Michael, Calm Down

Wendy had no right to talk in this situation, so she sat quietly by the side.

Michael, on the other hand, was furious. But since his grandmother was also present, he could not afford to pick a fight with Christian.

Any feud between them had to be resolved privately. To do that in front of so many people would only humiliate them.

Christian must have presumed Michael would come to this conclusion and therefore chose today of all days to make an appearance.

The smile on Mrs. Lucas's face had completely vanished. She lifted her head to look at Christian. Sighing, she ultimately reached out to receive his gift. She had never liked Anthony's illegitimate family.

Winnie was the only daughter-in-law she acknowledged. However, even if she did not wish to acknowledge Christian's mother, she could not deny Christian's status as her grandson. After all, the blood of the Lucas family did flow in him.

The more judgmental relatives chuckled silently at Mrs. Lucas's reaction. It seemed that Anthony's family was going to remain in a chaotic state for quite some time.

Upon watching Mrs. Lucas accept the gift, Winnie grew so furious she exploded, "Mother, I believe that's inappropriate." Winnie turned her head, staring at Anthony with hatred in her eyes. She said, "Anthony, say something. Don't make me argue with you right here, right now!"

Anthony did feel guilty toward Winnie, but this guilt was not sufficient to make him obey her. Moreover, Christian had remained abroad all this time. Anthony felt that he owed it to his son to hear him out. As a result, it was difficult for Anthony to resolve this problem immediately.

Mrs. Lucas looked at her son, feeling exasperated that he failed to live up to her expectations.

She sighed yet again and said, "I'm in charge today. Christian is a descendant of the Lucas family. Since we can't deny his existence, our family will acknowledge his status as one of us. As for that questionable woman beside him, she's not allowed to step into our house."

With that, Mrs. Lucas waved her hand and instructed the housekeeper, "Get her out of here!"

"Anthony, I just wanted to celebrate Mrs. Lucas's birthday, I had no other intentions.."

As Mrs. Lucas had already made her decision, Lily Yates could only pin all her hope on Anthony. She continued, "I'll leave the moment the birthday celebration ends, okay?"

If Lily was allowed to remain here for Mrs. Lucas's birthday celebration, it would only mean that the Lucas family had indirectly acknowledged her status. Even though such affairs were common among the rich, Mrs. Lucas was a rational person and took a stand against it. Otherwise, Lily would have been welcomed into the Lucas family long ago.

With red-rimmed eyes, Winnie laughed in anger, "If she stays, I'll leave. Anthony, you should figure this out."

All eyes in the room landed on Anthony Lucas. The atmosphere grew tense once again.

"What? Didn't the housekeeper hear me? Or am I no longer the matriarch of this family?"

Mrs. Lucas's tone was much firmer this time. The housekeeper was so shocked that he immediately requested that Lily leave the mansion. After Lily's reluctant departure, the dust finally settled.

However, the atmosphere in the living room felt much more solemn than when they had just been picking on Wendy.

Christian watched Lily leave and made the smart decision not to say a word. His objective tonight was very clear-he was here to celebrate his grandmother's birthday.

He thought, 'I knew it would be difficult for the Lucas family to acknowledge my mother's identity, but at least they have given me a proper status today. All things must be done step by step.'

"Come on, let's eat..." Isabel Lucas's breezy, joyful voice rang out from the kitchen. As soon as she entered the living room and sensed the tension in the air, she asked awkwardly, "What's going on?"

Isabel Lucas was Michael's sister. She was still in college.

She had been busy cooking in the kitchen for her grandmother's birthday, having promised that she would personally prepare the food.

"Let's eat," Mrs. Lucas announced as she helped herself up with a cane. Yet, she had obviously Iost her high spirits.

The birthday dinner had not even begun, and things had already come to this.

...

The solemn atmosphere persisted through dinner. Due to Christian's presence, Michael's family remained silent. Even if his uncles and aunts wanted to say something, the tension in the air frightened them into staying quiet as well. After all, speaking up might just cause them trouble.

Ultimately, it was Wendy who mustered her courage to offer Mrs. Lucas a toast in celebration of her birthday. This gesture managed to revive the happy atmosphere a little.

There were arrangements for a few entertaining performances to take place after dinner.

Even though Mrs. Lucas had lost her high spirits from earlier, the only reason the Lucas family had not fallen apart was because of her existence. For the sake of the familial relationships between her descendants, Madam Lucas had to force herself to carry on.

There was nothing special about the performances-they featured a couple of Mrs. Lucas's children and grandchildren who had come together to put on a show.

Wendy did not feel like she had much presence in this family. The only time she felt notable was when Michael's relatives provoked her by making fun of her gift and tried to sow discord between her and Michael's parents. Hence, during their performance, Wendy walked away quietly without attracting anybody's attention.

After wandering around, Wendy felt the urge to visit the bathroom. As soon as she reached the bathroom door, the voices of two men drifted out to her ears.

"Christian, why did you come back after living abroad for so many years? And why did you choose Grandmother's birthday of all days to make your return? What exactly are you trying to do?" said a male voice.

This was a voice that Wendy was very familiar with, one that was engraved deep within her heart.

It was Michael's voice.

Christian chuckled softly in response. He looked down at the hand that Michael had wrapped around his collar and replied in a deep tone, "You should be well aware of what I'm trying to do, big brother."

The way Christian addressed him only made Michael angry. Michael raised his fist and brought it down with great force.

Christian did not resist his punch. He reached out and touched the corners of his lips, saying, "It must have been difficult for you to put up with me the entire night. It's impressive that you waited until now to hit me. You've matured a lot over the years."

The Michael in the past would have grabbed his collar and dragged him out of the Lucas mansion the moment he first laid his eyes on him.

Today, however, Michael tried not to make things difficult for Mrs. Lucas as it was her birthday. Michael had endured his presence until now. The moment he saw Christian go to the bathroom, he followed after him to teach him a lesson.

Christian's words only further agitated Michael, who threw another punch at him.

The noises of the commotion in the bathroom shocked Wendy so much that she walked right in. She saw a smile playing on Christian's face as he maintained a calm disposition. On the other hand, Michael's eyes had become bloodshot, and he looked as if he was about to murder Christian.

Wendy immediately grabbed Michael's arm. She urged him, "Michael, please calm down. Just punch him once to get out your anger If you hit him too hard and this gets out, it will turn into a scandal for the Lucas family. Moreover, today is Grandmother's birthday celebration. Just remember that you are doing this for Grandmother, and stop hitting him, alright?"

Wendy was afraid that Michael would really end up beating Christian to death if she did not hold him back.

"This must be your wife, big brother. You really did marry a beautiful and clever woman. I must admit, I'm slightly jealous," said Christian as he wiped the blood from the corners of his lips. He continued smiling as he looked Wendy up and down. With an indecipherable look in his eyes, he offered his hand, "Nice to meet you, my name is Christian Lucas. Michael and I share the same father, which makes me his... half-brother."

Christian deliberately placed his emphasis on the last two words. Michael, whose emotions had just started to calm down, was stirred into extreme rage yet again.

Michael shoved Wendy aside. He said, "Christian, you're no brother of mine. I will never acknowledge your identity as long as shall live."

The force Michael exerted robbed Wendy of her stability. She stumbled a few steps back.

Her hands flew to her belly subconsciously, her heart skipping a few beats.