Chapter 180 He Saw Her Sleeping on the Bed
"I promised Elizabeth's mom. Your ex-wife's mom," Louis stressed the word "ex-wife" like it was a punchline. "I told her I'd bring Elizabeth home. Nancy's still up, worried sick. How can you let an old lady stay up all night, stressing over Elizabeth?"
Michael plopped down on the sofa, crossing his legs like he didn't have a care in the world. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
Michael took a drag and blew out a smoke ring, glancing at Louis with a smirk. "Are you trying to take Elizabeth because Nancy asked, or is this about you? It's the middle of the night, and you're driving her alone. How am I supposed to be cool with that?"
Louis couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could Michael be so unreasonable?
Michael had brought an unconscious Elizabeth to his place. Wasn't that also being alone with her?
Michael squinted at Louis. "Call Nancy and confirm it right now. Otherwise, I'm not taking the blame."
Louis frowned. "Nancy is probably sleeping with the kids now. It's late, and a call might wake them up. I'll text her."
Louis quickly texted Nancy: [Nancy, I found Elizabeth. She's at Michael's place.]
Nancy called back immediately. "Louis, you have to bring her back."
"Nancy, don't worry..." Louis started, but Michael snatched the phone from him before he could finish.
Michael was so quick that Louis didn't even have time to react. "Elizabeth's already asleep, and she's out cold. She fainted today. The doctor said it was low blood sugar, malnutrition, and extreme fatigue. She's seriously sleep-deprived. I don't know what she's been through, but how could she let herself get like this? As the CEO of the Jones Group, who'd believe she's malnourished? It's late, and if Louis drives her back to Whispering Pines Estates, it'll take another hour. By then, it'll be almost dawn. She needs sleep. Why not let her rest here and go back when she wakes up? What do you think?"
His voice was firm, like he was asking for Nancy's opinion, but really, he was saying Elizabeth was staying put.
Nancy knew his stubborn streak.
Once he made up his mind, no one could change it.
Nancy sighed, "Michael, don't forget, you and Elizabeth are divorced. You have a new girlfriend, Calla. Just focus on her and stop messing with Elizabeth's life. She's been through enough because of you. Let her go and let her start fresh."
Michael gripped the phone tightly, saying nothing, but his flared nostrils gave away his emotions.
He felt the anger bubbling up.
But Nancy was Elizabeth's mom, so he held back.
Nancy was right. They both had new lives.
But he couldn't control his feelings. The thought of her with another man, being close to someone else, made his anger uncontrollable.
Michael took a deep drag on his cigarette and blew the smoke out through his nose, staring hard at Louis. He couldn't shake the feeling that Louis might end up with Elizabeth. From the way Nancy talked, it was clear she trusted and liked Louis a lot, like he was already part of the family. That thought made Michael's blood boil.
"Anyway," Michael said, "Elizabeth is staying here tonight. Unless she wakes up and asks to go with you, she's not leaving."
Louis stepped forward, not backing down. "What if I insist on taking her?"
Michael's eyes narrowed. "I've made myself clear. If you insist, it's for your own selfish reasons, not for Elizabeth's safety."
Louis glared at him. "You!"
Michael stayed seated, his gaze sharp. "Mr. Cox, Elizabeth is still asleep; let's not disturb her. Instead of wasting time, why don't we settle some old scores?"
Louis's eyes flickered. "What do you mean?"
Michael sneered, "Don't play dumb, Mr. Cox. After Emily passed away, I reached out to you. You were her special assistant. I needed your help. I told you I was looking for one of her students. It was her dying wish. She said this student could help me. And you, as her special assistant, were in charge of many things in her lab. I don't believe you knew nothing about this student."
"But when I asked, you said it was Emily's private matter and had nothing to do with the lab. You gave me a long list and told me to eliminate names one by one. Do you know how much time I wasted because of that? I think that's exactly what you wanted. You gave me that list to deliberately stall me. It seemed like you were buying time for someone," Michael said, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray.
He stood up and stared at Louis again. "Were you trying to hide someone? Why did you do that?"
Louis tried to stay calm. "Mr. Thomas, you said you were looking for Emily's student, but I didn't know who exactly you were talking about. Although I was Emily's special assistant, I only handled lab matters. As for her private affairs, I didn't get involved. She was very clear about separating her personal and professional life. The reason I gave you a list was to avoid any omissions, which is also related to my long hours in the lab. After doing so many experiments, I always liked to be thorough and consider all possibilities."
Michael watched him with a cold gaze, looking for any sign of a lie.
Louis met his gaze, standing firm. "I won't take Elizabeth now. But I want to see her in her room to ensure her safety."
Michael nodded and signaled to Susan to take Louis upstairs.
On the second floor, Susan gently pushed open the door to the main bedroom.
By the light from the living room, Louis saw Elizabeth sleeping soundly on the large bed.
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