Chapter 317 To the Death

Chapter 317 To the Death

The moment he finished speaking, he took Isabella's hand and walked toward William.

Panic shot through me. I hurried after them.

I watched as he stood in front of Phoenix, and in front of all the Brown family relatives and friends, pushed Isabella forward. "Isabella, say hello to William."

Isabella pouted, reluctantly mumbling in a small voice, "Hi, Great-uncle."

William was standing beside Phoenix. When he heard this, he barely glanced over, as if he hadn't heard a thing. He turned and walked toward the entrance of the funeral hall to greet newly arrived guests, not sparing Michael another look.

Phoenix's face turned pale with anger. She glared daggers at Michael, but out of consideration for the occasion, she only let out a heavy snort and said nothing.

Michael said with a half-smile, "Phoenix, you should take care of your health. At your age, staying calm is the key to longevity."

I couldn't take it anymore. I quickly stepped forward, reached inside his arm, and pinched him hard. "That's enough!"

Michael hissed in pain, his expression shifting instantly.

When Michael met the coldness in my eyes, he probably realized that pushing further would do him no good. He finally backed off.

He rubbed his arm and turned back toward the Johnson family guest area.

I watched his retreating figure and let out a long breath. Then I turned to look in William's direction.

He was standing in front of the portrait, his back to me.

As if sensing my gaze, his eyes deepened, unreadable.

My chest tightened. I really didn't understand—what was the point of William telling me to go along with Michael lately?

Was he really just going to let Michael keep acting crazy?

After Imogen's funeral ended, the guests gradually dispersed, and the funeral music slowly faded.

I was helping clean up when Phoenix suddenly waved me over, her voice gentle but tinged with urgency. "Evelyn, come here. I need to talk to you."

I quickly walked to her side. Before she could speak, I bowed my head. "Grandma, I apologize on Michael's behalf for all the awful things he said today."

But Phoenix shook her head gently, took my hand, and patted it, her tone full of concern. "Evelyn, you're not the one who needs to apologize. What I want to know is—why are you tangled up with him again?"

She sighed, her eyes full of confusion. "At a time like this, you didn't have to show up with him at all. You're my granddaughter in name. You could've come with me to pay respects to William's mother. That would've been perfectly legitimate. Why… why put yourself through this?"

I squeezed Phoenix's hand and leaned close to her ear, lowering my voice. "William told me to do this. He said to go along with Michael for now and not to get into conflicts with him."

I paused, then added, "He must have his reasons. I just don't know what he's planning yet."

"William told you to do this?"

Phoenix's head snapped up, her face full of surprise. Then a look of confusion crossed her features. "That doesn't make sense! That bastard Michael is about to marry you. Don't tell me… William's really going to let you become that guy's bride?"

I shook my head helplessly. "He hasn't explained it to me either."

Phoenix said, "No, I'm going to ask him about this later! What is that boy up to, keeping even me in the dark?"

But as soon as she finished speaking, her eyes filled with trust in her grandson. "That said, if William told you to do this, then just follow his instructions. He's always been unconventional in his methods. He never fights a battle unprepared. Just trust his plan."

Hearing Phoenix's words, most of my anxiety melted away.

So what exactly was William's plan to stop this farce and help me escape?

Just then, Michael walked over, holding Isabella's hand.

Though his expression was deliberately gentle, there was a trace of dissatisfaction in his eyes. "Evelyn, it's getting late. We should go."

As he spoke, he reached out to grab my wrist.

I instinctively pulled away from his touch. Then I turned to Phoenix and politely bowed. "Grandma, we'll head back now. Please get some rest."

Phoenix shot Michael a cold glance, then pulled my hand and squeezed it firmly, her tone full of concern. "Take care of yourself. Call me anytime if you need anything."

Michael, standing to the side, looked impatient but still maintained a veneer of gentlemanly composure. His tone, however, was laced with sarcasm. "Phoenix, don't worry. Evelyn is my wife. Naturally, I'll take good care of her. I won't give any other man an opening."

Phoenix let out a cold laugh and shot back without hesitation, "Then I hope Mr. Johnson can actually follow through on his words! Just don't make bold claims now only to be slapped in the face later."

Michael's expression stiffened, but he didn't argue further. He just tugged on Isabella's hand and urged, "Let's go."

I followed him out of the funeral hall. We didn't speak the entire way.

As we neared his car, Michael suddenly stopped and muttered under his breath, his tone cold, "Phoenix sure has a nasty temper. At her age, still so bitter. She probably won't live much longer."

"Michael!"

I whipped around, glaring at him, my voice filled with fury. "Watch your mouth! You're a grown man cursing an elderly woman in front of a child. Do you have no shame?"

Michael's expression shifted slightly. He looked down at Isabella beside him and said gently, "Sweetheart, Mommy and Daddy need to talk for a minute. Can you wait in the car for us?"

Isabella had already sensed the tension. Hearing this, she quickly climbed into the car.

Once the car door closed, I said, "What? Now you're trying to shield Isabella? Are you afraid she'll find out what a shameless father she has?"

Michael stepped closer, his face dark, his voice lowering. "I'm afraid she'll find out that while her father was being dragged down and going through the hardest time of his life, her mother was lying in bed with the man responsible!"

The second he finished speaking, I slapped him across the face.

Michael's head snapped to the side. The surroundings fell silent, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind.

After a long moment, he slowly turned his head back, his eyes burning with near-obsessive madness.

"Hit a nerve, did I? Did I say something that hurt?"

He stepped forward, staring me down. "Before, I wanted to make it up to you. I even thought about letting you go. If you wanted a divorce, that was fine. But now?"

He let out a bitter laugh, his tone vicious. "Since you want to team up with another man to destroy me, since you're so eager to cuckold me, then you're never leaving me. Not in this lifetime. I don't care if I lose the Johnson Group! But William will never have you! Evelyn, this is war. You and me. To the death."

I was frightened by the reckless desperation in his eyes. My fingers felt ice-cold.

I yanked open the car door, pulled Isabella out, and left with her.

The next day, in a café in the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a cold, translucent glow on the pale-skinned woman sitting by the window.

Verity looked at the stern man sitting across from her. "Did Charles send you?"

William's tone was calm and emotionless. "Charles doesn't know I'm here."

Verity let out a soft laugh, tinged with self-mockery. "I've heard for a long time that Mr. Brown is very capable. Seeing you today, I can confirm it's true."