C191 Reopen The Investigation

The room became deathly silent. Even Sarah looked away. Ben searched for words. None came. After nearly a minute, he finally spoke. "...I love Natalie." "And one day..." "I'll marry her." "She loves me too." Kelvin sighed. For the first time that evening... He truly looked exhausted. "If that's the path you've chosen..." "...then walk it." "I won't stop you." "But understand this clearly."

He looked toward Samantha. "Samantha is Monica's mother." "She isn't going anywhere." "She already has her own room in this house." "Whether you marry again or not..." "...she will always remain part of this family." Samantha's eyes gradually became moist. She slowly realized... Once again... She had misunderstood her father-in-law. She stood up respectfully. "Thank you..." "...Father." Kelvin smiled. "Sit down." "We're family." The heavy atmosphere finally disappeared. Not long afterward... Everyone wished each other goodnight before heading to their respective rooms.

Later that evening... At the Mooney residence... Since my parents had agreed that i stay at my in-laws for a night... I decided to spend the night with my wife, Alicia. After dinner... Something about her seemed different. She looked slightly pale. Several times I asked, "Wife..." "Are you alright?" Each time... She simply smiled. "I'm fine." Although she tried to hide it... I could tell something was bothering her. Still... I chose not to press the matter.

When we returned to her bedroom... Instead of resting... We opened several company files spread across the large desk. Lucia Goods wasn't only involved in software. The company also designed and manufactured its own computers and laptops. As I read through the technical reports... My eyes gradually lit up. "This is interesting." Alicia looked up from her documents before smiling knowingly. "I knew you'd say that."

She leaned closer. "Remember..." "You're the Vice Director." "So don't even think about abandoning your office and joining the development department." I laughed. "But these are the things I'm familiar with." "Designing systems." "Testing hardware." "Improving software." "The Vice Director's position feels... a little overwhelming." She giggled. "My husband really is a nerd." I proudly nodded. "I've never denied it."

For the next hour... We carefully studied every department. Research. Development. Hardware assembly. Software installation. Quality assurance. Product testing. Order verification. The deeper I read... The more fascinated I became. Eventually we reached the testing department. I smiled. "This..." "This is almost exactly what I did at Wood IT." Alicia leaned over. "Really?" I nodded. "Making sure every computer functions correctly." "Checking whether Windows installs properly." "Testing the firewall." "Verifying security." "Ensuring there aren't hidden software issues before shipping."

She smiled proudly. "Then..." "You'll personally supervise this department." I looked at her in surprise. "Me?" She nodded confidently. "If someone with your experience oversees quality control..." "...the number of returned products will drop significantly." I couldn't argue with that. Soon we moved on to production reports. Ensuring every completed product matched customer orders. Checking inventory. Shipment schedules. Factory output.

By the time we finished... Nearly an hour had passed. I stretched before suddenly asking, "Wife..." "If my parents were to move here..." "...which room would they use?" Alicia blinked. "Mike..." "Did you already ask them?" I shook my head. "Not yet." "I was just curious." She immediately stood up. "Then let's go see." Before I could react... She grabbed my hand and practically dragged me into the hallway.

We stopped in front of a large wooden door that remained locked. Alicia frowned. "I've never entered this one." She called over one of the maids. "Could you unlock this room for us?" The maid bowed politely before unlocking the door. The moment it opened... Both of us froze. The bedroom was enormous. Elegant wallpaper covered the walls. The ceiling carried intricate handcrafted patterns. A luxurious king-sized bed stood in the center. Everything inside had been perfectly preserved.

I couldn't help whispering, "...Wow." Just then... Footsteps echoed behind us. "Dad." "Grandpa." Alicia turned around. Mark and Peter had arrived. Peter stared quietly into the room. He didn't answer immediately. Instead... He remained standing at the doorway. His expression slowly became sorrowful. Alicia noticed it immediately. "Grandpa..." "What's wrong?" "We were only looking for a room for Mike's parents." "If this room is important..." "We'll choose another one."

Before Peter could answer... Georgia slowly walked into the room. The moment her eyes landed on the old photographs decorating one side of the wall... Her tears instantly began falling. "This room..." She whispered. "...holds too many memories." Alicia frowned. "Memories?" Georgia nodded weakly. "This..." "...used to be your aunt's room." Both Alicia and I froze. Aunt? Alicia had never spoken about having one.

She looked toward her grandmother in confusion. "I..." "I never knew." Georgia gently touched one of the old picture frames. "She was beautiful." "So talented." "So capable." Her voice broke. "They murdered her..." "They killed my daughter..." The room instantly became silent. Peter slowly walked toward the photographs. He stared at them for a long time. Tears quietly rolled down his weathered face.

Mark gently placed a hand on his father's shoulder. "Dad..." "The past is gone." "We should remember that she lived..." "...not only how she died." Peter slowly closed his eyes. For several moments... He said nothing. Then... In a voice filled with regret... He whispered, "I almost forgot you..." "My daughter..." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry I never found justice for you." He wiped away another tear. Then slowly raised his head. His eyes had become unusually determined. "I should reopen the investigation." A heavy silence followed.

Then Peter quietly added, "In fact..." "...both of your deaths." The room fell into complete silence. "...Both of your deaths." Those four words echoed through the room. Alicia looked at her grandfather in confusion. "Grandpa..." "What do you mean..." "...both?" Peter remained standing in front of the old photographs. His wrinkled fingers gently brushed across the frame. For a long while... He said nothing.

Mark sighed softly. "Dad..." Peter slowly shook his head. "No." "I've kept this buried long enough." Georgia quietly wiped away her tears. Even she didn't interrupt him. Peter looked toward Alicia. "My child..." "There are many things about our family..." "...that you don't know."