Chapter 14 I'm Surprised You Came Back

• Michael's face remained impassive. "What? Weren't you the one who insisted that I come home every night?"
• Lydia erupted in fury, shouting at Michael, "Wow, now you're talking back to me?
• "I demanded you come home, but I'm surprised you came back! The nerve of you!" Lydia continued, her voice escalating
• "Michael, what have you done? I heard you consumed the gift intended for Mom!" she exclaimed incredulously.
• "How could you eat something so precious?" Lydia pressed on, her anger palpable.
• "It was an extremely rare dendrobium, and you actually ate it!"
• Michael grasped the situation. Lydia was evidently aware of what transpired at the banquet.
• He had eaten the precious dendrobium, and he had expected Melissa to make things difficult for Sophia and Lydia.
• He managed a faint smile. "What dendrobium? It was just leaves, as Aunt Melissa said. Or was she lying?"
• Lydia was livid, pointing at Michael with trembling fingers.
• "Do you not know what you gave as a gift?
• "We finally managed to present a respectable gift, and what did you do?" Lydia's voice cracked with disappointment.
• "You ate it! You actually ate it!
• "Bow and apologise to me!" Lydia demanded, her tone unwavering.
• Michael's expression hardened.
• "Why should I apologise? I regret giving the gift. Why can't I take it back?"
• Lydia glared at Michael, shaking with rage. "How dare you ... Shephard, the nerve of you! Gosh!
• "Since you became our live-in son-in-law, our family has offended Mom," Lydia continued, her voice bitter. "Look at how we've struggled all these years. Now we finally had a chance to please her, but you—"
• "Why should I strive to please her?" Michael interjected calmly.
• Lydia was incensed by Michael's response.
• "Michael, don't think I won't hit you!"
• "Not like you've never done that before," Michael retorted, meeting Lydia's gaze squarely.
• Just then, Sophia, who had been silently observing, intervened. "Enough, stop this! Michael, come with me to the room."
• With that, Sophia headed towards the bedroom.
• As Sophia entered the room, Lydia shot Michael a fierce glare. "Shephard, thanks to Sophia's generosity, she lent you money for your sister's surgery," Lydia accused angrily. "But you, you're heartless and ungrateful!"
• Michael paid her no heed and followed Sophia into the room.
• Passing Lydia, Michael heard her mutter through gritted teeth, "Shephard, don't forget why she lent you the money!"
• Inside the room, Michael found Sophia sitting on the bed with her back turned to him.
• This room was their bridal suite.
• The spacious Simmons mattress belonged to Sophia.
• The narrow mat on the balcony was where Michael slept.
• "Today, Aunt Melissa could tell that Terry's chalcedony was fake, and she could tell the gift you brought weren't mere leaves," Sophia began, her tone measured.
• "But it was a grand event; Aunt Melissa couldn't just reveal the truth and embarrass Terry."
• Michael was surprised by Sophia's explanation.
• "I see," Michael sneered. "So to not embarrass him, she chose to embarrass me instead?"
• Sophia turned to face Michael, her expression complex.
• "You know, Terry wields considerable influence within the family circle, and behind Regina, there are the Hamptons—" Sophia started to explain.
• Michael cut her off bluntly. "So your point is that I'm powerless and without connections, and I should just endure being bullied and humiliated?"