed herself for being so blind but felt a bit relieved she hadn't gone too far.
"Francis," she said sweetly, seeing no reaction from him, "Keith came to me and said he'd spill that you weren't a Getty, threatening me to give him the invitations. I was scared he'd ruin your reputation, so I had no choice."
Her excuse was flimsy, but it was all she had. Whether he bought it or not, if Francis wanted to stay alive, he had to play along. So, Audrey felt making excuses was just a formality.
Seeing Francis's stern face, she added, "But I really didn't know he had bad intentions. If I had known they were here to cause trouble, I would've never given them the invitations."
Audrey looked sad and hurt, "You have to believe me. We're in this together, right?"
"We're not together," Francis finally said.
That was the last thing Audrey wanted to hear.
His cold expression and icy tone made him seem especially heartless. Audrey's face fell, but she forced herself to say, "But everyone in Northfield knows we're married!"
"Audrey," Francis said sternly, "That's because I wanted them to know."
"Why?"
She'd been watching Francis since they were kids, and after all these years, she thought she knew him well. But now, she felt like she didn't understand him at all. She realized that the real Francis had never shown himself to her.
Francis didn’t answer her question. Instead, he stared at her intensely, "Audrey, have you ever regretted your actions?"
Audrey's face changed again. "What... what are you talking about?"
Francis's lips barely moved, "You know exactly what I mean."
"I... I don't know what you mean. Francis, I swear, I never meant to hurt you. You know I love you so much..."
"So you hurt the people I care about?" Francis cut her off coldly.
Audrey never intended to harm Francis; the injection he got was meant for Harper. She just made sure to mess with anyone who got close to Francis.
Whether it was Amelia or Chloe, their fates were all part of Audrey's plan. Behind the scenes, Audrey quietly stirred the pot, letting others do the dirty work and take the fall. She never showed herself as the mastermind.
The number of people she had hurt was countless. Besides Amelia and Chloe, there were also Francis's unborn child, her assistant Jonathan, and the innocent Abigail. Some people didn’t even see Audrey’s true face before they died.
Audrey just moved her lips and made plans behind the scenes, making bad people worse to achieve her goals. Chloe’s encounter with that disgusting man? All orchestrated by Audrey. Making Chloe angrier and more hateful made her more determined to kill Harper.
But Chloe accidentally hurting Francis? That was a major screw-up in Audrey’s plan.
Audrey’s body trembled, but she stubbornly said, "Francis, I didn’t do anything. Don’t accuse me. I’ve always followed the law."
Sure, a lot of things were done by Jonathan. After Jonathan died, Audrey got even more careful, making it harder to pin anything on her. So, Audrey could act all confident.
"Francis, if you want to accuse me, you need proof." Audrey covered her face, pretending to be sad, "Has Harper brainwashed you? She said she has nothing to do with you and doesn’t love you. Why do you still think about her?"
Francis’s expression was calm, not moved or saddened by Audrey’s words. He felt he had made the right decision; with his condition, he couldn’t burden Harper anymore.
After a long silence, he said softly, "It’s good that she doesn’t like me."
That was the only thing he said gently today, showing Audrey a side of him she had never seen before.
Deep jealousy twisted Audrey’s face. "Francis, why can’t you look at me? I’m willing to do anything for you, but you only see Harper!" Audrey shouted uncontrollably.
Audrey wasn’t just killing and hurting people! She had done a lot behind the scenes too, so why couldn’t she win Francis over? She didn’t think she was wrong; she blamed Francis’s heart for being as cold and hard as stone.
Francis said coldly, "Audrey, you don’t love me. The person you love most is yourself."
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