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 womenâs issues. Needless to say, Cooper heard everything Annabel said, including âwaste of moneyâ, âsurrogate motherâ, and âfind a mistressâ. 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. âIâm warning you right now. If you canât watch what you say, Iâll make sure you can never say another word again!â
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, âHubby, whatâs going on? Why did you hit Mom?!â
Annabel seemed to have gone into shock from fright. She sat on the sofa in a daze, staring at Michael in disbelief. It wasnât until Cooper hurried over to hug her that she returned to her senses and finally let out a loud wail. Burying her face in Cooperâs 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, âMichael Fletcher! How dare you?! How dare you hit your mother-in-law?!â
When Michael heard the words âmother-in-lawâ, a cold and cruel smile appeared on his enraged expression. âMother-in-law? Haha. I call her âmother-in-lawâ out of respect. She is nothing but a wretched woman!â Even with Cooper standing right in front of him, he didnât seem inclined to be tolerant today. He pointed at Annabel and said warningly, âYou 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!â
Sophia was completely taken aback by his words. The way Annabel spoke was hurtful and harsh, but she simply considered Annabelâs words as nonsenseâit entered one ear and went out the other. Hence, she did not expect Michael to react so impulsively.
âHubby, calm downâ¦â She quickly stood between Annabel and Michael. When she grabbed his arm, she could feel his arm trembling slightly. His blood was boiling with rageâhe was furious. He had never been as furious as he was now. âMomâs words might be a little nasty, but she has good intentions! Please calm down!â
Annabel shrank back into Cooperâs arms, crying loudly. As she sobbed, she incoherently mumbled, âI did it for your sake⦠Coop, I didnât mean to do it! I love Carmen too! She is my granddaughterâ¦â
âShut up!â 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. Michaelâs eyes were still filled with rage. His slender and pale hands continued to point at Annabel. âI have not forgotten the time you fed Carmen that so-called talisman drink. Your life is cheap, but Carmenâs status is several hundred times nobler than yours! If anything happens to her, even ten of your wretched lives wonât be enough to pay the price!â
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.
âYou b*stard! Iâm going to teach you a lesson today!â
âYou old coot! Iâve been tolerating you for a long time now!â
It was a showdown between a raging dragon and a roaring tigerâone 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 soundsâCooper 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. âMichael Fletcher! Do you really think you can marry my daughter?! Impossible! As long as I am alive, you will never marry her!â
Michael was struggling against Rogerâs grip. âSophia and I are mutually in love! Since when do you have a say in it?!â
Cooperâs eyes were crimson with hatred. âYou knew about Linus from the beginning, didnât you?! Youâve been hiding it from us all along!â
In response, Michael was so furious that he burst out laughing, but his laughter was bleak and despairing. âThatâs right! I knew since the beginning! Five years ago, I was searching everywhere for you on Sophiaâs behalf. Where were you?! Where were you when Sophia got into trouble?! I discovered that Linus was Sophiaâs 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 donât you ask him what he did?! What right does he have to get to know her?! Heâs not worthy of her!â
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 couldnât just write off his involvement in that matter.
The scars from that time were forcefully ripped open again. Cooperâs 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. âMichael Fletcher! Iâm going to kill you! Iâm going to kill you!â
He ran about the house, looking for a gun. Even Linus couldnât hold him back. On the other hand, Sophia was crying out of fright. She shouted tearfully, âStop! Stop talking! Letâs just go! We wonât come back again!â
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.
âIâm sorry. Iâm sorry for scaring youâ¦â
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 nowâ¦