C164 The Unexpected Visit

The Family car glided smoothly out of the Wood residence. Inside the car... No one spoke for several minutes. The atmosphere was unusually quiet. Kelvin sat by the window, deep in thought, while Tracy occasionally glanced at Sarah, who nervously twisted her fingers together on her lap.

Finally... Tracy broke the silence. "Sarah." Sarah immediately looked up. "Yes, Mom?" "Inform Christopher that we're on our way to his house." She paused before adding, "And tell him to invite Mike and his parents as well." Sarah blinked in surprise. "...Mike too?" Before she could ask why, she noticed her mother's calm expression and simply nodded. "Alright."

Sitting beside her... Samantha froze. Her heartbeat skipped. Why... Mike as well? She lowered her eyes. Countless thoughts flooded her mind. Are they going to discuss Sarah and Chris... ...or something else? She quietly held Monica a little tighter. Her palms gradually became damp with sweat.

Trying not to overthink it, Sarah quickly picked up her phone and typed a message. "Chris, my parents are on the way to your house." "Mom also asked me to tell you to invite Mike and his family over as well." She pressed send. Just then... Kelvin's phone vibrated. Buzz... He glanced at the screen. It was a message from his lawyer.His expression immediately changed.

The smile that had returned moments earlier disappeared. His face became serious. Tracy noticed first. "Husband?" Kelvin slowly lowered his phone. "The Police Minister..." "...has finally approved Ben's bail." The words hung heavily inside the vehicle. "He'll be released..." "...the day after tomorrow." Silence. No one reacted. No one celebrated. No one objected.

Even little Monica, usually cheerful, quietly played with Samantha's necklace as though sensing the strange atmosphere. Kelvin sighed softly. "I know..." "No one wants to hear about Ben." He looked down at his clasped hands. "But..." "He's still my son." "As his father..." "There are decisions I have to make." Tracy quietly reached over and held his hand. She understood better than anyone how conflicted her husband felt.

Ben had disappointed them again and again. Yet... No matter what he had done... He was still their child. The rest of the journey continued in silence. Meanwhile... At the Chambers residence... Chris had barely calmed down after ending the call with us. He paced restlessly across his bedroom. Back and forth. Back and forth. Every few seconds he glanced at his phone.

Then... Ding. A new message arrived. He quickly opened it. The moment he finished reading... His breathing became uneven. Without thinking... He immediately forwarded Sarah's message to me. Then he practically sprinted downstairs. "Dad!" His loud voice echoed through the house. David, who had been carefully polishing the beautiful chess set Alicia had gifted him, slowly looked up. "What now?"

Chris grabbed his hair anxiously. "Dad..." "We're in trouble." David calmly placed another chess piece onto the table. "You always seem to be in trouble." "What happened this time?" Before Chris could answer... Another bedroom door slowly opened. Valeria appeared, still wearing her nightgown. She rubbed her sleepy eyes. Having worked the previous night's shift at the hospital, she had only managed a few hours of sleep.

She yawned loudly. "What trouble?" "You've already disturbed my sleep." Chris didn't waste another second. "Aunt Tracy and Uncle Kelvin know everything." Valeria blinked. "...Everything?" Chris nodded rapidly. "Sarah told them." "They know she's pregnant." David simply nodded. "Good." Chris stared at him. "...Good?" David smiled calmly. "Secrets don't stay hidden forever." "It was only a matter of time."

Chris almost stomped his foot. "Dad!" "They're coming here!" "The whole Wood family!" This time... David finally stopped polishing the chess pieces. "...What?" Chris nodded. "They're already on their way." Valeria immediately became fully awake. Her sleepiness vanished instantly. She checked the wall clock. "Oh no..." She turned toward David. "If they're visiting..." "We can't let guests leave without eating." David nodded. "Can you prepare lunch?"

Valeria thought for a few seconds. "I'll try." She quickly disappeared toward the kitchen. Meanwhile.. At one of Scotland's largest supermarkets... Alicia and I walked hand in hand through the fresh produce section. Our shopping trolley was already filled with vegetables, herbs and ingredients for tonight's family dinner. Alicia happily compared tomatoes. "These look fresher." I smiled. "As expected of Director Smith."

She proudly lifted another tomato. "Of course." "My cooking reputation is important." Before I could tease her... My phone vibrated. Buzz. I casually unlocked it. Then... I froze. "What happened?" Alicia immediately noticed my expression. I slowly turned the screen toward her. She read Chris's forwarded message. Her smile disappeared. "They're already going?"

I nodded. "Honey..." "We have to leave." She didn't ask another question. Instead... She immediately pushed the trolley toward the checkout counter. A few minutes later... We had paid for everything. The shopping bags were quickly loaded into her Maserati. Without wasting another second... She drove straight toward my parents' house.

At the Smith residence...

Mary and Quinton were comfortably sitting in the living room chatting over tea. The moment I rushed inside... Both of them looked up. "Mike?" I barely caught my breath. "Mom." "Dad." "We have to leave immediately." Mary immediately stood up. "What happened?" "The Wood family is heading to Uncle David's house." "They specifically asked for our family to come too."

Both Quinton and Mary exchanged surprised glances. "...The Wood family?" I nodded. "It's urgent." Neither of them asked any further questions. Within minutes... Both had changed into fresh clothes. Outside... Alicia patiently waited inside her Maserati. Once my parents climbed in... She immediately started the engine. The car sped toward the Chambers residence.

When we finally arrived... The atmosphere inside the house couldn't have been more different. Chris was still pacing nonstop. David sat on the sofa rubbing his forehead. Even watching Chris walk back and forth had started giving him a headache. Meanwhile... Valeria had already tied an apron around her waist and begun preparing ingredients inside the kitchen.

Just as she reached for a knife... Knock. Knock. Knock. She walked toward the front door. Opening it... She found all of us standing outside. Valeria laughed helplessly. "I was just about to prepare lunch..." "...and now all of you are here too." Before anyone could respond... Alicia quietly walked toward the boot of her Maserati. She opened it. One shopping bag. Then another. Fresh vegetables. Herbs. Premium beef. Seafood. Even homemade seasonings she had bought earlier.

Everyone stared in surprise. She smiled sweetly. "Uncle David." "Aunt Valeria." Then she looked toward Valeria. "Aunt Valeria..." "May I borrow your apron?" Everyone blinked. Alicia grinned mischievously. "I'm in a very good mood today." "So..." "I'll cook." Mary immediately shook her head. "No." "My daughter..." "You should be resting." "Yesterday was exhausting." "Leave everything to us."

Quinton couldn't help laughing. "Wife..." "Before yesterday you couldn't stop saying you wanted Alicia to teach you more recipes." "Now you're refusing your own teacher." Even Valeria burst into laughter. "I agree." "If Teacher Alicia is cooking..." "I'll happily become the student again." Alicia giggled. "Then it's settled." Mary finally surrendered.

Valeria removed her apron and personally tied it around Alicia's waist. I quietly stepped forward. Without saying anything... I tucked a loose strand of hair behind Alicia's ear before helping tie the apron properly. Our eyes met briefly. She smiled warmly. Then together... We carried all the shopping bags into the kitchen.

The moment I placed them on the counter... She gently pushed me toward the door. "Husband..." "Out." I pretended to protest. "I'm only helping." She shook her head. "No." "You'll only steal food." Before I could defend myself... She lightly shoved me outside. Click. The kitchen door locked. Everyone outside burst into laughter.

Inside the kitchen... Alicia happily rolled up her sleeves. She washed the vegetables before humming softly to herself. Soon... The delicious aroma of homemade Cock-a-Leekie Soup began filling the house. Alongside it... She prepared buttery Cullen Skink, roasted herb potatoes, glazed Scottish salmon, fresh garden vegetables and warm homemade oat bread. Every movement was smooth and practiced. Cooking... Had always been one of the ways she expressed love.

Nearly an hour later... She placed the final dish onto the serving tray. Satisfied... She smiled. Then unlocked the kitchen door. The moment she stepped outside... Knock. Knock. Knock. Everyone instinctively turned toward the entrance. David walked over together with Valeria. The door slowly opened.