Chapter 378

Francesca smiled and joked, “Smart people tend to like sugar, and you’re exceptionally brilliant, so you have an even bigger sweet tooth than I do.”

“You seem distracted. Has something happened?” Andrew asked while studying her expression.

Francesca hesitated before sighing. “It’s nothing major, but Grandpa and Simon had a huge fight. Grandpa threatened to expel him from the family practice.”

Andrew nodded silently, feeling it was not his place to comment on the Aickers’ family matters.

Francesca continued, “When our whole family rushed to rescue you at the police station earlier, Simon strongly opposed it and kept arguing with Grandpa and me. After you were saved, Grandpa went home and scolded Simon, but Simon’s reaction was extreme, which led to their big argument.”

Andrew responded, “Mr. Aicker has quite a temper–I could tell. Fran, you might not like hearing this, but Simon seems to have questionable intentions.”

Francesca nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I’ve noticed it too. Especially after you cured my condition, his attitude toward me became increasingly uncomfortable. Last time, he even snuck into my room with bad intentions. If you hadn’t returned unexpectedly, I don’t even know what I could do to save myself!”

“Do you have any feelings for Simon?” Andrew asked directly.

Francesca blushed and quickly shook her head. “Not at all. I’ve never had romantic feelings for him. Though we grew up together, and I’ve always respected him as my senior, I’ve only ever seen him as a brother figure.”

Andrew analyzed, “But clearly, while you don’t like Simon, he has feelings for you. And unrequited feelings, when left unresolved for too long, can make people do foolish things. I’m guessing he’s been showing signs of wanting to get closer to you?”

Francesca looked impressed and lowered her voice. “You’re exactly right, Andrew. Actually, there’s something else I haven’t told you. Another reason for the fight was that Simon openly asked Grandpa for my hand in marriage. Grandpa tried to deflect at first, but he flat-out refused when that didn’t work.”

“And after being rejected, Simon got angry and upset, leading to the argument with your grandfather?” Andrew asked.

Francesca’s expression showed disgust as she continued, “That’s exactly what happened. I told Simon directly that I didn’t have feelings for him and asked him to stop pursuing me. I said we could continue being like siblings and pretend none of this happened.”

“Let me guess–he didn’t take it well?” Andrew smiled knowingly.

Francesca nodded, her fair, delicate face flushing with anger. “He said I could only ever be his woman and wouldn’t give up until he had me. And then he mentioned you…”

She suddenly stopped, glancing at Andrew before looking away, her face showing a mix of embarrassment and unease.