Chapter 223

Fallon made up her mind - she had to blow this whole thing up today.

The bigger the better.

She wanted everyone to see how Michael treated his own brother for the sake of a woman who wasn't even married into the family yet.

Could someone like this really be fit to run the Johnson Group?

How dare those Johnson Group shareholders hand the company over to someone like him?

Michael ignored her threats.

He stared at her, but his words were directed at Byron. "Take Mrs. Johnson downstairs. Assign someone to watch her closely. She's not to leave her room without my orders."

Fallon's face went pale with shock. "Michael, what are you doing? You want to put me under house arrest? You wouldn't dare!"

Michael calmly looked away, casually adjusting his sleeves as he said coolly, "What wouldn't I dare?"

"You just said it yourself - at the end of the day, this is Johnson family business."

"I'm still the rightful head of the Johnson family. Since it's family business, why wouldn't I dare handle it?"

"I'm your mother." Seeing Byron and his men closing in, Fallon backed away in panic, shrieking. "If you put me under house arrest, aren't you afraid people will find out and call you heartless for treating your own mother this way?"

Michael could see clearly that as Fallon spoke, her eyes kept darting toward the room where Aaron was staying.

Either she was hoping Aaron would come out and speak up for her.

Or she was trying to tip Aaron off.

Michael sneered coldly, stepping in front of Fallon to block her line of sight. "Why don't you tell me - since I've already decided to put you under house arrest, how would the news possibly get out?"

"Unless there's someone here who would do your bidding?"

Michael's menacing gaze swept across everyone present before settling back on Fallon. "If you ask me, not a single person here will do your bidding. Mom, just stay in your room peacefully. When you're ready to tell me who really sent me those photos, then you can come out."

He pressed down on Fallon's shoulder and patted it twice, then waved his hand slightly. Byron immediately brought two people forward to escort Fallon away.

Cruz tried to follow, but Michael blocked him with one arm.

He glanced sideways at Cruz, his voice cold. "I need to talk to you."

When that icy presence got this close, Cruz felt like he'd been thrown into a freezer on a cold day - suffocating. Every hair on his body stood on end.

He was still reeling from the pain, his face and body covered in injuries, his legs so weak he could barely stand.

But Michael's sharp eyes were fixed on him without blinking, making Cruz afraid to even collapse. He could only nod through the pain. "Whatever you want to say, go ahead. I'm listening."

What seemed like just a moment was actually Cruz thinking through many things.

He figured that after what happened, Michael must be furious. Keeping him here now was probably just giving him some dignity out of consideration for their shared mother, letting him leave the Johnson family quietly on his own.

Actually, he'd thought about it last night too.

If he stayed in the Johnson family and let Fallon keep causing trouble like this, sooner or later he and Michael would become enemies.

Cruz didn't want things to reach that point between brothers. After thinking it over, he decided the best solution was to leave the Johnson family with Fallon and never appear in front of Michael again.

So if Michael really was going to kick him out, he'd agree immediately without any hesitation.

But unexpectedly, Michael raised his chin toward the sofa, indicating he should sit down.

After he sat, Michael poured him a cup of coffee and said slowly, "I want to hear your version of what happened today."

At these words, Cruz's hand holding the coffee cup trembled slightly. His brow furrowed as he looked at Michael in disbelief. "Michael, what did you say?"

Hear his version?

Did Michael think his account would be different from what Fallon just said?

Or was it that in his heart they were still brothers, and he was more willing to trust him after all?

"What?" Michael raised an eyebrow. "Is your mother's story the same as what you want to say?"

"No, it's not." Cruz quickly shook his head.

"Good." Michael's expression relaxed slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. "Then you tell me - where did the photos come from, and who used an encrypted ID to send them to my phone?"

"Who have you and Mrs. Johnson teamed up with? How did you team up?"

It took Cruz a few seconds to understand. "Michael, you're saying the person who sent you the photos wasn't Mom, but someone else?"

Those eyes, somewhat similar to Michael's, widened, staring at him earnestly and unblinkingly.

If Cruz hadn't spent so much time with Fallon and learned to act, and if he didn't know about Fallon and Aaron working together, even he wouldn't have known.

Michael studied him for a few seconds, choosing to believe the latter.

"Yes." He set down his cup and nodded. "Not only is it someone else, but they're a world-class hacker hiding in the shadows."

Cruz's body went limp, his eyes blank, as if struck by lightning.

No wonder Michael made such a big deal of this, insisting on forcing the truth out of Fallon - there was this person he knew nothing about behind it all.

Cruz thought for a few seconds, then immediately raised his right hand in a swearing gesture. "Michael, believe me, I really don't know who this person you're talking about is."

"I don't know what kind of relationship Mom has with him or how deep their connection is."

Cruz looked at Michael sincerely, worried he wouldn't believe him, and added. "I'm telling the truth. At this point, I have no reason to lie to you, Michael."

Michael believed him without Cruz having to say more.

Although Fallon had imprisoned her own sister, entered the Johnson family under false pretenses, and used every trick on him, she treated Cruz, her biological son, incredibly well.

She wouldn't let Cruz get close to a dangerous character like Aaron, nor would she let him know about it.

"I believe you." Michael nodded. "But you have to tell me everything you know, down to the last detail."

Cruz nodded repeatedly, not daring to hide anything anymore. He explained clearly how Fallon planned for him to seduce Olivia, how he went to Olivia's room, and where that photo came from.

However, he deliberately hid the fact that he and Olivia knew Michael was William, and that they'd seen him spend a fortune buying that pink diamond for that woman.

"You're saying you watched last night's auction too?" Michael's fingers curled slightly, his body leaning forward, a hint of tension appearing on his usually calm face.

Cruz saw it clearly, assuming Michael was worried about his affair being discovered. He answered awkwardly, "Yes, we watched. But we didn't watch till the end. It was too late, so I went back to rest early."