Chapter 579 A Warning for Jasper
After Arthur left the apartment, his assistant handed him a disinfectant wipe.
Even though Arthur had already washed his hands, he still couldn't stand the water in Elara's place.
Once he wiped his hands, the assistant, without needing any instructions, brought in a couple of people to clean up the place.
Arthur got into the car and lit a cigar. Before he could finish it, the assistant came out with a big bag.
The apartment was completely cleaned out.
Emerald Isle had one more person who had skipped town.
But in Emerald Isle, no one really cared if someone from a commoner like Elara's went missing.
Even if Elara's family reported it, it would just be marked as fleeing the country, so most people didn't even bother to report it.
Emerald Isle had strict rules for locals leaving the country; they had to pay an exit fee, otherwise, it was considered fleeing.
This fee was crazy high for regular folks.
This rule was to make sure Emerald Isle didn't lose its population.
Otherwise, with Emerald Isle's crappy governance, the lower class would all leave, and there'd be no one left to serve the elite.
Some people could never save up that kind of money in their lifetime, stuck in Emerald Isle forever.
After checking in with Arthur, the assistant drove off in a big closed van with the bag.
By now, Arthur had finished his cigar and signaled the driver to start the car.
As the car started, Arthur saw a low-key black luxury car pull up in front of the apartment.
The door opened, and a guy in a suit from the passenger seat ran to the back and opened the door.
Then, the guy in the back seat turned his face slightly, and Arthur could see clearly that his face was sharply defined and handsome. It was Jasper.
Arthur's thin lips curled into a sneer. Jasper had some skills to track down Elara.
But Jasper was still five minutes late. With Elara's personality, if he had found her, she would have spilled everything.
Arthur looked through the car window again; Jasper had already entered the building.
He suddenly thought of Noah, who had shown up at the wedding that day. He later had someone investigate and found out that Noah was Rhodes' son, but he looked nothing like Rhodes.
Arthur repeated Rhodes' name. Rhodes had been his number one rival in love.
Rhodes loved Elodie to the point of obsession, but eventually, he still had a kid with another woman.
Arthur wondered what Elodie's reaction would be when she heard this news.
Elodie was too naive, always thinking the outside world was good and that other men were all good people.
He believed that he was the man who loved her the most in this world, and that the deep affection other men professed was nothing but fake.
Harper was anxiously waiting for news from Jasper in the villa.
Finally, there was some progress, and her mood improved a lot. She was filled with the joy of possibly seeing Elodie.
Even the babies in her belly seemed to sense her joy, moving restlessly in her womb in the afternoon.
Harper sat on the sofa, gently stroking her belly, and said, "Babies, you want to see your grandma too, don't you?"
Just then, there was a commotion in the front hall; Jasper had returned.
But he was being carried in by his assistant and Ronald.
Harper rushed over, seeing Jasper's pale face and lips, her fingers trembling, "Jasper, what happened to you?"
Jasper's eyes were tightly closed, and he didn't respond.
Harper saw that Jasper's shoulder was stained red with blood.
Judging by the wound, it was clearly a gunshot injury.
Vincent also came in, bringing a team of doctors who immediately directed Ronald to take Jasper to the downstairs guest room for surgery.
The guest room was turned into a temporary operating room. Luckily, Vincent knew his stuff, and the medical equipment was all there, so there was no risk of infection from an unsanitary environment.
Watching the closed door, Harper clutched her chest, her eyes red, and asked, "Vincent, how did this happen?"
Vincent looked at Harper's pale face and didn't answer right away. He first helped her sit on the sofa.
After settling Harper, he slowly began to speak, "Jasper went to Elara's house, but it was empty. After searching around, he was about to leave when he happened to run into a thief, and a fight broke out."
Harper didn't buy it. They had been living in Emerald Isle for a while and knew the local customs.
Generally, commoners didn't dare to mess with the nobility, nor did they dare to offend foreign dignitaries.
Jasper's attire and mode of transportation clearly indicated his wealth, so ordinary thieves wouldn't dare to mess with him.
Harper choked up, "I don't believe it, Vincent. Tell me the truth. Is someone trying to assassinate Jasper?"
Just as they found a clue about Elodie, Jasper got seriously injured. No one would believe this was a coincidence!
"Harper, your guess might be right. I'm looking into it, and I've informed the police. Don't worry, I'll get to the bottom of it."
Vincent knew Harper's emotions could become problematic, and the best way was not to hide things from her.
As long as she wasn't kept in the dark, she wouldn't overthink.
However, Vincent only told half the story.
It was clear someone wanted to send Jasper a warning. The thief had died before he could be taken to the hospital.
That was why, when Jasper got injured, Vincent chose to bring doctors to the villa instead of going to the hospital.
He feared that someone might try something underhanded at the hospital, so staying at the villa was the safest option.
Moreover, the Perry Family had all the medical equipment, no worse than a hospital.
Vincent held Harper's arms and comforted her, "You should think of it this way: if this incident was indeed orchestrated, it means the person behind it is getting desperate. You're getting closer to the truth."
Harper was very anxious. Who had hidden Elodie? Who had such great power?
After waiting for a while, the door to the room opened, and the doctor came out.
Harper rushed up and asked, "Doctor, how is Jasper? Is he in danger?"
The doctor replied honestly, "No big deal. He didn't injure any vital organs; the wound is on the left shoulder. The bullet has been removed, and with some rest, he will recover fully."
Hearing this, Harper felt somewhat relieved.
She entered the room to check on Jasper, who was still unconscious, lying in bed in a deep sleep.
The monitoring equipment beside him showed that Jasper's vital signs were stable, which eased her worried heart a bit.
After Harper stayed with him for a while, Vincent came in and said, "Have some dinner, then you can come back and watch over him for an hour before resting."
If Vincent didn't set a time for Harper, she might sit there until midnight.
She was still pregnant, and staying up late and worrying would be harmful to her health.
Seeing Harper's reluctance to leave, Vincent comforted her, "I'll be here, and there will be someone watching over him 24/7. Your priority now is to take care of yourself. Don't let Jasper wake up only to worry about you."
Harper knew Vincent was looking out for her, so she obediently got up to have dinner.
Although she had no appetite, she forced herself to eat more because the babies needed nutrition.
At the dinner table, Harper asked, "Vincent, have you figured out the connections behind Elara?"
Since Elara was now missing, they could only trace her connections to find clues.
Vincent replied, "She was Arthur's private doctor and also took on some private jobs outside."
From what it looked like, Elara seemed to love money, charging high fees for private jobs.
"Arthur?" Harper was puzzled. "Audrey's uncle?"
Vincent nodded, "Yes, the same Arthur from the wedding."
Harper thought of Arthur's sharp, eagle-like eyes, and a sense of unease rose in her heart.
Her first thought was whether Elodie's disappearance had anything to do with Arthur.
Vincent and Harper had the same thought. Arthur was indeed suspicious, but it wasn't certain. There was no concrete evidence.
Arthur's private life was simple. There were even rumors that he might like men, as he had no women around him.
As a normal man in a male-dominated place like Emerald Isle, it was indeed strange that he had no women.
But Arthur didn't care about these things and never responded to questions about his preferences. Occasionally, some persistent women tried to get close to him, but he would ruthlessly push them away.
Over time, no woman dared to approach Arthur.
However, there was another rumor that Arthur wasn't uninterested in women but had a woman he couldn't forget, which was why he hadn't married or sought out women for so many years.
Vincent said, "I'll investigate this matter. Arthur has a peculiar personality, so Harper, you must not contact him privately, understand?"
Harper nodded, "I understand."
She was heavily pregnant and wouldn't run around recklessly. Besides, Arthur made her feel uneasy and uncomfortable.
If Arthur was indeed involved in Elodie's disappearance, Jasper would surely find out.
If she went to find Arthur, not only would she fail to rescue Elodie, but she might also get herself into trouble, making Jasper's investigation even more difficult.
Harper understood these stakes without Vincent having to explain in detail.
After dinner, Harper stayed with Jasper for a while longer. He hadn't woken up because the anesthesia hadn't worn off yet.
When the time was up, Vincent came to send her off, insisting she go rest.
Harper didn't want to leave but knew that she did need a good rest.
And with Vincent by Jasper's side, there was nothing to worry about.
Back in her room, Harper couldn't sleep and habitually turned on her phone to listen to an audiobook to help her fall asleep.
When she opened the audiobook app, she accidentally clicked on the news app. The homepage news was about Francis, the Getty Group's president, not appearing in public for days and being spotted by reporters doing rehab at a hospital, causing concern about the Getty Group's current situation.
Soon, the Getty Group issued a statement saying that Francis was only at the hospital due to poor sleep, and the group was operating normally.
In the news, there was a brief glimpse of Francis at the hospital. Even from the photos taken by the media, it was clear he had lost a lot of weight.
His already defined jawline was even more pronounced.
However, the sickly look on his face seemed to have faded a bit.
Harper was relieved to see Francis actively undergoing rehab.
If his leg never got better, she might always feel guilty and uneasy.
After getting dressed, Elodie saw Arthur walk in. He was wearing a dark red velvet suit, making him look elegant and refined.
His face didn't have the usual cold and gloomy expression but instead carried a faint smile, as if something had made him happy.
Arthur saw Elodie wearing a turtleneck sweater with a fur coat over it and a pink diamond necklace around her neck. He walked closer, looked at the necklace, and smiled, "Why aren't you wearing the sapphire necklace?"
Elodie said, "It doesn't match today's outfit."
Indeed, her red coat didn't go well with the sapphire necklace.
She twirled around and said, "Don't I look good today? It's rare for me to go out, so I want to look nice."
Her tone sounded a bit aggrieved.
Arthur's lips curled into a smile, "You look great. Wear whatever you like."
"Then let's go." Elodie rarely took the initiative to hold Arthur's arm, looking very happy.
Arthur glanced at Elodie's hands holding his arm, his expression hard to read.
Behind his faint smile, there seemed to be a deeper meaning.
Elodie, filled with the joy of going out, didn't notice Arthur's unusual behavior.
Once in the car, she excitedly looked at the scenery outside.
For the first time in a long while, Elodie breathed in the outside air, the taste of freedom. She had been confined for so long that she had lost the ability to communicate with others and had forgotten what the outside world was like.
Seeing Elodie's joy, Arthur's lips also carried a faint, indulgent smile.
The car sped down the road, going further and further away. Elodie started to feel something was off.
This place didn't look like somewhere to have fun.
She turned to Arthur and asked, "Arthur, where are we going?"
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