Chapter 857 She Wouldn't Take It

Chapter 857 She Wouldn't Take It

Transferring company shares was never a small matter.

When Atticus first saw the contract, he called Isabella over and told her it was her decision to make. 

In the end, she refused Michael's offer, and Atticus understood why. The Wilson Family had been raised on the same principle for generations: you could fight for what you wanted, but you never took what belonged to someone else. That was a line they did not cross.

This time, they were not after Michael's assets. They just wanted to see whether he truly meant the promises he had made. His attitude mattered far more than any material gain. On that, the five Wilson brothers were united.

Then a sharp voice cut through the air.

"I don't agree!"

Isabella's gaze shot from Michael to her uncles, frustration boiling over. "Atticus, what exactly is this supposed to be?"

"I've told you already — the kidnapping was an accident. That man came for me from the start. This had nothing to do with Michael. Why can't you believe me?" Her voice rose, each word sharper than the last. "You pressured him behind my back, demanding promises I never asked for. I want equality and respect."

She continued, "Did any of you even bother to ask me before doing this? I don't need your smothering protection. I can take care of myself. All you're doing is making me feel like a fragile doll you keep locked away. I, Isabella, will never be reduced to that."

She was truly angry now — at all of them. Atticus, Michael, every last one of them who claimed to be protecting her while treating her like someone too weak to stand on her own feet. She was not, and never had been, a passive bystander in her own life. She had her own mind, her own will, her own strength.

Michael leaned toward her, his voice low and urgent. "Isabella, don't be upset. This has nothing to do with your uncles. I made this promise on my own."

Her eyes flashed, pinning him in place. "Of course I'm not blaming them. Michael, do you even realize? Out of everyone in this room, the one I'm most angry with is you."

Michael froze.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her temper barely contained. She knew exactly what that contract meant — because it wasn't the first time it had appeared.

The first time had been when they discussed divorce. Aiden had brought in a lawyer to draft it, demanding that Michael return to the marriage, have a child with her, and cut off all ties with Bianca. 

But by then, her feelings for Michael had already hit rock bottom. She had no interest in spending another three years trying to thaw a man who would never warm to her. 

She did not want to take advantage of Aiden's kindness by claiming half of the Brown Group's shares. All she had wanted was to leave — leave Michael, leave the chaos that followed him.

But Michael's reaction had cut her deeper than she had expected. She had been ready to walk away, and yet he had accused her of plotting to take over the Brown Group. 

He had even suggested she was only going to Aiden because she could not get money from him. The insult had been too much. Out of pure spite, she had signed the contract — only to return it later with conditions when their relationship finally collapsed.

The second time the contract resurfaced was three days after they remarried. She had seen it in Atticus's hands, and this time the share percentage was even higher than what Aiden had once offered. 

Atticus knew how hard the Brown Group had fought to reclaim itself from the Adri Family. When Michael proposed transferring nearly half the company to her, Atticus told her immediately.

She had made herself clear then: she did not want it. Not because she did not value the company's worth, but because she did not need material assets to feel secure. She had told him plainly — she wanted love that was pure, untainted by business or obligation. If their families worked together, it should be through cooperation, not as a byproduct of their marriage.

She loved Michael, not the Brown Group. And she would never measure her worth by the wealth he could offer. She could stand on her own. She always had.

And now, Michael was finally seeing it — how his so-called gestures of protection could look like condescension in her eyes. He had known she would never accept the offer, which was why he had presented it this way. But now he understood what Aiden must have felt when he had tried to give her the shares years ago.

Back then, Michael had not even realized his own feelings for her. He had been guarded, suspicious, unable to fathom why Aiden would trust a girl from the countryside with such a gift. 

And when she had accepted, only to treat it lightly, he had realized just how narrow his own heart had been. The contract had returned to him the day they broke up, and it had become a thorn he could never quite pull out.

Now he knew what she truly wanted. Four years ago, she had given him everything and received nothing in return. Now, he was the one afraid — afraid she would leave again without warning, without reason, just a single word of goodbye.

That fear had haunted him for eight months. He would do anything to make sure it never happened again. He needed something tangible, something permanent, a tie that would bind them together in ways time could not unravel.

He looked at her now, her face flushed with anger, and sat down beside her, taking her hand. "Bella, you've misunderstood me. I meant no disrespect. Do you remember when Grandfather gave you his own shares?"