Ch. 1061..1070

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1061

When it came to acting, Michael was the best of the best. He was the nation’s first-rate actor, the youngest performing arts master, and an expert at micro-expressions. With just a glance, he could tell who was acting, and who was not.

So, what was Cooper trying to do?

He simply could not figure it out.

But, no matter what Cooper wanted to do, it would eventually affect Michael and Sophia.

This was because they had a common interest now; whatever happened to Cooper would happen to Michael as well. The fact that Michael had married his daughter and had given birth to his grandchild meant that he was now stuck on this path.

The banquet was still going on. Despite all the things that had happened tonight, the buzz was not dying down anytime soon.

This vanity fair was top-notch and full of life. An array of fashionably dressed men and women wandered around in search of a place of belonging and the destination of their desires.

When Sophia was tired from dancing, she left the dance floor and walked toward Michael, who was slowly sipping on his cocktail and was deep in thought.

Having drunk a bottle of French Cheval-Blanc by himself, Stanley was getting a bit tipsy. He held onto Michael's arm and rubbed it up and down, all while speaking gibberish.

He was a domineering director in his own right, but in front of Michael, he would always behave like a silly husky.

“What are you thinking about, hubby?”

Sophia squeezed Stanley out of the way and sat next to Michael while pouring a glass of juice to quench her thirst.

She was so happy today that she danced till she was exhausted.

Michael slowly set down his glass and let out a long exhale. He stretched out his arm to pull Sophia in by the waist until she was leaning against his chest where she lifted her chin to look at him.

She was breathtakingly beautiful tonight, but Michael would always remember how she used to look.

At that time, she was simple and innocent. She had taken so much of fate’s beatings that it seemed as if her soul was hollowed out. She was like a weak little wildflower, drooping hopelessly in a withered wasteland; the petals had wilted, but the roots were still trying to look for nutrients among the barrenness.

She was the apple of his eye and he had nurtured her until she gradually blossomed into a bright and brilliant wonder.

Presently, Sophia’s arm was on his shoulder, and her red lips were slightly parted. Her fair, pointed chin was raised a little, and her eyes were as gentle as water, making her look captivating and lovely.

Michael wrapped his arms around her shoulders, letting her lean into him. He held onto her little slender hands while listening to her talk.

“You found out about my brother long ago, didn’t you? Why didn’t you stop me when I discussed the fake marriage with you? This is so embarrassing. I almost married my own brother! I never expected that the ‘brother’ Dad has been raising for more than twenty years was actually his biological son. I really am fortune’s fool. No matter how much I think about it, I wouldn’t have expected Uncle Linus to be my elder brother.”

Michael’s brows furrowed slightly.

Had Sophia ever discussed her fake marriage with him before?

He could roughly guess what had happened.

Linus had taken advantage of her again.

He had deceived Cooper and everyone else.

Michael could not believe that Linus would actually think of something like that. Michael had been abroad, filming by the mountains. There was no signal on set, which cut off all his communications with the outside world. It was only until Justin found the set one day that he found out what was happening.

Justin had gotten a phone call from his subordinate telling him about Lorelei. For a while, he could not take it and wanted to find somewhere to relax for two days.

After taking two days to calm down, he still felt uneasy. He hurriedly contacted Michael, but he could not reach him.

Having always been wary of Linus, Justin paid great attention to him at all times. In the end, he discovered Linus’ plan.

Fortunately, Annabel returned and disrupted Linus’ plan, delaying the dinner by ten days. Otherwise, he would have achieved his goal by now, resulting in only two possible outcomes.

Firstly, if Michael did not come back, Linus’ identity would not be revealed, and he would take advantage of Sophia and Cooper’s trust to take action. Even so, Michael was uncertain of what he wanted to achieve.

The other possibility was that when Michael returned, they would have already announced their marriage. A marriage between the brother and sister would definitely pain Sophia.

All of them had almost fallen into Linus’ trap.

Today, Sophia was more excited than usual. Her tiny mouth was talking non-stop, and her eyes could not conceal the excitement of finding her brother.

For ten years, she had been an orphan. Having suffered hardships, she had longed for a family. Even though she had lost her memory, that longing was subconsciously hidden in her mind.

Now that she had finally found her family, she felt immensely blessed. To her, all of this was as beautiful as a dream.

Not to mention, Linus was her fraternal twin brother!

They had been conceived together and were born together, but they were ruthlessly separated at birth. Now that they had reconciled and she was overjoyed, how could Michael have the heart to ruin her happiness?

However, it was true that Linus had used her time and time again.

She had forgotten about it, but Linus had once used her and Nathan to probe the Fletchers’ military secrets. He had even let her fall into the hands of the Phantom Wolf!

And now, he had tricked her again.

Michael knew that Linus loved Sophia. This blood bond between twins was innate; just like his love for Celine, it was not something that could be abandoned. Although they never knew each other, that love would always be there.

But, so what if he loved her?

Ultimately, the person he loved the most was himself. He had used her to his advantage—to achieve his goals!

Leaning on Michael, Sophia began to tell him about everything that had happened when he was gone. She told him about Carmen falling sick, about how they had relocated Annabel’s tomb, about Annabel’s return…

She had found her father and her mother, and she had also found her brother. Her family was reunited, which made her feel like the happiest girl in the world.

Michael’s expression was indifferent. He was not particularly happy, but he was not solemn either; he just sat there silently and listened.

At this moment, Michael suddenly patted Sophia on the shoulder and said gently, “I need to find your dad to talk about something. You can play with Stanley for a while. I’ll be back soon.”

Michael then set down his glass and walked out of the dinner hall. Sophia sat on the couch, while Stanley, who was drunk, rubbed her arms and spoke drunkenly.

“Give me three thousand soldiers and horses; I want to defeat the Yard Dynasty!”

“Brothers, attack!”

“Little Yard, take this back thrust!”

…

The atmosphere of tonight’s dinner was extraordinary. After all, Linus had publicly announced that he was a part of the Mitchell family. This meant that he had completely given up on his identity as a Michel, which resulted in him losing all control of the Michel Group.

Many people were whispering at the sides, talking about how they wanted to cut ties with the Michel Group and work with the Yard Group instead. The Yard twins had been in the spotlight lately and were constantly surrounded by beautiful women and celebrities.

Ian was also present today, and he was watching everything in silence.

He had been deceived and swindled previously, and Sophia had even made fun of him for having a redundant prepuce. Even though his mind and wallet had suffered a blow, he dared not tell anyone such a shameful thing. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and cut off his foreskin. When he heard talk about people wanting to end their contracts with Linus and hurriedly sell off their Michel Group stocks before the news got out, he felt rather delighted.

They’re just a bunch of profiteering fools!

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1062

Ian had to clear up his pockets as soon as possible. When they got rid of their shares of the Michel Group, he would buy however much they sold. There was going to be a change in the stock market tonight. Ian realized that other than him, quite a number of people were emptying their pockets as well; they were all waiting to purchase the Michel Group’s stocks, and Michael was one of them.

While everyone’s focus was on the Yard twins and Linus’ stocks, Linus was standing alone on the hotel rooftop, taking in the evening breeze. Summer in Bayside City was sultry during the day, but cool at night.

Linus propped his hands on the rooftop railing, his head hanging low as tears began to fall. He was happy today, but he was also downhearted; he felt sad and regretful. For twenty years, he had lived with the Michel family in fear. As an adopted son, the pressure he had experienced was unlike any other. He dreamed of becoming a true member of the Michel Family and did not dare to relax for even a day. The heartache he felt for those twenty years was something that only he would understand.

He had only found out today that Cooper was his biological father. The pressure he felt during the past twenty years seemed ridiculous and absurd now. He had actually taken advantage of his biological sister over and over again just to gain a foothold! Now that his identity had changed, his standpoint had changed too. Looking back, he realized how repulsive he used to be; he was simply a monster who would do whatever it took to gain power.

Unbeknownst to Linus, Cooper had appeared behind him. The night was dark, and the city’s bright neon lights barely outlined Cooper’s fuzzy figure. Linus turned back, and although he could not see his expression, he could guess how disappointed Cooper was at the moment. The man was as sharp as a tack, so it went without saying that he must have seen through all of Linus’ plans by now.

“Linus, do you admit to your mistakes?” Cooper asked coldly.

This time, his terrible ploy had failed once again, but Linus was not scared. Instead, he felt guilty and sad. He slowly turned back until he was facing Cooper, then with a ‘plop’, he kneeled on the ground. “Dad, I was wrong…” The pair stayed like that: the father standing and the son kneeling.

Cooper remained silent for a long while before taking a couple of steps forward to help Linus up. Tears were brimming in Linus’ eyes, but he could clearly see Cooper’s expression. There was no look of reproach on his face; instead, there was only a father’s heartache.

The father and son stood on the rooftop, looking at Bayview City’s bright neon lights. This was their first time being together as father and son, but Linus did not feel strange because this was how they had always gotten along. Even though they did not know about their relationship, Cooper had always treated Linus as his own and had high hopes for him.

“Linus, you must know that I’m strict with you not because you’re adopted. It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re my son, as ever since I adopted you, I’ve taken on the responsibility of guiding you. I’m strict with you because I want you to be stronger.” Cooper’s words were grave and earnest, but his eyes were filled with sadness. “Only when you have power and strength, can you protect all those that you love.”

Linus nodded wordlessly. Cooper patted his shoulder and looked at the son that he had found with such difficulty. Sadness surged in his heart, but at the same time, he was gratified. He figured that he had never treated him poorly, and Linus had lived up to his expectations as well. This was enough. It was really enough…

“Linus, a person strengthens themselves in order to protect everything they love. If you only gain power for yourself, you’ll be lonely for life.”

Once again, Linus nodded silently, and he could not hold back the tears that began to fall.

Cooper continued, “You’re the child that I raised, so I know your character, and I know why you did what you’ve done… But that doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate everything that you do. There is nothing crueler than hurting the person who loves and trusts you. Once the consequences emerge, you won’t even have the chance to make amends. Linus… I will never be able to ask for your grandfather’s forgiveness for the rest of my life, which is why I hope that you won’t follow in my footsteps.”

At this point, Linus sobbed uncontrollably and kneeled in front of Cooper again; he wasn’t even able to utter a single word. He was unscrupulous because he had no sense of security, and he felt like he could be replaced at any moment. He lived carefully and cautiously because he feared that he would be sent away mercilessly if he so much as took a wrong step or said something wrong. He really liked his sister, his adoptive parents, and Cooper; he did not want to leave them.

But today, he realized that regardless of whether or not he was Cooper’s biological son, Cooper had always treated him as his most trusted family member.

“Dad, I was wrong, and I won’t do it again. Please don’t tell Sophia; I don’t want to lose her…” While Cooper might have been able to forgive him, Sophia might not.

Cooper shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. “Silly child, she’s your sister—your relative. She will forgive you; after all, we’re family. Linus… As long as you’re sincere, you don’t have to be as careful as a slave is around their master. Nobody will send you away just because you’re not good enough. Back then, I brought you back because I wanted to give you a home.”

Tears were streaming down Linus’ face like rain now, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke. “Dad…”

In the corner, Michael watched everything before quietly leaving. In the end, he did not mention anything to Sophia, so she still thought that it was all a misunderstanding.

He suddenly remembered his childhood when he was adopted by the Fletchers after his parents passed away. People his age were jealous of the affection he got from Mark, so they ostracized him and isolated him. Now, he knew that it was nothing more than children being children, but at that time, he felt as if it was the end of the world. Therefore, he rebelled and left the Fletcher family, not turning back for more than a decade. When he looked back now, he realized that he and Linus were the same type of people. The only difference was that Linus chose to bear everything silently and strengthened himself by any means, while he chose to turn his back on everything.

In no time, the banquet ended, and everyone was happy. The next day, there were rumors that the Vice President of the Michel Group was adopted, but he had found his biological father and was disowned by the Michel family. He would immediately lose his position in the Michel Group, and they would carry out a reshuffling of power, which would cause internal turmoil. This had resulted in many people selling their stocks.

Michael made haste to collect a lot of loose shares, saving them for Sophia and Carmen. When the time came and she really wanted to return to the Michel family, all of this would be her capital.

Sophia was still staying with Michael at The Imperial, while Linus openly moved back to the Edwards Residence. After he returned home, Michael handled several trivial matters before bringing Sophia and Carmen to the Edwards Residence for dinner. This would be their first meal together ever since they acknowledged their relationship, so it was a rather grand occasion. Michael even took the liberty to bring over a few pounds of rice eels.

At the dinner table, Carmen addressed Linus sweetly. “Granduncle!”

Cooper instantly corrected her. “Call him uncle!”

Carmen pouted with dissatisfaction and spoke as if she were wronged. “Papa said that even though Uncle Linus is my real uncle, I’ll still have to call him Granduncle when Grandpa is around.”

Upon hearing this, Michael was shocked and nearly jumped up to cover Carmen’s mouth. He was doomed!

Sure enough, as soon as Carmen finished speaking, three pairs of eyes shot coldly toward Michael.

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1063

Three pairs of faint blue eyes stared coldly in Michael’s direction.

Both Cooper and Linus had been immersed in the joy of their family reunion over the past two days, so they failed to carefully reflect on the events that had transpired. However, their niggling doubts had existed in their hearts since before. Thus, everybody immediately noticed something fishy going on as soon as Carmen mentioned it.

Cooper thought to himself, No wonder Michael managed to locate Linus at such a timely moment! No wonder I always felt that somebody was muddying the waters and blocking my way from behind the scenes while I was searching for my son! No wonder Daniel told me to remain spiritual in my search for my son, claiming that my long-lost son would appear if I checked the household registry! That was because Linus is already listed in the household registry! If it weren’t for this incident, where Michael became anxious and desperate because I was pushing Linus and Sophia into a fake marriage, who knows how long Michael would have continued deceiving us?! That d*mn Michael!

Sophia angrily put her cutlery down and glared at Michael fiercely. Similarly, the expression on Linus’ face was anything but kind. On the other hand, Michael didn’t even flinch as he held Carmen and fed her. He even smilingly said, “You’re so smart! Uncle Linus became Mommy’s brother a long, long time ago. So, don’t call him ‘Granduncle Linus’ anymore. You should call him ‘Uncle Linus’ just like before!”

Carmen raised her head and looked at him. Pouting, she said, “Okay.” Adults are so complicated!

Despite managing to turn the situation around, it did not change the fact that the truth had been ruthlessly exposed. Thus, Linus and Cooper were still glaring daggers at him. However, he gathered all the acting skills he cultivated as an Academy Award winner to keep his expression neutral and calm. Hmph; why should I fear Cooper? He can’t do anything to me! I’m his son-in-law!

Carmen was oblivious to the storm brewing between the adults. Picking up her new bowl, she looked at Cooper and asked sweetly, “Grandpa, is my ‘royal sweetheart bowl’ pretty?”

Only then did Cooper withdraw his vicious glare. By the time he turned to face her, his face was filled with pure delight. “Yes, it’s very pretty.”

In his opinion, Michael’s greatest contribution in life was the child he had with Sophia—Carmen.

Feeling relieved at the sight of his expression, she held her beloved customized small bowl and ate her food. Michael used her ‘royal sweetheart spoon’ to feed her and wiped her mouth with her personalized napkin when her mouth became dirty.

Hence, the meal continued under that strange atmosphere.

After the meal, Cooper and Linus went into the study. They had a lot of matters to discuss. Then, Sophia hurriedly dragged Michael away with her. Returning to their original room, she asked frankly, “Were you aware that Linus was my brother from the beginning?”

Michael kept his expression stern. “No, I didn’t know from the start either. Justin only told me about it two days ago.” He did his best to push the blame on Justin. “Justin seems to have suspected it since the beginning, but he wasn’t sure. He only managed to confirm it several days ago. To our surprise, the two of you were about to have a fake marriage. So, I rushed back to stop you. Fortunately, I arrived in time.”

She didn’t quite believe him. Observing his every action carefully, she tried to detect any flaws in his expression. However, she could not find any. As expected of a Best Actor winner; he’s a professional actor indeed. Who knows if he is lying to me… Forget it; our little family is back together again. Let’s forget about these trivial matters.

Although they moved out, the room Sophia used to stay in had been kept very neat and clean. Cooper even placed some pajamas in the closet and slippers in the shoe cabinet so that he could welcome her back anytime. At that moment, she suddenly felt the sadness of marrying out of the family. Now that she had grown up, she couldn’t keep following her father around anymore.

Later, the family of three decided to have dinner at the Edwards Residence before returning home. However, Michael found Carmen sitting in a corner and sulking unhappily in the afternoon.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Michael hurriedly went over and asked upon noticing that his beloved daughter looked extremely aggrieved. His heart trembled at the sight of her expression.

Carmen’s round little face was full of grievances. She was pouting and seemed to be sniffling slightly as she looked up at him pitifully. “Daddy, have I been losing money?”

He had not expected her to ask such a nonsensical question. Quickly pulling her into his arms, he gently replied, “No, you aren’t. Why would you lose money? Besides, you’ve been making a lot of money recently! I’ve been keeping it in the bank for you!”

She sobbed, her tears rolling down her face. Pressing her lips together, she asked, “Then why… Why did Grandma call me a waste of money?”

Upon hearing those words, he froze in shock. The three words she uttered seemed to echo in his ears. Waste of money?! This is the first time anybody has ever dared to describe my precious daughter as such!

When she saw Michael saying nothing, she whimpered and incoherently asked, “Daddy, did I make you waste a lot of money? Grandma says I spend too much money. She says I spend hundreds of thousands every month. She says I’m going to make you go bankrupt!”

His expression immediately became overcast, and he smiled coldly. However, his teeth made a grinding sound as he gnashed them furiously. Hugging her in his arms, he gently patted her on the back to comfort her. Then, he said softly, “Darling, Grandma was talking nonsense. You’re very good at making money. Did you forget? You’re a little princess who has millions of fans!”

Still, she continued crying. She was about to turn four; she was no longer a three-year-old child, so she could understand what the adults were saying now. She also understood that ‘a waste of money’ was something bad. Sobbing, she lifted her head to look at him. “Daddy, is it very expensive to raise me?”

He picked her up and kissed her tear-stained face. “Of course not; even Judge spends more money than you do!”

He held her and comforted her, but she kept crying without stopping. She cried all the way to the garage. Placing her in the car, he put a husky doll in her lap and gently said, “Darling, can you sit here and watch ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’ for a bit? I’m going to get Mommy. Let’s go home together, alright?”

Carmen nodded while wiping away her tears. Michael took out his computer and turned on ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’ for her. After that, he instructed the nanny and the driver to watch her before going to search for Sophia. The moment he turned around, the gentle and warm fatherly demeanor was gone. All that was left was a terrible ruthlessness and fury!

In the living room, the family was just starting to watch TV together. Michael had yet to return after heading to the bathroom. Taking advantage of Michael’s absence, Annabel rushed over to Sophia and earnestly said, “My dear, you need to make haste! You have to give birth to a son as soon as possible! Only a son can keep your husband by your side!”

Sophia was focused on the TV while using her leg to pet the dog at the same time. When she heard those words, her gaze flicked over to Annabel before flicking away again. “A daughter is nice too.” Are all mothers like that? Why do her words sound so hateful?

Unexpectedly, Annabel became exasperated at her words and sternly said, “Daughters will be married off sooner or later. No matter how you raise them, they are a waste of money! You need to get yourself a son! Even if you can’t give birth to one, you need to find another way! You can use a surrogate mother. In the worst case, you can secretly find a mistress. Once she gives birth to a son, you can raise him as yours, then give her some money to leave—”

Before Sophia could say a word, she saw Michael rushing into the room in a hurry. Without saying anything, he raised his hand and slapped Annabel across the face heavily. Slap! As the loud sound echoed throughout the room, the room instantly became completely silent.

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1064

Originally, everybody had been watching TV and chatting with each other. Cooper and Linus were talking to each other quietly in English. Meanwhile, Annabel was energetically talking to Sophia about women’s issues. Needless to say, Cooper heard everything Annabel said, including ‘waste of money’, ‘surrogate mother’, and ‘find a mistress’. Although he was sick of listening to it, he said nothing. If anybody else were to say that, he would have killed them a long time ago.

However, nobody could have expected Michael to slap Annabel across the face as soon as he walked in. That clear sound rang out across the room, and everybody in the living room was left frozen in shock. It was the first time they witnessed a son-in-law hitting his mother-in-law!

As swift as lightning, he slapped Annabel again before anybody could react. The second hit was much harder than the first. As a result, Annabel lost her balance, fell onto the sofa, and struggled to get up. When she lifted her head again, her face was red and swollen.

Widening her eyes, it took her a long time to recover from the shock of being hit. On the other hand, he looked menacing and ferocious, and his eyes were filled with rage. Pointing at her, he warned her sternly. “I’m warning you right now. If you can’t watch what you say, I’ll make sure you can never say another word again!”

At that moment, everybody in the living room finally came back to their senses. Sophia hurriedly got up, put on her shoes, and ran toward Michael. Grabbing at the hand he was pointing toward Annabel, she said, “Hubby, what’s going on? Why did you hit Mom?!”

Annabel seemed to have gone into shock from fright. She sat on the sofa in a daze, staring at Michael in disbelief. It wasn’t until Cooper hurried over to hug her that she returned to her senses and finally let out a loud wail. Burying her face in Cooper’s chest, she sobbed in fear.

Cooper hugged his beloved wife close. Touching her face, he saw that her face was swollen from the slap! Thus, he flew into a rage and roared in a thunderous voice, “Michael Fletcher! How dare you?! How dare you hit your mother-in-law?!”

When Michael heard the words ‘mother-in-law’, a cold and cruel smile appeared on his enraged expression. “Mother-in-law? Haha. I call her ‘mother-in-law’ out of respect. She is nothing but a wretched woman!” Even with Cooper standing right in front of him, he didn’t seem inclined to be tolerant today. He pointed at Annabel and said warningly, “You wretched woman! Listen well; how I raise my daughter is none of your business! More than that, it has nothing to do with you whether my daughter causes me to lose money or not! If you dare to say something rude again, I will kill you myself!”

Sophia was completely taken aback by his words. The way Annabel spoke was hurtful and harsh, but she simply considered Annabel’s words as nonsense—it entered one ear and went out the other. Hence, she did not expect Michael to react so impulsively.

“Hubby, calm down…” She quickly stood between Annabel and Michael. When she grabbed his arm, she could feel his arm trembling slightly. His blood was boiling with rage—he was furious. He had never been as furious as he was now. “Mom’s words might be a little nasty, but she has good intentions! Please calm down!”

Annabel shrank back into Cooper’s arms, crying loudly. As she sobbed, she incoherently mumbled, “I did it for your sake… Coop, I didn’t mean to do it! I love Carmen too! She is my granddaughter…”

“Shut up!” Michael exploded in anger. She was so scared that she trembled in fear. Gripping Cooper tightly, her wails turned into terrified sobs. She looked incredibly pitiful in her current state. Michael’s eyes were still filled with rage. His slender and pale hands continued to point at Annabel. “I have not forgotten the time you fed Carmen that so-called talisman drink. Your life is cheap, but Carmen’s status is several hundred times nobler than yours! If anything happens to her, even ten of your wretched lives won’t be enough to pay the price!”

Tears flowed down her face as she listened to him. As her husband, Cooper was so furious that he trembled in anger. Standing up, he approached Michael swiftly. He raised his fist toward Michael. Similarly, Michael raised his fist in response too.

“You b*stard! I’m going to teach you a lesson today!”

“You old coot! I’ve been tolerating you for a long time now!”

It was a showdown between a raging dragon and a roaring tiger—one was fighting for his wife while the other was fighting for his daughter. Both were livid and gritting their teeth; their eyes were scarlet with rage. They wanted to get back at each other for all the past and current hatred for each other. When Linus saw that the situation was getting out of hand, he rushed forward and stopped Cooper. Meanwhile, Sophia and Roger grabbed Michael.

The situation in the living room was chaotic. It was a cacophony of sounds—Cooper was shouting, Michael was roaring furiously, Sophia was screaming, Annabel was wailing, and there was also the sound of tableware crashing to the ground and smashing to pieces. The entire Edwards Residence was shrouded in a tragic atmosphere like those found in soap operas.

Cooper was forcefully held back by Linus. However, he continued to wave his fists about. “Michael Fletcher! Do you really think you can marry my daughter?! Impossible! As long as I am alive, you will never marry her!”

Michael was struggling against Roger’s grip. “Sophia and I are mutually in love! Since when do you have a say in it?!”

Cooper’s eyes were crimson with hatred. “You knew about Linus from the beginning, didn’t you?! You’ve been hiding it from us all along!”

In response, Michael was so furious that he burst out laughing, but his laughter was bleak and despairing. “That’s right! I knew since the beginning! Five years ago, I was searching everywhere for you on Sophia’s behalf. Where were you?! Where were you when Sophia got into trouble?! I discovered that Linus was Sophia’s brother five years ago. I wanted to let the siblings get to know each other. But… ask your son yourself! Just what did he do?! Why don’t you ask him what he did?! What right does he have to get to know her?! He’s not worthy of her!”

Upon hearing those words, Linus froze in shock. I see… Five years ago… Michael already knew… Five years ago, he assisted the Phantom Wolf in kidnapping Sophia. He had not meant for it to happen and later helped rescue her. However, he couldn’t just write off his involvement in that matter.

The scars from that time were forcefully ripped open again. Cooper’s mind was filled with the memory of Sophia lying in his arms, covered in lacerations, and looking like she was about to die. There were too many memories in his life that he did not dare to recall, and this was one of them. It was no less painful than the time when Annabel died in his arms after being poisoned back then. All of a sudden, he let out a hoarse, angry roar. “Michael Fletcher! I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you!”

He ran about the house, looking for a gun. Even Linus couldn’t hold him back. On the other hand, Sophia was crying out of fright. She shouted tearfully, “Stop! Stop talking! Let’s just go! We won’t come back again!”

She and Roger worked together to drag the unwilling Michael outside. He was like an enraged beast, trying to snap at everybody around him. After that, he grabbed her hand and quickly dragged her to the garage.

When they entered the garage, she was crying sadly when she suddenly sensed a warm and large wall of flesh rushing toward her. The force of it was so strong that she staggered back slightly. Her back was against the wall, and she thought that the flesh wall was going to crash into her. Suddenly, a pair of large hands surrounded her and held the back of her head, preventing her from banging into the wall. Then, she was enveloped in a warm and soft embrace.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for scaring you…”

Sophia lifted her head blankly. Michael, who was completely livid beyond words just now, had calmed down at some point. His eyes were gentle, and he seemed like a completely different person compared to the man who fought with Cooper just now…

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1065

Sophia looked at Michael in confusion and blinked. Her face was tear-stained, and she couldn’t help choking on her tears. “Weren’t you fighting with my father just now—”

“It was faked. Your father and I were only acting,” Michael quickly replied. He was afraid that if he confessed any later, she would overthink it.

“Acting…” It felt like her brain wasn’t working. All the brawling, quarreling, and opening old wounds… All of that was just an act? Before she could work through her confusion, his hot lips pressed against hers and forced all her doubts away. The two of them kissed quietly in that secluded corner of the garage. Tenderly kissing her on the lips, he used his actions to express his love for her.

After the kiss, she panted; she was slightly out of breath. Her small mouth opened and closed, breathing in the ambiguous air between them. A light sheen of sweat formed on her skin, and her eyes seemed to be shrouded in mist. Half-closing her eyes, her eyelashes trembled slightly as if tears still clung to them.

It had scared her very badly when the two men started fighting each other out of nowhere. Stuck between the two of them, she watched as the two most important men in her life tried to rip each other apart. It left her at a loss of what to do. Even now, her heart was still pounding fiercely in her chest; she was unable to calm down. However, she finally felt somewhat less worried after Michael’s gentle kisses.

He pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes as if he was reminiscing the feeling of the kisses they shared mere moments ago. Their lips were only several centimeters apart, and they could feel the heat of each other’s ragged breathing. There seemed to be an invisible and alluring sense in the air, attracting them to each other. The kiss mark he placed on her neck glimmered with a familiar sense of seduction. However, he knew that now was not the time for this.

She grabbed his shoulder and questioned him again in an uncertain tone. “It really was just an act, right? You’re not fighting with my father or my brother, right?”

Although she knew that Michael wasn’t an impulsive man, the words they exchanged just now were too harsh. Did he really need to say such hurtful words for the sake of an act?

He breathed out a sigh through his nose. “Yeah. Your father knew I was acting too. But, his acting skills are far too clumsy. It’s difficult to fool anybody with that level of acting, so I said some hurtful stuff to agitate him and cause an outburst of emotions in him… I didn’t mean to hurt him, and I will apologize for it later.”

Upon hearing those words, she couldn’t help laughing a little. I knew it; Michael is a coward. How could he possibly pick a fight with Cooper? No, he’s not a coward. It’s only because Cooper is my father that he has to back down. Still… was he really not taking the opportunity to pick a fight with Cooper to vent his hatred?

Afterward, the family of three returned to Villa No.8, The Imperial. As soon as Carmen arrived home, she took out her customized accounting book and started balancing her accounts. She carried the book around with her wherever she went. Any time she made some money, she would carefully record it into the book. From the money she received from letting her friends at the kindergarten play with Judge to the salary she received from filming; she recorded everything down clearly without missing a single decimal point.

One had to admit that children with strong genes always got the longer stick in life. Although Carmen was just about to turn four, she could already do complicated multiplications and divisions. Recently, she even started learning how to do multivariate quadratic equations. Although she couldn’t compare to her uncle who was defying logic at the age of four, she was very advanced compared to her peers.

I’m going to balance my accounts today. I need to check if I’ve been losing money! Thus, she earnestly counted with her fingers, borrowing the help of a calculator once in a while. Among all the various skills she had, she was the best at math.

Michael and Sophia helped her balance her accounts too.

“On X day X year, Carmen endorsed a children’s watch. The endorsement fee was 1 million. Daddy saved it for me! On X day X year, Carmen played a bit-part for a show and earned 200 a day. On X day X year, the global box office sales of the movie Carmen acted in exceeded 500 million Amons, and she received a salary of 500,000 Amons for her role in the movie. On X day X year, Mommy used Carmen’s social media account to accept an advertisement contract. The advertising fee was 100,000.”

…

Carmen pouted, feeling unconvinced. After repeatedly calculating her income over the years, she finally obtained a total amount. Then, she sprung up excitedly and proudly announced, “Haha! I didn’t make Daddy lose any money!”

Michael hugged his daughter, who became cheerful all of a sudden. “Look; didn’t I tell you that you’re good at making money? How could you be losing money?”

Once she confirmed that she was not a ‘waste of money’, she happily took her afternoon nap. Despite finally cheering their child up, Michael and Sophia entered the study with solemn expressions. If Cooper and Michael were just putting on an act, then there must have been an audience they were acting for. At the time, only Cooper, Linus, Annabel, Sophia, and Michael were present. Since neither Sophia nor Linus was the targeted audience, it could only be Annabel! That meant that something was up with Annabel! However, that was probably the last thing Sophia wanted to hear.

Cooper had waited for more than 20 years before finally reuniting with Annabel. But now, he discovered that she was a fake! Even if she were the real thing, she was here with ulterior motives. How torturous was that to him?! The worst part was that he had to act along with her.

Sophia used to have her suspicions too. However, she had never spent a single day with Annabel before, and her understanding of Annabel as a person was too shallow. Besides, Cooper did not seem to have any misgivings. Thus, she kept her doubts buried in her heart and suppressed her feelings. Now, her doubts were confirmed. Thinking back on it carefully, various questionable points were everywhere. For example, Cooper once mentioned that Annabel was a stubborn lady who struggled against her fate. Like mother, like daughter; they were very similar.

Sophia wanted to study to change her fate. On the other hand, Annabel had been forced to drop out of school at a young age. She then entered society and struggled to earn a living, working many different jobs. In the end, she established ‘Crimson House’, a franchise restaurant, with Sam. To be honest, she was very talented and innovative. Becoming a multi-millionaire in that era was just a matter of time for her. On the contrary, the current Annabel was full of conservative and rotten beliefs from the olden days. She could even go so far as to mention something like ‘surrogate mother’!

Still, Sophia had not dared to investigate further into the matter. What if… she found something during her investigations? For example… the existence of that hooked-nosed man; what if that hooked-nosed man and Annabel were in cahoots with each other?

Finally, Sophia and Michael decided to bring out the previous data they collected to analyze them again and see if they could find new clues. Inside the study, she took out all the information she had gathered in the past and placed them in front of him. “This is the data I collected from some of the villagers Justin and I questioned before. And, this is a sketch of that hooked-nosed man based on their descriptions.”

She had compiled them into a document and printed them out. Even so, it was a large stack of documents. He flipped through the documents while instructing Maria to bring out the information he gathered several years ago.

With both their materials combined together, Michael picked up a pen and started doodling on the documents Sophia had gathered. Meanwhile, Sophia looked through the information Michael had gathered. That information was compiled from the traces of Annabel’s existence and gathered into a document for safekeeping. To give Sophia a rough idea of the information, it included photos of some of Annabel’s personal effects, a diary, and pictures. Comparing the two sets of information, they immediately detected many discrepancies between the information.

 

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1066

Sophia read through the materials seriously. Both husband and wife analyzed the data together, and Justin joined them too.

Michael soon finished reading through the information Sophia had gathered. Sophia also shared the results of her investigation with him. After considering it for a moment, he concluded, “The results from your investigation are suspicious indeed. Although the villagers personally witnessed what happened back then, they all saw things from a different perspective. Moreover, too much time has passed. People would subjectively change what they say, so this information might not be true. Just like how Sam fooled you last time by saying that he took over the Crimson House for your mother… If anyone among the villagers of the Johnson Family Village were to lie to receive the money… the rest will follow that person’s lead and weave their stories around the lie.” He used a red pen to strike through most of the information provided by the villagers. “From mother-in-law’s diary, we can confirm that she did not study past primary school. So, those who claimed that she dropped out of middle school are unreliable. With that, we can filter out many of these testimonies.”

Sophia was overwhelmed by the onslaught of information she read through today. Therefore, she simply watched as Michael analyzed the testimonies, little by little, and looked for clues. Occasionally, Justin would also help to cross out useless or confusing clues with a red pen. The truth behind the testimonies was unclear. It was possible that by rejecting the falsified parts of the testimony, they would accidentally cross out the truth hidden in them too.

“This middle school teacher claimed that mother-in-law was the top student in his class. After she dropped out of school, she went with him to work at a noodle restaurant he owned. Moreover, he also met the man with the hooked nose—” Michael analyzed the data with a solemn expression.

Sophia immediately interrupted. “Mom never went to middle school. So, he must be lying. And, there may never have been a hooked-nosed man!”

However, Justin immediately retorted, “I investigated him before. When Annabel was in primary school, this middle school teacher was still teaching at the primary school. She was also the best student in his class. I think too much time has passed, and he forgot some of the details. So, the part about her meeting the hooked-nosed man at the noodle restaurant remains uncertain.”

Then, she fell silent and watched the two men analyze the information. What they were sure of, they would highlight blue; what they could discern as false, they highlighted red; and what remained uncertain, they highlighted green. In the end, they basically confirmed that Annabel was a bright student. Unfortunately, she dropped out of primary school to work. Moreover, she did all sorts of jobs before working at the noodle shop owned by her primary school teacher. Later, she received a recommendation and went to the city to work on her own. All the clues they couldn’t be certain about were linked to that hooked-nosed man.

After they finished discussing the hooked-nosed man, Michael talked about what happened today. “Your current mother is very good at acting. Her disguise is perfect, and the plastic surgery on her face was done very naturally. However, I’ve been dealing with actors and people with facelifts for a long time now. I can tell with a glance that her face has been surgically reconstructed before. Everything is fake. As for whether or not she is genuinely your mother, it can be verified with a DNA test. But, I believe your father has already done that in secret. When I slapped her today, I took a closer look at her face. The surgery she did was rather major, but I couldn’t find any traces of it. She probably removed her face entirely and underwent a complete facelift before reattaching her facial skin. Your father has been acting too. He probably knew from the start that she was a fake.”

She had originally guessed that her mother was a fake. Cooper might have failed to notice it immediately since it had been decades since he last saw the real Annabel. However, she did not expect that he had been acting all this while. Perhaps, he already knew the moment she appeared. He was faced with a woman pretending to be the love of his life, yet he had to force a smile for such a long while. How furious must he be inside? After all, he could not stand for anybody desecrating his beloved Anna!

“In conclusion, something must have been going on behind the scenes back then. My father is pretending right now so that he can draw the people behind this conspiracy out of the shadows. Perhaps, it's the hooked-nosed man from back then!” Sophia tried analyzing the information too.

However, Michael shook his head and said mysteriously, “Perhaps. But, that’s not the only thing he’s thinking about.”

As for what it was that his father-in-law had in mind, he didn’t dare to make a guess either. Still, he was certain the reason the mastermind sent this imposter to their side was to drive a wedge between Michael and Cooper. They might have disliked each other in private, but to outsiders, they were a unit with shared interests. Hence, Cooper and Michael’s cooperation more or less meant that Cooper was affiliated with the Fletcher Family, Asco International, and the Winston Family.

Michael did not know who the mastermind was trying to target. Is it me? Or, is it Cooper? But, there’s only one person who considers both of us as their enemies… At present, he was pretending to be at odds with Cooper. So, there was nothing else for him to do but sit back and watch the show.

At the Edwards Residence, Cooper was so livid that steam was practically coming out of his nostrils after he almost got into a fight with Michael. He watched as Sophia and Michael left with Carmen, then he turned to Linus and said, “Linus, call Sophia and ask her to come back right now!”

Annabel tried to calm him down. “That’s enough. Coop, let’s not get all hot and bothered over that b*stard! Your health is more important. Don’t get angry! If your health fails because of how angry you are, what will happen to me?”

Linus took out his phone and made a call. Then, he came back with a troubled expression and reported, “Dad… Sophia hung up on me.”

Thus, Cooper gritted his teeth in fury and suddenly swept everything on the coffee table to the ground in his rage. “Unbelievable! I’m going to kill him!”

Seeing that Cooper was about to get up and rush out, Linus quickly put his phone down and rushed over. “Dad, calm down! Murder will not solve anything!”

Cooper was livid. “How dare he hit your mother?! Are you saying he shouldn’t be killed?!”

Linus seemed impatient and annoyed. “That’s enough, Dad. Stop being so impulsive. We were all at fault today! You should watch what you say!”

Then, Cooper glared at Linus before smiling coldly and cruelly. “Which side are you on? Linus, you better not forget this: just who do you think raised you all these years?!”

Linus pursed his lips in response. He remained silent, but it was obvious that he was upset. Glancing around at the messy living room, Cooper stormed back to his study and did not come out again. After he left, Linus snorted with a dark expression. Not long after, he left the house and drove back to The Imperial.

“Coop! Linus! Where are you going—” Annabel anxiously ran after both of them, but she couldn’t stop any of them from leaving.

Over the next few days, Linus did not return and Sophia did not send a single letter back home. In a moment of rage, Cooper ordered Lucky, the local dog breed that Linus raised, to be killed! After that, Linus finally returned. A huge quarrel ensued in the Edwards Residence, and he moved out completely. With that, their happy little family was broken beyond rescue. Sulking alone at home, Cooper did not allow anybody, except Annabel, to approach him.

In a flash, half a month passed by without any signs of reconciliation. Finally, a mysterious and cautious message was secretly sent out of the country through Annabel’s phone…

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1067

Nearly two months had passed since Annabel first appeared in front of Cooper. In these two months, she had been extremely careful, and her performance was perfect. Only after seeing that her plans had succeeded did she cautiously send out this message. Michael, Linus, and Cooper were now at odds with each other under her instigation, and Cooper was isolated and helpless. Now was the best time to strike at him!

After hiding in the study and sending out the message, she glanced through the latest news. The share prices of several listed companies under the Michel Group had fallen. Moreover, Cooper’s Mitchell International Energy and Technology was doing poorly recently. The company had consecutively lost several projects and ceased all cooperation with the Edwards Group. Currently, it was being suppressed by the Edwards Group.

In the end, Cooper was only human—he had emotions too. As long as he had emotions, he had weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Back then, Annabel was his weakness. And now, his children were his weaknesses. With his weaknesses in hand, finishing him off was no trouble at all! She communicated with the mastermind through a special method of text messaging and received a reply not long after her initial message was sent. The response was short, containing only three words: ‘Kill the twins’.

Staring at those words, she felt puzzled; she couldn’t quite understand the meaning behind those words. Kill the twins? The twins are probably referring to Sophia and Linus, the fraternal twins. So, he only wants to kill Cooper’s children and end the family lineage? But, from my observations during this time, Cooper isn’t particularly bothered by blood ties. Aside from Sophia and Linus, he still has several backups, such as Sean and Carmen, that could inherit his will. Therefore, more than two targets exist if he wanted to eliminate Cooper’s successors. So, why only kill the twins?

Annabel put her phone away and turned around. To her surprise, she discovered that the door to the study had been opened at some point without her noticing. Furthermore, several people stood at the door watching her. Standing at the forefront was Cooper, and he was accompanied by Linus, Sophia, as well as his son-in-law, Michael. As the four of them stood by the door, she could feel their gazes coldly and silently staring at her.

Her heart skipped a beat in fear. Why are Linus and Sophia here? Aren’t they at odds with Cooper? Why are they here? Even so, she reacted quickly. Without revealing her emotions on her face, she pretended to wipe down the desk in the study with the rag in her hand. She also acted pleasantly surprised as she said, “Oh, my! Sophia and Linus are back! I knew it; we are a family after all. What is there—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Cooper took out a gun and swiftly aimed the nozzle at her leg. Then, he pressed the trigger without a hint of hesitation. The silenced pistol did not make a loud noise. She only heard a soft ‘Bam!’ when he pressed the trigger before a bullet went through her leg. Several seconds of silence passed before she let out a shrill cry of pain as she fell back against the desk behind her and slowly slid to the ground. She stared at her leg, which had been shot, in disbelief and her entire body trembled uncontrollably. A moment later, she let out a piercing scream, “Coop, why—”

He aimed the gun nozzle to the left and fired again without batting an eye. Bam! Another bone-chilling scream completely covered the soft sound of the gunshot. That ear-splitting scream reverberated throughout the entire Edwards Residence when she was shot in her other leg.

Sophia expressionlessly watched the entire scene unfold before her. Her faint blue eyes were utterly unmoved. Rather, there was a hint of delight in them. Meanwhile, Cooper lowered his hand that was holding the gun and walked into the room. Looking down at the woman in front of him expressionlessly, his gaze was as indifferent as if he were looking at an ant.

“The bullet to your left leg is for my daughter.” His sea-blue eyes were cold—there was no trace of emotion in them. “My daughter is not somebody you are allowed to shame.”

Annabel seemed to have caught on to what was going on. Leaning against the ground, she stopped screaming even though both her legs were bleeding. She was pale-faced and sweating profusely from the pain, but her trembling lips were cocked in a mocking smile. The gaze she fixed on him held a hint of pity and ridicule. It felt as if she was holding the trump card that he could only dream about acquiring.

On the other hand, his expression was unreadable. “The bullet to your right leg is for my granddaughter… For all the things you said to her.”

He knew she was a fake from the moment she appeared. She had disguised herself perfectly, and her imitation of Annabel’s expressions and demeanor was flawless. However, he knew from the first glance. Even if more than 20 years had passed, that person still appeared in his dreams daily—he remembered everything about her as if it were yesterday. How could he possibly forget? Yet, he still brought this imposter home.

He simply watched as the imposter fed Carmen an expired jelly and the talisman drink; tolerated her rudeness and all her attempts at sounding him out; and tolerated the harm she brought to his family. All of it was for today! He had achieved what he wanted to know—this woman was useless to him now. However, he decided to do it himself.

Looking at the cold and merciless gun nozzle pointed at her, she sneered. She knew he could not kill her. Even if he wanted to kill her, it depended on whether he had enough confidence and courage to pull it off.

“Haha…” She gritted her teeth, her pale lips opening and closing slightly. However, the words that came out of her mouth sent chills down their backs. “I have to hand it to you, Cooper. You saw through my pretense after all. But, what else could you do? I was pregnant; I was having your children. So, you endured it and murdered your own child—”

Bam! He raised his gun and fired the third shot with a frigid expression. The bullet hit her in the stomach.

“This bullet is for Anna,” he said quietly. Despite his deep hatred, his words came out calmly and indifferently. “Anna is not somebody you can blaspheme.”

That shot pierced through the imposter’s stomach at a close range, and the bullet lodged itself in the desk behind her. The imposter clutched at her stomach, but she couldn’t stop the warm blood that gushed out without stopping. As an agent who was about to die, she suddenly felt incredibly cold. The person standing before her did not feel human—it felt as if an emotionless dragon was looming before her. As expected, he truly was cold and merciless.

She gritted her teeth and snarled, “Cooper, you won’t be able to bring yourself to kill me. I know all the answers to everything you want to know!”

In response, he lifted the gun again and fired the fourth shot without saying anything. The bullet hit her in the shoulder. “This bullet is for my son. You shouldn’t have tried to harm my family.”

The imposter was shot four times, and it no longer hurt. Instead, she laughed. “Hahaha… Cooper, I have enough cards in my hand that you won’t dare to kill me! You will never know the answers to some of the secrets if you killed me—”

Ding! A notification sound rang out from the Dragon Eye tablet Linus was holding in his hand. Then, he reported to Cooper, “I’ve gotten the coordinates. It’s in Ronney City.”

Cooper didn’t seem to be agitated. Rather, he didn’t seem to feel anything at all. Calmly putting his gun away, he walked out of the study without sparing a single glance at the imposter lying on the ground. “Your mother is still alive. She’s in Ronney City.”

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1069

While Sophia was cursing the imposter, she couldn’t stop her tears from streaming down her face. It seemed that the woman’s words had had a huge impact on her. “Shut up! Shut up!”

If Michael were not restraining her, she would have pounced on the woman and torn her mouth apart.

Seeing that she had successfully enraged Sophia, the imposter felt that she could die with no regrets. Even if she couldn’t survive, she had to make sure that Cooper’s life would be turned upside down, thereby accomplishing the mission her master entrusted her. Her mean words exposed the fragility of the relationship between Sophia and Cooper.

“Do you think Cooper really loves you? No! Just like Annabel, he only loves himself! Whoever gets in his way, he will kill that person, even if that person is his own kid! In his eyes, you are no more important than a pile of dust! Annabel should have been killed a long time ago. It serves her right that she’s infertile! That man had done everything he could to win her heart and acquired everything she desired for her. However, she turned a blind eye when my kid was dying!” The imposter growled, trying to vent her resentment before she were to die. Although she had lost her mind, her hatred was real.

“I hate all of you! What makes you deserve the love of others? How could Annabel hurt the feelings of the man who loved her? He is such a contemptible man. He knows that Annabel has been making use of him, but he’s willing to sacrifice for her over such a long period of time. What makes Annabel deserve his love? I’ve sacrificed everything for him. I’ve been following him since I was young. I’ve squandered my youth and even imitated another woman just to win his heart! I also became a surrogate mother for that b*tch. Your mother turned a blind eye when my kid was dying. Although I’d given birth to the kid, it was her child! What did I get in return? The man I love doesn’t love me back, and my child didn’t even know I existed. I’ve sacrificed all I have, but I get nothing in return! I hate all of you!”

As the imposter was bawling, her face was already covered in tears. She hated the fact that her life had been ruined.

When she was told to imitate Annabel, she executed the order. Firstly, she went under the knife to get her face modified to look exactly like Annabel. Then, she observed her behavior and learned all about her. Also, she took the risk of becoming mute by undergoing vocal cord surgeries to make her voice sound like her.

When Annabel became infertile, she even offered to be her surrogate mother and bore her child. But in the end, she got nothing in return for her favors.

The imposter then laughed maniacally because she felt that the man had loved the wrong woman for all his life. She was also laughing at herself for sacrificing for a man who didn’t love her back. However, she was unwilling to give up because Annabel and her met the man at the same time, but he fell in love with the other one, even though she was the more brilliant one.

Noticing the silence in the room, she came to her senses and lifted her head, only to see that Sophia, who was agitated moments ago, had composed herself. Although there were tears on the corners of her eyes, her expression was as glacial as her father’s.

“Thanks. I’ve learned all I want to know. You shall go to hell now.” With her head tilted, Sophia kept the smile on her face, but her gaze was indifferent. After helping her up, Michael gently brushed the tears off the corners of her eyes.

Sophia’s acting skill had improved significantly under Michael’s guidance, so she easily got the information she needed out of the imposter.

Startled, the imposter knew that she had unwittingly revealed all the secrets. Trying to defend her last bit of dignity, she laughed coldly. “Sophia, now that you’ve figured out that your mother is still alive, I do hope that you’ll find her one day. By then, you’ll understand how despicable your mother is. Hopefully, you’ll still believe that you have the last laugh when that time comes.”

With an impassive expression, Sophia gazed at the imposter without uttering a word. However, Michael noticed that her hands were cold, and her fingers were trembling.

“Alright. It’s time for you to hit the road to hell. Siri, you may do your job now.” After Michael finished talking, he left the study with Sophia, after which the housekeeping robot came into the room and jabbed a needle into the imposter. A short moment later, life left her body as she hit the desk with a resounding thud.

Right before she died, the memories of her life flashed across her mind.

She remembered the summer thirty years ago when she was a young and beautiful girl. Unfortunately, she was born into a poor family, and her parents were not well-educated. Her alluring face turned out to be a curse for herself as she was forced to marry a man in his forties in exchange for some money for her parents.

Unwilling to marry that man, she fled from the house on her wedding night. Just when she was almost caught by her soon-to-be husband’s family members, the man of her dreams came along.

He was the most handsome, mysterious and elegant man she had ever seen. After he offered to buy her off for five thousand, she had started following him since then.

Annabel and her were saved by him at roughly the same time. Since they were young, he had taught them various assasination skills. By using their beauty as weapons, they had helped the man kill countless of his opponents.

He was her faith and the only reason she stayed alive, so she was willing to sacrifice everything for him. However, what did she get in exchange for her loyalty?

She had given birth to a child of the man she loved and another woman. The child then grew up to be an adult, but never knew of her existence. The child even called another woman ‘Mom’, even though that woman was one of the cruelest people on earth.

She knew that this mission would cost her life, but she still chose to take it. Therefore, she only had herself to blame for her miserable ending.

Her eyelids grew heavier, and her vision turned blurry. Eventually, she closed her eyes and left for the other world. In the last moments of her life, she asked herself if she ever regretted her decision, and the answer was clear—she never regretted it once.

With her eyes closed, her head slumped to the side, all her love and resentment ended with her life. When she was at her last breath, she recalled the very night she came across that man.

The moment she laid her eyes on him, she knew that she would be willing to sacrifice everything, including her life, for him. But Jordan Edwards… will you regret it?

…

Seeing that the woman was dead, the housekeeping robot started spraying some liquid on her body. A moment later, the body decomposed into a puddle of blood. Following that, the robot started cleaning up the floor.

The woman was born with nothing, and she brought nothing with her when she left this world, as though she had never existed in this world before.

On the other side, Sophia’s mind was a mess. Although she had figured out everything she needed to know, she felt that the more she learned, the more she was terrified of what was ahead of her.

Will Cooper kill Linus and me without hesitation? Is Annabel really a secret agent sent to Cooper to destroy him? What if Linus and I really are the tools Annabel intends to use against Cooper?

At the thought of this possibility, she was gripped by fear.

My Dreamy Old Husband Chapter 1070

Previously, Sophia had this supposition that Annabel was sent to approach Sam in order to destroy him. Later on, however, Cooper became close friends with Sam, so she decided to deal with them together.

Then, Annabel successfully persuaded Cooper to leave his family with her. At the age of eighteen, he lost the protection of the Mitchell Family, and it was the best time for Annabel to kill him. Unexpectedly, Sam exposed this news to the Mitchells, after which they went all out to save Cooper before Annabel could kill him.

After her mission failed, she survived the Mitchells’ attempt to kill her, but she was still abandoned by her master. In order to evade the Mitchells and her master’s punishment, she became a nanny at the Edwards Residence instead of going back to her hometown. Unfortunately, she was raped during her stay at the residence.

At that time, she was already impregnated with Sophia and Linus, who were supposed to be the tools to threaten Cooper. However, since Annabel had lost her value, her children had become redundant as well.

After that, her master came to look for her and brought her away, but he decided to abandon Sophia and Linus because they were of no value to him.

After Sophia left the study, she gazed out the window at the lovely weather, but she felt cold all over her body. I’m redundant… Annabel gave birth to me just to deal with Cooper! The more she tried not to think about this, the more she was troubled by this thought. At the moment, her mind was restless.

Just then, her legs turned to jelly, and she almost collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, Michael supported her weight in time. Trapped in his strong arms, Sophia could hear him consoling her in a low voice. “Forget about the past and move on.”

For that instant, she was as helpless as a child. She recalled a time when Carmen was unfairly accused of being useless to her father. Even a young kid would be sorrowful over such an accusation, so what was more to say of Sophia, who was an adult. She knew that if the truth was just like her speculation, it would deal a heavy blow to both Cooper and her.

With her head leaning against Michael’s chest, Sophia started weeping because she was terrified that she would lose her father and eventually her family.

Then, Sophia recalled what happened to Sarah. In the past, she was the princess of her parents, but one day, everything turned upside down. Her parents, who swore to love her forever, abandoned her just like that. At that time, Sophia couldn’t even imagine how Sarah felt after the latter lost everything in her life.

Hugging her, Michael understood all her worries and sorrows, for he knew how unfeeling Cooper could be.

After Cooper faked his death, Woody grew so agitated that he lost his mind. As an indifferent man, Cooper never even showed up for the next twenty years, even though he was aware of his father’s condition.

On the other hand, Linus did all he could to destroy Sophia. The father and son were equally ruthless.

However, Sophia was different from them, for she had endured hardship in her younger days.

She was overjoyed that she could finally reunite with her family members, so it was hard for her to accept the truth that her mother was a secret agent sent to destroy her father, and her brother and her were nothing more than her mother’s tools.

As her tears soaked Michael’s white shirt, she tried to stifle her crying. Moments later, she sniffled, pouted and tipped her head back to look at her man.

She decided to leave the past behind because she knew that even if everyone else in this world lied to her, the man before her eyes, whose hair had turned gray overnight because of her, had the purest heart for her.

No matter what she would encounter in the future, as long as he was by her side, she would have the strength and courage to weather the storm.

Seeing that she stopped crying, Michael lifted her chin, gazed at her teary eyes, and said gently, “There’s no need to cry. No matter what will happen, I’m with you. I will always protect you and love you.”

I’m with you. That was the most beautiful thing Sophia had ever heard. Tiptoeing, she locked her lips with Michael. As long as he’s with me, I’m happy…

It was a difficult task to get information out of the imposter because she was a secret agent who had received special training. Nevertheless, Sophia was able to stir up her emotions and got the information she needed.

Basically, Annabel survived. At that time, she suffered from amniotic fluid embolism, but the Johnsons never managed to save her in time. After her uterus was removed, it was too late because she had stopped breathing. Even though she probably had just fallen into a state of suspended animation, the Johnsons buried her body. Fortunately, Liam dug her out in time. She was then taken away by her master, who was a rich man who managed to revive her and eventually changed her life.

“The imposter also mentioned that my mom had a test tube baby with that man, and that imposter offered to be a surrogate mother.” After Sophia told Cooper the information she had gathered, she furtively observed his expression, which remained impassive.

Over the years, Annabel was alive, and she certainly knew that Cooper wasn’t dead. However, not only did she not look for Cooper, but she also raised a kid with another man. By now, it was apparent that she never loved Cooper.

She approached Cooper and lied to him because she was on a mission. Unaware of all these, Cooper had been missing her dearly for decades. If she was really such a ruthless woman, then Cooper’s love for her would be laughable.

With her body tensed up, Sophia gazed at her father.

After a moment of silence, Cooper announced, “I’m exhausted from what happened today.” Upon finishing his words, he turned to leave in a hurry, as though he didn’t want anyone to notice his true emotions underneath his impenetrable facade. He had always believed that Annabel was in love with him, but the truth turned out to be a slap in his face.

After her father left, Sophia turned to face Michael and Linus with a heavy heart. After everything that had happened on this day, everyone was taxed out. Sophia decided to stay over at the Edwards Residence instead of going back to her own home.

Carmen was brought to this place as well because she had been wanting to meet her grandfather. However, her grandfather wasn’t at the residence at the moment. Just when she felt frustrated, her father told her that they were going to join the filming of the variety show ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’. The news cheered her up.

What happened on this day had had a huge impact on everyone. Nevertheless, Carmen was playing with Corrado as she wasn’t aware of what the adults had gone through.

In the evening, Cooper and Linus stayed in their own rooms and never came out to have dinner. After giving it a thought, Sophia decided to go to her father’s room with a tray of food.

The moment she opened the door, she was stunned. The room, which used to be clean and neat, was now in a mess. All the photos and pieces of paper were torn apart, and the floor was covered with empty beer bottles. At that instant, Cooper was lying on the ground, gulping down a bottle of beer.

“Dad!” Shocked, Sophia immediately put down the tray and edged toward her father. She had never seen her father so discomfited and helpless before. “Dad, stop it!” Flustered, she snatched the beer bottle from him and helped him up with difficulty. After placing him on the couch, she told the housekeeping robot to clean up the mess.

Cooper had torn apart all his photos with Annabel and the diaries she had written, all of which were his collective memories with her.