Chapter 48

Michael fidgeted with his phone, looking pretty serious.

"Benjamin, what should I do? Should I just come clean to Mason?" Michael asked Benjamin, his eyes pleading.

Benjamin scratched his chin, deep in thought. "Yeah, confessing to Mr. Williams first might be the way to go. Better than ticking off both of them, right? Handle one mess at a time. Sounds like a solid plan."

Michael let out a heavy sigh and said, "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

Benjamin waved lazily from the couch. "Go for it, Michael! If things go south, hit me up. I'm the best surgeon around."

Michael rolled his eyes and walked away, ignoring Benjamin's antics.

When Michael reached the Williams Villa, he found Mason chilling on the sofa, watching TV, leaning on his cane, looking pretty serious.

"John's been digging into Isabella's husband lately, but he's come up empty. I think the guy's got a hidden identity," Mason said, eyeing Michael.

Michael felt a pang of guilt.

"Actually, I..." Michael started, but his voice was too soft, and Mason cut him off.

"I told John to drop the investigation," Mason said.

Michael blinked in surprise. "Why? Weren't you always curious about who Isabella's husband is?"

Michael thought Mason might know something, but Mason's next words made him cringe.

"If John keeps digging, it might piss off Isabella, and then he'll never have a shot with her," Mason sighed.

"I don't get why you're so set on Isabella marrying John. She doesn't love him anymore," Michael frowned.

Mason sighed, "I'm doing this for Isabella's sake. Her grandpa and I were tight. But after he passed, the Taylor Family lost its shine. The business world is brutal; her grandpa made a lot of enemies. I can protect Isabella while I'm alive, but what happens when I'm gone?"

Michael got where Mason was coming from. If Mason died, the only family that could protect Isabella would be the Williams Family. But Isabella was still an outsider, and if she didn't marry John, the Williams Family wouldn't really have her back.

"Plus, Isabella and John were together for 8 years. Haven't you noticed how lost John looks since they broke up? He still cares about her," Mason said with a sly grin.

Michael's brows knitted together, feeling uneasy. Maybe Isabella's long history with John was stirring something inside him.

"Mason, I've heard all about it. Isabella's been into John for 8 years, but he never gave her the time of day. I think John doesn't really like her; he's just jealous someone else has what he thinks is his," Michael said, sticking up for Isabella.

Mason waved him off. "You don't get it. Emotions are tricky. I trust my gut. Just like with your dad and me back in the day. We had a falling out, and he took off overseas. I brought you back to patch things up between us."

Mason grabbed Michael's hand and gave it a reassuring pat, his eyes softening.

Michael licked his lips, feeling his courage to confess to Mason slip away.

'If I tell Mason the truth, will it just cause more drama between him and Dad?' Michael wondered, hesitating.

"Isabella told me her husband agreed to meet me. Wanna come along?" Mason asked out of the blue.

Michael shook his head. "No, I'll pass. The company's swamped with the new cosmetics launch, so I gotta stay on top of that."

Mason didn't seem too bothered. After a bit more chatting, Michael left the Williams Villa.

As he was heading out, he bumped into Charles, who was holding some documents. Michael didn't think much of it.

Charles went straight to Mason and handed him the papers. "Mr. Williams, our team found a lead on Ms. Taylor's husband."

Mason opened the file and saw a photo of a bracelet.

Charles explained, "Ms. Taylor had her husband's bracelet appraised at our jewelry store. She even made a bet with Ms. Brown and won $10 million."

Charles detailed the bet between Isabella and Pearl, mentioning that the Williams family had auctioned off the bracelet.

Mason tossed the documents on the table, his expression cold. "The Taylor Family helped the Brown Family in the past, and they repaid them with betrayal."

"Should we warn the Brown Family?" Charles asked.

Mason shook his head. "A warning won't cut it. If I die, Jasper won't be able to protect Isabella. The best move is still for Isabella to marry John."

Mason sighed, thinking about Isabella and John's rocky relationship. He switched gears and asked, "Any luck finding out who bought the bracelet?"

Charles shook his head. "The buyer's pretty secretive, and the auction was anonymous, so it's tough to track."

"Forget it. We'll find out tomorrow," Mason said, not too worried.

The next day, Isabella got all dolled up and went to the meeting spot with Mason. But when she got there, she realized Michael hadn't shown up.