Chapter 187
The phone rang.
Michael answered the call.
Joshua's anxious voice came through, "Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Johnson is here."
Diana's heart tightened, her heartbeat quickened, and her eyes darted around the room.
Diana ran to the bathroom, then to the closet, but felt neither place was right.
The sound of high heels clicking on the floor approached.
The footsteps got closer and closer.
In a panic, the moment the door opened, Diana dove under the bed.
Michael was helpless.
Seeing Diana's adorable appearance, a slight smile curved at the corner of his lips.
The door opened, and Cleo walked in from outside, with Joshua following behind her.
Something hit the floor with a heavy thud. Diana's heart jumped, she held her breath, not daring to breathe.
Then, Cleo's voice rang out.
"Why on earth are you hurt? Why did you go mountain climbing?" Cleo's cold voice carried an accusatory tone.
Michael was silent for a moment, his face darkening, "I can take responsibility for my own affairs."
"You're getting more and more out of line. I've already discussed it with the Hill family, and we'll hold an engagement party for you two in a few days. Listen carefully—if you don't want to get engaged, fine, then just wait to collect my body."
The last few words were said through gritted teeth.
The room fell into an eerie silence.
After a long while, Michael sighed, "Does it have to be this way? I really don't understand why you're forcing me. You were also a victim of an arranged marriage, so why would you harm another woman?"
"Shut up, I have no choice either. Think it through—if you don't get together with Ruby, then what if something happens?"
Hearing Michael's accusation, Cleo kept clutching her chest with her hand, clearly in pain.
"The company's inheritance rights must be in your hands. My years of effort cannot go to waste."
After all these years, the reason she hadn't divorced was to let Michael grow up and completely take control of the company.
Now only the last step remained.
She absolutely would not allow any accidents to happen.
Cleo's eyes stared at him intently, "You can do whatever you want, but then never acknowledge me as your mother again."
The footsteps grew more distant, followed by an oppressive atmosphere.
Diana crawled out from under the bed, her eyes complex, but she said nothing.
"You should rest for a bit, I also have some things to handle."
Some things didn't need to be said—they both understood.
Michael was an extremely filial person. Even if he had his own ideas, he would never disregard Cleo's life or take it lightly.
And Cleo's attitude represented the Johnson family's attitude.
For the two of them to be together openly and legitimately was too difficult.
Moreover, would Diana even be willing to face these difficulties together with Michael?
Diana had a very clear understanding of herself—she knew she was an extremely selfish person, unwilling to sacrifice for Michael, and even less willing to suffer grievances for him.
Diana returned to her hospital room, just about to contact Nora to discuss company matters, when the door was suddenly kicked open.
Seeing the person at the door, Diana was extremely shocked, but quickly accepted it.
Cleo walked in, looking around with disgust, "You're hospitalized and your family doesn't even know. Someone like you doesn't deserve Michael. Being a mistress is fine, but if you want to marry into the family, don't even think about it."
"You've got some nerve, actually daring to let Michael get hurt for you. Take a look at what you are. I know you don't care about your father, or those two siblings, but don't you care about your grandmother either?"
Since she wanted to deal with Diana, Cleo naturally investigated everything thoroughly.
She knew that Finn and the others couldn't control Diana, so she could only use Orla as leverage.
Diana's whole body trembled, the smile on her face quietly disappeared, and she looked over coldly, "What do you want to do? You want to hurt my grandmother?"
"You know what? The thing I hate most in my life is being threatened. You think I have a weakness, but don't you have one too?"
"You're Michael's mother, so naturally you don't want any rift between me and Michael because of you. But if you push me too far, I can do anything."
"Like today's incident—you threatening me like this, believe it or not, I'll immediately run to your Michael and cry about it. Guess whether he'll side with me or with you then."
"Loving but not having is what's most unforgettable, and with my methods, I can do many things. Don't believe me? Try it."
Cleo never expected Diana to have such audacity.
You have to understand, as Michael's mother, she was respected wherever she went. Moreover, in her view, if Diana really wanted to be with Michael, she should be respectful and deferential to her, not rude like this.
Cleo's face turned iron-blue, angry veins bulging on her forehead.
Diana remained calm and composed, taking out her phone and casually flipping through the photo album, then showing some previously taken photos to her.
"You're shameless."
"I'm not the only shameless one. The person in the photos isn't just me, there's also Michael. If you're going to scold someone, you should scold both of us together, right?"
Diana looked at those intimate photos with interest. Actually, there wasn't much to them—just the two of them hugging and embracing. They looked intimate, but in reality, many of the photos were staged.
Watching Cleo grow increasingly angry, Diana's smile became even brighter.
"Like I said, if you threaten me, I can use my own methods too. And if you dare do anything to my family, I won't hold back either. If you don't believe me, you can look at what happened to Rhiannon."
At the mention of Rhiannon, a wary expression appeared on Cleo's face.
After all, Rhiannon had already been sent abroad and wouldn't be back anytime soon.
And now the Wright family had become a laughingstock in their circle because of Diana. A prestigious family, actually played like that by a young girl.
Now whenever anyone mentioned the Wright family, they would show meaningful looks.
"What will it take for you to leave Michael?"