Chapter 248

Chapter 248

Their eyes met.

Sophia frowned.

Evelyn picked up a glass of red wine and gently swirled it. "Look over there."

Not far away, Michael's father, Patrick Johnson, had his arms around two women. At such a formal occasion, he had not only brought his son and wife, but also two mistresses.

Those two mistresses looked to be only in their twenties, yet they were fawning over a middle-aged man.

The scene was painfully awkward.

"I used to think that as long as Michael got everything, he could be happy. But is he really happy? It doesn't look that way."

Actually, over the years, Patrick had thought about returning to the family, but Evelyn simply ignored him.

In Evelyn's view, one betrayal meant no second chances.

The only reason she didn't divorce was for the sake of the heir.

But now everything should end.

"Don't worry, from now on, no one will give you trouble. Your father and I have already talked it through. You two just live your own life. As for the future, I hope you can face it seriously, support each other, understand each other, and you'll be able to live the life you imagine."

This was a mother's most genuine blessing for her son.

After Evelyn finished speaking, she didn't wait for Sophia's response and left directly.

Olivia pursed her lips. "What's going on? I feel like she was hinting at something. Do you think they're getting divorced?"

Sophia shook her head. "I don't know. Things between wealthy families can't be explained in just a few words. Everyone has their own difficulties, but their difficulties don't give them the right to bully or insult others."

The fears from the past had already sunk deep into her bones. There was no way they could peacefully coexist in this lifetime. As for Victor, Michael said he would handle it, so she didn't need to worry.

The party officially began.

According to custom, the first dance should be done by the party's host, and Mia had already walked onto the stage, even taking out a microphone.

"Michael, come on, let's dance together."

Mia looked at Michael with burning eyes and made an inviting gesture.

Under everyone's gaze, she knew Michael absolutely wouldn't refuse, at least for the sake of both families' reputations. As she expected, Michael did walk onto the stage, but he didn't dance. Instead, he put the microphone to his lips and waved his hand.

Suddenly, countless photos and videos appeared on the big screen.

Everyone gasped.

"What's going on? This young lady looks so elegant and proper on the surface, but who knew she was playing so wild in private? Is that one woman with several men? Quick, count them."

"You pervert, why are you only looking at those photos? I heard many international students like to organize these kinds of parties, but I never thought Mia would participate."

"So many handsome guys and beautiful girls, I'm so jealous. I want to join too."

The big screen was filled with photos of Mia going in and out of hotels with various men and in bed, plus many videos of wild parties.

In the videos, Mia's face was clearly visible. There was no way to deny it.

When those comments reached her ears, Mia turned around and saw what was on the big screen. Unable to bear it any longer, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

Amid everyone's mocking voices, Wesley also fainted from anger.

The farce ended with the hosts' departure.

Michael didn't say a word, yet it was as if he had said everything. He just quietly watched it all unfold. The next moment, his face was struck hard by a slap.

Victor was shaking with anger, glaring with bloodshot eyes. "You bastard, do you even know what you're doing? Don't you understand that today you've not only embarrassed them, but us as well?"

"So what? Should I just suffer for the sake of appearances?"

Most of the guests had already left. Only Sophia, Olivia, and Michael's family remained.

In the huge hall, Michael's voice reached everyone's ears clearly.

Victor was furious and raised his hand to slap again.

Just when everyone thought the slap would land, Michael suddenly grabbed Victor's arm.

"What, are you going to hit me whenever you want, like before? This hand has slapped my mother so many times. It should stop now. You're old, it's time to step down."

"What are you saying?" Victor couldn't believe it, his eyes wide.

After all, whenever he hit Evelyn, he always did it in private, never letting anyone see.

At this moment, Evelyn rushed over, trembling all over. "How do you know?"

Michael's eyes reddened as he gently put his arm around Evelyn's shoulder. "Mom, I told you, from now on, you don't need to suffer anymore. You can do whatever you want. Even if you want a divorce, to travel the world, or find a few men, I'll support you."

"You bastard, do you even know what you're saying? You're completely out of control. Are you trying to rebel?"

Hearing Michael's words, Victor was so angry that veins bulged on his forehead.

Michael remained calm and composed. "What, still want to hit someone? Everything I've done, I learned from you, didn't I? Since I was young, you told me that men don't need much emotion; they just need to be ruthless. Only by being ruthless enough can you get everything you want."

"Let me ask you, am I ruthless enough now? Am I qualified to be the family heir? Am I qualified to be your grandson? All these years, you've been domineering, hitting my mother countless times. When I made mistakes, you worried about affecting our relationship, so you forced my mother to do things she didn't like."

When everything was spoken out loud, the darkness was brought into the light.

All these years, Victor seemed to have retired and given power to Michael, but in reality, he still had strong control over the company, and hadn't even given up a single share.

And the arranged marriage wasn't Evelyn's idea. Everything she did was Victor's idea.

Including attacking Sophia and removing Sophia's uterus.

Michael strode closer, staring coldly into Victor's eyes. "Today I want to tell you, I've grown up. I can protect the people I want to protect. I absolutely won't allow the person I love to suffer any more."

"And you have no choice now. Within one day, you need to transfer all the company shares to me. Otherwise, the hospital incident will be exposed. Guess how much the company's stock will drop then. And what will happen to you?"

"Are you threatening me?" Victor, leaning on his cane, trembled and almost fell. Fortunately, Patrick rushed over to support him.

He looked up coldly, wanting to scold Michael, but the words stuck in his throat and he swallowed them back, even sighing helplessly.