Chapter 160
Mason froze, staring at Michael in shock, then looked at Nora, "Nori..."
"You don't understand?" Michael's voice was low.
Mason was afraid of Michael. He nervously clenched his hands, looking at Nora as if begging her to give him an explanation.
Michael just found Mason ridiculous.
The guy had a wife and kids, never really cared about Nora, but now he was acting like he was the one being abandoned.
"Michael! You can't be with Nora..." James said anxiously.
"Do I need your permission to be with someone?" Michael's voice was low and cold, making it clear he hadn't come back today for peace and harmony.
"Bad guy!" Samuel glared angrily at James.
Before Nora could react, Samuel rushed forward and bit James's hand.
"Little bastard!" James cursed in pain and raised his hand to hit Samuel.
Michael grabbed James's wrist and squeezed hard.
James's face twisted in pain as he glared at Michael with fury, "You know perfectly well that Nora is my girlfriend."
"Who are you calling a bastard?" Michael kept squeezing.
James's wrist dislocated. He gritted his teeth through the pain, "He IS a little bastard!"
"Then what does that make you?" Michael glanced at Luna approaching and pushed James away, "When your mom got pregnant out of wedlock and secretly gave birth to you, what were you called? A bastard? Or an illegitimate child?"
"Michael! If you've got a problem, come at me! Why bring my mom into this!" James tried to attack Michael.
Nora nervously stepped in front of Michael instinctively, biting her lip as she looked at James.
James froze, just staring at Nora.
She was actually protecting Michael?
Before, Nora had always protected him.
Back in school, when he got into fights, even though he could handle himself, Nora would still stand in front of him, scared he might get hurt.
But now, Nora was protecting someone else.
"Michael, if you have a problem, take it out on me. James is your own brother," Luna rushed over crying and hugged James, "Michael, how could you hit James?"
Michael watched Luna's performance and pulled Nora behind him, "Worthy of being Emerald City Opera House's star back in the day. After all these years, you still know how to put on a show."
Luna froze, then bit her teeth in anger.
"Michael! Is that any way to talk to Luna!" Nolan's voice was low with anger, "Everyone inside. Don't make a scene at the door."
"You still care about losing face?" Michael laughed, "Luna had her assistant poison my room. If I had died, would you think that's embarrassing?"
Nolan's face darkened. Unable to justify himself, he spoke in a low, tense voice, "There's been a misunderstanding. It was all Luna's assistant acting on her own. I've already dealt with her. We're all family. Since nothing serious happened, let's not pursue it."
"Listen to yourself. Does that even sound human?" Michael picked up Samuel with one arm.
Samuel cooperatively shook his head, "Not human."
Nora's back was sweating with tension. She quietly told Samuel not to say anything.
"Mommy, is he Daddy's daddy? Why doesn't he protect his own child as a father?" Samuel looked confused, "If a daddy can't be a superhero who protects his kids, then that daddy is really bad at his job."
Nolan's face filled with rage.
"Any wild child can enter the Smith family now? Butler! Show them out," Nolan said angrily.
"Even a child understands this, but you don't. How sad," Michael sneered, taking Nora's hand, "Since the Smith family doesn't welcome us, no need to show us out. We'll leave on our own."
"Michael! If you walk out that door today, don't think about coming back!" Nolan threatened Michael, his hands shaking with anger.
"Michael, it's all my fault. Don't be angry with your father, please. I'll do anything you ask, just please don't upset your father. His health isn't good," Luna rushed forward crying, blocking Michael's way, "Michael, your father's health has been poor all these years. He really misses you."
"If my dad's health is bad, isn't that your fault? You haven't been taking care of him properly, and you have the nerve to bring it up?" Michael looked at Luna, "Or are you saying that without you taking care of him, my dad might live a few more years?"
"You!" Luna was almost too angry to keep up her act.
"Michael, you're going too far. My mom didn't try to harm you. It was that assistant who wanted to hurt you. You made enemies yourself. Who else can you blame?" James said furiously, completely breaking with Michael.
Before, he had still been wary of Michael.
But today, when he heard Michael call Nora his sister-in-law, he felt like he was going crazy.
Why!
Nora was his. If he didn't want her, even if he destroyed her, he wouldn't give her to Michael!
If he couldn't have her, he would destroy her. He wouldn't let anyone else have her.
Nora was his!
"You're disgusting," Nora looked at James, her eyes full of disappointment and disgust.
She never imagined she had loved this man for so many years.
"Nora!" James was losing control.
"Michael, let the outsiders leave first," Nolan took a deep breath, planning to calm Michael down, "Let's talk properly as a family."
"Nora is not an outsider," Michael looked at Nolan firmly.
If Nora and Samuel left, he would leave too.
"You!" Nolan was so angry his blood pressure rose.
"Nolan," Luna quickly stepped forward to support him.
Michael opened his phone and played a recording of Luna's assistant admitting that Luna had instructed her to put sulfuric acid in the water.
"Can we talk properly now?" Michael looked at Nolan, "I don't just have this audio. I also have phone call recordings from the assistant's phone. If Father wants to hear them, I can play those too."
Nolan's face turned terrifyingly dark as he glared at Luna furiously.
Luna was clearly panicking too, her face pale as she looked at Michael, "Michael, she did this on purpose. This assistant has bad intentions. I admit I was a poor judge of character, but someone with such bad intentions must have been deliberately sent to destroy our family's harmony. Michael, you have to believe me. Haven't I been good to you all these years?"
"You really won't give up," Michael sneered, "Father, the Smith family image you've worked so hard to maintain has been destroyed just like that. What a shame."
"Michael, what do you want to do!" Nolan looked at Michael in shock, "I'm telling you, this matter absolutely cannot get out. Don't air dirty laundry in public. Whatever conflicts we have, we'll solve them privately!"
"Luna, apologize to Michael now. If you can't get his forgiveness today, get out of the Smith family," Nolan was starting to play the sympathy card.
Michael sneered, "If apologies worked, what would we need police for?"
"Michael, that bottle of water was meant for Nora to drink. You never drink bottled water. Are you making a big deal out of nothing over some woman?" Nolan dropped the pretense and angrily told the truth.
It was clear that Nolan had known all along what Luna was doing.
It was never the assistant acting on her own.
Michael looked at Nolan with disappointment. This was his father.
Truly disgusting.
"Someone went after my woman, and this response is making a big deal out of nothing?" Michael laughed, "Then you really underestimate me."
As soon as Michael finished speaking, police sirens sounded outside the villa, along with a swarm of reporters' vehicles, noisy voices, and flashing lights.
He hadn't just notified the police, he'd also notified the media.