Chapter 290 Take Action against Paige?
Francesca deliberately ignored Raymond's gaze and his indifferent expression, focusing only on Paige.
Paige noticed Raymond's displeased look and glanced at Francesca and Louis. "What a coincidence, huh?"
She couldn't shake the feeling that this didn't seem like a coincidence at all.
Louis felt a bit awkward too. Francesca had dragged him out of the company for dinner, and on the way, he overheard her making a call to book a table here. The reason was simple, she had heard that Raymond and Paige had also reserved a table here.
Paige's question only heightened the sense of conspiracy.
Francesca smiled, "It is quite a coincidence, Paige. Why did you leave in the middle of the night last night? Was it uncomfortable staying at the church? When I first went there, I wasn't used to it either. It was too quiet, and in such a serene environment, you can almost hear your heartbeat and have a conversation with your soul."
Paige noticed that today's Francesca seemed a bit different.
Paige had no interest in Francesca's ramblings at the moment. "It seems you haven't gotten used to conversing with your soul either, coming back so quickly."
Francesca changed the subject, "Since we've run into each other, why not eat together? I come here often and know all the best dishes."
Raymond, recalling what Francesca had said to him earlier, worried that if they sat together, she might bring it up. So he immediately declined. "Francesca, today is just for Paige and me."
Indeed, even Pearl and Amelia weren't there. Julian and Charles were eating at a nearby table, making it truly their private time.
Before Francesca could respond, Louis quickly intervened. "Mom, we have our reservation. Let's go to our table or maybe another restaurant."
Louis couldn't shake the feeling that Francesca was deliberately trying to get him closer to Paige.
But it was clear that Paige wasn't pleased and didn't seem happy about it.
Seeing the obvious lack of welcome, Francesca didn't push the invitation further.
However, she didn't let Raymond off the hook. "Raymond, the deal I mentioned this morning is still on the table. Contact me anytime if you change your mind."
With that, Francesca left decisively.
Raymond's face remained cold and stern.
Paige looked at Raymond, "You met with her alone? And there's a deal?"
Raymond genuinely felt that what Francesca had discussed with him shouldn't be disclosed to Paige.
She already harbored a deep grudge against Francesca because of Luna's death. If she found out that Francesca was now trying to sow discord between them, Paige might really kill Francesca.
Moreover, the matter was still within Raymond's control, so he believed it was best not to tell Paige before things got worse.
Raymond deflected, "I've recently reassigned some employees within the company, all of whom are Louis's subordinates."
Hearing this, Paige naturally assumed that the deal Francesca mentioned was related to Hawke Corporation.
Although Mr. Carnegie had given Paige some shares of Hawke Corporation long ago, she never got involved in its internal management.
Hawke Corporation's management structure seemed clear, but Paige didn't feel the same way.
Even though Raymond wasn't the CEO of Hawke Corporation, he seemed to have the ability to control its top management at any time. Francesca and Louis's power grab still seemed far from reaching the core.
Given the complexity, Paige, despite holding some shares, felt it would be unwise to get involved. It would only complicate things further. Besides, she was already overwhelmed with managing the Universe Group.
Paige didn't have much of an appetite for dinner, especially after recovering from an injection that afternoon.
They didn't eat much and left early, avoiding another encounter with Francesca and Louis.
When Francesca and Louis came out and didn't see Paige and Raymond, Francesca seemed a bit down.
Louis couldn't hold back any longer, "Mom, what exactly are you trying to do? You deliberately found out that Paige and Raymond had a reservation here and brought me along. Why are you trying to get close to Paige? After Mrs. Parker's death, do you know how much Paige hates you? Yeah, you didn't poison Mrs. Parker, but you can't completely absolve yourself from it. You should be more aware of this than anyone. With the surveillance and those who were drugged, can you avoid Paige? Stop provoking her. Give her a break and leave us a way out, okay?"
Louis thought he could get a kidney transplant for Luna and maybe salvage his standing in Paige's eyes.
But before the transplant could happen, Luna died because of it. To this day, Louis felt like he owed Paige once again.
Francesca's manipulations were something Louis simply couldn't understand.
Paige's life experiences and the years that had passed had long since turned her into someone far from the kind and gentle girl she once was. Louis genuinely worries that something might happen to Francesca. By deliberately appearing around Paige, she might agitate Paige at any moment, and then things would get really troublesome.
Francesca sat in the car, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly smiled, "Avoid? Do you think we can avoid it? Louis, it's unavoidable. By now, I'm probably at the top of her blacklist. She might still have some reservations and hasn't done anything to me yet. But that doesn't mean she won't take action eventually!"
Louis felt a sinking feeling, "Mom, are you planning to take action against Paige?"
Francesca looked at Louis, "Did my words just now sound like that?"
Louis took a deep breath, closed his eyes in a bit of despair, and said, "Mom, you and Paige are the two women I care about most in this world."
Francesca, "That's why I hope you marry her. That way, we can be a family. Wouldn't that be nice?"
Louis was about to go crazy because he really couldn't understand Francesca at all.
What on earth was she thinking?
At times, Louis felt she was scheming against Paige, planning to harm her. At other times, it seemed she genuinely wanted him to be with Paige.
However, Louis was clear-headed enough to know that he could never marry Paige. "I've already lost her."
With that, Louis turned his head to look out the car window.
As night fell and the city lights came on, Northwind's night scene was undoubtedly beautiful.
But such a night only made Louis feel even more lonely.
Francesca was silent for a while and then said, "Paige said she has found Xena."
Francesca let out a low sigh.
Louis didn't respond. He continued to look out the window as if something outside was particularly captivating.
Maybe it was the enchanting night view, or maybe it was the pain in his heart.
After dinner, Paige returned to Willow Crest Estate.
It had been two days since she last checked on Xena's condition. Paige said she was going upstairs, and Raymond nodded.
As Paige went upstairs, she called to have a live stream set up so she could hear Xena's voice.
Whether it was cursing or swearing, Xena was the only one who had heard the conversation between Luna and Francesca at that time.
Maybe, when pushed to the extreme, Xena would reveal something.
Back in her study, Paige closed the door and turned on her computer. She saw Xena on the other side of the video, looking almost dead from the torture.
She had lost a lot of weight.
Her hair was cut unevenly and matted with dirt. Paige didn't know what kind of torture she had endured after being thrown into salt water that day.
Paige, of course, didn't monitor her 24/7 to see how she was surviving. But seeing Xena in this state now, Paige felt a sense of satisfaction.
When it came to torture, Quentin's men were the best. Their methods were too effective!
Paige didn't know how Xena's dinner went.
But Paige did notice that Xena had become much more efficient and familiar with her chores. At that moment, she was squatting and doing laundry.
Judging by the clothes, they didn't seem to be hers. When the camera panned, Paige saw a mountain of clothes waiting for Xena to wash.
Paige suddenly burst into laughter. Xena had probably never seen so many dirty clothes to wash in her life.
But this wasn't really hard labor. Perhaps because they still needed Xena alive, Quentin's men, seeing her poor condition, gave her the simple task of doing laundry to avoid torturing her to death.
It wasn't dangerous and wouldn't exhaust her to death.
Paige watched with great interest.
Meanwhile, Raymond was waiting for Charles's report.
Raymond, with his legs crossed and fingers tapping lightly on the table, asked Charles, "How's the investigation on Francesca's bodyguards going?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
