C121 A Ray Of Hope

That night was one of the busiest and longest nights anyone could remember. While the city slowly drifted to sleep, Alicia couldn't sit still for even a minute. The only thing on her mind was clearing Mike's name. After leaving the police station, she drove around the neighborhood, searching for every security camera that might have recorded what had happened the previous day. Convincing the owners to hand over the footage wasn't easy, and several of them refused at first. It was only after paying a considerable amount of money that she finally managed to collect the recordings. Exhausted but hopeful, she returned home.

The moment she stepped into the living room, she found her father, Mark, her grandfather, Peter, and her grandmother, Georgia, waiting for her.All three immediately stood up. "Alicia," Georgia said worriedly, "where have you been? We've been trying to reach you." Instead of answering, Alicia held up a flash drive. "Dad, Grandpa, Grandma... look. I managed to retrieve the security footage from yesterday."

Peter and Mark exchanged surprised glances. "You did all that by yourself?" Peter asked. Alicia nodded proudly. "Yes, Grandpa. It wasn't easy, but I managed to convince them." Without wasting another second, Mark inserted the flash drive into his laptop. The room fell silent. Everyone's eyes remained fixed on the screen.

The first video showed Laura getting out of a taxi the previous evening. She stood outside my apartment for a few moments while talking on her phone. Shortly afterward, the door opened. Instead of being dragged inside... Laura smiled. She ran toward Mike and hugged him first. Then both of them walked inside together before the door closed.

The second recording was from the following morning. Alicia's grey Maserati slowly pulled up outside my apartment. She waited patiently inside for a few moments before stepping out and knocking on the door. Quinton opened the door first. Mary came over and warmly hugged Alicia. A few moments later, Laura and Mike walked outside one after another. Mike politely opened the passenger door for Laura before Alicia drove away.

When the video ended, complete silence filled the room. Mark slowly closed the laptop. "So..." he finally said, "...Mike really was framed." Peter folded his arms. "If everything was planned exactly as we suspect," he said thoughtfully, "then could this also be connected to Kelvin's poisoning?" Alicia looked up in confusion. "What happened to Uncle Kelvin?"

Georgia sighed deeply. "He was poisoned this afternoon and rushed to the hospital." Alicia's face turned pale. "Poisoned? By who?" Georgia hesitated before answering. "According to the family, Ben fired the people they believe are responsible." "Who?" "Quinton Smith and Mary Smith." Alicia immediately stood up. "What? Mike's parents were fired?"

Peter let out a rough cough before speaking. "I don't think anyone in this room is foolish enough not to know who's truly behind all of this." Once again, silence filled the house. Finally, Alicia walked toward her grandfather. She bowed respectfully. "Grandpa... Dad... Grandma... please help Mike clear his name." She looked each of them in the eyes before continuing. "If Mike is released, I promise I'll immediately accept the position of Managing Director at Lucia Goods. I'll even sign the agreement tonight if you want."

Mark stared at her in disbelief. "What happened to the three months you asked me for?" Alicia smiled sadly. "I've changed my mind." Peter remained quiet for several seconds before finally speaking. "Grandchild... I can help." Alicia's eyes immediately brightened. "But," Peter continued, "I have one condition." "I'll accept anything," Alicia replied without hesitation. "I want to meet Mike personally before making my final decision."

Alicia smiled happily. "No problem, Grandpa!" She excitedly grabbed Mark's car keys from the table. "I'm going to tell Aunt Mary and Uncle Quinton the good news!" Mark quickly stood up. "Wait! You're taking my car? Why don't you ask someone to drive you instead?" Alicia laughed. "Yes, Dad I'm taking your car. I'm your only child. Remember, what's yours is mine." The room burst into laughter, instantly lightening the tense atmosphere.

After Alicia left, Peter's smile gradually disappeared. He looked seriously at Mark and Georgia. "I'll use every connection I have to get that young man released." Mark nodded thankfully. "But..." Peter added. "I have another condition." "What is it?" Mark asked. Peter leaned back in his chair. "I've watched Alicia carefully today."

He paused before continuing. "I've never seen her cry for anyone the way she cried for Mike. She spent the entire day gathering evidence, risking herself just to save him." He looked at both of them. "I think we should arrange a marriage between the two." Mark froze. "You mean... make Mike our son-in-law?" Georgia immediately frowned. "Husband, don't you think that's unfair?" Peter looked at her. "How so?"

Georgia sighed. "Mike is already in a relationship with someone else. If we force this marriage, aren't we doing exactly what happened between Mike and Laura?" Peter thought carefully before answering. "Not exactly." He continued calmly. "The Gomez family officially announced this morning that Laura Tryon will become their daughter-in-law. Besides, it was Laura's own statement that caused Mike to end up in prison. Whether she was forced or not, she still gave that statement."

Mark rubbed his forehead. "Speaking of Laura... I heard she tried to commit suicide." The room instantly became quiet again. Even Peter couldn't ignore that news. After several moments, he finally spoke. "Tomorrow, I'll visit Mike myself. I'll tell him my condition and hear his answer directly."

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Laura was rushed into emergency surgery. Josh paced nervously outside the operating room, his shirt soaked with sweat. Several minutes later, the surgeon finally walked out. "We've managed to stop the bleeding," the doctor announced. "Her injuries have been treated successfully. She's stable now, but she'll need someone to stay close to her. She may attempt something like this again if she's left alone." Josh finally let out a breath of relief.

Just then, Bright, Godness, and Prince arrived. Unfortunately, they had heard every word. Prince couldn't hide the confusion on his face. Earlier that day, Ben had personally called him and promised that Wood IT Company would invest two million dollars into Nova Blaze Jewelry. Believing everything had been settled, Prince had immediately accepted the marriage proposal and even announced it publicly online. There was no turning back now.

A few minutes later, Laura was wheeled into her hospital ward. She looked frighteningly pale. Bright quietly watched her. This was the first time he had seen his future wife this closely. Seeing her lying there helplessly stirred something inside him. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to say something. But no words came out.

Back at the Smith residence, Mary couldn't stop crying. "My son has been framed..." she sobbed. "What I don't understand is that yesterday that girl was so shy, polite, and innocent. How did everything suddenly change? Why would she accuse Mike?" Quinton gently held her shoulders. "Wife... don't worry." He forced himself to smile. "The truth will eventually come out."

At that exact moment, a large navy-blue Range Rover slowly stopped outside their yard. Both of them looked toward the window in surprise. Quinton quickly stood up. "That's the Police Minister's vehicle." He swallowed nervously. "I hope this is good news." A knock echoed through the house. They hurried to open the door.

Out of respect, both of them bowed. "Aunt Mary... Uncle Quinton... what are you doing?" The familiar voice made them immediately raise their heads. "Alicia?" She smiled brightly. "I drove my dad's car." She jingled the keys in her hand. "See? I came alone." Only then did both of them finally relax.

Mary anxiously asked, "Alicia... is there any good news?" Alicia nodded with a warm smile. "Yes." She explained everything about the security footage and Peter's promise. "My grandfather believes the evidence is enough to help clear Mike's name." Mary's eyes immediately filled with tears. "Thank you, Alicia." Quinton bowed gratefully. "We'll never forget what you've done for our family."

To lift their spirits, Alicia insisted on preparing dinner for them herself. Within an hour, the small house was filled with the comforting aroma of home cooked food. For the first time since my arrest, laughter returned to the Smith household. As they enjoyed the meal together, it almost felt as though all their worries had disappeared, if only for a little while.

After Alicia left, Mary smiled warmly. "Husband... who would've thought such a young lady could drive such a huge car and cook even better than me?" Quinton chuckled. "Our son... really has good taste."

Meanwhile, I remained alone inside my freezing prison cell. The cold concrete floor numbed my body, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. I leaned against the wall, replaying every memory I had with Ben. "What exactly did I ever do to make him hate me this much?" I whispered to myself. No matter how hard I searched my memories... I couldn't find an answer.

Then suddenly... A forgotten memory surfaced. It was before the year-end school function. Our final examination results had just been released. I had finished first in the entire grade. Instead of congratulating me... Ben looked at me with resentment. That same night, my parents had punished me so severely that I couldn't even attend the school celebration.

My eyes slowly widened. "So... was that where it all started?" Could someone really hate another person... simply because they worked hard and achieved success? If that was true... then Ben's hatred had been growing for years, quietly waiting for the perfect moment to destroy my life.