Chapter 35

Blind dates were no big deal for Michael; he never took them seriously. So,when Qiana set one up for him, he just went with the flow.

He wasn't worried about being hassled by a blind date because he had Aaron, his super-efficient assistant, to handle everything.

This time. Qiana had rushed back from abroad just to set up this blind date for him. He didn't think much of it and just showed up. His only regret was leaving Isabella in the mountains; he had abandoned her on their first outing together.

For Michael, the outcome of the blind date was expected.

Gril fell for him right away, and Aaron came through with some timely dirt-photos of gril with her ex-boyfriends.

Qiana, feeling angry, took the initiative to help him reject the girl.

This method of sabotaging blind dates had become quite refined for Michael and had proven effective time and again.

In the car, Qiana helplessly asked him, "Is it true that no matter who you go on a blind date with, you always find some dirt on them?"

Michael grinned and said, "Blind date failures aren't about dirt. If I don't like someone, even if they're squeaky clean, I still can't accept them."

Qiana, fuming, punched hím in the stomach and snapped, "Do you like Eric that much? Not into women but into men? Do you want to give Grandpa a heart attack? Just thinking about it makes me want to strangle you."

Michael stared in shock, pointing at himself, and asked, "What? I like Eric?A guy?"

He had no idea where Qiana got this from, but she seemed convinced.

Qiana stared coldly at Michael, trying to find some crack in his expression."DonI't think I don't know. You went on vacation with Eric, stayed in the same room, and slept in the same bed. If this gets out,you would dishonor the whole family."

Thinking about Jeremy's weird comments and sneaky behavior, and Qiana coming back a week early. Michael put it all together and couldn't help but laugh angrily.

'Jeremy, you're quite the storyteller. Maybe I should buy you a film company to put your talents to use. How should I handle this?' Michael thought. 'Since they think I like Eric, I might as well pretend to like him!

Thinking of this, Michael adopted a nonchalant attitude and said to Qiana,"Qiana, what are you planning to do? Deal with Eric like you did with Stella? He doesn't need money. Victor only has him as a son, and his future inheritance is bigger than mine. Throwing money at him won't even make him blink."

"Are you serious? Do you really like him?" Qiana was shocked.

Even though Jeremy had told her about this, she never took it seriously,thinking Michael was just acting out.

Michael said, "You chose to believe Jeremy, so why doubt? You only know he's loyal to you. No matter what I say, you won't believe me."

Hearing this, Qiana took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Michael, I didn't believe what Jeremy said."

"Then why did you rush back?" Michael was pissed, wanting to punch Jeremy.

"I was worried you were messing around. I thought you still couldn't let

her go and were trying to force Grandpa and me to compromise by doing this." Qiana said, her heart aching.

"Qiana, I've told you a million times. I've moved on. Why don't you believe me?" Michael was furious. He couldn't understand why they were still so stubborn after he explained it over and over!

Qiana sneered, "See, you get all worked up the moment she's mentioned."

Michael was at a loss for words. "What do you want me to do?"

Qiana glared at him. "How can I believe you? After that incident, you didn't date anyone for over two years, not even a girl around you. Then, half a year ago, you suddenly brought back Stella,saying she was the one. Now Stella cheated, and you found Eric, even slept together. Look at what you've done. Is this what a normal person would do?"

"I'm done explaining. No matter what I say, you won't believe me. Just tell me,if I insist on being with Eric, what will you do?" Michael asked.

"I'll talk to Eric and Victor," Qiana replied.

"Qiana, even without Eric, there will be others. There are plenty of men.As long as it's a man, it's not necessarily him." Michae1 paused,then continued, "Will you hunt them down one by one?"

Qiana took a deep breath, stayed silent for a bit, then said, "I heard Stella cheated with a guy who's inferior to you in every way and has already broken up. Now that I think about it, except for her profession, which our family can't accept, everything else is fine. She has a good personality,looks good, and at least she is a girl. This time, Grandpa and I won't oppose it. Go back and find her! As long as you're not with Eric, it's fine."

Michael sneered, "Without comparison, you don't know what's good or bad.

Qiana, I want to know, what is mny marriage in your eyes?"

"Michael, Grandipa and I just want you to be happy," Qiana said.

"But Qiana, do you think I'm happy?" Michael shot back.

Qiana was silent.

Michael said, "Qiana, stay out of my business. My lover won't be Eric.After a while, when I'm over it, I'll break up with him. Then, I'll bring someone else for you to meet."

With that,Michael shouted for the driver to stop. He got out of the car and walked away without looking back.

Qiana was so angry she stood there, her vision darkening,her legs trembling. It tooka while for her to recover.

She picked up her phone and called Jeremy.

As soon as Jeremy answered, he heard Qiana's tearful voice. "Jeremy, what should I do?"

Hearing Qiana cry, Jeremy felt heartbroken. He grabbed his car keys and rushed out while talking on the phone.

Qiana continued, "Jeremy, Michael admitted to me that he likes Eric.What should I do?"

While driving, Jeremy said soothingly, "Qiana, don't worry. I'll go talk to him. If we push too hard, his rebelious nature will make it harder to handle."

Qiana said, "Okay, Jeremy, arrange for me to meet Eric."

Jeremy replied, "Alright, I'll set it up. Tomorrow, Vaughn is going to the branch office. Do you want to go with him?"

"I'll listen to you," Qiana said softly.

Jeremy hung up the phone, unable to hold back his frustration at Michael.

What was Michael thinking? How could he make Qiana so upset? It was just too much.