Chapter 18: Shatter Her Illusion

Anna didn't wanna believe it. But everything in front of her was just too damn crazy.

She stubbornly stared at Michael, "Michael, tell me yourself."

Seeing this, Thalia got a bit antsy. She glanced at Michael, seeing him stay all cool and indifferent. Thalia stepped up, looking like a wife about to tear into a mistress.

"What else is there to say? Anna, you can't just throw all your values out the window 'cause you've been abroad for a few years." She watched with satisfaction as Anna's face went pale, her red lips slightly parting. "Since you won't give up, I'll just spell it out for you today."

As she spoke, she clung to Michael's arm, looking provocatively at Anna. "Anna, the person Michael's always liked is me. These eight years, his concern for you, taking care of you, hanging out with you, it was all just a front."

A dark light flashed in Thalia's eyes, "After all, who would really fall in love with the daughter of the man who killed his father!"

Anna said, "What do you mean?"

At this moment, Sierra chimed in casually, "Anna, don't you know? Eight years ago, 'cause your dad was corrupt, it led to Michael's dad's death. So, to put it bluntly, you and Michael are enemies."

Watching Anna gradually break down, Thalia felt more and more delighted. Why did Anna get all the honors? Why could Anna, an orphan without parents, get Michael's meticulous love!

Suppressing the intense jealousy in her heart, Thalia continued, "Anna, eight years ago, when Michael took you away from Crystal City, it wasn't 'cause he pitied you or felt sorry for you. From the first time he saw you, he was just aiming for revenge. Sweet words, eight years of hanging out, how can they compare to a deep-seated grudge?"

Anna couldn't listen anymore. She looked at the faces before her, faces that should've been her closest allies, now wanting to tear her apart.

That kind of hatred on their faces made her almost think that it wasn't just Michael who had a grudge against her. Even Samuel and Sierra, whom she had always respected, and Thalia, who had always loved and cared for her, might also have a deep-seated grudge against her.

Afraid of breaking down, Anna hurriedly turned and ran down the stairs, leaving the Aurora Mansion hall.

Michael watched her slender figure quickly disappear, feeling no satisfaction from revenge but rather a dull pain in his heart.

Almost instinctively, before he realized it, he had already run down the steps, stopping Anna, whose eyes were filled with tears, on the tree-lined path outside Aurora Mansion.

"Let go of me!" She couldn't control herself and shouted, using all her strength to try to shake off his touch.

Michael tightly restrained her, and after Nolan drove the car over, he forcibly dragged her into the car.

All the way, Anna kept struggling to break free from his grip.

Even though his face and neck were scratched and bleeding in many places, he still held her tightly, refusing to let go for even a moment.

Starlight Pavilion was Michael's private residence, and that was where the car was heading.

After getting out of the car, ignoring Anna's resistance, Michael forcibly locked her in the bedroom.

Once inside, Michael let go of her.

Anna took several steps back before stopping.

Michael locked the door, afraid she’d bolt again.

He approached her step by step.

The look of rejection and resistance in Anna's eyes made Michael's heart ache.

Ignoring this feeling, he stepped forward on the carpet, "Where were you planning to go just now?"

Anna's mind was a mess. She didn't know how to face Michael, instinctively wanting to leave first.

Thinking this, she acted on it. When Michael was still two steps away from her, she quickly ran towards the door, trying to open the door and leave.

Her repeated attempts to escape made Michael's eyes flash with anger. Without much thought, he forcefully pinned her against the door.

He gripped her waist, his eyes tinged with red. "Anna, you promised me yesterday that you would never leave; where do you want to go now?"

"Never leave?" she said mockingly. She looked up into his dark, angry eyes. "Michael, tell me, what was your purpose in coming to me back then?"

Michael's eyes flickered.

He didn't let go of her, meeting her gaze, and didn't hide anything from her. "Just as you heard. Anna, because your father was corrupt, it led to my father's wrongful death. Back then, I planned to take revenge on your parents directly, but before I could, they both died. So..."

He slowly leaned in, approaching her, "These grudges can only be repaid by you, their daughter. Anna, this is what you owe me, what your Howard family owes our Tudor family!"

He caressed her face, his voice suddenly lowering, like a lover's whisper.

But his words made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, growing colder and colder.

"Eight years of companionship, a living life, Anna, you can never repay it in this lifetime. Now, where do you want to go? Where can you go?"

Anna's fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

Knowing the answer, but still stubbornly wanting confirmation, she looked into his eyes, suppressing her emotions, and asked, "So, all these eight years, it was all a facade, right?"

He never had a shred of genuine affection for her, right?

"Yes." Michael said.

She didn't know where the strength came from, but she suddenly pushed him away forcefully. And she, due to inertia, crashed hard into the door frame.

She suppressed the tears in her eyes and restrained her trembling voice, not wanting to show any more vulnerability in front of him. "Michael, you could have just told me directly, why go through so much trouble?"

'Why wait until I fell in love with you, only to shatter this illusion with your own hands' was left unsaid.

Michael didn't step forward again, just stood there watching her.

Watching her in pain.

Watching her in despair.

Watching her gradually break down.

Nearly a minute later, Anna forced herself to calm down.

She turned to unlock the door.

Michael quickly stepped forward, pressing down on her hand. "Trying to leave again?"

She didn't look back. "Michael, I don't want to see you right now. Let's both calm down and let go."

Her voice was light, but the decisiveness in her words was clear to him.