Chapter 692 Framing
Cecilia lay in bed for a long time, thinking.
She wondered how she could reasonably get the island from Francis and temporarily give it to Gideon.
The most important thing now was to protect her own life; nothing else mattered. Alaric and Francis wouldn't mind.
From her recent conversation with Francis, she could tell that he didn't oppose her giving the island to Gideon.
She felt a bit anxious.
Knowing Gideon, he definitely wouldn't let Francis come here again. Once was enough. Even though she was the one speaking, she was essentially Gideon's captive now, which was equivalent to Gideon speaking himself. Since the business deal didn't go through, he wouldn't try a second time.
Cecilia calmed herself down.
She thought calmly about how to achieve her goal.
She firmly believed she could come up with a way. She had to.
Time passed by slowly.
Cecilia didn't sleep a wink.
She heard a servant knock on the door and say, "Ms. Lockhart, Mr. Hotchner invites you to join him for dinner."
Cecilia snapped back to reality.
It was already evening.
She felt that if she kept thinking, she would go crazy.
She responded, "Okay, I'll be there in a moment."
"Yes." Cecilia got up and changed her clothes.
She took Augustus to Gideon's residence to dine in the dining room.
At this moment, Gideon and Francis were already at the table.
They were chatting happily, seemingly without any business-related tension.
"Ms. Lockhart, you're here?" Francis said casually, looking at Cecilia.
Cecilia apologized, "Sorry, I overslept."
"You're pregnant," Francis said understandingly.
Cecilia smiled gratefully.
"Come sit," Gideon pointed to the seat next to him.
Cecilia hesitated for a moment but sat down.
Francis's eyes flickered for a second.
He cursed inwardly, calling Gideon a bastard for flirting with Cecilia again.
Cecilia didn't think much of it and appeared natural.
"Gideon, your wine is really good," Francis said, his voice a bit high-pitched.
Successfully diverting Gideon's attention.
Francis did it on purpose.
That bastard Gideon kept staring at Cecilia.
One day, he would gouge out his eyes.
"Harry, if you like it, I'll send you a couple of bottles when you leave."
"Then I'll accept."
"No problem," Gideon said politely.
The conversation between Gideon and Francis was natural and comfortable.
After a while, Francis went to the bathroom.
He was almost drunk by that bastard Gideon.
In fact, it was Francis himself who kept looking for wine to drink.
He just didn't want Gideon to focus on Cecilia.
He couldn't stand it!
As soon as Francis left the table, Cecilia said, "I have an idea."
Gideon's eyes paused, and he looked at Cecilia intently. "What idea?"
"The idea to buy Harry's island for 20 million dollars," Cecilia said directly.
"Go on," Gideon said, quite surprised.
He had already given up.
But since Cecilia said she had a way, he was willing to accept the benefit.
"I just observed that Harry can't hold his liquor," Cecilia said bluntly.
Gideon nodded, "Indeed, he can't."
Only Cecilia knew how well Francis could drink.
But given his deliberate display, she could be sure that he pretended to have a low tolerance in social settings.
"Get him drunk and have him stay overnight."
"And then?" Gideon raised an eyebrow.
"Then frame him, you know?" Cecilia asked.
Gideon frowned, his tone cold, "You forget I said he doesn't like women!"
"That's why it's framing, not seduction," Cecilia said bluntly.
Gideon's face remained cold.
"It doesn't matter if Harry likes women or not. As long as we accuse him of assaulting me, he breaks the law. With your current status, it's not hard to pin a crime on him. Harry is smart; he knows he can't fight you. Between money and his own safety, he won't choose the former."
"That would make me look despicable," Gideon said coldly.
"Mr. Hotchner, do you still care about your reputation?" Cecilia raised an eyebrow, her tone slightly mocking.
"So, in your heart, how despicable am I?"
"In the face of profit, those despicable acts are insignificant," Cecilia said. "Mr. Hotchner, you don't need to worry about these trivial matters. They really aren't that important!"
Gideon didn't agree.
Clearly, he wasn't very satisfied with Cecilia's suggestion.
Of course, Cecilia wasn't entirely confident that Gideon would agree.
She said, "This is the only way I can think of. Buying an island for 20 million dollars is already a despicable act. Why worry about the limits of despicability?"
Gideon looked at Cecilia coldly.
Cecilia could really insult someone without showing any emotion.
She was essentially calling him despicable while pretending to discuss the matter.
His eyes flickered.
Francis returned.
Cecilia saw him too.
She pretended she hadn't said anything to Gideon and quietly ate her dinner.
"No more, no more, I'm dizzy," Francis said as he returned to his seat, pretending to be very drunk. "I can't drink anymore; if I do, I won't be able to leave."
"You're being modest. Harry, you've only had a little." Gideon personally poured Francis a full glass. "Besides, if you can't leave, just stay the night. My place is big enough to accommodate you."
Francis couldn't help but laugh, "You're joking. Staying at The Hotchner Mansion is an honor. I'm just afraid of being a bother..."
"If you're afraid of being a bother, why did you come?" Gideon raised his glass. "It's rare for us to get together; we should drink to our heart's content."
Francis looked a bit troubled.
After a few refusals, he started drinking with Gideon again.
Cecilia watched Francis and Gideon calmly.
So, Gideon said he wouldn't agree, but his actions were quite honest.
Wasn't he just getting Francis drunk?
Francis was smart.
With just a subtle look from Cecilia, he understood her meaning.
No wonder Alaric always said Francis was more suited to be the heir.
Francis was indeed very smart.
After a while, Francis slumped over the table.
He was still mumbling, "I can still drink, I can..."
Cecilia looked at Francis, then turned to Gideon, "He's drunk."
Gideon didn't respond directly to Cecilia.
He probably felt a bit ashamed.
After all, in the end, he accepted Cecilia's suggestion!
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