Ch. 481..490

Chapter 481

She wants me to take Steven's place in prison? Am I not their child? Do they not feel worried if I get locked up in prison?

I stared at Mom with a look of disappointment on my face and tears in my eyes. It was the first time her words had hurt me so much.

“Mom, are you mad at me for not taking Steven's place in prison?”

Although Mom had made herself very clear, I still refused to believe that she wanted me to get locked up in prison.

“Yes, that's exactly what I mean! You could've just agreed to take your brother's place in prison, but what did you do? You betrayed him just so you could get back into the Shaw family!” Mom yelled furiously while pointing a finger at me.

My heart felt like it was bleeding all over after hearing that. I never expected for her to feel that way about me.

If getting back with Michael was the only thing I wanted, then I wouldn't have told the Shaw family that I injured Josephine. I kept the truth to myself even when I was detained at the police station.

I had always put up with my parents playing favorites, but I didn't think Mom would say such a heartless thing to me.

It hurt so much that I even started questioning if I was actually her daughter.

“Mrs. Garcia, you've gone too far! Anna may be Steven's sister, but he is a grown adult now! He has the obligation to take responsibility for his own actions!”

Ronan glared at Mom angrily as he stepped forward to defend me.

“She's my daughter! I raised her and paid for her school fees so she can repay us when she grows up! If she can't even do something this simple, then why should we even keep her around?”

Mom was completely unfazed by Ronan's words and maintained her unreasonable attitude. Little did she know, every word she said hit me in the heart like a sledgehammer.

Did she raise me with the sole purpose of having me repay the favor? Shouldn't they be loving me more because I'm their daughter? Why should parental love be such a luxury for me? Why would they be so cruel toward me?

Ronan probably wasn't expecting such a response from Mom at all. He froze in shock for a bit before his eyes lit up with anger. “This is emotional blackmail!” She wants me to take Steven's place in prison? Am I not their child? Do they not feel worried if I get locked up in prison?

“She's my daughter, so she has to do whatever I want her to do!” Mom then ignored Ronan and shifted her gaze toward me as she continued, “You must save your brother, Anna! He cannot afford to go to prison! If you don't save him, then you are nothing but an unfilial daughter who doesn't appreciate everything we've done to raise you!”

Instead of making a request, she was practically giving me an order at that point.

I stared at her in shock for a while before breaking into a wry smile. I used to think that they were simply biased toward us, but I came to realize that they never even loved me at all.

Michael, who had been silent the whole time, shouted coldly all of a sudden, “That's enough!”

He then glared coldly at my parents as he continued, “I'm the one who decides whether Steven goes to prison! Anna is my wife, so I'm the only one who has the right to talk to her like this! Do you two want to get Steven out of prison? Well, guess what? That's impossible! Now, if you two don't leave Anna alone, I will make sure Steven stays in prison for another ten years!”

Michael's threat was as cold as the look in his eyes.

He was a very protective person, to begin with, especially toward the people that he cared for. He refused to let anyone hurt me, including my own family members. As such, Mom's words had angered him to the core.

The domineering aura that he exuded was so intense that even the defiant look in my parents' eyes began to waver.

Mom was the first to regain her composure.

She shot Michael a disapproving look as she shouted angrily, “We're your parents-in-law, Michael! How could you say that to us? Steven is your brother-in-law, you know? You can't do this to him!”

“All of you are nothing compared to my woman! Had you guys treated Anna nicely, I would've been nice to you all as well! However, you three don't even treat her like a human being! Not only have you all not

given her any love, but you've all been using her like a tool the whole time!”

The anger in Michael's eyes burned even stronger as he hurled those accusations at my mom.

Everything he said was exactly what I had wanted to say for so many years. For some strange reason, I found myself able to keep my emotions in check even when my mom said those hurtful things to me. However, I felt like I was breaking down after hearing Michael speak my heart.

Michael's words hit my parents so hard that their eyes were darting about slightly out of guilty conscience.

“Nonsense! She's our daughter, and we've raised her into the adult she is today! How could we have not given her any love?”

Mom had clearly lost her confidence as she turned to look at me when she said that. I didn't know why, but I saw no truth in her statement at all.

“If you love her, then why would you ask her to take your son's place in prison?”

Unable to stand it any longer, Ronan spoke up once again. Although it wasn't his place to interfere with my family's matters, he took Michael's side in rebuking my mom that day.

Mom was rendered speechless once again, and I could see the panic in her eyes.

It was clear as day what my mom felt about the whole situation. I let out a wry chuckle and took a deep breath before turning to face her.

“Mom, I told you a year ago that it would be my last time helping you guys out. This time, I will not do anything no matter what you say. I am thankful for you raising me, and I will repay you in some other way. Please refrain from making any more unreasonable requests like this because I will not agree to them,” I said coldly while staring straight into her eyes.

Everything my mom said earlier had eliminated whatever reasons I had to show mercy on them.

They saw me as nothing more than a tool, and that was something I refused to put up with as a human being. I couldn't bring myself to help someone unconditionally if I knew they were just using me, even if they were my family.

Some people may think of me as being selfish, but I have Michael and a child now. All I want is to stay by their side, and I won't let anyone nor anything separate us.

Chapter 482

“You...”

Mom stared daggers at me as she trembled all over, but there was nothing she could say in response.

I could tell that she was incredibly furious, but I didn't want to care because they never gave a damn about my feelings anyway.

For so many years, I had foolishly assumed that they would appreciate what I had done for the family. I kept telling myself that they were just playing favorites and that they loved me equally deep down inside.

As it turned out, I had been lying to myself the whole time. Mom's words had proven me wrong, and I finally acknowledged the fact that they never loved me at all.

The tension in the ward was at its maximum. Not wanting to stay here any longer, I turned around and quickly left the ward.

I was practically sprinting as I made my way out of the hospital.

I have no idea how I should face my parents at all! It feels like they have become complete strangers all of a sudden! I don't understand how they are capable of being so cruel to their own daughter! Shouldn't parents value their children more than anything in the world? Why do my parents only care about my brother? Why aren't they concerned about my well-being at all?

Michael had been following behind me ever since I ran out of the ward. I eventually stopped running when I grew tired, and Michael grabbed my arm from behind.

Having no other choice, I turned around to face him.

“Feel free to cry your heart out if you want to. In a way, it's actually a good thing for you to feel this pain. The sooner you see the truth for what it is, the sooner you will be able to steel yourself and do what is right,” he whispered softly as he pulled me into his arms.

Although his voice sounded a little cold, I could hear a hint of heartache in his tone.

I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist when I heard that, and my pent-up emotions just exploded instantly.

“Why? Why would they do this to me? I understand that they're worried about Steven, but why have they never shown me such love before?”

I was really indignant at the way they were treating me, especially since I never did anything to deserve this. Ever since I was a child, they never gave me any love nor affection. I had always been treated like an outsider in that household. “You...”

Mom stared daggers at me as she trembled all over, but there was nothing she could say in response.

“I'm afraid they are the only ones with the answers to those questions. Make sure that this is the last time you will feel upset and cry over them.”

Michael's deep voice sounded really reassuring and gave me a strong sense of security.

I chose not to say anything in response as I didn't know how long I would remain upset about this.

He wasn't me, so he would never be able to truly understand my feelings.

As we were standing outside the hospital, there were plenty of people passing us by. They all gave us weird looks when they walked past us, but we didn't care about that at all.

I was so focused on crying my heart out in Michael's embrace that I didn't even notice the attention we were receiving. Ronan had a pained look in his eyes when he watched me from a distance.

He too, had come running after me when I left the ward earlier. However, he knew full well that it wasn't his place to come comfort me as Michael was my husband.

After crying for what seemed like forever, I felt as if my tears were about to run dry. I thought my heart had hardened over the course of a year, but I ended up crying like a baby instead.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down, I slowly looked up at Michael and said, “I won't let their matters upset me anymore. You were right, Michael. I should've steeled myself long ago. I'm going to head back to the ward now. Will you come with me?”

After a brief moment of silence, he flashed me a gentle smile as he replied, “Sure.”

Feeling a lot better from his acts of love and affection, the two of us held hands as we made our way back to the ward.

Standing before the door, I took another few deep breaths to calm myself down further before opening

the door.

Mom was helping Dad peel an apple when we came in. A confused look flashed past her eyes upon seeing us, and she quickly leaped to her feet.

“I'm sorry for being so mean to you earlier, Anna! I was just overwhelmed with desperation, that's all!” she explained anxiously.

I would've forgiven her on the spot if this conversation took place in the past, but my heart was already dead.

I showed no emotion as I believed she didn't mean a word of what she was saying at all.

She was only apologizing and explaining because she feared I would actually refuse to help Steven. Mom was clinging to the hope that I would soften up and help Steven out.

“You can save your explanations, Mom. Your actions today have helped me understand that I mean nothing to you and Dad,” I replied with a sarcastic smile on my face.

Although it hurt me to say such things, my mind was finally clear, and I knew what had to be done.

Mom grew increasingly anxious when she saw how cold my attitude was. She then grabbed me by the hand as she pleaded desperately, “I know I haven't been kind to you, Anna. I feel really guilty about it too, but you can't let your hatred for me stop you from saving your brother! He's still so young, Anna! His future would be ruined if he goes to prison! It'll leave a permanent stain on his reputation even after he gets released!”

“Save it, Mom. I've made myself very clear just now. I will not get involved in this matter any further,” I said coldly while pulling my hand back.

After that, I pulled out a credit card and placed it on Dad's bed as I continued, “Here's a hundred thousand for the medical bills. Give me a call if it isn't enough, and I'll send you more money.”

That was all I could do for them right now. I couldn't possibly sit by and do nothing if they lacked the money to pay for the medical bills. I would do everything I could to look after them if needed, but I would no longer agree to any of their unreasonable requests.

Mom froze and stared blankly at the credit card on the bed.

A few seconds later, she realized what was going on and grew even more anxious than before.

“What's the meaning of this, Anna? Are you seriously going to just sit by and do nothing while your brother gets locked up in prison?”

Mom was practically begging me at that point.

I took a deep breath to help myself appear calm as I replied, “As I said before, there is nothing I can do to help him out.”

Chapter 483

At the sight of my resoluteness, my mother's frown deepened.

I had a hunch it never occurred to her that I would be so relentless this round.

Undeniably, I used to fulfill their requests by all means regardless of how absurd they were. Hence, it never came to their mind that I would stand my ground that round.

“I've got to get going as I still have something on. You can give me a call at any time if you need any help. If it's too tiring for you to take care of Dad alone here, I can hire a nurse for you,” I added placidly.

No doubt, I was still looking for a job and tended to have spare time at home. If my father was hospitalized years ago, I would surely volunteer to look after him in the hospital. Nevertheless, I did not feel like facing my parents at the moment.

After realizing that they had been making use of me without treating me as their daughter, I did not know how I should face them. Finally, I talked myself out of swallowing my pride and continuing to fulfill their request. I had sacrificed a lot for them like a fool throughout those years.

Dumbstruck, my mother gaped at me for a long time. I bet they could not believe that I would have treated them in such a nonchalant way one day.

I turned and left the ward right away, giving no hoots to them. Meanwhile, Michael followed behind me without uttering any words.

I was thankful to have him by my side at the moment. Otherwise, I doubted if I had the courage to face all these.

Deep down, I knew he would be by my side despite what I had been through. That was why I could get a grip of myself this round.

I was very much relieved by the time I stepped out of the hospital again. Apart from that, I could not resist giving a silent sigh that I should have made such a decision long ago.

“Amaury's birthday is just around the corner.” Holding my hand, Michael changed the topic abruptly. Wearing a look of sheer gentleness, he gazed at me with smiling eyes. I bet he must be thinking of cheering me up so I would not dwell on the disgruntling moments related to my parents.

Right that instant, I finally remembered that Amaury's birthday would be a few days later. If he did not mention it, I would have forgotten about it for sure.

As Steven's matter had been bugging my mind recently, I only realized that I had almost forgotten about such an important date!

Snippets of the moments when I gave birth to Amaury a year ago suddenly flashed across my mind. I could easily break out in cold sweat when I recalled the excruciating pain that I had gone through. At the sight of my resoluteness, my mother's frown deepened.

Nevertheless, I felt all my endurance at that time was paid off by the inexplicable contentment with Amaury gradually growing up by my side.

“They will hold a birthday party for him, won't they?” I asked curiously.

In our village, the villagers usually held a feast and invited many guests whenever a baby turned one.

“Yeah! I foresee many will attend the birthday party on that day,” Michael replied casually and turned to look at me.

“Is there anything you like, or anywhere you feel like going? I should thank you for bearing me such an adorable and intelligent son,” he asked me with sheer affection in his eyes.

A surge of satisfaction welled up from within me in an instant. I actually did not need anything else. To me, it would be the best gift to have him love me from the bottom of his heart.

“Nothing. I'd be happy as long as the three of us can spend the rest of our lives happily together. In fact, it's my biggest wish at the moment,” I mumbled.

Ever since my reunion with Michael and our son after parting with them for one whole year, I cherished every second spent with them.

All the other expensive gifts meant nothing to me. The others might be thinking that I was being pretentious by saying so, but that was exactly what I was thinking at the moment.

“I'm sure we'll be together forever.” Holding my hand tightly, Michael reassured me as if he could read my mind.

When we were back at the Shaw residence, everyone from the Shaw family was seated on the couch in the living room. I presumed they could not sleep well when my own father fainted at the doorstep the night before.

The moment we stepped into the living room, they advanced toward us and asked apprehensively, “Anna, how's your father doing?”

“His condition has stabilized. Don't worry. He'll be fine after taking proper rest,” I assured.

Even though my family was not on good terms with the Shaw family, we were still in-laws. Thus, I knew they were being sincere with their words of concern.

“Ah! We're relieved to hear that. What happened last night was worrying indeed. Anyway, we are at fault too. If we didn't instruct the security guard to block them at the doorstep, he wouldn't end up in that state.” Lincoln looked at me guiltily, thinking that they had to be responsible for what had transpired the previous night.

“Dad, you don't have to blame yourself. It has nothing to do with you. You didn't do anything wrong.” I reassured him.

Even though my father was hospitalized, the Shaw family did not do anything wrong. After all, they only paid Steven back in his coin for what he had committed.

Lincoln let out a deep sigh. “Anna, I hope you won't blame us for being steel-hearted. We never intended to be on a bad term with your family. But sorry to say that your brother should pay the price for what he had done. If not because of him, Michael's mom wouldn't end up unconscious in bed for one whole year.”

I could still remember vividly how he had treated me when he claimed that I was the culprit.

Josephine was important to him, just like how much I meant to Michael. Thus, I could understand his

persistence in settling the score with Steven. If I turned out to be the one lying in the hospital because of him, I guessed Michael would not think twice about doing so too.

After all, Steven should have a taste of his own medicine for what he had done. It was impossible for him to turn over a new leaf without any punishment. If he escaped this round, I was afraid that he might commit other ruthless deeds again.

“Dad, you don't have to explain to me. I understand why you're doing all these, and I don't blame you at all.” I flashed him a faint smile, hoping that it would ease his guilt.

“Enough of that. Let's drop the subject. Anna is exhausted after a sleepless night. Let her go back to the room to rest,” Michael said nonchalantly with knitted brows, as though he knew that I did not feel like talking much about the topic.

After going through so much within such a short span, I was physically and mentally exhausted. For the time being, I was looking forward to lying on the bed and having a good night's sleep.

No doubt, Michael was still quite influential in his family. Lincoln zipped his mouth upon hearing Michael's words.

After we were back in the room, I flung myself onto the bed and closed my eyes right away.

Soon, I fell into a deep slumber after relieving myself from the tension accumulated over the previous night.

I had had a good night's sleep. When I woke up, night had fallen.

I was surprised that Michael had been staying by my side, reading all the time while I was sleeping soundly earlier. He did not step out of the room at all.

Chapter 484

In the following days, my mother did not contact me again and mention a single word about the matter, probably because I had made my stance clear in the hospital. The sudden change in her demeanor had gradually put me at ease.

Soon, it was the red-lettered day of Amaury's birthday party. Since I was clueless about whom I should invite, I was more than willing to let the Shaw family be fully in charge of the occasion.

Gazing at my son in my arms, I could not resist wondering how fast time had flown by. It was as though he had turned one in the twinkling of an eye!

Many were invited to attend the birthday party, and most of them were the Shaw family's collaborators in the business industry. In other words, there were hardly any relatives among the guests.

Needless to say, it was an exceptionally grand birthday celebration that reflected the prominence of the Shaw family.

Nevertheless, I was not very particular about how grand the birthday celebration was, as long as I had all of my beloved family alongside me.

I thought I would never cross paths with Nicholas again after leaving Nifty Group. However, it never came to my mind that he would show up during Amaury's birthday party.

At the same time, I was aware of the competition between him and Michael that became more intense after I left the group. In fact, I heard he had poached a few of Michael's clients. On the other hand, Michael had seized a piece of land from him in an auction.

The moment the clients heard about the land falling into Michael's hands, they made up their minds to collaborate with him again. Technically, it seemed like Michael was taking the lead then.

Nevertheless, I was not happy. After all, I still treated Nicholas as a friend. Not to mention, I regretted acting impulsively one year ago before getting to the bottom of the matter.

If only I had waited patiently for two more days at that time for Michael to return, I would not have followed Nicholas overseas. Thus, I could not help but blame myself for causing the two of them to be what they are today because of my impulsiveness.

My gut instinct told me that they were not solely competing with each other in the business industry. Nicholas was actually venting his wrath mainly because I had chosen Michael as my life partner. That explained why the former kept on stirring up troubles for Michael.

Undoubtedly, a strong-willed man like Michael would not easily raise the white flag in the face of his opponents. Prevailed by his possessiveness over me, he could not stand it after sensing that Nicholas had feelings toward me. Even if the latter did not get on his nerves by challenging him, I bet he would not easily let him off the hook too. In the following days, my mother did not contact me again and mention a single word about the matter, probably because I had made my stance clear in the hospital. The sudden change in her demeanor had gradually put me at ease.

When the latter came into view at the birthday party, Michael's face turned into a scowl in an instant.

At the sight of the sheer hostility when they looked intently into each other's eyes, I felt a prickle of anxiousness. I could not fathom why Nicholas suddenly showed up. He had given me a few calls after I left the company. Nonetheless, I did not pick up any of his calls so Michael would not misunderstand.

In the meantime, Michael headed toward him and uttered coldly, “Why are you here? I don't think I've sent you an invitation!”

“Well, Anna and I are friends. Since she's celebrating her son's birthday, why can't I drop by and join in the fun?” Nicholas replied placidly. He only shot Michael a glance before fixing his gaze on me.

Sensing his subtle gaze, I was overcome by a sense of uneasiness. At the same time, Michael shot me a cold glare that sent an instant chill down my spine!

“Ah! Welcome to my son's birthday party. Initially, I thought of inviting you, but I'd changed my mind later, assuming that you might be occupied with work. What a surprise to see you here!” I forced a bright smile to welcome Nicholas cordially.

Since he had expressed his intention of attending my son's birthday party, it was inappropriate for me to chase him away despite Michael's hostile attitude. Not only that, I had no choice but to put on a friendly facade in the face of all the other guests.

I expected Michael would comprehend my point of doing so after seeing the bigger picture. However, he glared at me with such wrath in his eyes. If looks could kill, I'd be dead by now.

I knew too well that he was infuriated because of my hospitality toward Nicholas. Heaving a resigned sigh, I could not help but snort inwardly. Hmph! I can't believe he's so petty! Why can't he understand that I was just being polite?

If I tended to be swayed by emotions and treated Nicholas coldly, all the other guests would be perplexed. By then, I would attract unintentional attention and bring shame to the Shaw family!

A quick-witted Nicholas knew at once I was only being polite. Nonetheless, his lips contorted into a smirk when he caught a glimpse of the simmering rage in Michael's eyes.

The next moment, Nicholas turned to gaze at me again. Flashing me a faint smile, he handed me a nicely wrapped present. “This is the birthday present I've chosen for your son. To be frank, I was racking my brain about what I should choose for him. I hope you don't mind if it doesn't suit him.”

Chapter 485

“Anna, I didn't realize before, that you're so considerate of Nicholas. Now, you are speaking up for him.”

Michael continued pursuing the matter, keeping up with my footsteps and speaking in a jealous tone.

I halted my steps and frowned at him with displeasure. “Michael, today is our child's birthday. Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

From the moment Nicholas showed up, Michael started acting weird spewing words filled with jealousy.

Although I could feel that he cared about me, to be honest, I found his persistence rather annoying. The reason was that we had so many guests and I had much to attend to.

“You are the one trying to pick a fight with me over Nicholas. Just now when you saw him arriving, you were so enthusiastic.”

Michael towered over me as he glared into my eyes. There was annoyance burning in his eyes and I could see that he was really angry.

He was apparently a very possessive man. I sighed, not knowing how to explain it to him. I was only being polite to Nicholas, so there was no reason for him to get so upset. There was nothing going on between us.

“I've already explained to you that I was just being polite. I had not expected him to come. Will you please stop harping on that? If you go on being so unreasonable, I'm really going to get angry.”

With displeasure, I gazed at Michael as I noticed many of the guests looking in our direction. Even

Nicholas was giving us a strange look.

I believe Nicholas had already guessed that his showing up today would annoy Michael and he had come intentionally to upset him.

I wanted to give Michael a severe ticking-off but not in public. It would not be nice if rumors went around that we were having marital problems. Furthermore, Nicholas had his own agenda for turning up today, so it was necessary for Michael and I to appear lovey-dovey.

“Just watch out! I'll take care of you tonight!”

Michael was smarter than me. He would have known whatever I know. He glared at me and then secretly pinched me on the waist. “Anna, I didn't realize before, that you're so considerate of Nicholas. Now, you are speaking up for him.”

By all appearances, our mannerisms were those of a very loving couple. I saw clearly, a look of disappointment flash across Nicholas' face while Michael threw at him a triumphant glance.

I knew that Michael was deliberately showing off in front of Nicholas and I was dumbfounded. He always presented himself as a mature and stable man, so that childish behavior was quite a surprise to me. Nevertheless, I liked it when he acted so jealous.

The birthday party was very grand, but it was also very boring. Most of the guests were partners in the business world who wanted to get along well with the Shaw family. Although I did not want my child's birthday party to be a business venture, among the wealthy, an event like that was considered normal, so I had no complaints.

The banquet lasted for a long time, and when it was over, my face was numb from all the smiles. All the time, I had to deal with all kinds of people as well.

As most of the guests had left, I stood at the entrance of the banquet hall, preparing to leave. Just then, a Mercedes-Benz stopped right in front of me and the windscreen lowered slowly, revealing Nicholas' handsome face.

“Anna, the party ended. Let's talk.” Nicholas' gaze rested on my face and he spoke plainly.

Our relationship was something that I felt uncomfortable about, so I felt rather resentful and did not like to have too much to do with him. Besides, we were no longer colleagues, one taking orders from the other.

The most important reason was that Michael was a suspicious character and if he knew that Nicholas and I were together, he would feel jealous.

“I'm exhausted. Besides, I don't think we have anything to talk about. After all, I'm just a stay-at-home housewife.”

The only topic that I could discuss with Nicholas was business. Now that I was jobless, naturally, there was nothing to talk about. Moreover, he and Michael were in a competitive relationship in the business arena. If he wanted to get some useful information from me to have a competitive edge, I would not help him.

Chapter 486