Chapter 168 Coercion
Micah's eyes turned red with anger as he roared, "Why? Why give the company to Elijah? He's just a good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat, drink, and gamble. What makes him capable of running the company?"
Liam ignored Micah's questioning and said, "Because I'm your father, and you have to listen to what I say. If you don't, you can get out of the Hughes family. You have three days to hand over the company to Elijah. This is your last chance."
Bella watched as Liam aggressively confronted Micah without any mercy. She suddenly thought of Mira.
Although Mira wasn't as overtly harsh, Bella could never forgive her for abandoning her and Lucas. The motherly love Debra enjoyed could have been hers too. Bella despised such parents.
Fuming with anger, Bella immediately said, "Mr. Hughes, are you saying Sterling is also a worthless friend? The Hughes family is really arrogant. Guess the Windsors really overreached, huh? So, Sterling isn't even worthy of being your son's friend, is that it?"
Bella couldn't care less about the Hughes family's internal affairs; she just wanted to help her friend Micah. She knew that many people in Harborvale wanted to associate with the Windsor family.
Although the Hughes family was also powerful, they were still a notch below the Windsor family. So, she thought the Hughes family would want to curry favor with Sterling.
It was the first time Bella had heard someone call Sterling a worthless friend. Sure enough, Liam's expression changed when he heard Sterling's name, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize to Bella, a junior.
Liam just glared at Micah and said, "So that's it. No wonder everything went smoothly after you took over the company. It turns out you had the Windsor family's support."
Micah smirked sarcastically, "So what if I did? Besides Sterling, I have friends in the Rivera family too. I have many friends. What does that have to do with you?"
He paused, then continued, "Let me tell you, if you dare give the Skyline Group to Elijah, I'll take away all the resources I can, including the Windsor and Rivera family collaborations and the company's clients. And any employees who want to follow me, I'll take them too. By then, the Skyline Group will be an empty shell, and Elijah can clean up the mess."
Hearing this, Liam raised his cane and struck Micah.
Seeing this, Bella immediately shielded Micah and shouted, "Mr. Hughes, how can you hit him? Even if you're Micah's father, you shouldn't hit him."
Liam's gaze swept over Bella, but he was too angry to speak. He just yelled at Micah, "You bastard, Elijah is your brother. Do you want to ruin him?"
Micah, enduring the pain, laughed and said, "Elijah is my brother? Don't be so hypocritical. Don't say such disgusting things. Has anyone ever treated me like family? My other brother is capable and can manage the family business, but what about Elijah? He's just a good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat, drink, and gamble. Why should I hand over the company I built to a worthless person like Elijah? Am I not your son too?"
"Should I bear the consequences of my mother's mistakes? A woman who was constantly beaten and abused by you—if she met a man who treated her well, is it surprising she made a mistake? If I had a choice, I'd rather my mother never married you. I wouldn't want to be born into the Hughes family. It makes me sick."
Micah's words shocked Bella. She hadn't expected that the reason Micah was unloved was because his mother had cheated. But knowing that Liam was an abusive man made her opinion of him plummet even further.
Bella felt that some things were better left unheard. As she hesitated about leaving the office, Liam raised his cane again to hit Micah. Just like last time, she instinctively pushed Micah aside.
Bella stared directly at Liam and said, "Mr. Hughes, if you keep causing trouble here, I'll call the police right now."
Liam didn't expect Bella to dare to confront him and even threaten to call the police. He slammed his cane on the desk and said furiously, "So what if you're from the Windsor family? How is it any of your business if I discipline my own son?"
Seeing the cane about to hit Bella, Micah was alarmed. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed the cane, and threw it far away. "I told you, if you dare give the company to Elijah, I'll make sure you only have a mess to deal with, not a thriving company."
Liam's chest heaved with anger, feeling utterly humiliated. His hands trembled as he pointed at Micah and said, "Micah, I'm telling you, Elijah will get this company. If you want to leave, then leave. Don't ever come back to the Hughes family. Even if I die, you won't get a single dollar of inheritance."
Bella hadn't expected things to escalate so much. How did it come to this?
But Micah suddenly laughed, as if he had let go of everything at that moment. He laughed lightly and said, "Fine, from now on, I have nothing to do with the Hughes family. And I've heard the Hughes family has been trying to collaborate with Sterling recently. Do you know why Sterling hasn't agreed? Let me tell you the truth: as long as I'm around, the Hughes family will never make a dime from the Windsor family. Don't believe me? Try it."
Liam knew Sterling's methods. Despite his young age, Sterling was a formidable force in the business world, ruthless and unstoppable.
In recent years, no one had managed to gain an advantage over Sterling. In all of Harborvale, Sterling was at the top of the pyramid, and Liam was a bit scared.
Liam glanced at Bella, showing a hint of wanting to back down, but given his age and status, he couldn't bring himself to apologize. In the end, he said nothing and left.
Bella looked around the now-quiet office, her earlier fear still lingering. She glanced at Micah and suddenly laughed.
Micah asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm just afraid you'll get beaten, and I'll get beaten too. What do you think Sterling would do if he hit me?"
Micah threw himself onto the sofa, reverting to his arrogant self. He tilted his head and smiled, "If he dared to hit you, do you believe Sterling would flatten any place belonging to the Hughes family by tomorrow?"
Bella thought for a moment and said, "That sounds great. I should have let him hit me, and then Sterling could help you get rid of Elijah and your entire family. Then the Hughes family would be yours to command, wouldn't it?"
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