Michael hated thinking of Mimsy waking up to find him gone. She'd done so much for him. She was going to be broken, always wondering where he had gone and why he had left. At the end of the day, it was his choice. It was the only choice. A threat had been made towards the people he loved, and it'd be selfish to stay and keep them in danger. He was leaving to protect her. If he told her, she'd undoubtedly go to the police. Somehow Quint would know and kill her. Leaving her with no hint of what was going on was the only way to protect her.
The Bissetts were different. Leaving them without reason would cause them to go to the police. If he never returned from his trip, they would go to the police and file a missing person's report. If Quint heard they went to the police, he would assume Michael had told them about The Company. The entire family would be in danger. He needed to break things off with Katiella. He needed to be as rude as possible to the point that the Bissetts would never want to see him again. It wouldn't be challenging to do, but the encounter would be extremely uncomfortable.
Michael sat in his car for a few moments outside the Bissett mansion. He had no idea where he was going to go after the engagement was dropped. Couldn't risk going home and grabbing more stuff, someone from The Company would report it. The clothes he had in the suitcase would have to work. His current finances could carry him through at least three months before he needed a job. They couldn't blackmail him if they couldn't get ahold of him. It was a risk, but he didn't have an option.
He took a deep breath and stepped from the car. He pulled the cell phone from his pocket, tossed it to the ground and stomped on it until it smashed in two. They couldn't blackmail him if they couldn't find or get ahold of him. It was a risk, but he didn't have an option. He needed to disappear entirely.
The knocker banged against the door. Michael removed his hand and waited. As he reached to swing it again, the door pulled open.
"Michael Robinson! This is no way to treat your business partner!" Victor was standing in the doorway wearing a long white bathrobe. He was fuming.
"Mr. Bissett, I need to talk to Kat."
"And you need to talk to me! I called you at least a hundred times over the past week, and every time it went to voicemail. We were about to file a missing person's report." His hands were on his hips as he scolded.
"My phone was broken...Can I please talk to Kat?"
"I saw you sitting in your car for five minutes. Then you smashed the phone in my driveway. Did you ignore my calls then smash the phone so you'd have an excuse for ignoring my calls?" He wagged his finger.
"I smashed it because I was so mad it was broken," Michael wasn't sure why he was defending himself. If Victor was this mad about the missed calls, he couldn't imagine how angry he'd be when things were broken off.
"I know you are lying," Victor stated, crossing his arms. "Kat's in the kitchen. She's got a surprise for you."
Michael walked under the archway into the living room. Kat's mom Alessandra was in the center of the room lying on her back with her feet wrapped around her head in a yogic sleep pose.
"Mikel eez zat you?" Alessandra's head was stuck pointed straight at the ceiling.
"Good morning Mrs. Bissett."
Her legs came untangled as she rocked up to a seated position. She exhaled deeply before opening her eyes. "Ai made Salade niçoiz. Eet!" She smiled. Pointing towards the kitchen. She rolled onto her forearms and threw her feet over her body, landing them in front of her face. "Een lé kitchén!" She pointed the big toe of her right foot.
"Thank you so much," Michael's conversations with Kat's mom were always short. He wasn't sure what she did other than stretch and cook vegetables. When asked about France, she'd only speak of the night she met Victor.
As he walked towards the swinging kitchen door, he hoped whatever surprise Kat had waiting for him was small. If she'd gone above and beyond, which had never happened before, it would make the morning tougher than expected.
The door swung open without a creak. When Michael stepped into the kitchen, he froze. In a tenth of a second, his plan to run away had fizzled entirely.
"It's about time you came over. Daddy tried to call you, and you never picked up. He was worried. While you were lounging on a—-" Kat continued to ramble as Michael zoned her out. The surprise was too big for him. How was this possible?
"Kat, get away from him." Michael blurted, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Get away from him!" His body tensed.
"Oh, don't give me that. He's been here for two days. He's more than explained himself, it's your turn to explain yourse—"
"Why is he here?" Michael wasn't sure whether to run or stay put.
"Ender, I thought you said you guys made up?" Kat turned, "Didn't you say he'd be happy you followed him back?"
"I thought we did too." Stuart replied, "Brother, what's wrong? Let's just talk this out."