Chapter 554 What Exactly Is Worth It About Him?
Her palms were so sweaty, she could barely grip the scissors.
Finally, Harper aimed at the yellow wire, shut her eyes, and braced herself to cut it.
Suddenly, a furious shout came from behind. "What are you doing?"
Next thing she knew, there was a sharp, clear sound. A dark figure swooped in, snatching the scissors from her hand and letting them clatter to the ground.
Harper looked up to see Keith, usually so composed and elegant, now filled with rare anger. She frowned, "Why is it you?"
"Who did you think it would be?" Keith shot back sarcastically.
Seeing Harper ignore him, Keith snapped, "Besides me, who else could save you?"
Keith had stormed out of the event early, fuming over a series of mishaps. Halfway home, his subordinates reported some suspicious activities. First, they told him Ryan had been arrested, which wasn't a shocker. After Francis's identity was revealed, Ryan's arrest was inevitable. Ryan had tried to grab the Getty family's assets and had killed Joseph; there was no dodging those charges.
Keith wasn't worried about his minor mistakes; Ryan would take the fall for him, and now Keith still had the vast overseas empire Ryan had built for him. As for what punishment Ryan would face, Keith couldn't care less. At most, he'd get him a random lawyer, but beyond that, Ryan was on his own.
But when Keith heard from his subordinates that Francis had evacuated all the guests and cleared the hotel, he knew something was up.
Reflecting on recent events, Keith felt that Francis was plotting something bigger than just taking down Ryan and him. So Keith immediately contacted foreign spies and learned about Stanley's arrival in Northfield. He instantly realized that Francis was likely targeting Stanley! Keith and Ryan were just small fry that Francis dealt with on his way to taking down a bigger fish.
He'd heard that Stanley was skilled with explosives, so this time there would definitely be no shortage of them. However, Keith couldn't understand why Francis would take such a big risk to do something so reckless. But he couldn't dwell on it because he remembered that Harper was still in the hotel.
In a flash, Keith had the driver turn the car around, and he managed to get inside before the passage on the second basement level was blown up.
Inside, Keith had dodged Stanley's men and searched many places before finally finding the sneaky Harper here. He hadn't expected to see Harper doing something so terrifying! She was really bold, daring to cut the wire without a clue about explosives. Keith couldn't decide if she was brave or just plain foolish!
Harper asked, "How did you get up here?"
"The second basement level."
Hearing the familiar passage, Harper instantly lost interest. It wasn't worth reporting to Owen. She reached out to grab the scissors, but Keith kicked them away coldly.
"Are you crazy? Do you want to die?" he scolded.
Harper looked at the scissors now far away. She was already exhausted from climbing up and down while pregnant, and now he was making things worse. She was furious.
"Keith, please leave and stop interfering," she said coldly.
"Hey, you ungrateful woman. I came here to save you out of the goodness of my heart, and you don't even appreciate it. Instead, you talk to me like this." Keith's usually refined face turned dark, and his tone was harsh, as if Harper should be grateful to him at this moment.
But Harper only asked, "How did you know I was here?"
Keith was instantly at a loss for words. Harper, being very smart, immediately thought of something. "Did you have something to do with my flight transfer?"
At this point, Keith didn't bother pretending anymore and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "Yes, it was my doing."
He said without a hint of guilt, "I thought, how could you miss your ex-husband's wedding? You had to be there to watch the show."
Harper hadn't expected Keith to be the culprit behind her being trapped here!
"Keith, you bastard! You tricked me into coming here and locked me in the room. Do you know I almost got killed by that psycho Stanley?" she fumed.
Keith had rarely seen Harper so angry. Usually, she was either cold or indifferent. Seeing her so mad, he found her surprisingly cute.
He suddenly felt a strange emotion. In the past, he simply wanted to possess her. Now, he would be content just to have her acknowledge him.
"Get out of my way!" Harper was furious and didn't want to say another word to Keith.
Keith explained, "I didn't order anyone to lock you in. It wasn't me."
If it wasn't Keith, then the only person who had seen Harper was Audrey. If it was Audrey, Harper wouldn't be surprised; after all, Audrey and Keith were the same kind of people.
Harper took a few deep breaths to calm down and asked, "Do you have a way out?"
She still wanted to get some useful information to tell Owen, making it easier for the police to come in.
Keith looked at her warily. "Do you want to tell someone to come and save Francis?"
Harper knew Keith hated Francis, partly because of her, but mostly because of their complicated relationship and Keith's twisted sense of resentment. Keith absolutely wouldn't tell Harper the way to save Francis. Even if he did, she would have to consider whether it was a trap.
Realizing this, Harper stopped asking Keith any questions and went straight to pick up the scissors on the ground.
Keith reached out to stop her, but Harper pointed the scissors at him. "Stay back!"
Keith's face instantly darkened. He was just trying to save her, and now she was pointing scissors at him? His lips curled into a mocking smile. "Do you think holding those little scissors can hurt me?"
Suppressing his anger, he threatened, "Harper, my patience is limited. Either you come with me willingly, or I'll knock you out and take you with me!"
"Keith, do you really want to save me?" Harper asked. "Then where do you plan to take me after we leave? Will you let me go home?"
Keith was stunned and didn't answer.
"You won't," Harper said. "Keith, you have no foundation left in Northfield. So your purpose in taking me out is probably to imprison me in some remote place, right?"
Keith still didn't speak. At this moment, it was just the two of them, and there was no point in lying. Besides, when facing Harper, he didn't want to wear a mask.
"Keith, I know you," Harper mocked. "You do things solely based on what you want, regardless of what others want. And when necessary, you'll resort to all kinds of coercion."
Harper's understanding of Keith was spot-on, and her critique was accurate. Keith's expression changed several times before returning to a cold demeanor.
"Isn't Francis the same?" Keith sneered. "Harper, you need to understand that all men are similar. No one is without selfish desires. In the past, didn't he also cause a series of troubles because I was too close to you? His feelings for you were just possessiveness. Only you foolishly believe that it's love!"
Keith concluded, "For us, love and possession is fundamentally the same."
After Keith's long speech, Harper told him, "No, Francis is not like you."
Harper didn't want to explain further to Keith; there were many things he wouldn't understand even if she did. Keith's obsession was deeply ingrained, possibly related to his childhood experiences, but that was no excuse for becoming a bad person and harming others.
"Keith, I'm warning you, either leave now, or if you try to stop me..." Harper paused, raised the scissors in her hand, and told him firmly and clearly, "These little scissors may not hurt you, but if you rush at me, I will cut the wire of this explosive. If you're willing to risk your life with me, you can stay."
As Harper said this, her expression was particularly calm and composed. It was as if she wasn't about to cut the wire of an explosive but was merely trimming some plants.
Keith was completely stunned. Seeing the determination in Harper's eyes, he believed that if pushed, she would really do it. Instantly, a surge of jealousy flared up from his heart to his head, making Keith's entire body feel like it was on fire.
"Harper, is Francis really worth all this to you?" Keith's anger was about to consume him. "Even if his marriage is fake, I don't believe you weren't hurt at all!"
Keith couldn't understand why Harper couldn't feel the same way about him. He didn't think he had done any less than Francis. Just like today, even knowing the place was filled with explosives, he still chose to come back and save her. Both risking their lives, what was the difference between him and Francis?
"Of course I was hurt," Harper admitted without hesitation. Even now, when she thought back to her recent situation, her heart ached.
But after Victor told her everything, Harper couldn't bring herself to hate Francis. Francis, despite his poor health, was still scheming against a large group of people just to clear the way for her.
He had retracted his will and added more favorable conditions for Harper. His actions against Ryan and Keith were entirely to secure benefits for Harper and Agnes. He even risked his life to set a trap for Stanley.
His purpose was clear: it was all for Harper.
The last time she heard Stanley's threats in the car, Harper realized that unless he faced legal consequences, she would never have a peaceful life. So, the last thing Francis wanted to do at the end of his life was to personally capture Stanley.
Piecing everything together, Harper was convinced that this was Francis's plan.
Harper looked up at Keith, who still seemed confused, and told him, "Even though I can't accept his so-called well-intentioned ways, I can understand him. He never selfishly made me choose or used love to bind me. I might never know what he did, but he still did it without any reservations. What he wanted was always the safety of Agnes and me. Any one of these reasons is worth me doing this."
In his final moments, Francis was still burning through his own life, exhausting every effort to protect the woman and child he loved. Harper could confidently say that he had fulfilled his responsibilities as a lover and a father. He had done enough with his ailing body. It was now her turn to do something for him.
Keith's expression looked frozen. At this moment, he felt like an out-of-place clown, forcibly trying to insert himself into their world, only to be kicked out.
Never before had Keith been so acutely aware that he could never have her. His chest felt empty, and though he was unwilling, he had to accept it.
The things Harper mentioned, he realized he couldn't do. Because in Keith's mind, the idea of selfless dedication had never existed.
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