Chapter 339
"Grandpa Daniel's dead?"
Michael's eyes flickered at the word "dead," but he quickly pulled himself together, his expression turning serious.
"Then there's no way I can leave. Grandpa Daniel's gone, and I need to stay here to help with his funeral."
"Michael!"
Isabella's eyes blazed with anger. "Do you have to be so shameless?"
No matter what she said, Michael stood his ground.
With such a huge loss, Isabella must be devastated. All he wanted was to be there for her.
But it seemed her misunderstanding of him ran too deep; she wouldn't listen to any explanation.
They stood at the doorway, neither willing to back down.
Inside, the five Wilson brothers were mourning Daniel. Seeing Michael show up, they all wanted to pummel him.
"That jerk Michael dares to come here. Don't stop me today; I need to teach him a lesson for Isabella."
Holden rolled up his sleeves and headed for the door, but Atticus grabbed him.
Atticus told him to stay put and walked over himself, his face stern.
He stood beside Isabella, pulling her behind him, and glared coldly at Michael.
"Michael, we get that you mean well, but like Isabella said, this is a family matter. You're not welcome here."
Daniel's last words had made it clear.
He wasn't happy with Michael's recent actions.
Otherwise, Daniel wouldn't have told Isabella to prioritize herself, even if it meant not keeping the child.
It showed that Michael's promises were just empty words. A man who only makes verbal commitments isn't worth keeping.
Michael's face turned pale. He didn't know what had happened, but for Atticus to speak like this, he must be deeply disappointed in him.
"Uncle Atticus, hear me out."
"No need!"
Atticus cut him off. "And don't call me that anymore. Your relationship with Isabella is over, just waiting for the divorce papers."
He called for the security guards. "Escort Mr. Brown out."
As soon as he finished speaking, a dozen black-clad guards surrounded Michael, gesturing for him to leave.
"Mr. Brown, please go."
Isabella didn't look at him once.
Reluctantly, Michael took one last deep look at her before he had to leave.
As he turned away, a tear finally fell from his bloodshot eyes. For Daniel, and for himself.
He had failed to keep his promises to Daniel, leaving him disappointed.
And in his pursuit of the Adri Family's whereabouts, he had wasted too much time on Bianca, deepening Isabella's misunderstanding of him.
Now, she wouldn't believe him anymore.
With Daniel gone, would Isabella really divorce him?
Michael's heart tightened.
And it was all because of Bianca. He wouldn't let her get away with it.
The only way to make Isabella truly believe him now was to expose Bianca and the Adri Family behind her, revealing the truth to Isabella.
Only then could he have a chance to win her back.
No matter what, he wouldn't divorce her.
Just as he left the hospital, Michael received a call from Aaron.
"Mr. Brown, I'm okay now. Have you found Mrs. Brown?"
Aaron's voice was still hoarse, but there was a cautious tone. He had learned from the guards that Isabella had been kidnapped while bringing him to the hospital. For the past three days, he had been on edge, fearing something had happened to Isabella, which would make him feel guilty for life.
"Yeah, she's safe now," Michael replied, his voice calm, though his eyes involuntarily glanced upstairs.
"Really? That's great. Thank God. Mrs. Brown is such a good person; nothing bad should happen to her."
Hearing the good news, Aaron almost jumped with excitement. The heavy weight on his heart finally lifted.
"Mr. Brown, I'm planning to take tonight's flight back to Auroria."
With things settled here, he was ready to return to work. After all, he had left in a hurry, and there must be a pile of work waiting for him.
"Tonight?" Michael frowned. "Have you and Renee made up?"
Michael had brought Aaron back, fearing he would lose his loved one, but Aaron had spent the past few days in the hospital. When did he have time to make up with his girlfriend?
"Mr. Brown, Renee and I..." Aaron sighed, all his helplessness turning into one sentence, "She won't see me. Instead of staying here, I might as well focus on work."
But he wouldn't give up. If she had found new happiness, he could step back and sincerely wish her well. But if she was just afraid of causing him trouble and danger, he would prove to her that he wasn't afraid of death and could take her away from that hell.
Matters of the heart were the hardest to understand and the most haunting. Michael couldn't even handle his own feelings, let alone advise others. Since Aaron had made his decision, there was no need to ask more.
"I understand. Contact me if you need anything over there. Stay safe."
That was all he could do. He had once thought like Aaron, using work to numb himself, but in the end, the problem remained unsolved. He hadn't won back Isabella's heart. Instead, their relationship had worsened. He didn't want Aaron to face the same disappointment. If some time apart could help Aaron and Renee, then let Aaron go.
Aaron agreed and ended the call. Michael got into his car and, before starting it, called his subordinate.
"Any news on Bianca?"
"Not yet."
Michael frowned, feeling something was off. How could Bianca disappear under everyone's noses? All traces of her couldn't just vanish unless someone was helping her!
Michael's eyes darkened. "Stop following the usual methods. Ignore any information others release. Investigate the people around her and see who's helping her."
"Yes, Mr. Brown."
The guard quickly agreed, fearing a reprimand if he delayed. But Michael hung up and drove away from the hospital, heading back to the Brown Group. He needed to find out who was backing Bianca and, more importantly, not let the Adri Family take advantage of the situation.