Chapter 185
Olivia shuddered. It was impossible for her not to be nervous in front of a man like Michael.
Not to mention that her family business relied on the Brown Family for survival, she herself wouldn't dare to go against the Brown Family!
She was now fully focused on breaking into the film industry, and offending Michael would lead to no good outcome.
"Mr. Brown, what could possibly be so important that you would come here personally to ask?"
Olivia was smiling on the surface, but she was already wildly speculating in her mind.
She knew that Michael held top-tier resources in the entertainment industry.
Was Michael here to inspect the work?
Before she could think further, Michael got straight to the point.
"Ms. Smith, I'll be direct. Isabella has been missing for a week. Do you know where she is?"
"What?"
Olivia was completely stunned.
It took her a while to react, and she shouted at Michael, "You mean Isabella is missing?"
Her politeness vanished instantly.
"Mr. Brown, you and Isabella haven't divorced yet, right?"
Michael seemed surprised that Olivia would suddenly ask this question.
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.
Olivia was very angry. It was late at night, she was tired and sleepy, and now she had to be questioned by Michael about Isabella's whereabouts?
If it weren't for the fear of affecting her family, she would have slapped him.
"You haven't divorced, so you are still husband and wife. Now your wife Isabella has been missing for a week, and instead of using all your resources to find her, you come to me? What do you mean by that?"
Michael frowned, "You don't know where she is?"
Olivia was speechless.
She took a deep breath, reminding herself not to get angry, "May I ask, Mr. Brown, why do you think that if Isabella is missing, I must be the one who knows?"
"Just because I'm her only good friend in Evergreen City, you assume she would definitely come to me!"
Michael's eyes darkened, clearly having his thoughts guessed.
Seeing this, Olivia understood that this was exactly what Michael thought.
She snorted coldly, "Mr. Brown, although you are noble and powerful, when it comes to being a husband, you probably don't even pass the basic line. You've been married to Isabella for three years, and you don't understand her at all?"
Michael's expression changed slightly, but he still listened quietly as Olivia talked about Isabella.
"You know Isabella's childhood experiences. She cares about everyone around her and would never impulsively disappear. If she has been missing for almost a week as you said, she must have encountered something that made her lose control."
"If she hid herself, she wouldn't tell anyone because she doesn't want others to take responsibility for her or cause trouble for others."
Olivia bit her lip, feeling sorry for what Isabella had gone through over the years.
If Michael really cared about Isabella, how could he push her to the point of disappearing?
He didn't deserve Isabella's goodness.
Michael didn't understand what love was.
Hearing these words, Michael felt immense pressure and guilt.
He had been looking in the wrong direction from the start.
No wonder he couldn't find her whereabouts even after questioning Thomas from the Wilson Family.
It turned out that she always dealt with things on her own and never told anyone.
But now, where could he find her?
Having gotten the answer from Olivia, Michael didn't ask further and left directly.
Since Isabella had anticipated that he would look for her among her friends, asking further would be futile.
When he sat down at home, Michael looked at the place where just a few days ago they had been peacefully having dinner together.
But now, the traces of her presence in this house were almost gone.
He lay back on the sofa, feeling empty.
Isabella, where are you?
Are you really going to leave me?
The thought of this made Michael's heart feel like it was being devoured by thousands of ants, spreading pain throughout his body.
Only now did he realize his true feelings.
He liked her.
He always had, but he never dared to admit it.
Every time he saw her, he would use extreme methods to get her attention, but this only pushed Isabella further away.
Until she completely disappeared from his world.
He panicked.
To find Isabella, Michael put all his energy into it.
Except for the documents that required his signature, everything else at the company was handled by Aaron.
But Michael didn't expect that during this time, someone secretly infiltrated the Brown Group.
They passed through multiple selections and got hired by the company.
The company recruited outstanding graduates from major universities every year, and this time it was from Evergreen City University.
Since it was an annual event, it usually didn't alarm Michael, and Aaron took care of it.
Michael only needed to take a look and sign at the last moment.
One day, while Michael was in his office handling accumulated documents, Aaron came in with a few personnel files.
He handed the files to Michael.
"Mr. Brown, these are the intern lists for this year. Please sign."
Michael was busy reviewing a project budget. He took the files from Aaron, signed his name on the last page without looking, and asked casually, "Is there anyone particularly outstanding?"
Aaron, who had been with Michael the longest, knew what he wanted to hear.
"This year, we recruited from Evergreen City University. Four interns were selected, and one of them is very strong in both adaptability and professional knowledge, fluent in four languages and translation. The HR department asked if we want to transfer this person to the executive office."
Michael finished his document and turned his attention to Aaron.
"What's his name?"
Michael assumed it was a male, thinking it would be good to have someone help Aaron during this busy time.
Aaron reported seriously, "Violet, her file is on top of the stack in your hand."
"Violet?"
Michael repeated, instinctively opening the file to see a familiar face, and then coldly smirked.
It really was her!
"Mr. Brown knows her?"
Aaron was surprised. Interns were usually fresh out of school, and Michael was either at home or at the company.
How could Michael know a college student, especially a female student like Violet?
"She's an acquaintance."
Michael's words puzzled Aaron. If he knew her, why not just say so? What did he mean by 'acquaintance'?
Aaron couldn't figure out his thoughts and asked, "So, Mr. Brown, should we keep Violet or not?"
If he had known from the start that Violet had sneaked into the Brown Group, he wouldn't have left her any way out.
But now...
Michael looked at his already signed name. Saying no now would make things difficult for the HR department.
Since she went to such lengths to get in, she must have a motive.
He just needed to wait for Violet to reveal her flaws and catch her in the act.