C160 The Truth Behind France

Sarah stood rooted to the spot. Her father's words continued echoing inside her mind. "Call Chris." "If he had the courage to become the father of my grandchild, then he should have the courage to face me." She knew that moment would eventually come. But... Not yet. Not before they understood everything. Not before they knew how it all began.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah slowly looked at Kelvin. "Dad..." "Before you call Chris..." "Can I explain everything first?" They slowly returned to the dining room. Kelvin studied his daughter's expression for several long seconds. He could see the fear in her eyes. He could also see determination. Finally, he nodded. "You have one chance."

His voice remained calm, yet carried the authority that had built Wood IT Company from nothing. "I won't ask you to repeat yourself." "So..." "Tell me the whole truth." Tracy reached across the table and gently squeezed Sarah's hand. "My child..." "Don't be nervous." "Just tell us everything." "We're your family." She smiled warmly. "I promise we won't be angry."

She subconsciously placed a hand over Sarah's stomach. "I just can't wait to hold my grandchild in my..." Before she could finish... She felt Kelvin's sharp gaze land on her. Realizing she had become too excited, Tracy immediately covered her mouth. "...I'll keep quiet." Even Samantha couldn't help smiling faintly. Despite the tension filling the room... Their mother was already acting like an excited grandmother.

Sarah couldn't help smiling too. The smile lasted only a moment. She picked up the glass of water before her. Her hands trembled slightly. She took several slow sips, trying to calm the storm inside her heart. Then... She finally spoke. "Dad..." "It all started in France." "That business trip..." "...changed everything." The three listeners exchanged surprised glances. France?

Kelvin frowned slightly. "What do you mean?" Sarah lowered her eyes. "Dad..." "Have you ever wondered..." "...why I became so quiet on our flight home?" Kelvin thought back carefully. She had indeed remained unusually silent throughout the journey. At the time... He had simply assumed she was tired. Sarah continued. "Have you ever wondered..." "...why after spilling my drink at the celebration party..." "...I went to change my dress..." "...and never came back?"

Kelvin slowly nodded. "I remember." "I even asked Ben where you had gone." Sarah swallowed painfully. "And..." She looked directly into Kelvin's eyes. "Have you ever wondered..." "...why I became so determined to uncover the truth about that night?" Silence. Kelvin slowly leaned forward. His expression had become increasingly serious. "Sarah..." "What are you trying to say?"

Tears quietly gathered in her eyes. "Dad..." "How do you think I felt..." "...when I discovered..." "...that the person responsible for everything..." "...was my own brother?" The sentence struck everyone like lightning. Samantha's eyes widened. Tracy's breathing became uneven. Kelvin simply stared at his daughter. Unable to process what he had just heard. "What..." "...do you mean?" His voice had become hoarse.

Sarah slowly wiped away a tear. "I came back from overseas..." "...because I wanted to invite Ben to my graduation." Her voice trembled. "I missed my family." "I wanted us to celebrate together." "But the very day I arrived..." "You asked me to accompany you to France." Kelvin nodded slowly. "I remember." "I thought it would help you understand the business."

Sarah nodded. "I happily agreed." "Because I thought we'd return together." She paused briefly before continuing. "That night..." "During the celebration..." "I accidentally spilled juice on my dress." "So I excused myself to change." Everyone listened without interrupting. "When I returned..." "I found Chris..." "...lying unconscious in the corridor."

Kelvin frowned deeply. "He fainted?" Sarah nodded. "He wasn't responding." "I thought..." "...something terrible had happened." "So I tried helping him." "I wanted to get him safely into one of the hotel rooms." She lowered her head. "But..." "As I struggled to support him..." "Many unexpected things happened." Her voice became softer. "Things..." "...that neither of us planned."

No one needed further explanation. The room became deathly silent. Sarah continued through tears. "I left before sunrise." "I didn't know how to face anyone." "I blamed myself." "I blamed him." "I blamed fate." "But later..." "When I finally learned the truth..." "I discovered that Chris wasn't at fault." She looked toward Kelvin. "It was Ben." "My own brother..." "...had drugged Chris."

The words pierced Kelvin's heart. He slowly leaned back in his chair. His face turned pale. Sarah continued sobbing. "Dad..." "When I realized..." "...that my own brother had nearly destroyed another person's life..." "...and also changed mine forever..." "I couldn't bear it." "I didn't even know how to face Chris again." She covered her face. "I was ashamed." Not of herself. But of her family.

Samantha quietly lowered her head. The guilt she already carried because of Ben became even heavier. Sarah took another shaky breath. "A few weeks later..." "My graduation arrived." She laughed bitterly. "It should have been one of the happiest days of my life." Instead... "It became the loneliest." Tracy immediately looked at her. "My child..." "You told us not to come." Sarah nodded sadly. "I did." "Because..." "I knew you were worried about Samantha." "Monica had just been born." "Dad was overwhelmed with company matters." "I didn't want to burden anyone."

She smiled weakly. "So..." "I decided to attend alone." Those words stabbed directly into Tracy's heart. Alone. Their daughter... Had attended one of the biggest moments of her life... Completely alone. Sarah continued. "I stood outside the university entrance..." "Watching other graduates celebrate with their parents." "Some hugged their fathers." "Some cried in their mothers' arms." "I..."

She paused as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. "I stood there by myself." "My own family wasn't beside me." She forced a smile. "For the first time in my life..." "I felt..." "...like an orphan." The words completely shattered Tracy. Tears rolled freely down her face. Kelvin lowered his head. His fists slowly clenched. Sarah continued quietly. "Then..." "My phone rang." "It was Chris." Everyone looked up. "He said..." "'Don't move.'" "'I have a surprise for you.'"

A faint smile appeared through her tears. "I thought he was joking." "But a few minutes later..." "I turned around..." "And there he was." "Wearing a suit..." "Holding flowers..." "And apologizing for everything that had happened in France." She smiled. "He had searched for my university through my social media." "He booked a flight." "And attended my graduation..." "...even though he had work waiting for him back home."

She looked toward Kelvin. "The photograph you saw..." "...was taken that day." "It wasn't planned." "It wasn't hidden." "He simply wanted me..." "...to have at least one familiar face beside me." Silence filled the room. No one knew what to say. For a young man who owed them nothing... Chris had crossed an ocean... Simply so Sarah wouldn't celebrate her graduation alone.