Chapter 293 Seeking the Truth
Paige hadn't even spoken yet when Francesca immediately changed her mind. "Letting Louis go out for a walk is a good idea. He's busy with work every day, and it's not good for him in the long run. So it's settled. But, Paige, where do you want to go?"
Paige was really annoyed by Francesca's way of addressing her. They weren't that close.
But with Bradley right in front of her, Paige held back. "The border."
Francesca couldn't stay calm as soon as Paige said those two words.
Her subordinates had already found Xena's exact location and were currently looking for an opportunity to kill Xena as soon as possible.
However, Xena was being guarded by dedicated personnel every day, making it impossible for Francesca's people to get close.
She hadn't had the chance to take out Xena yet, and now Paige was inviting her to the border, clearly intending to bring Xena out.
Francesca immediately became worried, but having already agreed to the trip, it was too late to back out now.
Paige leisurely sipped her coffee and asked, "What's wrong, Francesca? Are you not interested in the destination, or are you dissatisfied?"
Francesca's enthusiasm instantly waned. "Anywhere is fine."
With a casual response, Francesca's mind was preoccupied with how to quickly deal with Xena.
While they were talking, Raymond and Louis returned.
Raymond had rushed back upon hearing that Paige had gone to the Carnegie Manor to meet Francesca alone.
Louis, too, was anxious. He hadn't even finished dealing with company matters but had put everything aside to come back.
Recently, he had been witnessing Francesca's unusual behavior and was really worried about her meeting with Paige.
Back at the Carnegie Manor, Raymond and Louis saw Paige and Francesca sitting face to face, and Raymond's expression turned sour.
Recently, Francesca had been relentlessly trying to persuade him to divorce Paige, even increasing the stakes repeatedly.
Raymond even suspected how Francesca could have so many bargaining chips. Even if she could get her share and her deceased husband's dividends, it still wasn't enough to meet the conditions she proposed to Raymond.
At this moment, Raymond's only concern was what Francesca might say to Paige.
Her recent erratic behavior was simply terrifying!
Raymond instinctively sat down next to Paige, giving Francesca a warning look.
Louis also sensed the tension and quietly sat down next to Francesca, breaking the silence. "Is today a family gathering?"
Bradley handed the coffee-making task to Louis and sipped his coffee.
Paige held Raymond's hand and smiled gently, "I finished my work early and wanted to go on a trip. Francesca just said she wanted to join us, so why don't we leave tomorrow?"
Raymond was taken aback. He understood that Paige had finished her work and was planning to go to the border to get Xena. She also didn't intend to let Francesca off the hook.
Not letting Francesca off was normal. Raymond had been worried that Francesca wouldn't agree, but now it seemed Francesca was even eager to travel with Paige!
But it was precisely because of Francesca's unusual behavior that Raymond had to worry.
Recently, he had discovered the origins of the bodyguards around Francesca. The two ordinary-looking but highly skilled bodyguards who were always with her were all trained abroad.
The fact that Francesca always had such people around her was a very dangerous sign that Raymond had only just realized.
For days, Raymond's mind had been occupied with one question: What exactly does Francesca want?
Seeing Raymond lost in thought, Paige gently shook his hand, bringing him back to the conversation.
"Alright, whenever you want to go, we'll go," Raymond said, but his gaze shifted to Francesca. He felt that taking Francesca along was dangerous, especially since she seemed so eager, which only made him more suspicious.
This trip was not going to be easy.
Paige asked, "Francesca, is it okay if I handle the arrangements for you and Louis?"
Francesca said, "Of course, thank you."
Louis said, "Do I have to go? There's so much work at the company, I can't just..."
Before Louis could finish, Francesca interrupted him. "Leave it to others. How can you handle everything yourself? Besides, how long has it been since you took a vacation? This time, just come with me to relax, okay?"
With Francesca saying this, Louis had no way to refuse. Since becoming CEO, he really hadn't taken a break.
Moreover, Louis couldn't feel at ease about Francesca traveling with Paige. "I'll arrange my work and go with you."
Louis couldn't let Francesca be alone with Paige for too long because no one could predict what might happen, and Paige's hatred for Francesca was deep.
If it weren't for this trip, Louis wouldn't be so concerned. But Paige's invitation to travel together was very suspicious.
Who in their right mind would invite their enemy on a trip?
This journey was bound to be anything but peaceful!
After dinner at the Carnegie Manor, Louis busied himself with arranging his work.
After making a few calls, Louis looked at Francesca. "Mom, do we really need to travel with Paige? You know she still holds a grudge against you. Why force yourselves together? Wouldn't it be better to just stay out of each other's way?"
Francesca said, "You know she holds a grudge. Isn't traveling together the best way to resolve it and eliminate the hatred?"
Louis felt a headache coming on and rubbed his forehead. "Mom, you're not that naive. How can you think that way? Forget it, I don't want to talk about this. I've arranged my work, and I'll go with you tomorrow. Can you please just keep a little distance from Paige?"
Francesca seemed to ignore Louis's words entirely.
Instead, she said to Louis, "This trip is a great opportunity, Louis. You've missed out on Paige for too long. Such an opportunity won't come again. If you're still a man, you should win back the woman who belonged to you. Don't worry, I'll help you!"
Louis was truly shocked by Francesca's words.
In fact, this wasn't the first time Francesca had said something like this to him.
And recently, she had been saying it quite a lot.
Louis was puzzled, "Mom, ever since Mrs. Parker passed away, you've changed. You've been urging me to pursue Paige. What are you thinking? Weren't you the one who hated seeing me invest my time and energy in her? I still remember when that woman named Lily appeared, and Uncle Raymond wanted to divorce Paige, you were the first to oppose it. Didn't you oppose it because you were afraid that after their divorce, I would pursue Paige again? Now, can you tell me what has made you change your mind so much?"
Francesca's thoughts were something she couldn't explain to Louis, but she was determined and wouldn't give up on this idea. "You don't need to know too much. You just need to know that I now support you in pursuing Paige. I agree with you two being together."
Louis said, "Mom, do you know what Uncle Raymond would do if he heard you say this? He would kill you!"
Louis knew very well how obsessed Raymond was with Paige.
Unexpectedly, Francesca replied seriously, "I've already told your Uncle Raymond to divorce Paige."
Louis was so shocked by this statement that he was completely stunned. "Mom, are you crazy?"
Francesca turned and went upstairs, "Pack your bags. We might leave early tomorrow."
Louis stood there, rubbing his forehead, trying to make sense of Francesca's recent strange behavior.
After a while, he returned to his room and immediately called Raymond.
Raymond was alone at the moment, with Paige in the study coordinating the arrangements.
Seeing Louis's call, Raymond quickly answered for the first time. "Uncle Raymond, can you stop tomorrow's trip? Please, consider it a favor to me."
Louis got straight to the point as soon as the call connected.
Raymond asked, "You don't want to go?"
Louis explained, "You know very well the hatred between Paige and my mom. Traveling together is extremely dangerous."
Raymond said, "Perhaps your mistake is thinking this trip is just a vacation. Also, you should call her Mrs. Carnegie or Aunt Paige. On this trip, you can keep an eye on your mother. If she does anything wrong, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Raymond's words were clear.
Louis understood because of what Francesca had told him about asking Raymond to divorce Paige.
Raymond would definitely not ignore it and would be hostile towards Francesca. "In that case, why not cancel the trip?"
Raymond said, "Because Paige needs to let go of the psychological trauma caused by her mother's death. And you know very well what role Francesca played in this. She needs to see Xena's fate with her own eyes."
Louis's heart trembled. That explained it.
This wasn't a vacation; it was an excuse.
Paige just wanted to take Francesca to see Xena, to recreate the events of that day, and to warn Francesca!
Because of family ties, Paige couldn't harm Francesca directly, so she wanted to use this to warn her!
Francesca knew nothing and was still happily planning to travel with Paige.
Louis said, "Uncle Raymond, I'm very sorry about Aunt Paige. I understand she wants to warn my mom, but this trip could go wrong. I don't know what my mom has been thinking lately, but she's been acting very strange."
Over the years, Raymond had never seen Louis like this even during the toughest times at the company.
It seemed he was genuinely worried about Francesca's state.
Maybe Louis knew what Francesca was thinking.
Raymond suddenly changed the topic, "Are the bodyguards around your mom assigned by you?"
Louis said, "What? What's wrong with the bodyguards? Aren't they from the family?"
The bodyguards Louis used were from the family, just like Raymond's.
Hearing this, Raymond understood that Louis didn't know Francesca had privately hired bodyguards, trained abroad.
Without hearing Raymond's response, Louis asked again, "What's wrong with the bodyguards?"
Raymond said, "Nothing. Just make sure you're on time tomorrow. That's all."
With that, Raymond hung up the phone.
Louis was left standing there, bewildered.
Paige had already coordinated with Quentin, who would arrange for Xena to be brought to the designated place tomorrow, where Paige would personally meet her.
Coming out of the study, Paige went to the bedroom to find Raymond, who was packing.
There wasn't much to pack, really.
Pearl would take care of Paige's belongings.
Paige hugged Raymond gently, "Tomorrow, we'll see Xena."
Raymond knew that at this moment, Paige's emotions were unstable.
Raymond said, "It's good that this day is coming soon. Once you get your revenge, you can be at peace."
Paige rested her head on Raymond's chest, "Yes if I could, I'd take her head to my mom's grave as an offering. But the safest way is to deal with her abroad."
Raymond gently stroked Paige's head, "As long as you want, you can do whatever you want. Don't worry about anything else; I'll take care of everything."
Paige, still leaning against Raymond, looked up at him.
She knew that if Raymond said it, he could do it.
But Paige shook her head, "No need to take risks. My mom is gone. If I can kill Xena to avenge her, I'll be satisfied. Xena deserves to die, but no one else should be implicated because of her."
Raymond held Paige, knowing she still had concerns.
So Raymond said, "Louis just called. He hopes to cancel the trip or not let Francesca go. Recently, Francesca's behavior has been very strange. Should we consider another approach?"
Raymond knew what Paige wanted to do to Francesca.
But now, Raymond didn't know what Francesca was planning.
She was obsessed with getting them divorced, but her true intentions were unclear.
Paige let go of Raymond, "No! Xena said Francesca wanted to kill my mom. If I don't bring her to Xena, I might never know the truth!"
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