Chapter 52

Isabella stood at the villa's entrance, hesitating to push the door open.

She was worried that if Michael asked her anything, she wouldn't know how to respond.

On the way, she had run through a million questions he might ask and had prepared answers. But she knew Michael well enough to speculate that he'd probably find some loophole and trick her into spilling everything.

"Mrs. Johnson, you're back." Ava, who was heading out to buy groceries,opened the door and found Isabella standing there.

"Yeah! Is Mr. Johnson home?" Isabella asked nervously.

"Mr. Johnson didn't come back last night either," Ava replied.

Hearing that Michael hadn't returned, Isabella felt a wave of relief.

The exhaustion hit her again, making her feel weak and dizzy. All she wanted was a hot bath and a good night's sleep.

"Go ahead with your tasks, I'll take a nap first. Don't worry about me.I'll wake up naturally," Isabella told Ava.

After that, she hurried upstairs for a bath and some sleep.

When she woke up, the setting sun was shining through the window,filling the room with a warm glow.

Michael was sitting in the sunset,quietly reading a book.

His chiseled features were perfectly highlighted by the sunlight, making him look like a bronze sculpture.

Isabella lay on her side on the bed, resting her head on one arm,quietly admiring the beautiful scene before her.

Maybe sensing Isabella's intense gaze, Michael turned his eyes towards her.

Caught peeking. Isabella felt embarrassed and quickly closed hereyes.pretending to sleep, but Michael saw through her act.

He took a big step to the bed, leaned down, and gently kissed her earlobe.Isabella felt ticklish and couldn't help but laugh.

Michael then lay down beside her, wrapping his arms around her,and softly asked, "Did you sleep in the dorm last night? Did you miss me?"

"Yeah. I did." To avoid more questions, Isabella answered straightforwardly, not caring abóut her shyness.

"Oh, you missed me? Tell me how you missed me," Michael pressed on.

"Of course, I missed you just like you missed me." Fearing Michael would keep asking, Isabella quickly changed the subject, "Where did you go yesterday? Why didn't you come back either?"

"Grandpa wanted to see me. He was so enthusiastic that he wouldn't let me leave, so I stayed the night," Michael carefully chose his words.

"Grandpa?" Isabela was surprised.

Michael propped himself up and looked at her seriously. "I told you before,I want to take you to meet Grandpa, Qiana, and other relatives.I'll introduce you to everyone."

"Your... parents?" Isabella asked cautiously.

Michael calmly said, "They passed away when I was very young."

Isabella feIt sorry for Michael, who usually seemed so cheerful but had

such a sad past.

She sat up and hugged him.

Feeling her warmth. Michael buried his face in her chest and said, "Luckily,I met you, Isabella. I'm very happy."

Isabella's longfingers ran through his short, wild hair, and she gently said,"I'm off for the next couple of days, so I'm all yours."

"You're being so nice to me?" Michael was a bit surprised. Given her workaholic nature, it was unusual for her to change her mind suddenly.He asked. "Why aren't you working overtime? Did something happen?"

Isabella replied,"Oliviacaught a cold, so Mr. Allen gave us a break."

This was the excuse Isabella had cooked up on the way.

"Finally, he did something right," Michael grumbled, clearly still holding a grudge against Eric.

Speaking of that grudge, it all started with Michael's overnight disappearance.

After Victor pretended to faint, neither Eric nor Michael reacted.

Victor couldn't control Eric or persuade Michael, so he went to the Johnson Villa, crying and complaining to Wesley.

Wesley called Michael back, and knowing it wasn't good news,Michael hid at the office.

Unexpectedly, Wesley teamed up with Jeremy and brought bodyguards to drag Michael back.

Victor cried pitifully, begging him to let Eric go.

At this point, all Michael had to do was bring a girlfriend home,and Wesley and Qiana wouldn't object.

He discussed with Eric to clarify their relationship and introduce Isabella to Wesley. But Eric disagreed, saying his issues weren't resolved yet and they couldn't stop pretending. So, for Eric's sake, Michael had to continue this absurd relationship.

Facing Victor's pleas, he could only shrug and say, "Our relationship started because I forced Eric. It's my fault, so the right to end it is Eric's.As long as he says stop. I'll comply."

Victor knew he couldn't persuade Eric; the more he opposed, the more Eric would dig in.

"I can't reason with him. Please, Mr. Johnson, break up with Eric," Victor cried pitifully.

Michael coldly said, "Sorry, Mr. Allen, I can't help you."

Seeing Victor, an elderly man, crying in front of Michael, who remained unmoved, Wesley felt this was against the Johnson family's upbringing.

He stepped forward,patted Victor's shoulder, and said, "Victor, I know these two kids well. Neither of them could like men. They must have their reasons for doing this. Leave it to me.You rest and have some water."

After settling Victor, Wesley turned to Michael and sternly said, "I don't care what agreement you have with Eric. Your attitude towards Victor is unacceptable. This isn't how the Johnsons behave. Tonight, you're not leaving. Go kneel and reflect."

Wesley had tolerated Michael's deviation from his plans for a long time and finally seized the opportunity to teach him a lesson.

Michael replied, "Alright, I'll go. Grandpa, take care of yourself and don't

get too upset."

Then he knelt without hesitation for the entire night.

The next morning, he had breakfast with Wesley and played the obedient grandson all mnorning. Only after Wesley had lunch and went to sleep did he return.

He blamed Eric for this.

Thinking about how Eric had helped them during their trouble. Isabella said. "Mr. Allen is a good person. Olivia and I are lucky to have such a leader."

After speaking, she couldn't help but sneeze.

Michael was about to say more bad things about Eric when he heard Isabella sneeze. He quickly raised his hand, touched her forehead,and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Did Olivia infect you?"

Isabella didn't want to wrongfully blame Olivia, so she said, "Maybe it's just my body can't handle the recent drop in temperature and caught a chill. I always feel cold."

"Then let's go to the hot springs! Since you're off, let's spend some quality time together," Michael suggested.