Chapter 29

Eric and Michael, having cleared up their misunderstanding, each had their own thoughts. Soon, they accumulated a pile of empty cans behind them.

Eric, with red-rimmed eyes, squeezed a beer can and spoke softly, "Mr.Johnson, please keep this matter confidential."

In Michael's understanding, if one liked someone, one should boldly go for it and find ways to keep them by one's side.

"Why?" Michael asked, particularly interested in Eric's thoughts.

Eric earnestly said, "Love is a personal matter. Sometimes it has nothing to do with the other person. Especially when you can't promise them a future,it's better not to let them know to avoid causing them unnecessary worries.

Michael had never heard such an idea before. He thought about his marriage with Isabella, 'Should I not let her know I like her? But if I didn't act, I would lose her forever. Can I promise her a future? I'm not sure.Even though I have been planning for a long time, I still don't dare to let my family know. Have I caused her worries? Probably.

Michael didn't dare to think further. He took a gulp of beer to suppress his thoughts.

"Mr. Johnson, if it gets out that I like Olivia, it will cause her a lot of trouble. I don't mind, but I don't want to drag her into it. You know my father. He can come up with any scheme for his own purposes. I don't want Olivia to get hurt," Eric explained his reason for secrecy.

"What if I can't?" Michael asked.

Michael had a good impression of Olivia. She had done a lot for Isabella.which showed she was a good girl.

Michael decided to help Olivia by assessing whether Eric could protect her.

"Then don't blame me for being rude. I'll reveal your secret to divert attention. After all, Mr. Johnson, your charm far exceeds mine. Also, it will give my father a comparison, making him think I'm not that bad." Eric paused and continued, "I never knew what to do if my father found out about Olivia. Today, Mr. Johnson, you've given me a way out. Compared to a sham marriage, my little crush is nothing."

"A sham marriage? You think I'm in a sham marriage?" Michael, taken aback, questioned, "I'm not after money or sex, yet you all think I'm in a sham marriage."

"Isabella thinks so too, right?" Eric laughed. "Mr. Johnson, in the conventional sense, sham marriages are mostly for money or sex because those people lack those things. Think about it, is your marriage with Isabella really without any ulterior motives?"

Michael was silent, thinking, 'Yes, I'm not after money or sex; I'm after Isabella herself. I want not just her body but also her heart. I'm greedier than those who are after money or sex.'

Eric continued, "Because you have ulterior motives, you lie to her. To Isabella, that is a sham marriage."

Michael took a deep breath and made a promise to Eric. "Alright! I promise to keep your secret. Just don't cause me any unnecessary trouble."

"I won't. I still hope you will promote me and give me a raise!" Eric smiled slyly.

"Little fox from the old fox's family!" Michael teased.

"Every little fox has its own pursuits," Eric stated his position.

Michael stood up, punched Eric lightly on the chest, clinked his beer can with his, and drank it all. "I get your point. Thanks! I'm going to sleep."

Michael walked towards the inner room.

After finishing his conversation with Eric, Michael had completely forgotten about calling Jerry to have him send an RV.

Eric cleaned up the mess on the floor, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

Neither Michael nor Eric expected that just one night in the same house would cause a storm among the senior employees of the Johnson Group.

It all started with Aaron.

Aaron received Michael's order to investigate whether the Allen family had any restaurant businesses. It seemed simple but was not easy to execute.

Because he had been managing Michael's private assets for years and had little involvement with the Johnson Group's business, he only found out that neither Eric nor his father Victor had any restaurant businesses. As for other family members, he found nothing. So he went to the Johnson Group headquarters to see if he could get some information from Jeremy.

"Aaron, it's rare to see you here." Jeremy, who never got any information from Aaron, didn't greet him warmly.

"I'm here for a personal matter," Aaron didn't want to reveal too much.

Facing Jeremy, Aaron was afraid he might aceidentally leak information about Michael.

Under the guise of an interest in investing in the restaurant business,

Aaron asked Jeremy who in the group had restaurant businesses.

Knowing that Aaron managed Michael's personal assets, Jeremy was forthcoming.

When the Allen family was mentioned, Aaron asked a few mnore questions,making Jeremy sensitive to the fact that Aaron's target was the Allen family.

Jeremy quietly had someone investigate the connection between Michael and the Allen family.

The Allens were as cunning as foxes. Jeremy feared that if Michael didn't understand them well enough, he might suffer, and Qiana would be heartbroken. In that case, he would be too.

His investigation revealed that Michael had gone to the orphanage with Eric's department from the branch office.

Jeremy quickly sent someone to the orphanage to gather information overnight.

When Jeremy's subordinate arrived, it happened to be when Michael and Eric were drinking by the wvindow.

To the subordinate, their conversation seemed like a heartfelt confession,so he recorded it on his phone and sent the video to Jeremy.

This video explained everything that had confused Jeremy.

He finally understood why Michael suddenly started caring about the branch office, sending him messages in the middle of the night to ask him fix the road and streetlights in front of it. He realized why Michael was determined to get rid of Philip and promote Eric at all costs. It became clear why Michael was so unhappy when he found out about Eric's crush on the female subordinate in the department. He also grasped why Michael was so generous in compensatng Stella despite her infidelity.

All the questions had answers now, and Jeremy was scared.

He immediately called his subordinate.

"Come back immediately. Delete all the photos. Don't keep any, and don't spread them." Jeremy gritted his teeth and threatened, "If you leak this,I'll make sure you can't stay in Silvercrest City."

After hanging up,Jeremy slumped in his chair like a deflated balloon,taking a long time to recover.

Jeremy thought, 'How could Michael, who has been so proud since childhood, have been forced to such an extent in private that even his sexual orientation has changed? How much has Michael endured? I can't help him cover this up. If things continues, who knows what will happen if Wesley finds out? For Michael, Wesley, and the family, I have to tell Qiana. If Michael continues to be willful, the Johnson family might be ruined!

Jeremy called Qiana, "Ms. Johnson, I have some news for you... Don't get too excited. Michael... Michael likes men!"