299: Fractured Connections

As Michelle watched her daughter suffering, her first instinct was to direct her wrath at Alex. Her voice was laced with fury and disappointment. "You're just standing there silent! Do you think it's okay to let your sister suffer like this? She needs you now more than ever, and all you do is stand there indifferent!" Alex remained stoically silent, his expression unreadable. Michelle’s words didn’t seem to affect him as they used to. "How can you be so cold? Your sister is in turmoil, and you’re unaffected. You’ve always been too soft on Emma. Look where that's led us!" Michelle's assistant, standing a little off to the side, interjected, trying to offer a different perspective. "Madam, this situation isn’t directly the boss’s fault. Miss has made her own choices. Perhaps if she had focused more on her studies rather than her social life, we wouldn’t be here now." Michelle’s eyes flashed with anger at the assistant’s words. "And now you defend him? Our family is falling a