Chapter 9

At the Johnson Group headquarters.

"Do you guys at the Johnson Group think being a big company means you can just mess with people?" Timothy King from CyberNex Innovations slammed the table, fuming.

The room went dead silent.

Timothy pointed at the senior executives of the Johnson Group sitting around him. "Come on, speak up! Any more excuses? Let's hear them.I want to see who can come up with the best story. If you can't come up with anything, we're canceling the partnership. You need our tech, but it feels like I'm the one begging here. If it weren't for Michael, I wouldn't even be dealing with you. Where's Michael? Why hasn't he shown up yet?"

An assistant nearby whispered, "Mr. Johnson was here earlier, but he left for some reason."

Timothy started pacing, clearly pissed, "This time, I'll make Michael beg.And even if he does, I might still say no."

Jeremy Wright, the vice president who had been eavesdropping outside the door, quickly snuck downstairs to see if Michael had arrived.

Meanwhile,Michael was wvaiting outside the police station.

He had just reached the Johnson Group conference room door when his phone rang. It was the family driver, calling to say that Isabella had gotten into a fight and was now at the police station. Without even going into the room,Michael rushed straight over.

Worrying about her safety, he quickly contacted a lawyer to help him find out the details of the situation.

Soon, the lawyer told him that Isabella had hit John with a bottle, and she was fine, which made him feel a bit relieved.

He sat in the car until he saw Isabella walking out of the police station,safe and sound.

Only then did he relax a bit and put on a different expression.

Isabella was reluctantly saying goodbye to Olivia at the police station entrance.

It wasn't until Robert persuaded Isabella to take Olivia to the hospital that Isabella slowly walked towards the car.

Just as she reached the car, the door opened from the inside.

Michael, sitting in the car, had a calm expression, revealing no emotions.

Isabella nervously got in, and Michael didn't speak, just silently watching her.

The air in the car was filled with awkward tension.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Isabella broke the silence first. "Why are you here? Didn't you say it would take about three days? Did you finish so quickly?"

Michael sensed her attempt to change the subject and didn't let her succeed,pulling the topic back forcefully. "If I hadn't shown up, I'd be visiting you in detention next time."

Isabella said softly, lowering her head. "I'll stay far away from them from now on."

"Don't be afraid of them. John won't dare to touch you anymore," Michael said.

"Did you pay him again?" Isabella blurted out.

"Yes," Michael said nonchalantly.

"Another million dollars?" Isabella asked, thinking of Michael's usual way of handling things.

"Yes."

"Why? We were the ones who got hurt. Why should we pay him?"Isabella was puzzled. "Is it for the same reason you paid Stella?"

Michael gave Isabella a thumbs-up. "Isabella, you're so smart."

Isabella was speechless. He had spent so much money on her; she worried he might go bankrupt one day.

Luckily, she still had a job with a decent salary, enough to cover their daily expenses.

Thinking of this, she felt she should go to work in advance.

"I need to go to work soon," Isabella said.

"Do you like working?" Michael asked.

"Yes, I enjoy working. It makes me feel fulfilled and happy," Isabella said.

"Alright. But you can't stay in the dormitory; come home. Let Robert arrange for someone to give you a ride to and from work. You can't go alone," Michael took the opportunity to set his conditions.

"Okay," Isabella said, raising her right hand in a promise to Michael. "And don't worry. I won't spill about us."

Michael was puzzled. "Why? Do I look that bad?"

Isabella quickly explained, "The Johnson Group doesn't allow office

romances. I remember you said you've seen me at the company, so you must be with the Johnson Group too, right? So, we have to keep our relationship a secret, or one of us will have to leave."

Michael thought to himself, 'Who made this inhumane rule? I'll delete it later.'

"Strictly speaking, I'm not officially with the Johnson Group yet. I haven't decided whether to join," Michael said.

Isabella thought Michael wasn't qualified to join the Johnson Group,not that he hadn't decided. She didn't want him to feel sad because of this and comforted him, "The Johnson Group is great, but it's not for everyone. You're very capable and will achieve greater things."

Although he knew Isabella was comforting him, Michael was still pleased.He looked at Isabella mischievously. "How do you know I'm very capable?What exactly do you think I'm good at? My... bedroom skills?"

Isabella had said it casually and didn't expect him to take it that way. She blushed, and as soon as they arrived home, she opened the car door and escaped.

Michael laughed heartily. The assistant and driver in the front seat exchanged smiles; they had never seen Michael so relaxed.

"Oh, you're finally here," Jeremy ran up as soon as he saw Michael's car approaching. "Mr. King said he wants you to beg him for cooperation and that even if you do, he might still not play ball."

"Don't worry. I've got this," Michael gave him a slight smile.

Jeremy had never seen Michael so kind and felt his heart warm up.He quickened his pace to catch up with Michael. "Michael, you must take this seriously! Vaughn already messed up this project before. I didn't dare tell Qiana, so I asked you to come. If you mess up too, Qiana won't let me off."

Qiana Johnson was Michael's sister, the one in charge of the company before Michael came back.

"Isn't this what you've always dreamed of?" Michael teased him.

Jeremy was stunned, looking at Michael in disbelief. He thought, 'When does Michael start joking with me? Something must have happened that I don't know about!

Jeremy tugged at Michael's assistant, Aaron Hill, and whispered, "What did your Mr. Johnson do just now?"

Aaron politely said, "Mr. Wright. I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson doesn't allow us to say."

"How much is Michael paying you to be so loyal to him?Fine, I'll ask someone else," Jeremy thought Michael must have something going on. If he found out, his standing with Qiana would improve significantly.

He decided to leave Timothy to Michael and focus on finding out what had happened.

He turned and ran towards the parking lot, thinking the driver, Jerry Nelson, might not be as tight-lipped. But he also couldn't get any information from Jerry.

He was disappointed, but he couldn't deny that their loyalty was a good thing.

When he was about to leave the parking lot, Michael and Timothy were walking over, chatting and laughing.

"Jeremy, I'm going to Mr. King's company for an on-site inspection.You'll need to arrange people for the follow-up on this project. You should come along too," Michael said.

Jeremy was dumbfounded, pointing at Timothy, and asked Michael,""Di you...just...get him on board?"

Timothy snorted coldly at Jeremy.

Jeremy quickly followed.