Chapter 57

Michael took Isabella out for breakfast.

At the restaurant. Thalia was gone, replaced by a new face who greeted them warmly, "Welcome, Sir, Ma'am. Today we have a new vegetable pancake made with veggies from our own garden. Want to give it a try?"

Isabella smiled and nodded, grabbing two pancakes. Without any sarcastic folks around, she felt way better.

As they ate, Isabella and Michael chatted about the hot springs design.

Isabella said, "Mr. Johnson, the person who designed Maple Hill Hot Springs is amazing. They perfectly integrated the building with the mountain. It's so unique."

She suddenly realized it might be awkward to praise someone else in front of Michael, so she stopped.

Michael looked at her with a smug grin and said, "Go on, don't stop now."

"Wait... was it you?" Isabella felt like she had figured it out.

Michael nodded. "I did it for fun. If you like it, it's yours."

Isabella was still in shock when Michael picked up the phone and called Aaron, asking him to handle the transfer of Maple Hill Hot Springs.

After breakfast, Jerry came to pick them up and take them back to Silvercrest City.

On the way, Isabella discussed the hot springs with Michael. She thought he was being too hasty, but Michael didn't bother to explain and just kissed her mid-sentence.

When she was breathless and her heart was racing, he pinched her cheek

and said, "We're legally married. No need to split hairs over what's yours and mine."

Isabella let it go.

Michael thought Isabella lacked a sense of security and always planned for contingencies. So, he decided to pave the way for her,step by step.

Outside the car window, they saw someone in a Maple Hill Hot Springs uniform walking along the mountain road.

Isabella thought the person looked familiar. As they got closer,she realized it was Thalia, the waitress who had helped Chris in the restaurant.

Isabella closed her eyes and pretended not to see. Sometimes, you didn't need to be too kind; everyone had their own path.

Michael noticed and thought Isabella seemed to have gotten smarter.

Michael dropped Isabella off at the branch office.

As soon as Isabella arrived, Olivia ran over, "Isabella, you just came back from Maple Hill,right? Did you hear about someone who almost froze to death in the creek last night? A passerby saw him early in the morning and called for emergency help."

Isabella was preoccupied with the man she overheard during her last call with Olivia and kept pressing for details.

Olivia,feeling she had nothing to hide, calmly said, "Oh, that person was Mr. Allen. He was worried I might die in the dorm, so he took me to his place and took care of me for two days."

Isabella thought, 'How come I never realized Mr. Allen is such a helpful person?

After dropping Isabella off, Michael took Aaron straight to the

headquarters.

Jeremy was startled when he opened his office door and saw Michael behind his desk. He teased, "Wow, this is rare! What brings you here?"

"I have a good project for you to expand the company's business channels,"Michael said and signaled to Aaron, who quickly handed the proposal to Jeremy.

Jeremy flipped through it and said, "This has nothing to do with our company's business. We don't need this kind of project."

"Alright then! Since you don't want it, Aaron, go ahead and acquire Global Innovators Inc for me. With all these companies being bought up, Aaron can't handle it all alone. Looks like I won't be coming back to the Johnson Group." Michael shook his head and sighed.

Jeremy was freaked out. He couldn't handle the pressure and quickly caved,saying, "Fine, I'll take it. But I need to talk to Qiana first. You know,it's a big expense, and I can't just explain it to the board."

"Tell Qiana it's my idea. The proposal's ready, and I want results fast."Michael stood up and told Aaron, "Aaron, stay here and help Mr. Wright get the acquisition done today."

With that, he walked out without looking back.

Jeremy glanced at Aaron in the office. Aaron wasn't there to help; he was there to make sure Jeremy didn't slack off.

Jeremy quietly asked Aaron, "Do you know why Mr. Johnson is so set on acquiring Global Innovators Inc?"

Aaron gave him a look like he was an idiot and said, "You know I can't tell you."

"We're just chatting. I'm worried you'll get sick from keeping all these secrets. Wouldn't that be uncomfortable? You wouldn't want to say it yourself, so I have to ask." Jeremy said.

"Thanks for your concern, Mr. Wright." Aáron stayed calm.

Jeremy, frustrated, pointed at Aaron and shouted, "You're just blindly loyal to Mr. Johnson! If he loses his inheritance rights, you'll both be crying!"

With that, he took the acquisition proposal to find Qiana.

"Why does Michael insist on acquiring this company?" Qiana asked.

"I don't know! Michael won't say, and I can't get anything out of Aaron."Jeremy said helplessly.

Qiana glared at him, picked up the phone, and asked someone to check what had happened recently at Global Innovators Inc.

The investigation revealed that the president of Global Innovators Inc,Chris, had gone nuts at Maple Hill Resort and jumped into the creek.

Jeremy sighed, "Chris must have pissed someone off and got messed up."

"The branch office recently signed a deal with Global Innovators Inc,and Eric had a conflict with Chris during the contract signing," Qiana said.

"Michael is doing this to get back at Chris for Eric?" Jeremy suddenly felt like he had figured out something big.

Qiana closed her eyes, resisting the urge to hit Jeremy, and took a deep breath. "Michael also went to Maple Hill Hot Springs."

"With Eric?" Jeremy blurted out.

Qiana finally lost her patience and threw the mouse on her desk at him.

Jeremy caught it and put it back on the desk.

Without the thud of the mouse hitting the ground to vent her anger,Qiana only felt worse. She grabbed a glass and threw it at Jeremy.

Only when the glass shattered at Jeremy's feet, and she heard the crisp sound of breaking, did Qiana feel a bit better.

"Michael went with a woman to Maple Hill Hot Springs, and this woman is in Eric's department. She also went to the orphanage in the mountains.

So, do you get it now?" Qiana gritted her teeth as she spoke to Jeremy.

"How could Michael do this?" Jeremy exclaimed. "How could he be dating Eric and then cheat with Eric's subordinate?"

Qiana was completely speechless. With Jeremy's intelligence and emotional quotient, it was no wonder he couldn't find a girlfriend. Only she didn't mind and kept him around.

Using her last bit of patience, Qiana explained to Jeremy, "Michael never liked men. The person he's been with has always been this woman, and I found out her name is Isabella."

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