C213 Unexpected Detour

The evening traffic had already begun to build as I carefully guided the blue Hyundai through the city streets. Even though I had practised driving with Alicia the previous day, I still drove cautiously. Her words echoed in my mind. "Husband, don't rush. A few minutes late is better than never arriving."

I smiled unconsciously. "Yes, Wife..." "I'll drive safely." Nearly thirty minutes later, the familiar Wood IT headquarters came into view. I parked outside the main entrance before taking out my phone. I dialed Chris. The call connected almost immediately. "Brother." "I'm outside." "You can come now." Chris sounded puzzled. "I'm already outside." "I don't see you anywhere." He laughed. "Have you become invisible?" "Or are you secretly a ghost now?"

I burst into laughter. "I'm not invisible." "Come closer to the blue Hyundai." There was silence. Then... "A blue Hyundai?" A few seconds later I watched Chris walking slowly across the parking area. He looked left. Then right. His eyes finally landed on me sitting behind the steering wheel. He stopped walking altogether. "...Brother?" I lowered the window. "What?" His mouth slowly opened. "You..." "You're driving?" I grinned proudly. "Surprised?"

Chris walked around the car twice as though inspecting it. "You actually drove here?" "By yourself?" I nodded. "Yes." Peter insisted." Chris folded his arms. "I'm impressed..." "...but I'm also terrified." I laughed. "Terrified?" He nodded seriously. "What if you crash this thing?" "I still have a wife." "My child hasn't even been born yet." "I don't want my life ending in an accident caused by you."

I held my stomach laughing. "You really don't trust me?" Chris immediately answered, "No." "Not even a little." "I've known you since we were children." "You once rode a bicycle straight into a tree because you were waving at Samantha." I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. "That happened years ago." "It still happened." I sighed dramatically. "Brother..." "I drove all the way from Lucia Goods Headquarters." "If I was going to cause an accident..." "It would've happened already."

Chris looked at me for several seconds. Finally... He sighed. "I suppose that makes sense." He slowly opened the passenger door. Before sitting down he looked toward the sky. "Ancestors..." "If today is my last day..." "Please remember I had no choice." I laughed so hard that tears almost formed. "You are unbelievable." Chris fastened his seatbelt twice before checking it again. Only after making sure everything was secure did he finally relax.

I started the engine. The Hyundai slowly pulled away. For several minutes neither of us spoke. Then Chris suddenly became serious. "Brother..." "Can we stop by the Wood residence first?" I glanced at him briefly. "The Wood residence?" He nodded. "I've been worried all day." "Sarah sent me a message early this morning saying she wouldn't be coming to work." "I tried calling her." "Her phone has been switched off ever since." "I even went to HR." "They told me neither Sarah nor Samantha reported for work today."

I frowned. "Did anything happen yesterday after we left the hospital?" Chris slowly shook his head. "I don't know." "But yesterday..." "I heard Sarah and Samantha crying..." "I asked Sarah what was wrong." "Before she could answer..." "Samantha interrupted her." "They both smiled and changed the subject." I looked at him "And You didn't bother asking further?" "I didn't think much about it then." "But after today..." "I have a bad feeling."

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. "You think something happened at home?" Chris nodded. "I do." "I just don't know what." I became thoughtful. Sarah wasn't someone who skipped work casually. Neither was Samantha. Then Ben's release from prison. Now that the ompany was going through major changes. For both of them to disappear on the same day... Something serious had probably happened.

I spoke calmly. "You think Ben is involved? Chris froze. I didn’t think it like that but now that you mentioned it, why did this happened after he was released. Ohh my god did he do something to them. I spoke calmly, my eyes still fixed on the road. "Do you think Ben is involved?" Chris froze. He turned to look at me, his expression filled with uncertainty. "I... I didn't think about it like that." He lowered his head, replaying everything in his mind. "But now that you mention it..." "Why did all of this happen only after he was released from prison?"

His breathing became uneven. "The timing... it can't just be a coincidence." I remained silent, allowing him to think. Chris suddenly sat upright. "Oh my God..." "Did he do something to them?" His voice trembled with worry. "Brother, Sarah has never ignored my calls before. Even when she's busy, she always sends a message." "And Samantha... She wouldn't simply skip work without informing someone." He rubbed his forehead anxiously. "The more I think about it, the more uneasy I become."

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. "We don't know anything yet." "So let's not jump to conclusions." Chris nodded, though his face remained pale. "I hope we're just overthinking." "I really hope everyone is alright." I glanced at him before returning my eyes to the road. "We'll find out soon enough." After a brief silence, I spoke in a calm but firm voice. "Let's go there first." "If everything is fine..." "We'll visit Alicia afterward."

Chris released a relieved breath. "Thank you, Brother." I smiled. "You're my brother." "There's no need to thank me." The atmosphere inside the car became quiet again. Outside... The setting sun painted the sky orange. Neither of us knew what awaited us at the Wood residence. But somehow... Both of us shared the same uneasy feeling. Whatever had happened inside that house... It was serious enough for Sarah to switch off her phone.

Serious enough for Samantha to miss work. Serious enough for Chris to spend the entire day unable to concentrate. I pressed the accelerator gently. The blue Hyundai turned at the next intersection... And headed straight toward the Wood family residence.