Chapter 571 Watching A Couple in Love
Arthur's big hand wrapped around Elodie's waist as he kissed her.
Elodie's eyes sparkled with a seductive charm, her mature beauty shining through. After a wild, deep kiss, Arthur let the breathless Elodie go.
"Elodie," Arthur said softly, his eyes full of love, "Remember, in this world, I'm the only one who won't lie to you."
Elodie finally caught her breath and was about to speak when Arthur kissed her again, picking up right where they left off.
After the wedding, Harper followed Jasper's advice and stayed put at the Perry Estate, not venturing out. Emerald Isle was a mixed bag of influences, and staying here was the safest bet.
Luckily, Vincent liked his solitude, and his villa was way up north on the estate, avoiding any awkward run-ins with the Perry Family. Gabriel also made sure no one bothered Harper, letting her rest and get ready for the babies.
Jasper stayed in Emerald Isle too, secretly trying to track down Elodie. But it had been almost a week since the gifts were sent, and there was no word back.
The gift box wasn't anything special; just some gold items and other valuable stuff. The real kicker was the silk wrapping, with patterns that subtly hinted to Elodie that Harper was in Emerald Isle.
After a chill week, on a sunny day, Harper decided to go for a walk after making lunch. She was over six months pregnant, and the doctor said she needed some exercise. But with all the Perry Family eyes on her, Harper was scared of messing up and rarely went out.
Harper and Vincent lived in a separate villa. To keep up appearances, she stayed upstairs while Vincent stayed downstairs. For the first three days, neither of them left the house. Rumors flew around the estate that they were super sweet and inseparable, not even stepping outside.
When Gabriel had dinner with them, he even told them to tone it down since Harper was pregnant. After the meal, he suggested Vincent could take another wife to handle his needs.
Vincent shot that down right away. They'd only been married for three days, and Gabriel was already talking about another wife, showing how little women mattered in Emerald Isle.
Here, women were just tools for having kids and pleasure, with no rights. Harper got why Vincent would go so far as to fake a marriage to get away from the Perry Family.
After lunch, Vincent drove Harper to a nearby park for a walk.
Harper had never seen anything in Emerald Isle outside the Perry Estate and found everything new and exciting. On the way, she kept looking out the window, fascinated, while Vincent shared local stories. Their conversation flowed easily, with no awkward pauses.
A black SUV tailed them at a steady pace. Vincent could see the driver clearly in his rearview mirror. He didn't recognize the driver, but figured they must know the person in the back seat.
Vincent glanced at Harper, who was blissfully unaware, still taking in the scenery. So, he kept quiet about it.
When they got out of the car, Vincent opened the door for Harper and offered his hand to help her out. It was a pretty intimate gesture, like something real couples would do. Harper hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should take his hand.
Seeing her hesitation, Vincent explained, "There are stones on the ground. I'll help you walk; it's safer."
Harper felt a bit embarrassed. Vincent was always so considerate, and here she was, making a big deal out of nothing. She extended her hand, and Vincent held it firmly.
After getting out of the car, he didn't let go until they had walked past the stony path, then walked beside her.
Emerald Isle, with its small population, had no overdevelopment issues, and the park was full of cute little animals. As they walked, some animals came up to them.
Vincent had brought bread and some nuts. He squatted down slightly to place the nuts on the ground. A little squirrel hopped over, grabbed the nuts, and ran back a few steps before stopping to eat.
The way the squirrel ate was super calming, and Harper watched with a gentle smile. She watched the squirrel, the squirrel focused on its nuts, and Vincent's deep gaze fell on her smiling face.
Harper was someone who, at first glance, seemed simply beautiful, but the more you got to know her, the more you realized she had so many other qualities.
She was kind, considerate, and always aware of others' feelings. She treated everyone equally unless they were jerks. When faced with bad people, she would stand her ground. Her charisma always drew people to treat her well.
Seeing Harper's interest in feeding the animals, Vincent handed her the remaining food and said, "Wanna give it a try?"
Harper looked at the food, tempted, and asked with bright eyes, "Can I?"
She knew some wild animals could be aggressive towards strangers. Harper thought Vincent was a regular here, so the animals were familiar with him. So, even though she wanted to feed the animals, she hadn't mentioned it.
"Sure." Vincent smiled gently, "The animals here are very gentle. The food I brought has been checked by the park staff. You can feed them without worry."
"Then I'll give it a try."
Harper took the bread from Vincent, broke it into small pieces, and placed them on a stone bench. Soon, an unknown bird flew over and took the bread.
The little bit of food in her hand was quickly fed to the animals. They continued to stroll around the park, and by the time they headed back, the weather had cooled down.
"Are your hands cold?" Vincent suddenly asked. He had noticed Harper's fingers curled inside her sleeves.
The temperature difference between day and night was pretty big. Harper did feel a bit cold, but she didn't want to bother anyone, so she smiled and said, "It's okay, we're almost to the car anyway."
Vincent magically pulled out a pair of gloves from his pocket and slipped them onto her hands, surprising Harper. He explained with a smile, "I saw them in the store the other day and thought it might get cold here, so you could use them."
Harper looked at the gloves on her hands, pink wool ones that were clearly for women and super warm.
Vincent was so thoughtful that she suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed. But in the end, she couldn't say anything else. Maybe she was overthinking it, as Vincent and Jasper had always told her not to overthink.
"Thank you, Vincent," Harper said softly.
"Don't mention it." Vincent's eyes were warm, and when he looked at her, there was joy in his gaze.
At the same time, a black SUV left the park.
The sound of the car starting was loud, and Harper couldn't help but turn her head to look. The side windows were tinted, so she couldn't see anything. But she felt a strange sensation, like someone was watching her.
"Harper?" Vincent called her name a few times to get her attention.
"What?" Harper said.
Vincent smiled, "What were you thinking about?"
"Nothing." The weather was getting colder, and Harper rubbed her arms, saying, "Vincent, let's go back."
Vincent's eyes held a faint smile as he gently said, "Alright, let's go home."
Inside the black SUV, Francis's handsome face was cold as ice. The driver in the front could feel the frosty atmosphere and cautiously asked, "Mr. Getty, where to now?"
"Back to the hotel," Francis replied curtly, each word sounding like it came from an ice cave. The driver breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, this tense day was coming to an end.
The driver had been with Francis for a week, and the job was simple, just guarding the entrance of the Perry Estate. He kept watch from morning until night, with someone else taking over at midnight. Today, they had come out, following the car to the park for a stroll.
The driver couldn't understand why Francis wanted to watch a couple in love and then get so angry about it, as if he was looking for trouble.
On the way back, Harper fell asleep. It might have been due to the middle stage of her pregnancy; she was always very sleepy.
When they arrived, Vincent parked the car steadily. Seeing Harper asleep, he didn't want to wake her, so he slowly reclined her seat. He also adjusted the blanket on her lap, lowered the air conditioning, and did everything he could to make her sleep comfortably.
Once everything was done, he sat in the car, quietly admiring her sleeping face.
Harper slept very well, her cheeks rosy from the warm air, looking very pretty. Vincent watched with a smile, feeling a sense of peace in his heart. He suddenly understood the meaning of family; now, they really felt like a family.
In this moment, he wished it were real.
Harper slept for over four hours, from dusk until the stars came out. She habitually stretched, and then she woke up with a start, realizing she was still in the car.
"Awake?" Vincent asked. He hadn't slept for those four hours, just watching her.
Harper was still a bit groggy and asked, "Where am I?"
Vincent was amused by her cute expression and gently replied, "You're in the car."
"I've been here the whole time?" Harper was a bit shocked.
"Yes, you fell asleep," Vincent said.
"How long did I sleep?"
"Over four hours."
Harper was stunned. She had slept for so long! "Vincent, why didn't you wake me?" Harper felt embarrassed, making Vincent sit there with her.
Vincent smiled, "I heard from Isla that you don't sleep well in new places, but you seemed to sleep well after the walk, so I didn't wake you and let you sleep a bit longer."
Harper listened to Vincent's patient and gentle explanation; he hadn't got angry for waiting so long. Harper said softly, "Vincent, you don't have to accommodate me so much next time. It's not fair to you."
Jasper and Vincent were very close. Although Jasper always told her to treat Vincent like she treated him, she felt embarrassed to do so.
Vincent smiled warmly and said softly, "I'm not accommodating you; in fact, I should thank you."
Harper looked at him with wide eyes, "Thank me for what?"
He explained, "I've been so busy with work lately, staying up late in the study every night. Tonight, because you were asleep, I got to see how round the moon is."
Harper followed his gaze to the window, where the beautiful full moon illuminated the quiet night, indeed very beautiful. His gentle voice continued in her ear, "Thank you for letting me see such a beautiful moon tonight."
Vincent was a gentle person, and his words were very pleasing. Harper looked at the moonlight, feeling her mood improve.
Waiting for news about Elodie these days had made her very anxious, directly affecting her sleep, tossing and turning until almost dawn. She knew it wasn't good for a pregnant woman to stay up late, but the more anxious she was, the harder it was to sleep. So after the walk today, she had slept so soundly.
They got out of the car and returned to the villa. Before going upstairs, Vincent called out to her, "Harper, your most important task now is to take care of your pregnancy. Leave finding Elodie to me and Jasper. Besides, I think if Elodie knew you were losing sleep over worry, she wouldn't be happy either. Taking care of yourself is the best gift you can give her."
He made a lot of sense, and Harper nodded, "I understand, I'll try to adjust my mood."
Vincent gave her a gentle smile, "Tomorrow, after I finish my work, we'll go for another walk, but no more sleeping in the car. Come back and sleep a full night."
Harper nodded, thinking the walk had indeed helped. She was already looking forward to a bath and sleep.
Upstairs, she took a bath and got into bed. Just as she lay down, her phone rang.
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