Chapter 321


    Subsequently, Michael brought me to the Shaw residence. As soon as we stepped into the living room,


    everyone in the Shaw family was sitting there, awaiting our return. A sense of solemnity hung in the air.


    Michael''s grandfather was sitting at the center with a grave expression on his face. Josephine, on the


    other hand, wore a livid expression when she spotted me. Conversely, Lincoln''s expression was


    indifferent, his emotions indecipherable.


    “Michael, you''re finally back! Do you know how worried I was?”


    Josephine hurried over to Michael and looked at him with anxiety written all over her face.


    “I''m fine. Look, am I not perfectly well now?”


    Although she always picked on me, her concern for him was genuine. The look in her eyes as she


    gazed at him brimmed with worry.


    “I heard that you encountered the bunch of kidnappers. Were you injured? Quick, let me look you over!”


    She was still fretful despite seeing that he had returned safe and sound, thus hastily checking him over.


    Hiss!


    Michael sucked in a breath when she inadvertently touched the wound on his arm, his expression


    crumpling slightly.


    “Oh my goodness, what is it? What happened?”


    Seeing that, Josephine was so stricken that she swiftly dropped her hands. The anxiety in her gaze


    mounted.


    “Michael was grazed by the kidnapper while saving me. We just came back from bandaging our


    wounds at the hospital just now.”


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    When Michael said nothing, I told her about him having been injured by the kidnapper earlier.


    “What? Grazed? Are you okay, Michael? Is it serious? And does the wound still hurt?”


    The moment Josephine heard that Michael was injured, a frantic light entered her eyes. Her gaze


    turned teary as she scrutinized him.


    “I''m fine. It''s just a paltry wound.”


    Michael shook his head in exasperation at her frantic expression. Andy and Lincoln likewise regarded


    him with distress etched on their faces then though it wasn''t as tant as Josephine.


    It was a long time before Josephine finally regained herposure after Michael''s reassurance. In the


    next second, she turned to me. Before I even knew what was happening, a crisp p split the air, and a


    heavy palmnded on my cheek.


    I was still dazed, only sensing a stinging pain on my face. Her p was entirely beyond my


    expectation.


    Lifting my head, I gaped at her, not quite believing that she actually hit me, and without any warning to


    boot.


    “Mom! What are you doing!”


    Michael didn''t expect his mother to raise her hand against me either. When the shock on his face


    faded, fury followed right on its heels. He glowered at Josephine with utter chagrin on his face.


    However, Josephine ignored him. Her attention was wholly focused on me.


    “This is all because of you! You''re simply a jinx! Ever since Michael got acquainted with you, nothing


    ever went smoothly in his life! Also, allowing you to marry into the Shaw family will just bring about the


    ruination of our family!”


    She red at me furiously, steam almosting out of her ears.


    In the face of her condemnations, my face paled at once. I was downright aggrieved, yet I couldn''t even


    utter a single word in rebuttal. For a moment, I was stunned at her incandescent look.


    “What are you saying, Mom?”


    Josephine nced at my pale face before she shifted her gaze to Michael with a peeved look in her


    eyes. Her voice also turned much colder than before.


    “Did you not hear me? Ever since you got involved with her, things haven''t been going well for our


    family. And now, you even got injured on your wedding day! Tell me what this means, then!”


    Michael''s rebuke did not work on her at all. Instead, she grew increasingly angry. The look in her eyes


    made it clear that she would kick me out right away if possible.


    “That has nothing to do with her.”


    Michael''s expression was frosty, and his gaze radiated displeasure.


    “What exactly is wrong with you now, Michael? You''ve gone against me multiple times because of her.


    You''ve never done this in the past! Are you nning to abandon your own mother after having her in


    your life?”


    Michael had defended me too much in front of Josephine recently when she wasn''t fond of me in the


    first ce. And after such a huge incident happened, she naturally pushed all the me on me.


    At his mother''s unreasonable demeanor, Michael''s face turned terrifyingly grim. Anyhow, she was still


    his mother, so he chose to put up with it as much as he could though she had gone overboard in her


    speech.


    “I''m sorry, Mom. I know many things that transpiredtely have to do with me, and I also know that you


    must be extremely angry right now. I''m really sorry as well. I promise that such a thing will never


    happen again. I''ll never allow Michael to be injured because of me anymore.”


    While I was rather upset at having been pped for no reason, I still looked at her apologetically and


    made her that promise. As I felt guilty about Michael having been injured so badly because of me, I


    wasn''t all that vexed about her p.


    “Don''t call me that! I''ve never acknowledged you as my daughter-inw! Besides, the wedding today


    was half-done, so you''re not part of the Shaw family yet! Or do you think a mere apology is enough?


    Michael sustained such a severe injury to save you, yet it''s only worth an apology from you?”


    Josephine couldn''t be bothered about my apology, and the words out of her mouth remained as sharp


    as ever. Worse still, her refusal to acknowledge me as her daughter-inw had sorrow deluging me.


    “You''re going too far, Mom!”


    Beside me, Michael kept his eyes glued to Josephine''s face. His chest heaved with rage. Nheless,


    he was still keeping a tight rein on his emotions since she was his mother at the end of the day.


    “You''re still siding with her now, Michael? Look at how much you''ve changed! You don''t even seem to


    be my son anymore! What''s more, such an incident has happened time and again because of her!”


    Josephine''s expression turned increasingly darker the more Michael spoke up on my behalf. Right


    then, she had even transferred her anger to him.


    Michael used to be an exceedingly mature and stable person who had everything under his control. But


    ever since he made my acquaintance, there had been countless incidents. Therefore, it was


    understandable that Josephine was saying such a thing about me though it was still hurtful to hear.


    “As I said, this has nothing to do with her. She''s my woman, and I''ve got the responsibility to protect


    her. Or was I supposed to sit around and twiddle my thumbs when my woman had been kidnapped?”


    Michael roared, likewise foaming at the mouth then.


    His eyes had long since started zing with fury as he stared at Josephine.


    Although he had defended me many times before her in the past, he had never spoken so loudly.