Chapter 359
The next morning.
Michael squinted against the sunlight streaming through the window, raising a hand to shield his eyes. To his surprise, he saw his mother, Stella, asleep in a chair by his bed.
"Mom? What are you doing here?"
Michael thought he was still at Elysian Heights Estate, the home he shared with his wife, Isabella. Stella rarely visited him there.
Stella, a light sleeper, woke up instantly at the sound of his voice. She realized her son was still hungover and confused about where he was.
She glared at him, "Open your eyes and look around. This is the Brown Villa, not your place. You're a grown man, Michael. When will you stop making me worry?"
Michael looked around and finally recognized the familiar surroundings. Ethan had brought him back to the Brown Villa last night.
He was in the master bedroom on the second floor, the room he and Isabella had shared for a long time. It was filled with memories of her, memories he had been avoiding.
Now, seeing these familiar scenes, he finally understood why Isabella couldn't forgive him.
He had been such a jerk.
She had treated him with genuine love, and he had taken it for granted, neglecting her in countless ways.
Stella saw the pale look on his face and reached out to touch his forehead. "Michael, are you okay? Does your head still hurt?"
Seeing his mother had stayed up all night to take care of him, Michael shook his head and gently held her hand.
"I'm fine, Mom. I'm sorry for worrying you."
He had been so immature, always thinking his mother was too controlling, trying to manage every aspect of his life.
So he had rebelled against her at every turn.
He never paid attention to family matters.
It wasn't until everything happened with Isabella that he started to focus on his family. He realized how much he had neglected.
His understanding of his mother began to change.
If he had shown more concern for his mother back then, maybe she wouldn't have blamed Isabella for his rebellion.
He had been indifferent, leaving his mother to believe that all his unhappiness was caused by Isabella.
This had made her increasingly harsh towards Isabella.
Now that he finally saw the truth, it was too late.
"A mother worrying about her child is only natural. As long as you're okay, I'll do anything," Stella said, her voice choking with emotion.
She sighed, "Michael, I can see everything clearly now. If you can't let go of Isabella, go and win her back. But you have to treat her well this time."
Stella reflected on her own actions. "I was misled by the Taylor family's lies and blamed everything on Isabella. If she comes back to the Brown family, I'll really nice to her."
The recent events had made Stella realize a lot.
She wouldn't interfere in Michael's marriage anymore.
But she wondered if it was too late for her to change, and if Isabella would forgive her past mistakes.
"Mom, it's good that you understand, but please stay out of my business with Isabella."
Michael couldn't bring himself to tell her about the miscarriage, so he kept it a secret for now.
"Where's Ethan? He brought me back last night. Did he leave?"
Michael remembered the drinking session with Ethan. They had both had a lot to drink. He wondered how Ethan was doing now.
"Ethan left already," Stella said, recalling the report from the servant last night. "He was going to stay the night, but he got a call and left in a hurry."
"He left in the middle of the night?"
Michael was surprised.
He couldn't understand what could be so urgent for Ethan to leave in the middle of the night.
He knew Ethan's parents were in good health, and the company didn't need Ethan's attention. Ethan usually spent his time partying or racing.
Maybe Ethan had found something new and exciting.
Seeing it was getting late, Michael got up to leave. "Mom, I have to go to the office."
Stella quickly stopped him. "Michael, you haven't been home in a while. Your grandfather has been in a bad mood since attending Daniel's funeral yesterday. Why don't you spend some time with him?"
Michael hesitated. "It's better if I don't. Seeing me will only make him angrier."
He remembered how Aiden had been upset when Isabella returned the gemstone pendant.
Aiden's eyes had been red with sorrow.
Now that the baby was gone, Michael felt even more ashamed to face Aiden.
If Aiden asked about Isabella, he didn't know if he could keep lying.
Stella understood and sighed, not pressing the issue.
"Alright, I'll have the servants make you some hot porridge. You drank a lot last night, and your stomach must be upset."
"No need, Mom. I'm not hungry. I'll eat something at the office."
It was clear Michael was avoiding Aiden, and Stella had to go along with it.
He wasn't a child anymore; she couldn't make decisions for him.
"Okay, go ahead."
As Michael headed downstairs, he saw Sophia waiting.
Sophia was Aiden's personal attendant.
"Mr. Michael Brown, Mr. Aiden Brown has been waiting for you. Please follow me," she said respectfully.
Michael was taken aback.
He hadn't expected Aiden to have someone waiting for him.
"Sophia, there's an urgent meeting at the office. Tell my grandfather I'll see him later."
Sophia interrupted him, "Mr. Michael Brown, you know Mr. Aiden Brown's temper. You should go see him."
"Besides, Mr. Aiden Brown said no company matter is more important than what he has to say. You should consider what's more important."
Michael pressed his lips together, knowing Aiden was angry.
It made sense.
Aiden must have connected the dots about Isabella and Michael's relationship after she returned the pendant. He was bound to confront Michael sooner or later.
There was no point in avoiding it.
Michael nodded to Sophia and headed to Aiden's quarters.
In the backyard garden, Aiden was sitting at a table, enjoying his coffee and the flowers, looking quite relaxed.
But Michael knew better than to be complacent. The calmer Aiden seemed, the more uneasy Michael felt.
Sophia left them alone, and Michael took a few steps forward, calling out obediently.
"Grandpa!"
Aiden snorted, "You finally decided to show up. Sit down!"