Chapter 2

Julia had no idea how long she stood there frozen before she finally stumbled away from the kindergarten in a daze. She was about to head back to the villa when her phone rang.

"Ms. Rivers, we've got a problem! Mr. Foster is at the restaurant with his people and they're tearing the place apart."

"What!" Julia's face went pale but she forced herself to stay calm. "I'm coming right now."

When she rushed through the doors, her staff were on their knees scattered across the floor and several bodyguards in expensive suits were smashing tables with metal rods. Glass was flying everywhere.

Michael had Isabelle wrapped protectively in his arms, and the air around him felt threatening. His voice came out ice cold. "Didn't I specifically tell you that Isabelle is allergic to peanuts? Why did you put them in the food?"

Ethan looked like a furious little lion and rushed forward to kick one of the staff members. "This is all your fault! Ms. Stone almost passed out from her allergic reaction."

One of the staff members spoke up, "But there was nothing on the order about a peanut allergy..."

Michael cut him off without any expression on his face and his eyes grew colder by the second. "So you're saying we're making this whole thing up?"

"No, that's not what I meant at all." The staff member looked terrified and kept bowing his head. "We'll pay for all the medical bills."

Julia could see everything spiraling out of control. She forced her way through the blocked entrance and positioned herself between them while trying to catch her breath.

Michael's expression shifted and his tone turned uncertain. "What are you doing here?"

Julia stared at him quietly, and suddenly, the absurdity of it all hit her. Five years of marriage and he didn't even know where her restaurant was.

She took a deep breath and forced back the tears stinging her eyes. "This restaurant is what my parents left me. I can give you any compensation you want except this place.

"If that's not acceptable, we can pull up the security footage and figure out what really happened."

Michael frowned like something had just occurred to him but he didn't move.

Isabelle's face flashed with panic for just a second and she tugged on his sleeve at exactly the right moment like she was barely holding back tears.

"Michael, just let it go. Don't let this cause problems between you and Julia over me. Maybe it's all just a misunderstanding."

Ethan let out an angry huff. "But something almost happened! And we told them you can't eat peanuts, so it's their fault! Dad, you can't play favorites.

"How do we know she didn't follow us here? Maybe she's just jealous of how close we are with Ms. Stone and tried to hurt her on purpose."

"Ethan!" Isabelle cut him off with fake sternness. "I was the reason why Julia was alone, so even if she doesn't like me, that's understandable. But you shouldn't talk about your mother that way."

Julia listened to the performance and felt nothing but cold amusement. She held up the USB drive in her hand. "Whether I set you up or not, we can find out by watching this."

"Enough!" Michael saw Isabelle's embarrassed expression and his voice turned ice cold. "Ethan's right. If you made a mistake, you need to face the consequences. You really think Isabelle would lie about you?"

"No!" Julia's eyes went wide with horror. She couldn't believe that just because Isabelle had almost eaten some peanuts, Michael would actually destroy the only thing her parents had left her.

But she was too late.

With a thunderous crash, the bodyguards moved fast. The entire Ferris wheel wine rack came crashing down, and all the expensive bottles displayed on it shattered into pieces on the floor.

Someone swept their arm across the bar counter and sent the only family photo she had left with her parents flying to the ground. Glass shards scattered everywhere, and the picture got soaked in spilled wine.

The bodyguards held Julia down firmly while she stared at the destruction covering every inch of her shop. Suddenly she remembered the day her parents died in that accident. They had used their last breath to hand her a contract, and their smiles had been so gentle.

"Sweetheart, this is the birthday present we prepared for you this year. Even if we can't be with you anymore, you have to stay happy. Do whatever makes you happy."

Julia had clutched that shop contract with "Time-Wasting Plan" written on it and cried until her voice broke.

Back then, Michael had pulled her into his arms with red-rimmed eyes, and his voice had been full of real concern. "You're not alone, Julia. You still have me. I'll be there for you just like I always have been."

While she had been drowning in grief over losing her parents, Michael had rushed around taking care of all the contract paperwork. He had made sure the gift her parents couldn't finish giving her was properly completed.

He knew better than anyone how much this shop meant to her.

But now he had destroyed with his own hands the very thing that had once given her the strength to keep going.

Julia stared blankly at Michael and Ethan standing protectively in front of Isabelle and felt a chill spread through her entire body.

They didn't actually care about the truth. They just wanted to make Isabelle happy.

"Oh no!" Isabelle let out a dramatic shriek and lifted her foot. Her face showed perfectly practiced guilt. "I'm so sorry, Julia. I accidentally stepped on the photo."

Julia couldn't hold back anymore. The second the bodyguard released her, she rushed forward and slapped Isabelle across the face.

But in the next instant, Ethan shoved her violently, and she crashed into the serving window. Scalding soup poured all over her body, and her skin immediately turned red and swollen.

Julia's face went deathly pale. She let out a choked groan of pain, but all she could hear was Ethan's furious shouting.

"Don't you dare bully Ms. Stone, you horrible woman!"

Julia collapsed on the floor with blood trickling down from her temple. Right before the pain knocked her unconscious, the last thing she saw was Michael and Ethan rushing over to check if Isabelle was hurt.