Love Her to No End

Chapter 27

Chapter 27 Happy And Safe

The moon hung high in the dead of night, enhanced by the twinkling stars around it.

The autumn breeze rustled the curtains, bringing along a trace of coolness and chasing away the heat of the day bit by bit. Nevertheless, the breeze had no effect on the dark clouds in Michaela’s mind.

The “atoning” gifts that Jacob bought piled miserably in the corner of the room. Ever since Jacob revealed his true intentions, all the joyful and heartwarming emotions she had felt before vanished into thin air as all of her hopes shattered.

As of then, Michaela did not even want to look at those luxury goods, for all they did was remind her once again of Jacob’s ulterior motives.

Michaela could not help but laugh at herself, thinking her life was nothing but a joke.

She was not a fool, but it was a compromise she was willing to make for the sake of her family.

Knock, knock.

Just then, the door to her bedroom was knocked on, followed by Hannah’s gentle voice. “Hey Mich, it’s me. Can I come in?”

Michaela raised her hand to close the glass door of the balcony before turning to open the door. The slight worry on Hannah’s face did not escape Michaela’s notice. With a subtle smile, she greeted, “Why are you still awake, Mom? It’s late.”

“Well, you’re still awake too, aren’t you?” Hannah rolled her eyes in feigned annoyance. “I got you some hot milk. Drink it while it’s still warm.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Michaela wore a subservient smile on her face. The smile made her look more delicate than most women. Hannah’s heart ached as she reached out to nudge Michaela’s head. “What were you thinking when you agreed to it? Why cause yourself all the pain?” Hannah’s voice was laced with devastation.

“Was I supposed to let you and Dad argue nonstop then? Have you ever thought about what will happen when he finally had enough and cut ties with us? He had done so much today just so that Lucille can marry into the Xander family. There was nothing we could do to convince him otherwise, so why bother?”

Truth be told, it was impossible for Michaela to not feel upset and disappointed after finding out Jacob’s true intentions. However, besides compromising, there was another reason why she had done what she did.

“Besides, didn’t Mr. Jonathan promise us the other day? He said that he would provide us with a satisfying solution. Since the Xander family would be taking care of it, there was no need for us to do anything,” stated Michaela.

“I’ll give Lucille my blessing to marry Zack, but if the Xander family refuses to accept her, then the blame would no longer be on our heads. There’s such a simple solution to it, so why should you take it on yourself, Mom?” she proceeded to explain.

Before that, Michaela was still a child in Hannah’s eyes. However, upon listening to Michaela’s reasoning, Hannah suddenly realized that her daughter was no longer the baby that she had held in her arms.

A bittersweet emotion swirled within her. Although comforted, her heart ached at the same time. Tears welled up in her eyes as she held Michaela by the hand. “I’m sorry, Mich. It’s my fault that you have to go through all of this.”

As of then, Michaela did not understand the full weight behind Hannah’s words. She merely viewed it as a mother’s rightful care for a daughter. Not wanting Hannah to feel bad, Michaela threw herself into her mother’s embrace coquettishly to comfort Hannah. “As long as I’m with you, Mom, I’m the luckiest child in the world!”

“My, my, such a sweet mouth!”

Hannah patted Michaela on the shoulder with a soft smile etched across her face. However, the smile faltered when Michaela’s voice rang out once again. “Mom, there’s actually something I want to tell you.”

She sat up straight and looked at Hannah in a serious manner. “Mom, you should return to work. I know you’re worried about me, but I’m doing well, aren’t I?”

With a smile, she continued, “Besides, I never liked Zack anyway. I only went along with it since I was forced into the marriage. Now that I don’t have to marry him, I’m feeling better than before. So, you can stop fussing over me and go back to work in peace.”

In her heart, Hannah knew she could not protect Michaela forever. Michaela’s request was the final push that she needed to stop being overprotective of her daughter. “All right, Mich, I promise you I’ll go back to work, but there’s something you need to promise me too.”

“What is it?” Seeing the solemn look on her mother’s face, Michaela narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she edged further away from Hannah. “You’re not planning to sell me, are you Mom?”

“Yes, I am. I’m selling you to the foundation. What do you think?”

“What?”

The foundation was Adrian’s blood, sweat, and tears. Naturally, Michaela knew what the foundation stood for. In her heart, the foundation was the holiest place to ever exist. Because of that, Michaela had never dared to stain it with her presence.

“Mich, there’s something that I haven’t told you. When your grandfather decided to start the foundation, he did it because of you. Your grandfather wished that the charity would ultimately be passed to you. In fact, it was mentioned in his will. I’m only managing the foundation for the time being.”

With a longing sigh, Hannah explained, “Back then, you chose to study sales and marketing and were adamant about helping your dad in the company after you graduate. Because of that, I never brought it up till now. Mich, right now, I’m asking you to come work at the foundation and fulfill your grandfather’s final wishes. Will you accept?”

In reality, Michaela had been thinking about her future for the past few days. She had originally planned to become a tuition teacher at the school Hannah worked in. She figured that working a nine-to-five job did not sound like a bad option.

However, now that she knew about Adrian’s will, there was no way for her to refuse.

Ever since she was young, Adrian loved her the most. He would always give her the best things he could afford and never want to give her anything less than the best. He also loved to bring her with him anywhere he went.

Michaela could still remember Adrian always telling her that he would be old by the time she grew up. As a response, she would always say that Adrian will never grow old. Instead, she would want Adrian to stay with her forever.

As of then, she had grown up, but Adrian was no longer with them.

If Grandpa could see me today, his heart would probably break at the pain I’ve felt.

After a moment of silence, Michaela finally raised her head to look at Hannah, only to be greeted by Hannah’s caring gaze. With teary eyes, Michaela promised. “I’ll be honored to go work at the foundation.”

“Great! That’s great!” Hannah broke into a wide grin. “Rest soon, Mich. We’ll start this Monday!”

With a final pat on Michaela’s head, Hannah nodded in relief. May you always be happy and safe from now on!

When Hannah went back to the master’s bedroom, Jacob had just gotten out of the shower and was just about to carry his blankets to the study next door.

The pair exchange glances. Neither of them spoke a word. Just as Jacob walked past her shoulder, Hannah suddenly spoke up. “Jacob, after things settle down with Lucille, let’s get a divorce.”

The relationship between the couple had long come to an end. At the moment, they could not even pretend to be at peace with each other. Hannah had lost all hopes in Jacob.

Marrying him was a choice she had made in the past, and she was willing to pay the price. However, she was worried that Jacob would once again throw her daughter under the bus ruthlessly, just as he did this time.

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Hannah would not allow the same thing to happen twice. She definitely would not allow someone as despicable as Jacob to break Michaela’s heart again.

Jacob stopped in his tracks. The silence in the room was palpable. After a while, he scoffed. “Sure. I’ve had enough of someone as cold-blooded as you anyway.”

Hannah had long gotten used to his scathing remarks. Hearing those words, there were minimal changes in her expression. Just as Jacob was about to leave, Hannah’s calm tone rang out once again. “Don’t have any ideas on my daughter. Otherwise, I’ll haunt you even beyond the grave.”

“Hah!”

With a snort, Jacob exited the bedroom and into the study next door. With a bang, he kicked the door of the study shut.