Chapter 574 It Represented a Mother and Child
Vincent stayed by Jade's cold, stiff body, while Gabriel didn't even glance over. Right then and there, Vincent made a silent vow: one day, he'd leave the Perry Family.
Growing up, Vincent wasn't exactly a standout among the Perry boys.
That was because he kept his true self hidden and focused on his studies. Truth was, he was not only smart but also pretty savvy. International trade? Piece of cake for him. He could juggle multiple fields without breaking a sweat.
Gabriel, seeing himself as a lifelong warrior, had raised a bookworm and naturally lost interest in grooming Vincent.
So, Gabriel wasn't too worried when Vincent left the Perry Family.
In Gabriel's eyes, what could Vincent possibly do away from Emerald Isle? Raising the kids with the little money he made? When things got tough, wouldn't he just come crawling back to Emerald Isle to rely on his family?
Gabriel didn't have high hopes for Vincent but was more interested in Harper and Jasper.
The Murphy Family was pretty well-known in Auroria. This time, Clayton didn't show up, supposedly due to health issues. Gabriel was eager to chat with him about expanding the shipping business.
To give the Murphy Family some face, Gabriel made the wedding super grand, which also indirectly showed his regard for Harper.
This way, at least no one in Emerald Isle would dare mess with Harper.
By now, Vincent had already washed up and taken a seat at the dining table.
After the servants set the tableware, they quietly retreated, giving them some space.
Vincent picked up a piece of vegetable, popped it in his mouth, and after chewing, said, "Not bad, you should try it. It's good for the babies."
Harper took a piece and put it in her mouth. It didn't have much taste, but she ate it for the babies' sake.
For the rest of the dishes, Vincent would take a bite first, and if he found it tasty, he'd let her know.
Encouraged by him, Harper ate more than usual.
Seeing that she had eaten enough, Vincent put down his utensils and said, "Mr. Getty had no adverse reactions after the surgery. He's now recuperating, and I heard the prognosis is very good, better than expected."
Harper didn't respond, but she felt a temporary relief in her heart.
The fact that Francis was okay meant she had done the right thing.
Vincent didn't tell her not to worry. He looked at her and said, "Harper, what you should care about most now is yourself. When you're happy, the babies in your belly will feel it too."
Harper knew this; being emotionally down could indeed affect the babies.
But she just couldn't be happy. The only time she felt happy each day was when she video-called Agnes.
So many days had passed, and the gifts had been delivered to every household, but there was still no news from Elodie.
Jasper was coming and going early and late, almost turning Emerald Isle upside down, but still had no clues.
They all suspected that the incident with the medicinal herbs might have been a mere coincidence.
But how could it be such a coincidence that the person bought just one type of herb? And in the surveillance footage, the buyer was a man wearing glasses.
The guy was super cautious; once he left the street, he vanished without a trace.
With Francis's leg injury weighing on her mind, Harper's appetite started to tank.
She always felt responsible for what happened to Francis.
In reality, she was just mistaken without even realizing it.
Sometimes, being too kind-hearted could backfire.
All these issues piled up, making it hard for her to breathe.
Harper wanted to eat more, but forcing herself just made her vomit, which was counterproductive.
She even started feeling frustrated, thinking she couldn't raise the kids well and might not even be a competent mom.
But she hadn't told anyone about these feelings.
Jasper and Vincent were both busy with their stuff, and she, with her big belly, couldn't do much. The only thing she could do was not cause them any trouble.
But now that Vincent brought it up, Harper knew he must have noticed something.
Harper felt the urge to talk because if she didn't, she'd go crazy. She knew something was off with herself, that she had a tendency to get sick, so she sought to help herself.
"Vincent, I'm feeling a bit down. I always feel like I can't do anything and am a burden to others. I don't even know if I can be a good mother. I have no confidence in raising three children." Harper finally let out her long-held feelings and sighed in relief.
She even felt that Audrey's words were spot on.
Without realizing it, she had become a burden.
Vincent then realized that Harper's problem might be more serious than he thought.
He and Jasper were busy with their affairs every day, neglecting the fact that a pregnant woman's emotions could become sensitive. These days of waiting for news in the room made Harper feel useless.
"Harper." Vincent sat across from her, held her hand, and looked her in the eye. "You've actually done very well. Don't put pressure on yourself. You've been considerate of our feelings, kept your thoughts to yourself to avoid troubling us, and tried your best to take care of yourself. Look at how you plan everything so meticulously. How could you not be able to raise the children well? And look at Agnes, so healthy and adorable. Isn't she the best proof that you can be a good mother?"
When Vincent mentioned Agnes, Harper would temporarily set aside her worries and feel better.
Vincent made a good point; Agnes was indeed very healthy.
Thinking of Agnes, Harper felt that raising children didn't seem so difficult.
Vincent said soothingly, "Remember, Jasper, Clayton, Agnes, and I, along with many people who like you, are all looking forward to the babies' arrival. Your worries are completely unnecessary."
Harper felt that Vincent, being a psychology teacher, really knew how to touch her heart and was very considerate.
After a simple chat, her mood improved significantly.
"Vincent, thank you. I understand now." Harper was very perceptive and could understand things quickly.
She realized that her most important thing to do now was to take good care of herself and nurture the babies.
The next day, Vincent told Jasper about Harper's situation and reminded him to keep her updated on any investigation news.
Vincent understood that Jasper didn't want Harper to worry, but knowing nothing would only make her overthink.
Jasper got really anxious after hearing this. He'd been so wrapped up in the investigation that he hadn't even thought about how Harper was feeling.
Honestly, he was a mess too, with no leads at all.
The gifts they sent out seemed to have vanished into thin air, with no response whatsoever.
Jasper even started doubting if their judgments were all wrong.
Maybe the person buying the herbs was just a coincidence, or maybe Elodie was no longer alive.
Either way, the outcome was terrible.
Jasper talked with Harper. Even though he didn't have much progress to share, he followed Vincent's advice and told her everything.
After listening, Harper was quiet for a moment and then said, "Jasper, can you show me that surveillance footage?"
Because from what she had heard, the only clue was the man with glasses in the surveillance footage.
Jasper frowned. He didn't want Harper to worry during her pregnancy, but clearly, this matter had become a concern for her.
He copied the surveillance footage onto a tablet for Harper to watch, and he sat beside her to watch it together.
Although Jasper had watched the surveillance footage of the man buying medicine and the surrounding area countless times, he still had no clues. It was as if the man had vanished into thin air, which puzzled him greatly.
Harper watched it once, then put it on loop, playing it repeatedly.
She always felt that there was something odd about the man, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Maybe it was the clothes that seemed strange. His black coat appeared to have shoulder pads. Padding the shoulders inside a coat was usually to make oneself look more robust.
But this man had a scholarly, frail appearance and was quite short, barely looking 5.5 feet tall. The padded shoulders made him look somewhat ridiculous.
Other than that, as Jasper said, there were no other suspicious points.
But Harper didn't give up. She continued to watch it many times. Jasper went out to take a phone call, which lasted almost thirty minutes. When he returned, he found Harper still sitting on the sofa with a pillow, watching the footage.
"That's enough," Jasper said as he walked over. "Let's watch it tomorrow. Your eyes will get strained."
Just as he was about to turn off the tablet, Harper suddenly said, "Wait a minute!"
Jasper paused, and Harper pressed the pause button on the video, freezing the frame where the man with glasses was standing in front of a shop window.
But there was nothing noteworthy in the shop window, just a plain white wall. So what was the man with glasses doing there?
Harper said, "He was looking in the mirror!"
Jasper didn't understand and asked in confusion, "Who?"
Harper pointed at the person in the video and said, "This man! What if it wasn't a man?"
Jasper looked over. He had seen this frame many times and hadn't noticed anything unusual.
"Jasper, you were wrong. The person buying the herbs wasn't a man; it was a woman!"
Jasper was stunned, "How is that possible?"
The woman had disguised herself well, with a padded coat, height-increasing shoes, and what seemed like multiple layers of pants to make herself look more robust.
But she stopped in front of the shop window, using the reflection in the glass to check herself in a very feminine manner.
Harper noticed that the woman was wearing a delicate clover-shaped necklace, a well-known piece of women's jewelry.
So Harper suspected that this was a woman in disguise.
Harper shared her analysis, which included aspects Jasper hadn't considered.
Jasper had noticed that the person who bought the herbs was a bit small, but there were many short men in Emerald Isle, so he didn't think much of it.
Now that Harper had pointed it out, he also thought it really did seem like a woman.
He suddenly remembered that at the street corner where the person disappeared, there was indeed a suspicious woman in black.
Jasper excitedly leaned over and hugged Harper, praising her, "Harper, you've been a great help!"
Harper was also very happy. Finally, there was a breakthrough in Elodie's case.
Jasper immediately copied the street corner surveillance footage onto his phone and continued watching it with Harper.
This time, without much effort, Harper accurately identified the woman in black as the one who bought the herbs.
Now, they were almost certain that this woman was definitely related to Elodie.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have needed to disguise herself as a man just to buy herbs.
This also indicated that Elodie was very likely still alive!
Jasper immediately sent the video to a computer expert to extract the woman's image and enhance the clarity for better identification.
Soon, the woman's frontal image was extracted.
Jasper sent the photo to Vincent to investigate. With his influence on Emerald Isle, he could quickly find out the woman's whereabouts.
As he expected, before nightfall, the news came.
The woman was a doctor named Elara Cane.
Jasper didn't agree to let Harper go find Elara, considering the potential unknown dangers.
Harper also knew that with her big belly, it was inconvenient and unsafe to go along. She just reminded Jasper to be careful and not to act impulsively.
After Jasper left, Harper anxiously waited at home.
Meanwhile, at the Hernandez Mansion.
Today was Elodie's routine treatment day. Elara was at the door, waiting for Clifford to let her in.
After checking, Clifford opened the secret door to the basement for Elara.
Inside, Elodie was sitting by the bed, doing embroidery. She had begged Arthur for a long time before he agreed to give her some special needles to practice with.
These needles were very blunt, not even sharp enough to prick a finger, let alone create fine embroidery.
Elodie had managed to embroider something, but it was very rough. However, given her skills, even rough work was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Elara saw the pattern Elodie had embroidered and said, "Madam, your embroidery is very good, but it's a bit rougher than what I saw last time."
Elodie suddenly became excited, "Elara, what did you see last time?"
Elara smiled, "It was this pattern you embroidered, with two swallows, one big and one small."
Elodie was silent for a moment, as fragments of memories flashed through her mind.
A small figure snuggled at her knee, with a soft voice calling her, "Mom, what are you embroidering?"
Elodie patiently explained to the little girl, "I'm embroidering little swallows, one big and one small, representing a mother and child. The pattern below is a type of herb."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
