Chapter 484

The reality was staring them in the face, and all they could do was look ahead.

Given the Wilson family's current stance towards the Browns, there was no way they were sending Isabella back.

No one would willingly watch their precious daughter suffer with a man who didn't appreciate her.

Part of it was her son's fault. He was clearly crazy about Isabella, but it was like his mouth was super-glued shut when it came to saying anything sweet or romantic.

Well, now he was paying the price. She had had enough and slapped him with divorce papers.

There was no way he could win her back now.

Aiden sighed at the thought, not wanting to dwell on it any longer.

He carefully placed the gemstone pendant back in its box and turned to Stella.

"I get it. Let's just drop it for now."

Stella nodded. "That's probably best. You need to take care of yourself at your age. Come on, breakfast is ready in the kitchen."

During breakfast, Aiden habitually turned on the TV, watching the news while sipping his porridge.

He had barely taken a few bites when he saw the familiar name "Brown Group" flash across the screen.

The news was about Leanne Corporation suing Brown Group over quality issues, and the internet was flooded with negative opinions.

Even Stella, who usually didn't care about such things, was drawn in.

After all, it concerned the Brown Group. She watched for a while to understand what was happening, and then she was furious.

"What is Nolan doing? He just got back and insisted on taking over the company. Now look, he's the president, and in just a few days, he's caused such a huge mess. He's plunged the company into both financial and reputational crises. Can he really handle this responsibility? Or is he just pretending to be capable and dragging the company into bankruptcy?"

Before Stella could finish her rant, there was a loud "bang" from the head of the table.

Aiden, who had been calmly drinking his porridge, had collapsed from his chair in a fit of rage.

Stella turned around, her face pale with fear.

"Dad, are you okay? Please don't scare me. Someone call an ambulance!"

At the hospital.

As soon as Aiden was wheeled into the emergency room, Michael came running in from outside.

Seeing the closed doors of the operating room, he frowned and asked Stella, "Mom, what happened? How did Grandpa suddenly collapse?"

Stella, seeing her son who hadn't been home in days, slapped him on the back of the head in anger.

"You heartless boy, are you planning to abandon your mother and grandfather? Do you even realize how long it's been since you came home? When you were in charge of the company, you said you were too busy to be disturbed. But now, the company is in someone else's hands, and you've disappeared completely, spending your nights in bars. Are you trying to drive me crazy?"

Stella scolded and cried at the same time.

She knew better than anyone how much her son was suffering after losing the company.

But that didn't mean he could give up on himself and stop coming home.

Michael didn't argue back. He just stood there, silently taking his mother's scolding.

It wasn't that he didn't want to come home.

He just couldn't stand hearing his grandfather talk about Isabella again.

To his grandfather, Isabella was the perfect granddaughter-in-law, the only one he approved of for the Brown family.

Michael felt the same way.

But he couldn't guarantee he could win Isabella back.

He couldn't bear to face his grandfather's disappointment and regret.

He felt that pain too.

So, he thought it was better to stay away, to avoid bringing that sadness home to his grandfather. At least this way, his grandfather wouldn't be hurt by his actions.

Seeing Michael silently endure her scolding, Stella wiped her tears. There were things she had to say, or she would regret it forever.

"Michael, I know you're reserved and have your own way of doing things, but you don't know how much your grandfather loves you. If he wasn't afraid of you losing Isabella, he wouldn't have handed the company over to Nolan so easily. And today, your grandfather collapsed because he saw the negative news about the company and got too worked up."

Stella's words hit Michael like a bomb.

He couldn't believe it.

His grandfather had handed the company to Nolan for his sake, to give him a chance to win Isabella back.

How could this be?

He had thought his grandfather was completely disappointed in him and didn't want to see him anymore, which was why he chose Nolan.

Seeing Michael's shocked expression, Stella was both angry and helpless.

"Aren't you supposed to be smart? How could you not see this? If you had cherished your wife even a little, you wouldn't be in this mess now. The wife you drove away isn't easy to win back. Nolan seemed capable, but as soon as he took over, he caused such a big mess. It's ridiculous!"

Stella continued to talk, while Michael was lost in his own thoughts.

Understanding his grandfather's intentions, he finally realized why his grandfather had suddenly changed his mind and handed the company to Nolan.

Years ago, his grandfather had promised someone that Nolan would never take over the company or become the heir to the Brown Group.

So, his grandfather had no choice but to hand the company to Michael at that time.

But Nolan's departure and three-year absence had left his grandfather feeling deeply guilty.

Now that Nolan was back, filled with resentment and ambition, and Michael's relationship with Isabella had hit rock bottom, his grandfather wanted to make amends with Nolan and give Michael a chance to reconcile with Isabella.

So, his grandfather had come up with this plan, playing the bad guy himself.

Michael almost misunderstood his grandfather.

He couldn't help but feel moved.

His grandfather had never blamed him for his mistakes. Instead, seeing his pain over the divorce, he had given him another chance to win Isabella back.

Michael took a deep breath and looked at the red light of the operating room.

The guilt he felt towards his grandfather was overwhelming.

He just hoped his grandfather would pull through. He wouldn't hide anything from him anymore.