Free Web NovelChapter 374: His Weakest Moment
"Sir, it’s midnight now," Michael’s assistant, Mr. York, knocked on the door to remind him.
In the dead of night, the knock reverberated clearly through the vacant office.
Looking up, Michael glanced at Mr. York who had just entered the office.
He could tell that Mr. York was concerned about his well-being.
"Why don’t you go home? I still have some work to do," Michael said, looking back at his screen as he spoke.
Looking concerned, Mr. York said, "Sir, there is no end to this work. Why don’t we deal with it tomorrow? You have been working way too hard over the past few days.
"In three days, we’ll be competing against Christian in the bidding process. It would be devastating if you collapse from exhaustion before then."
Michael had not been home at all in the past few days and he looked terrible, unshaven and with deep, dark circles around his eyes.
"In any case, all the necessary prep work for the bidding has been completed. We just need to be there in three days’ time to submit the bid," Mr. York continued.
In an effort to persuade to take it easy, Mr. York added, "What’s more. All we need to do is to let Christian win the bid so there’s really not a lot more prep work to be done.
"So, can you please go home and get a good night’s sleep? Seeing you in this state is really..."
He stopped mid-sentence because he could not bring himself to say something mushy like ’heart breaking’.
"Just go home already, will you? And stop fussing," Michael uttered irritably.
Although he knew that Mr. York was simply worried about his well-being, he just could not help feeling dejected.
Mr. York sighed. As expected, he knew that Michael would not heed his advice.
Bowing officiously, he informed Michael, "I’m sorry Sir but I took the liberty of calling Old Mrs. Lucas..."
By ’Old Mrs. Lucas’, Mr. York was referring to Michael’s grandmother.
Now that Wendy was not around, only his grandmother would be able to talk some sense into him.
"You’re interfering!" Michael’s scowl deepened as he got angrier.
In the next second, Michael’s phone rang.
At that, Mr. York quickly mumbled ’I’ll be off now, Sir’ and beat a hasty retreat.
Left alone in the empty office, Michael sighed and picked up his phone to accept the call.
"Grandmother! Why are you still up at this late hour?" Michael yawned deliberately, pretending to be tired.
"Stop pretending! Your assistant has told me everything," his grandmother replied briskly, adding, "Come back to the mansion right now."
"You know what? I’m really tired and will not stop by tonight," Michael said. His grandmother would be heartbroken if she saw him in his disheveled and exhausted state.
"If you refuse to come back here, I will come to you right now. Your choice," his grandmother said before hanging up on him.
Hearing the engaged tone, Michael looked out onto the long deserted office floor and sighed.
Shortly after, he picked up his jacket and car key and left for the mansion.
It was way past midnight by the time he got there. The mansion was enveloped in a serene silence with no one about except for the security guards at the main gate.
Having parked the car, he began to walk into the living room.
Upon entering the living room, he noticed his grandmother on the sofa, waiting up for him.
"Grandmother...," Michael began, feeling a tad guilty.
He did not want his aged grandmother to lose sleep because of him.
He walked over to her and knelt down before her.
Taking her hand in his, he said, "You don’t have to worry about me. It’s very late.
You should get your beauty sleep."
"If you don’t want me to worry, you should not do things to make me worry about you!" his grandmother retorted as she reached out with her shaky hand and gently caressed his face.
Sounding heartbroken, she said, "Look at the state of you! When was the last time you had some sleep?!" freewēbnoveℓ.com
"I have been sleeping, really. So don’t you worry," Michael assured her.
"It’s just that there has been more work than usual recently, resulting in me getting lesser sleep.
"It’s only for a few more days. Once this work is completed, I will make time to rest up."
"I don’t care how busy you are. Your health is most important," his grandmother sighed heavily.
Truth be told, his grandmother was well aware of the animosity between Michael and Christian.
Although none of them would mention anything to her, she was not an idiot. She only had to read the papers to know what had been happening between them, and the controversy that they had stirred up.
All these years, she had been secretly harbouring a wish.
Although Christian was born out of wedlock, he was still biologically a member of the Lucas clan.
Their grandmother did not wish to see Michael and his half-brother, Christian, fighting each other to death.
But with the rapid deterioration of their already tumultuous relationship, she knew that they would never be able to exist harmoniously.
If she were forced to pick just one of them, she would, without a doubt, choose Michael.
And it was not just because Michael was very close to his grandmother, but also because of Christian’s evil and heartless nature.
On the other hand, despite appearing aloof and emotionless, Michael was by nature, a kind person.
Patting Michael on the back of his hand, she said, "I know that you and Wendy are going through a rough patch right now. If you like, you could tell me more about this situation that you’re in. Perhaps I could even give you some advice.
"Or, I could put my pride aside and beg her, on your behalf, for forgiveness."
"Grandmother...," Michael uttered, his heart aching at the mention of Wendy.
He hung his head low, looking like a despondent child who had lost his favorite candy.
"It was all my fault. I cannot bring myself to even ask for her forgiveness," Michael mumbled. He was truly sorry for all the wrongs that he had committed against her.
But, it was all too late.
Why, oh why did he not know how to treasure her in the past?
Why did one always have to suffer a loss before realizing, in hindsight, how precious that loss had been?
Heartbroken, Michael’s grandmother caressed his head and sighed.
"It was I who had initiated this relationship between you and Wendy. I had taken her side and coerced you into this marriage," she stated.
Recalling what had happened back then, she sighed heavily, "Till today, I am not sure if I had done the right thing. If I had not bullied you into marrying Wendy, then you would not have to go through this turbulence.
"You would have moved on, gotten married to other people and gradually forgotten about each other.
"Or, to be more precise, Wendy would have gradually forgotten about you. After all, at that time, you did not love her.
"Tell me, Michael. Do you hate me for bulldozing you into this marriage?"
Michael shook his head.
He did not hate her.
Really, he did not hate her.
Even if, ultimately, this relationship did not have a happy ending, he was still grateful to his grandmother for first giving him the chance.
It was his own fault for not realizing that he loved Wendy until it was too late.
He remembered clearly every single detail of his life with Wendy during those years that they were married.
The more vivid his recall, the more heart wrenching it became for him.
How very cruel and heartless he must have been to behave so badly towards Wendy back then.
"Talk to her," his grandmother advised, adding, "Give it another go. I believe that Wendy still cares for you."
"I...I’m scared...," Michael whimpered. At that moment, Michael was like a frightened child, because he had long lost his usual confidence and courage.
Not knowing how to respond to him, his grandmother paused for a while before saying, "But first, please eat something. I’ve asked tilly to make you some soup.
"I don’t care where you are regarding your situation with Wendy. You must first build up your strength."
At that, his grandmother sent an eye signal to Tilly, who had been standing by the side.
Acknowledging the signal, Tilly went into the kitchen.
At first, Michael had thought that he would be able to hold it together.
However, now that he was back in the mansion where he grew up, feeling his beloved grandmother’s tender care and heartache, and seeing the bowl of hot, steaming soup...
He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes.
And the bowl of soup looking a little blurry.
His grandmother took over the bowl from Tilly and, filling the spoon, fed it to him, ordering him, "Drink up all of this soup before we talk any further."
Blinking hard, Michael managed a faint smile and nodded.
Truth be told, he really had no appetite to eat anything, or even drink soup for that matter However, not wanting his grandmother to worry about him, he drank up all of the soup.
Having watched her grandson finish the soup, she stood up with the help of her walking stick and said, "It’s late. Get some sleep.
"Whatever’s troubling you, regardless of how challenging or how serious it is, just sleep on it. Perhaps, after a good night’s sleep, it would not seem so insurmountableafter all."
"Yes, Grandmother. You should get some sleep too. I’ll head out now," Michael replied.
"You’re staying over tonight," his grandmother stated in a tone that meant she would not take no for an answer.
"Whatever it is, leave it till tomorrow."
"I...," Michael was about to speak up when his grandmother waved her hand at him and cut in, "That’s settled then."
That said, she turned around and began to walk upstairs.
His grandmother was afraid that, once he left the mansion, he would go back and work through the night.
With the state that he was in, he would not make it through many more nights.
Stopping midway, his grandmother said without turning around, "Think carefully about your situation with Wendy. I hope that you will not end up with a lifetime of regret because of your weakness."
I hope that you will not end up with a lifetime of regret because of your weakness.
Those words kept echoing in Michael’s mind.
Yes, presently, he was indeed at his weakest.
He did not even have the courage to come face to face with Wendy or even call her.
He laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Although there was nothing to see on the ceiling, he could somehow see images of Wendy smiling radiantly at him.
Then he recalled that night, long ago, when his grandmother had made him and Wendy stay over.
At that time, he did not understand why his grandmother had insisted on matching them together.
At that time, if not for his grandmother’s persistence, he would definitely have thrown Wendy out of the room.
Ironically, all he had now was his memory of Wendy’s face.
Turning to his side, he looked at the empty space beside him and smiled.
That had been Wendy’s side of the bed.
But he, Michael, had deliberately squeezed her to the edge of the bed.
In fact, she had so little space to sleep on that she would have fallen off the bed if she made a small movement.
Despite that, Wendy never complained but continued to walk behind him, loving him with all her heart.
How could he have lost this woman who had loved him so wholeheartedly?
He hated himself more every time he thought about his dastardly behavior back then.
He tossed and turned on the bed for a long time, unable to fall asleep.
Recalling his grandmother’s words, he picked up his phone.
Opening the ticketing app, he keyed in the location of Rheinsville City and searched on flights.
He hesitated for a very long time, his fingers hovering multiple times over the ticket purchase screen.
Eventually, seemingly having decided, he tapped on purchase to buy a ticket.
Perhaps, for once, he should muster up the courage.
Because, as long as Wendy and Todd were not married, he still stood a chance, no?
Since he had been the one who had done Wendy wrong, he should be the one to make it up to her. Surely it was not another man’s responsibility?
Now that he had made the decision ... Michael began to smile.
