Chapter 67

Isabella hopped into the taxi and glanced back. Vaughn was still crouched in the same spot, which made herfeel a bit better.

She was dead set on packing her bags and moving to another place as soon as she got to the hotel. No way was she dealing with Vaughn again.

It was just too much. She went on a business trip with Vaughn,and he decided to spill his feelings. Not only did she not like him, but if Michael found out, he'd go after Vaughn, and her job would be toast.

As soon as Isabella stepped out of the taxi, she spotted Michael pacing at the hotel entrance.

She dashed over, threw herself into his arms, and hugged him tight.

Michael caught a whiff ofalcohol on her and figured she had a bit too much to drink and missed him. Her hugging him out of the blue made him a little happy. But he quickly noticed something was off because she was trembling.

Michael asked, "Isabella, what's up? You scared?"

"Nothing,MMichael. Just excited to see you. Let's get back to the roomn and pack. We can head home tonight," Isabella said, eager to get out of there.

With Michael around, she felt like she could do anything. Might as well head back tonight.

"Did someone mess with you? Tell me, and I'll handle it," Michael asked,worried.

"Who would mess with me? The project's done, and I want to go back with you. Plus..." Isabella bit her lip and had to come clean, "Plus,I

misunderstood about you and Lucy. I need to make it up to you."

Her words made Michael happy. Thinking about Isabella wanting to make it up to him made his heart race. He went with her to pack their bags,checked out at the front desk, and just as they were about to leave,an angry shout came from behind, "Isabella!"

Isabella turned around; it was Vaughn.

She closed her eyes in despair, her face pale. She couldn't dodge what she wanted to escape.

Michael saw she was scared and glared at Vaughn.

Vaughn finally noticed the man beside Isabella, someone he knew.

"What? You..." Vaughn, slurring from the alcohol and excitement, couldn't get the words out.

Isabella was afraid he'd say something to tick off Michael, so she quickly cut him off, "Mr. Johnson, the project's done. My husband came to get me,and we're leaving now. Please approve."

"Your husband? Who? Him?" Vaughn pointed at Michael,looking at Isabella. "You mean, he's your husband?"

Vaughn's eyes went wide in shock.

Isabella nodded. She suddenly remembered they both had the last name

Johnson, so it made sense they knew each other.

"You know each other," Isabella confirmed.

"Of course, we know each other!" Vaughn sneered with more to be said.

He had thought Michael often showed up at the branch office out of concern for him, but it turned out he was really overthinking it. Michael

was there to pick up Isabella.

Vaughn felt all his passion had gone for nothing.

Michael nodded to Isabella. He held her shoulder and gently said, "Isabella,go sit on the sofa over there. I'll have a few words with Mr. Johnson."

Isabella knew Michael always had issues with Vaughn. She looked at him worriedly and reminded him, "Go easy on him." She paused,pulled his hand to make him bend down, and whispered in his ear, "This isn't the right place to hit him."

Michael initially thought Isabella was protecting Vaughn and felt a bit unhappy. But hearing her last sentence, he smiled. Isabella was still on his side at critical moments.

Michael nodded heavily in agreement.

Isabella walked towards the sofa, not forgetting to give Vaughn a deep glare, warning him not to say anything to provoke Michael.

"Are you surprised?" Seeing Isabella sit on the sofa and start playing with her phone, Michael slowly spoke, looking at the stunned Vaughn.

"You... you... her... are you really her husband?" Vaughn looked at Isabella,then at Michael, still unable to believe that the two people who seemed so unrelated in his mind were actually married.

"Yes," Michael confirmed.

"Was she the one in your car that time? Does Grandpa and Qiana know?"Vaughn asked.

"They probably know!" Michael replied, thinking, 'If Qiana knows,then Wesley probably knows too, and so does that idiot Jeremy.

"What's going on between you two?" Vaughn couldn't understand how

they got involved.

"You don't need to know, and I have no obligation to explain,"Michael said coldly. "Just remember one thing: she doesn't know my true identity yet, so keep it a secret for me."

"You're deceiving her?" Vaughn felt he had discovered a big secret.

Michael was frustrated, thinking, 'Why does everyone think I'm deceiving Isabella? Eric and Vaughn both think so, and even Qiana implies it.'

Michael felt the need to explain this properly.

"It's not deceiving her. I told her several times, but she didn't believe me.She thought I was coveting the heir's position. But that's my business. Just keep it a secret for me," Michael explained. Suddenly,he remembered the scene when Isabella came back and asked, "What happened before Isabella came back? Did you take her to a social event today? Did someone bully her?"

"Didn't you ask her?" Vaughn felt guilty.

Michael shook his head. "I asked her, but she said nothing happened. But my intuition tells me something did."

Vaughn was nervous. If Michael found out he confessed to Isabela.Michael would hunt him down! He mustered the courage to say, "How could anyone bully her when she's with me?"

Vaughn forced a smile, which looked worse than crying to Michael.Vaughn's words sounded uncomfortable.

"Your family powers don't match. Will Grandpa agree?" Vaughn couldn't help but hit a nerve with Michael.

"It doesn't matter," Michael said lightly. "No one can stop what I want to

do."

Vaughn looked at Michael. It was true. Outside, everyone called him Mr.Johnson, but at home, he always lived in Michael's shadow. At first, he was unconvinced and secretly competed with Michael.When Michael was kidnapped, he had a dark thought that it would be good if Michael disappeared. But he discovered a fact that made him completely desperate.In the Johnson family, even if Michael disappeared, he still couldn't be one-tenth as excellent as Michael. Michael had the ability to be carefree.But Vaughn saw himself as just a joke.

Vaughn glanced at Isabella, who was the evidence of his humiliation and felt he could no longer stay in the same space as her. He said, "I'm tired. I'm going back to rest. You guys do as you please."

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