Chapter 30

"How is that possible!" Qiana scoffed on the other end of the line. "Michael could never like a man! He's still hung up on her; this is just a little tactic to force us to submit."

"Qiana,hear me out. I think this time it's more complicated than that."Jeremy could tell she wasn't taking it seriously, so he started laying out all the info he'd gathered. "Michael's been acting weird about that branch office. He texted me in the middle of the night, asking me to get someone to fix the road and streetlights in front of the company ASAP. Then,when Philip had that accident, Michael pushed for Eric to be promoted to manager and even asked me who Eric likes. I told him Eric has a crush on a female coworker, and Michael got pissed and made Mr. Vaughn Johnson the manager instead. Plus, he had Aaron snooping around to see if the Allen family was in the restaurant business, and tonight, the two of them even stayed together."

Jeremy kept rambling, getting more worked up, and Qiana tried to calm him down, "Don't óverthink it. Maybe they just get along well."

Jeremy wasn't buying it and thought Qiana was oversimplifying things.He pressed on, "Ms. Johnson, I swear, those two are definitely more than just friends. Philip's accident at the branch office was Michael's doing, and he cut off Philip's opportunities. I looked into it, and Philip had been sabotaging Eric's department. I knew about Philip's actions but didn't do anything because the branch office was still performing well. But to Michael, it was unforgivable. Ms. Johnson, think about it, if they were just friends, would Michael go to such lengths?"

Qiana was overwhelmed by Jeremy's long-winded explanation and stayed silent.

Jeremy took a breath and continued, "Ms. Johnson, even though it's hard to accept, we have to deal with it. You should come back quickly. Michael

listens to you. Breaking them up is the top priority."

After calling Qiana, Jeremy still felt uneasy, so he called Aaron and Jerry separately,telling them to bring Michael back first thing in the morning.Only then did he feel a bit more at ease and went to sleep.

Michael, on the other hand, had a rough night.

He lay alone on a hard wooden bed, tossing and turning for half the night.The bed was so uncomfortable that he couldn't find a good position.

He finally fell asleep when he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.

It felt like he hadn't slept long before his phone started ringing.

Michael fumbled for his phone with his eyes closed and groggily answered,"Who is it?"

"Mr. Johnson, it's me, Jeremy." Jeremy's voice was cautious.

Michael was dlisturbed from his sleep and was in a bad mood. He said irritably, "This better be important."

Jeremy said, "Mr. Johnson, it's urgent. Something happened at the company that needs your attention."

"What urgent matter can't you handle? I'm busy and can't come back."Michael said,clearly irritated.

Jeremy insisted, "It's too complicated to explain over the phone,but I can't handle it."

"Does it have to be me?" Michael rarely got to go out with Isabella and didn't want to go back.

Jeremy replied, "Yes, Mr. Johnson, it has to be you."

Michael sighed, "Alright. I'm not at home. Have Jerry come pick me up.It Il take about four hours round trip."

Eric, who was sleeping in the other room, was woken up by Michael and shouted, "Mr. Johnson, can you keep it down? I'm trying to sleep."

"Mr. Johnson... are you seriously sleeping with... a guy?" Suddenly, a man's voice came through the phone clearly, and Jeremy was startled.

"Boring," Michael snapped, not in the mood to explain, and hung up.

To Jeremy,it seemed like Michael was caught red-handed and hung up out of guilt.

Michael called Jerry, who said he and Aaron were already on their way and would be there soon.

Michael washed up and sat outside, waiting for them.

After being woken up, Eric couldn't fall back asleep. With his eyes closed and his head buried in the pillow, he mumbled groggily, "Mr. Johnson, are you heading back?"

"Yeah, there's an issue at the company, and I need to go back," Michael replied. "How long are you guys staying here?"

"Stay a few more days?" Eric rubbed his eyes and sat up. "If we don't go back this afternoon, the company will fire us all tomorrow."

"That's on you. With your status and skills, do you really need to clock in and out at headquarters?" Michael shot back.

"Mr. Johnson, everyone has their own ambitions," Eric said,not wanting to argue, and lay back down.

"You're blinded by love!" Michael said sharply.

"At least I didn't marry under false pretenses," Eric retorted.

Just then, Jerry drove the car into the yard.

"Tm leaving. Tell Isabella for me," Michael instructed.

"Tell her yourself," Eric said irritably.

"I don't want to wake her," Michael patiently explained.

"Get lost!" Eric threw a pillow at him, which Michael easily dodged.

Michael stepped outside, and the fresh, crisp air hit him, instantly lifting his mood.

Looking at the dew-covered vegetables in the yard, Michael felt a bit reluctant to leave.

Aaron got out of the car and opened the back door. "Mr. Johnson, let's go!"

Michael got in the car and was really happy with how comfy the seat was.Feeling sleepy, he decided to take a nap.

"Aaron, when we get back, put together a plan to buy this place.Let's invest in some renovations; I'll be coming back in the future..." Michael said.

He thought he must renovate it well, especially the beds.

In his entire life, except for when he ran away from home as a teenager,he had never slept on such a hard bed, which made his whole body ache.

Aaron noted it down. He wanted to confirm some details with Michael, but found that Michael was already asleep, occasionally snoring.

Jerry and Aaron exchanged a knowing smile,both wondering what had happened to Michael last night to leave him looking so exhausted-he was

usually full of energy!

Jerry drove Michael for two hours at top speed, and they finally arrived at the headquarters of the Johnson Group.

Michael stormned into Jeremy's office, grabbed him by the collar, andsaid through gritted teeth, "This better be important, or I'll send you on a one-way trip abroad."

Jeremy was choked and couldn't breathe, his face turning red, and he shouted incoherently, "Michael, Mr. Johnson... Michael..."

When he couldn't shout anymore, Michael threw him onto the sofa.

Jeremy took big gulps of fresh air, finally catching his breath.

He stood up, straightened his clothes and tie, smoothed his hair, and stood in front of Michael.

"Ms. Johnson's plane lands at noon today. Do you think it's urgent or not?"he said, looking smugly at Michael.

"Qiana is coming back? Why didn't I know? Why so suddenly?" Michael exclaimed in surprise.

“Of course, I hold a higher place in Qiana's heart than you do...” Jeremy said,feeling quite full of himself.

Michael rolled his eyes at Jeremy and quickly turned to Aaron. "Go get the files that haven't been dealt with in the past few days."

After Aaron left, Jeremy leaned close to Michael, smugly saying, "Michael,don't be so irritable. I'm not going to harm you. Don't forget, I'm on your side."

Michael sneered, "You're Qiana's man."