âSorry, Mrs. Ford. The Michael that you just described seems to be different from the man Stephanie described to me,â I interrupted Aunty Loisâs story because I refused to believe that Michael had loved me.
I shook my head and added, âLove isnât about possessing or hurting someone. Yet, Michael had brought Stephanie nothing but pain. No matter what his reasons were, it doesnât change the fact that Michael had lied to Stephanie and caused her significant harm.â
Aunty Lois lowered her eyes and said, âMs. Larson, Stephie loved Mike. She loved him deeplyâ¦
Canât you give Mike another chance, for Stephieâs sake? Mikeâs the president of the Ford Group, and his reputation carries weight on the fate of the entire corporation. He cannot afford any tarnish on his record.â
Aunty Lois was trying to convince me that Michael had also loved Stephie. And so, I should give him another chance for Stephieâs sake.
âWhy didnât you tell Stephie the truth? You had so many chancesâ¦â I asked in a hoarse.
voice.
Was I blaming Aunty Lois? Perhaps a littleâ¦.
âBecause I loved Stephie dearly as if she were my own daughter. Since Stephie was in love with Mike, I was looking forward to the day Mike would marry her. Then, we could finally be a real family.
âI prayed that Mike would one day recognize his true feelings and treat Stephie with care. I knew Mike loved Stephie tooâ¦â
veves I laughed with my head down as welled up with tears.
Suddenly, I realized how selfish people could be at times.
During my days in the Ford family, did Aunty Lois not notice the harm and emotional abuse Michael had inflicted upon me?
Was she not aware that I constantly felt like I was walking on eggshells living under someone elseâs roof?
All she needed to do was tell me that Michael wasnât the one who rescued me, and I wouldnât have had to tolerate Michael out of my sense of indebtedness toward him.
M I too, had my own dignity and pride.
If I had known that I wasnât indebted to Michael, I wouldnât have let him hurt me. I would have had the freedom to choose whether or not to love himm I shouldnât have been bound by him. I could have called the police when Michael forced me to do things against my will and let him get the punishment he deserved.
However, because I had believed I owed him for rescuing me and my parentsâ bodies. from that fire, I tolerated his emotional abuse and torture for so w years All of this could have been avoided if Aunty Lois had just told me the truth.
Yet, she and her son held me captive in the name of love. One was afraid of me leaving while the other had claimed it to be love.
âSo, do you know who rescued Stephie, Mrs. Ford?â I took a deep breath, tightened my hands, and looked up at Aunty Lois.
Since Micahel wasnât the one who saved me, I had no reason to show mercy to him anymore.
He was the reason me and my unborn child had died! He and Yasmin had to pay for what they did!
Aunty Lois shook her head. âThe person left when we arrived. There were no surveillance cameras on the bridge too, so no one knew who saved you.
âBut according to the witnesses, it was a teenage boy. I placed ads to find him, but no one came forward. Iâve never stopped asking around since.â
I silently lowered my head.
Ms. Larson, could you please give Mike another chance? I hope we can settle this in privateâ¦â
Aunty Lois said with a gentle voice.
I was aware that she wouldnât sound so gentle anymore if I turned her down again this time.
Before Michael took over the company, Aunty Lois had been running the company alone. She was a strong and decisive woman.
âSorry.â I shook my head.
I would not compromise again, Michael Ford.
âMikeâs abduction charge wonât hold, so that leaves only the assault accusation that It youâve made against him. However, it appears that you havenât suffered any harm, Ms.
Larson.
âThere are better ways to handle this, ways that wonât lead to a feud between our families,â Aunty Loisâs voice turned cold.
âWhat heâs done to me goes beyond physical injury. He abducted me, threatened my husband, and even mentally abused him. I will not tolerate any of this,â I stated solemnly and firmly.
After a moment of silence, Aunty Lois placed her phone in front of me.
On the screen were images of Steven, still homeless at the time, holding an abused animal.
He was covered in blood and was cradling a kitten that had been severely abused and mutilated.
âSince the Lincoln family wants to wage a public relations battle, the Ford family will see it through to the end,â Aunty Lois declared.
With that, she stood up and left.