Free Web NovelChapter 57: His Family
After work ended, Wendy waited for Michael outside his office. Since she did not know if he needed to work overtime tonight, she did not think it was a good idea to go in and disturb him.
Not long after, Michael appeared with his car key in hand. Glancing at Wendy, he said in a neutral tone, "Let’s go."
Wendy followed him. She had also brought her car key along, planning to drive herself to the mansion. However, now Michael said, "Drive with me there. If we go to the mansion separately even though we are coming from the same place, Grandmother will bother us about it."
Wendy could not argue with that logic.
...
It was dinner time when they arrived at the mansion. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Mrs. Lucas had been waiting for their arrival When she saw Michael and Wendy enter the residence together, she said with a smile, "You’re finally home. Come, come, let’s have dinner together."
They entered the dining room together. Wendy sat beside Mrs. Lucas so that she could serve her during dinner. Mrs. Lucas beamed delightedly. Wendy looked around her and saw only the three of them at the dining table.
Feeling curious, she asked, "Is it just us?"
It would have been better if she had remained quiet. The moment Mrs. Lucas heard that question, her smile faded, and she briefly froze. She said, "Isabel went out to meet her friends, she’s not at home. As for my son and daughter-in-law-well, they had a fight."
Wendy regretted her question when she heard Mrs. Lucas’s response. She knew that Anthony and Winnie had never had a good marriage.
Without saying anything else, she bowed her head and ate her meal silently.
"I heard that you’ve moved back in with Michael?" said Mrs. Lucas in a much lighter tone as she picked up a piece of braised meat with her fork and placed it in Wendy’s bowl. "That’s much better. After all, it’s not appropriate for you to remain at your friend’s house indefinitely. "
Turning her head, her face darkened slightly before she started lecturing Michael in a stern tone, "Now that Wendy has finally moved back home, I want you to stay there every night. Don’t let me find out that you’ve been sleeping elsewhere."
Michael had remained quiet all this while but still managed to get dragged into the conversation. Helplessly, he said, "Grandmother, I can’t return to the apartment full-time simply because I want to."
His answer was well thought-out as it was now Wendy in the hot seat once again. However, it was true that she was the one who hadn’t let him spend the night in the apartment. If Michael did not go to her apartment, Christian would not have shown up at her place either. And then the fallout that came next would never have happened.
"You’re talking as though Wendy could really kick you out of the apartment." Mrs. Lucas slowly, deliberately turned to Wendy and asked, "Right, Wendy?"
Wendy had no good response. She could only hum in acknowledgment with her head bowed.
"Did you hear that? Wendy would never kick you out. You’re the one who doesn’t want to go back," said Mrs. Lucas as she gave Michael a look. "Stop using her as an excuse."
Michael understood what his grandmother was trying to say. Nodding, he said with a smile, "Fine, I won’t use Wendy as an excuse anymore. I’ll go home every single night, okay?"
"That’s more like it. You guys have been married for so long, it’s time to work hard." Mrs. Lucas beamed as she scooped some side dishes for the both of them. "Come, eat as much as you want."
Wendy was not stupid. She knew what Mrs. Lucas was referring to when she told them to ’work hard.’
She thought, I am already pregnant. However, given our current situation, I still can’t bring myself to tell Michael about it just yet. I need to make sure that my child will not be harmed in any way.
However, it seemed that Mrs. Lucas was bent on deciding the course of their lives for them without seeking Wendy’s input.
Suddenly, a commotion came from the living room just as they were almost done with their meal.
"Anthony Lucas, did you go look for that sl*t again? Don’t you feel sorry at all? Don’t you care about me one bit? Can you still call yourself a man? I gave birth to your children, I helped you get a stable footing in your career, and I helped you to grow your business into the success that it is today. Is this how you repay me?"
When Wendy heard the commotion, she automatically set down her fork and looked at where the sound was coming from. However, since the dining room and living room were separated, she could not see anything.
Mrs. Lucas’s face instantly darkened when she heard the racket. She said, "Let’s just eat and ignore them. They are always arguing with each other."
Wendy glanced at Michael. He had always been unhappy with his father’s behavior, and now that his parents were arguing, she did not believe that he would just sit back and do nothing about it. Just as she had expected, Michael put down his chopsticks, stood up, and went to the living room.
Feeling like there wasn’t any other choice, Wendy said to Mrs. Lucas, "I’ll go check it out."
"Anthony Lucas, you’re cruel!" Winnie Quinn whacked Anthony while scolding him. There was already a scratch on his face.
"I already told you, I’m not going to her! I’m going to the office, I really am!"’ Anthony was evidently trying his best to suppress his anger. When he spoke, it was through gritted teeth.
"You’re going to the office? Who are you kidding?" Winnie laughed in anger. She reached out and snatched Anthony’s phone from him, saying, "If that’s the truth, you won’t be afraid to show me your phone!"
"I already told you that I’m going to the office, why do you need to see my phone?!" replied Anthony. He gave a forceful tug, and Winnie ended up falling to the ground. Michael arrived just in time to catch sight of the mess. He jogged up to his mother and helped her up.
Seeing that Michael had returned, Winnie hugged him while crying, "Michael, your father is simply awful to me."
Michael glared harshly at Anthony, a cold look on his face. Anthony’s eyes flashed when he saw his son. However, since he was Michael’s father, he was not afraid of him. With his head slightly inclined, Anthony said, "Don’t listen to your mother’s nonsense."
"Nonsense?" Michael snorted, "Are you really going back to the office at this hour?"
"Something happened at the work, and I need to deal with it immediately," said Anthony, who was now blatantly lying.
"Which company are you referring to?" Michael did not bother to play along to help his father. He interrogated him, "I am the company’s president, just let me know and I will deal with it."
"Michael Lucas!" Anthony was enraged now, and his tone was also much harsher. He had never been able to get along with his son, who had angered him often since he was a child.
Glancing at Wendy who was standing by the side, Anthony snorted and said very deliberately, "You’re my son, how dare you interfere with my affairs? It’s perfectly normal for a man to have a mistress outside of his marriage. You, too, have a wife and a mistress, so what gives you the right to talk about me?"
If this were the past, Wendy would have remained silent. Now, however, she could not suppress the rage building inside her. She said, "Father, do you think it’s appropriate for you to say these things in front of me? The younger generations learn from their parents, after all, and it was your generation that led your whole family astray"
"Outrageous!" Anthony raised his hand to slap Wendy. However, before he could do so, Michael grabbed his wrist. Since Michael was still young and strong compared to Anthony, he was easily able to overcome his father’s strength.
Anthony’s face was flushed with anger. He tried his best to retract his hand but failed. All he could do was say threateningly, "Michael Lucas, don’t forget that you are my son, and I gave you everything that you have today. Let go of me right now!"
"Is that so?" Michael sneered, "Soon, you won’t ever have to work overtime again."
"What do you mean?" Anthony frowned deeply. He had a bad feeling about what Michael had said.
"It is what it sounds like," said Michael as he gave his father’s arm a forceful tug before letting go. Unable to regain his balance, Anthony stumbled backward. His wrist felt numb from Michael’s strong grip. He thought, now that Michael is all grown up, I have absolutely no control over him anymore.
With the situation at hand, Anthony knew that it would be difficult for him to leave the house today. With a harsh snort, he turned his back to the rest and headed upstairs. freēwēbnovel.com
Winnie hugged Michael, crying miserably, "Your father often uses the company as an excuse to leave the house at night and look for that sl*t. I used to turn a blind eye to it, but he crossed the line today. He not only bought her an apartment and a car, but he also transferred $5 million into her account."
$5 million did not mean much to the Lucas family, but nobody would be able to withstand that kind of money going to a lowly mistress; it just added insult to the injury that was Anthony’s affair.
Wendy pursed her lips, standing silently by the side. She never had a good relationship with Michael’s family members, and since she rarely spoke to Winnie, she did not know how to comfort her now.
"Mother, just hold on for a little longer and you can get divorced," Michael sighed. His family’s affairs had always been a source of frustration for him, so he rarely returned home.
"A divorce..." Winnie laughed bitterly, her tone sounding exceptionally cold. She sniffled, then inclined her head slightly and said, "Why should I get divorced? I’ve been by his side for so many years, why should I relinquish him to another woman after he has already built a successful career?"
"Soon, he will lose everything," said Michael with a faraway gaze. His tone was very calm, but it was filled with determination.
"What do you mean..."
Before Winnie finished speaking, Michael interrupted her, "You’ll find out soon."
Winnie had practically raised Michael on her own. Even though he rarely returned to the mansion, he was still very loyal and devoted to his mother. He had always taken Winnie’s side whenever she got into fights with Anthony.
However, in the past, Anthony’s control over MC Enterprise meant that Michael was greatly restricted. Now, he was the one with full authority in the company. Soon, the company would change hands. When that happened, both Anthony and Christian would have to leave MC Enterprise.
After soothing Winnie, Michael sent her upstairs to rest. Although Anthony and Winnie stayed together in the mansion, they had been sleeping apart for ages. Outsiders did not know about this, but everyone within the Lucas family did.
Michael saw his grandmother sitting on the couch chatting with Wendy when he came back downstairs. She said, "I’m sorry that you guys had to witness something so upsetting when you rarely come back here. It’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have invited the both of you back for dinner tonight."
"Don’t say that, Grandmother, you didn’t ask for that to happen," said Wendy, who understood that Mrs. Lucas meant no harm. The elderly woman had always hoped that her family could find harmony and get along.
However, Anthony got himself involved in a messy affair that resulted in an illegitimate son. That was the incident that had become the biggest thorn in Mrs. Lucas’s heart.
"Wendy, you must get along well with Michael. Don’t follow in the footsteps of his parents and cause so much chaos within our family."
Wendy lowered her gaze and hummed softly in acknowledgment. However, she did not know what Michael thought about this. She wondered if he had been nice to her recently because of Christian, or because he genuinely wanted to lead a life together with her.
Naturally, Wendy could not confide in all of this in Mrs. Lucas, as doing so would only cause her to worry more.
Mrs. Lucas shifted her gaze to Wendy’s belly and said expectantly, "You should work hard and get pregnant soon. Michael’s attitude toward you has improved so much recently, and I’m sure that your relationship will become even better once you have a child together." Mrs. Lucas had been very hung up on this matter.
For one thing, she really wanted to have a great-grandchild to dote on. Maybe even more importantly, she hoped that Michael would treat Wendy better if they had a child. Like before, Wendy could only hum in acknowledgment.
