Chapter 230

Chapter 230

Michael thought for a moment and gave a slight nod.

Cruz's expression relaxed. He quickened his pace to catch up with Michael, following behind him and Olivia as they walked into the living room together.

After the three of them sat down, Cruz rubbed his hands together, glancing at Olivia from the corner of his eye.

Clearly, there were things he didn't feel comfortable saying in front of Olivia.

"Then I'll..."

Olivia stood up to leave, but Michael held her hand and pressed her back down into her seat.

He lifted his eyelids and looked at Cruz: "Whatever I can hear, Oli can hear too."

Olivia's heart trembled slightly. Her eyes tightened a bit, and her back straightened unconsciously.

She sat back down next to Michael, grasping his hand in return, her fingertips gently pressing against his palm.

Since Michael was so firm about it, Cruz couldn't say anything more. After a few seconds of thought, he said: "Back then, the reason Fallon suddenly left was because she discovered Father had an illegitimate child."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Michael stood up, his brow furrowed deeply: "Nonsense!"

Cruz looked up at him, his expression unchanged, his gaze calm, as if he had long expected Michael to react this way.

Time ticked by, second by second. He just kept looking quietly at Michael, saying nothing.

It wasn't until Michael sat back down on the sofa, as if resigned to his fate, that Cruz continued: "Father treated Mother..."

Cruz paused for a few seconds and changed how he referred to her: "Father treated Fallon very well. Their relationship as a couple was always good. So when Fallon suddenly found out Father had an illegitimate child, she was so angry and couldn't accept it. On impulse, she went back to the Porter family."

"She was determined to divorce Father. She even had someone draft divorce papers and was preparing to fight Father for custody of you."

"Since the Johnson family and the Porter family's marriage alliance, the Johnson family has been the Porter family's biggest support. How could the Porter family be willing to let Fallon divorce and lose such great help?"

"So, they came up with..."

Cruz had trouble getting the rest out. After a pause, he said: "At first, the Porter family treated Fallon well, still treating her like a daughter. They even promised that if Fallon would accept the situation, the Porter family would let her take my mother's place and stay with the Porter family with dignity."

"But Fallon refused no matter what. She even tried to escape several times. The Porter family had no choice but to put her under house arrest temporarily."

"Later, when she found out my mother had successfully moved into the Johnson family, gotten pregnant, and had a child, she couldn't accept it and was quite traumatized."

"By the time the Porter family noticed, her mental state was already very bad. She even showed symptoms of split personality."

Cruz told Michael everything he knew in one breath. After finishing, he added: "Michael, if I really wanted to harm you, I wouldn't need to tell you any of this."

Michael sneered coldly: "You're telling me all this now—what do you want in exchange?"

Cruz shook his head: "I don't want anything."

He refused so decisively and frankly that it actually made Michael pause.

"Michael, it was my mother who wronged Fallon and you." Cruz lowered his head, rubbing his hands together. "I know that what they did and the harm they caused you can't be summed up in a few words."

"I just want to do something to make it up to you as much as possible."

"Michael." He took a deep breath and looked at Michael as if gathering his courage. "No matter what, we grew up together as brothers."

Olivia could clearly feel Michael's fingers twitch, the temperature of his palm rising bit by bit.

Cruz's words had probably touched the softest place in his heart.

Olivia held his hand, her cool fingertips gently squeezing twice in his palm.

Michael curled his fingers in response.

She felt reassured and looked up at Cruz: "How do you know all this?"

Cruz's gaze lingered on both her and Michael's faces for a moment before he sighed deeply: "Aaron told me."

"He was Father's illegitimate child back then."

---

Olivia felt like thunder was roaring in her ears. Her temples throbbed twice. She furrowed her brow tightly and asked in a low voice, her throat tight: "You're talking about Aaron?"

Cruz stared at her and nodded solemnly: "Yes."

"The reason Aaron came back to Emerald City and joined forces with Uncle Liam was because he wanted revenge on the Porter family and the Johnson family."

"Back then, after Aaron's mother gave birth to Aaron, she was always weak and sickly. Father once promised her that he would bring her back to the Johnson family and give her status."

"But unexpectedly, after Father told Fallon about the illegitimate child, Fallon cried endlessly, and Father couldn't keep his promise to her."

"Later, when the two daughters of the Porter family switched identities, my mother would never tolerate her."

"So my mother went to see her behind Father's back. According to Aaron, they talked in the room for a long time that night, but Aaron doesn't know what they actually said."

"All he knows is that after Fallon left, his mother coughed up blood and died."

"All these years, Aaron has been secretly planning so that one day he could return to Emerald City for revenge."

"Last night, he took me to his mother's grave and told me everything, inviting me to join him in going after you."

"In return, Aaron promised that if I would help him, after it was done, he wouldn't hold my mother accountable for what happened back then."

Cruz laid everything he knew out on the table. After finishing, he seemed drained of energy, his back softening as he leaned against the sofa without speaking.

Much of what he said was information even Michael hadn't uncovered yet.

No wonder he always felt like there was a missing puzzle piece when investigating the Johnson family's past.

Every time the investigation reached a critical point, that missing piece would plunge everything back into fog.

So the key was here all along.

"Since you know all this, why didn't you choose to work with him? Why are you telling me instead?" Michael asked.

With what Aaron had in his hands, if he exposed it, the Johnson family would become the center of public opinion, and Michael, the current head of the Johnson family, would be drowned in controversy.

Then Opal could strike, and the Johnson family would be hers for the taking.

Cruz would naturally inherit the Johnson family.

Publicly or privately, emotionally or logically, Cruz shouldn't be turning around to help Michael at this time.

Michael looked suspicious, staring at him quietly.

Under his sharp, knife-like gaze, Cruz felt as if he had been seen right through, easily and completely.

He took a deep breath: "Michael, whether you believe it or not, I know what I'm capable of, and I've never wanted to compete with you for the Johnson family."

"I just hope you can trust me, that we brothers can work together to protect the Johnson family business and drive Aaron out of Emerald City."

"Of course, I have my own selfish reasons too."

"If we succeed, I hope you can forgive my mother for what she did back then, for my sake, and let us mother and son go abroad to live out our days in peace."