Chapter 564 A Sharp Pain in the Chest
Francis looked like he'd just been hit with a blast of Arctic air, colder than Wesley'd ever seen him. The calm front he'd kept up for over a month finally cracked wide open.
Before Wesley could even get a word in, Francis's voice cut through the air, sharp and demanding, "Who's she marrying?"
"I..." Wesley started, but Francis's grip on his hand tightened so hard his knuckles popped, while Francis's eyes were like black holes, ready to swallow everything. Even lying in bed, he was downright terrifying.
The apple Wesley had just peeled slipped from his hand, hitting the floor with a splat. Wesley shrugged, looking defeated. "I heard it's the heir to the Perry family."
Francis finally let go, and Wesley shook his hand, wincing. "Man, that hurt like hell." He made a mental note to spill everything in one go next time.
He frowned, rubbing his sore hand. "You know my hands are precious, right? And you nearly crushed them!"
Wesley took such good care of his hands he even had them insured. Francis's grip felt like it could've snapped his wrist.
Slipping into doctor mode, Wesley forgot the previous topic and said, "I can't believe your hand healed so well without any rehab! Have you been secretly working out?"
"What time?" Francis asked, his voice icy.
Wesley blinked, confused. "What? How would I know when you secretly work out? Are you sleepwalking or something?"
Wesley looked baffled. "I've never heard of you sleepwalking before. Is this a new thing from being stuck in bed so long?"
He stood up, reaching out to check Francis's eyes for any issues. But Francis blocked him with an arm and said curtly, "I meant the wedding!"
Wesley replied, "The wedding's the day after tomorrow."
Wesley picked up another apple to peel, still puzzled by how secretive the whole wedding thing was, happening out of the blue.
"Apparently, Mr. Perry brought Harper back home, saying they got married in Windcrest. But the Perry family's all about ostentation and extravagance, so they want to throw another wedding on Emerald Isle."
After peeling the apple, Wesley handed it to Francis. "Harper sure moves fast. When did she marry Mr. Perry?"
Before he could finish, Francis threw off the covers and got out of bed. Wesley's eyes went wide. Francis actually got up? He hadn't done a single day of rehab, so how was he suddenly out of bed?
By the time Wesley snapped out of it, Francis was already wheeling himself out of the hospital room. Wesley thought, 'Just like that?'
But he noticed that when Francis first stood up, he still had a limp, clearly not fully recovered. Even so, getting out of bed was a huge step forward. As for the limp, it would need some rehab training to fix, since long-term bed rest leads to muscle atrophy.
Francis was bouncing back way faster than anyone else. Wesley sighed, "Harper must have some kind of magic touch!"
He took a big bite of the apple, trying to steady his nerves.
This was the first time Francis had left the hospital since waking up. He hit the elevator button and ran into Victor on his way up.
Victor stepped aside when he saw the wheelchair, but then did a double-take. When he saw Francis's face, he gasped, "Mr. Getty!"
"Back to the company," Francis said, wheeling himself into the elevator.
Seeing the doors about to close, Victor shouted, "Wait for me, Mr. Getty!"
Still in shock, Victor's voice was shaky, losing his usual cool. He squeezed in just in time.
The elevator doors shut again. Victor looked at Francis, "Mr. Getty, why are you heading back to the company all of a sudden?"
"Got something to handle."
Since waking up, Francis had been a man of few words. Sometimes he wouldn't say a thing for days, just handling business as usual. When Victor asked about meals, Francis would just nod. Over time, Francis spoke less and less.
Victor, worried, went to Wesley about it. Wesley, busy in the lab working on better joint replacements for Francis, took a break to visit him every day since then.
Being chatty, he didn't mind if Francis didn't talk. He could keep a conversation going all by himself. Sometimes, when Francis got annoyed, he'd say, "Are you done yet?" or "Can you be quiet?" to get him to leave.
With Wesley around, Francis started talking a bit more. He still didn't say much, but it was better than nothing.
The elevator doors opened. Victor instinctively moved to push the wheelchair. But Francis stopped him, "I got it."
Francis maneuvered the wheelchair himself, moving forward, backward, and turning with ease.
At the car, Francis again refused Victor's help, using his forearm to support himself on the wheelchair armrest and slowly standing up. Then, he took the crutch Victor had ready and got into the back seat on his own.
Francis's face was always calm, making it hard to tell how he was really doing. From the outside, Victor thought he was doing great. But only Francis knew how tough it was to stand and walk, even with a crutch.
His once strong calves had weakened from being in bed so long, causing serious pain after just a short while on his feet. And when the weather was rainy and damp, his right leg ached intensely, hurting even while lying down, let alone standing.
Stanley loved figuring out the easiest ways to disable someone. So, while it looked like Stanley just smashed Francis' kneecap, he actually picked the spot perfectly to mess up the joint connection.
Now, Francis not only had trouble walking with his right leg but also dealt with some serious aftereffects. But he didn't really care about that stuff. Since waking up, his past felt like some distant dream. He wasn't dead, but he wasn't really alive either. He was more like a robot now.
At the Getty Group, Rhodes hadn't touched Francis' office, setting up his own space elsewhere. When Francis rolled into the room, Rhodes was caught off guard. "Francis, what brings you here?"
Francis cut to the chase, "Rhodes, do you know anything about Harper's wedding?"
He was fishing for any inside scoop.
Harper was pregnant. If she married into the Perry family, what would happen to the kids? Would the Perrys accept them?
Even though Francis was partially disabled now, he still looked down on the Perry family. On the surface, they seemed like a big deal, but only they knew the darkness within. Choosing to set up shop on Emerald Isle instead of staying in Northfield was proof enough that the Perry family was way more complicated than people thought.
Vincent didn't seem too bad, but people changed. He loved Harper now, but would he always love her? Could he handle family pressure and not marry someone else, staying loyal to Harper?
Rhodes got what Francis was asking. As soon as he heard about Harper's wedding, he called her up. He had a decent rapport with Harper, having helped her out a lot in Northfield, so she wasn't too put off by his questions. After a pause, she confirmed it was true.
Rhodes wasn't sure if Francis could handle the truth. After thinking it over, he decided to be straight with him, "From what I gather, there's no hidden agenda. Harper is really marrying Vincent. They've known each other for years, and Vincent's a solid choice."
Francis's eyes darkened. Rhodes had a lot of connections abroad. If Rhodes didn't find any issues, then there probably weren't any.
Francis realized Harper's wedding wasn't some conspiracy like his own, but a real deal.
Suddenly, a sharp pain hit his chest. Francis's face went pale for a moment but then he pulled it together.
"That's fine." Francis said calmly, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Rhodes called out firmly. Francis's wheelchair stopped, but he didn't turn around, his back to Rhodes. From behind, Francis's posture was straight, showing no emotion.
"Francis, you've rested long enough." Rhodes, hands in his pockets, walked over to the sofa next to Francis and leaned against it, asking, "I heard from Wesley that your rehab isn't going well. What's on your mind?"
"Whether I train or not, the result's the same." For the first time in a while, Francis opened up. He didn't want to train because he felt he was already disabled, and training wouldn't change much.
"Nonsense!" Rhodes snapped.
Back in the day, when Dylan was around, Rhodes didn't think much of Francis. He thought Francis was just like Ryan, driven by greed and completely emotionless.
Rhodes had seen Francis's incredible business talent from a young age, but he was cold and ruthless, only considering the Getty family's interests, not the survival of small companies. In Francis's eyes, those small companies didn't matter. Even if the companies couldn't survive and came to ask for help, Francis would coldly say, "If it doesn't work, find another one."
Rhodes couldn't stand Francis's profit-driven, heartless approach. So when he returned to the country and met Harper, he helped her when she had conflicts with Francis, hoping to give Francis a sense of defeat.
But over time, Rhodes noticed that Harper's presence seemed to change Francis. Francis started to care about employee welfare and the interests of companies relying on the Getty Group, personally creating strong support policies.
After marriage, the number of charitable activities Francis engaged in increased severalfold. Harper's kindness subtly influenced the once cold Francis, leading him to make changes.
Later, Rhodes learned that Francis's coldness stemmed from Ryan's emotional abuse during his childhood. In that household, Francis felt no fatherly love, unknowingly treating Ryan as his biological father. Ryan had tried to corrupt Francis, but Francis's self-control exceeded Ryan's expectations. Though cold, he didn't commit crimes or harm others, thwarting Ryan's plans.
After learning the truth, Rhodes believed that the Francis after his marriage with Harper was his true self. Francis, being Hayden's child, had inherent kindness, merely hidden during his youth.
Now that Dylan had been gone for a long time, Rhodes, as a member of the Getty family, felt responsible for protecting Francis.
"Francis!" Rhodes looked at him, his tone heavy, "The Getty Group is yours. I'm just holding it for you temporarily. You can be down, but you can't choose to stay down forever."
Francis's face remained indifferent, expressionless. Rhodes grew angrier, "Every minute, people are born and die, get sick and injured. Should those without legs stop living?"
Rhodes earnestly advised, "Look around. People without legs or arms live well. What about you? You just have trouble walking with one leg. With serious rehab, you'll recover almost like a normal person. It's just a matter of time."
"It's not about the leg." Francis suddenly spoke, offering an explanation to Rhodes.
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