Chapter 222

Whether the two of them teamed up after coming to the Johnson family, or were already connected before joining the Johnson family, it was enough to prove that Aaron was definitely not as innocent as she had thought.

Olivia's heart was in turmoil.

On one hand, she panicked that she had really misjudged Aaron and brought unnecessary trouble to Michael.

On the other hand, she worried that if Aaron really had connections with Fallon before coming to the Johnson family, hadn't she let a wolf into the house for Michael?

The pile of problems at the Johnson family was already giving him enough headaches. Adding Aaron's situation on top of that—had she caused Michael more trouble again?

The more Olivia thought about it, the more flustered she became, her hands gripping tighter and tighter.

Until Michael's large palm covered the back of her hand.

His tone was gentle as he said softly, "It's okay, don't worry."

Michael looked at her with smiling eyes. "At least now we know the two of them are working together, so we can prepare. Don't worry, I've got this."

He curved his lips, smiling warmly and naturally.

Seeing Michael's expression, Olivia's restless heart actually calmed down.

She let out a long breath and nodded slightly. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just like earlier—fight with me." Michael reached out to play with her hair. "Since they sent me those photos trying to drive a wedge between us, let's put on a show for them."

"Once they let their guard down, I can figure out what their relationship really is and when they met."

As he spoke, Michael thought of something and smiled more comfortably. "I never realized before that you're quite the actress. Downstairs just now, I almost thought you were really going to protect Cruz and turn against me."

Olivia made a sound, her expression freezing. Her hands twisted together, her delicate eyebrows knitting tightly, her eyes full of unease.

Seeing her look like this, Michael's smile gradually faded. His brows drew together slightly as he asked tentatively, "Oli, you didn't actually mean it, did you? Or do you really plan to..."

"No." Olivia covered his mouth to interrupt him. The corners of her mouth twitched a few times, so guilty that her eyes wandered, unable to look at him at all. "I was just acting, just acting."

How could Michael believe her flustered appearance?

Just as he was about to ask more questions, Byron knocked on the door outside.

Michael hadn't gotten the full story yet and was still holding Olivia's hand, not planning to acknowledge what was happening outside.

But Olivia was too flustered to face him, so she quickly called out toward the door, "Come in."

Byron pushed open the door to see Michael tightly holding Olivia's hand, his brows furrowed, staring at him with slight displeasure.

The atmosphere in the room was extremely awkward.

His heart trembled, and he instinctively wanted to back away.

"Byron." Olivia stopped Byron. "Did you find something out?"

As she spoke, she gently pushed away Michael's hand, her slender shoulder bumping against his arm, somewhat like acting cute.

She rarely showed such a sweet side. Even though Michael had many doubts in his heart, most of them were now dispelled. He raised his eyelids to look at Byron and nodded casually, signaling him to answer.

Byron nodded. "Yes. Mrs. Johnson was worried Cruz couldn't hold out, so she's already said that she did take the photo and she was the one who sent it to Mr. Johnson."

His implication: No one else helped throughout the whole process—it was all Fallon acting alone.

Olivia's brows knitted into a deep furrow, and her heart sank with a sense of foreboding.

Even at this point, Fallon was still protecting Aaron. This showed that their relationship was probably even deeper than she had thought.

Her red lips pressed into a line, her teeth biting into her lip leaving a deep white mark.

Olivia let out a long breath, turned to look at Michael, and told him her speculation. "Fallon is so determined to protect Aaron—it seems they have quite a close relationship."

Michael's nostrils flared as he snorted. "So what? It's all about mutual interests anyway. This kind of alliance is completely unreliable."

"As long as we find the point of interest connecting them, we can easily break through."

Michael narrowed his eyes at Olivia. "With all that commotion downstairs, Aaron didn't even show up. He's probably hiding somewhere waiting to watch the show."

Olivia understood what he meant. She pouted and stood up, placing her hands on her waist and saying softly, "In that case, Mr. Johnson, don't blame me for being harsh."

After speaking, she playfully blinked, rolled up her sleeves in a dramatic fashion, spread her five fingers, and gestured a few times toward Michael's face.

Michael was amused by her expression. He actively pressed his face under her palm, looking up with an indulgent expression. "Alright, what harsh measures does Ms. Smith plan to use?"

---

The violent noise upstairs shook the floorboards so much they seemed to tremble.

The people on the first floor were startled and looked up at the same time.

They saw Michael stumbling backward out of the study. If Byron hadn't been there to catch him in time, he would have fallen.

His suit jacket was half open, with one side of his shirt tucked into his pants and the other hanging messily at his waist.

Michael steadied himself, ran his hand through his hair, and pointed into the room, shouting, "Olivia, you're being unreasonable!"

"Yes, I am being unreasonable." Olivia's sharp voice cut through the quiet of the villa. "Since you're doubting me over one photo, what reason do I have to talk to you about?"

"Michael, let me make this clear—I know nothing about that photo. If you don't believe me, go ahead and investigate. If you can't find anything, that's your own incompetence. Don't come questioning me."

"I'm not anyone to you—you don't control me!"

With that, the study door slammed shut.

From the first floor, it looked like the door had slammed shut right against Michael's nose. The wind it created made his hanging shirttail flutter, casting a layer of bleakness over his disheveled figure.

The air froze for a few seconds before Michael angrily turned and went downstairs, heading straight for the living room.

He usually dressed impeccably, always looking refined and restrained. When had anyone present ever seen him in such a disheveled state?

The Johnson family servants, led by Remy, all looked worried.

But Fallon could barely suppress the corners of her mouth, looking at him smugly.

She knew it—no matter how decisive Michael was outside, what did it matter?

He couldn't escape the fact that he was ultimately a man.

And a man as devoted as his father Axel.

As they say, heroes can't resist the temptation of beauty.

Especially men like them—once they get caught up in feelings, they'll never be free for the rest of their lives.

Back then, hadn't she successfully gotten pregnant with Cruz by taking advantage of that man's feelings for her sister, the real Fallon?

While Fallon was lost in thought, Michael had already walked up to her.

His cold gaze fixed on her face, his tone icy and deep. "I'll ask you one more time—did anyone else help you with the photo?"

"No." Fallon didn't even blink. "Michael, no matter how you look at it, this is just a Johnson family matter."

"But you beat Cruz up like this. I'm calling the police!"