C214 I Think I Was Played

The Wood family residence, usually filled with laughter and conversations during the evenings, had become unusually silent. The confrontation that morning had left deep wounds in everyone's hearts. Even after an entire day had passed... No one had truly recovered. Kelvin had spent most of the afternoon sitting quietly in his study, replaying every word Ben had spoken. The more he thought about it, the heavier his heart became.

Tracy was no better. She had tried reading. She had tried watching television. She had even attempted to keep herself busy in the kitchen. Nothing worked. Every few minutes, her thoughts drifted back to her son. "Have we really failed him?" "Was he carrying all that pain by himself?" Each time those questions resurfaced, tears threatened to fall again. Sarah had slept almost the entire day. After crying herself to sleep that morning, her exhausted body had simply refused to wake up.

Only as the evening sun began disappearing behind the hills did she finally open her eyes. She stared at the ceiling for several moments before letting out a long sigh. "My head still hurts..." She slowly freshened herself up before stepping out of her room. Instead of going downstairs immediately, she walked next door and gently knocked on Samantha's bedroom door. Knock. Knock. "Come in." Sarah pushed the door open. Inside, Samantha was sitting on the carpet with Monica. The little girl was happily stacking colourful toy blocks.

The moment she saw Sarah... Her tiny eyes lit up. "Aaaah!" She stretched out both little arms excitedly. Sarah's tired face finally formed a genuine smile. "My little princess." She bent down and scooped Monica into her arms. The little girl immediately burst into cheerful giggles. "Hehehe..." Sarah laughed softly as Monica grabbed onto her hair. "You really missed me that much?" Monica simply laughed louder. Samantha watched the scene with a warm smile. "No matter how upset I become..." "The moment Monica laughs..." "Everything somehow feels lighter."

Sarah nodded. "I know." "Children really are amazing." Monica suddenly reached out toward Samantha. "Mama!" Samantha laughed. "Now you want your mother?" The little girl quickly changed her mind and hugged Sarah's neck again. Both women laughed. Together they walked downstairs. The aroma of freshly prepared dinner filled the dining room.

Unlike lunch... Everyone had agreed that they had to eat dinner. Skipping another meal would only make things worse. Kelvin and Tracy were already seated. Although neither looked particularly hungry... They forced themselves to remain at the table. Tracy smiled faintly after seeing Sarah carrying Monica. "You finally woke up." Sarah smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mom." "I didn't realise I slept that long." Kelvin nodded. "You needed the rest."

Samantha quietly pulled out a chair before sitting beside Tracy. Sarah carefully seated Monica in the child's chair next to her. Within moments the maids began serving dinner. The atmosphere remained unusually quiet. No one joked. No one teased another. Only the soft sounds of plates and cutlery echoed through the room. Just as everyone was about to begin eating... The sound of a car stopping outside echoed through the residence.

Everyone instinctively looked toward the window. Tracy slowly stood. "Ben..." A moment later the front door opened. Ben walked inside. His suit was slightly wrinkled. His eyes looked tired. The strong smell of alcohol spread through the entrance almost immediately. Tracy's heart tightened. "My son..." "You've been drinking?" Ben ignored the question. He walked straight into the dining room before taking a seat.

His exhausted eyes slowly swept across everyone. Tracy's voice became softer. "Ben..." "I'm really sorry about what happened this morning." Before she could continue... Ben looked directly at Kelvin. "Father." His serious tone immediately caught everyone's attention. "I went to prison today." Kelvin frowned. "Prison?" Ben nodded. "I went to visit Jack."

The dining room became completely silent. Ben continued quietly. "Jack was released this morning." Everyone froze. Even Sarah stopped eating. Kelvin frowned deeply. "He was released?" Ben nodded. "The receptionist told me his bail had already been posted last night." Silence filled the room once again. Ben leaned back in his chair. "I've been asking myself questions the entire day." "If someone wanted to help him..." "Why didn't they post bail earlier?" "Why wait until now?"

His fingers slowly tightened around the glass in front of him. "The more I think about it..." "The stranger everything becomes." Tracy listened quietly. Ben continued. "What if..." "He stayed inside prison on purpose?" Kelvin narrowed his eyes. "Explain." Ben looked at his father. "What if he deliberately remained behind bars..." "So that I would owe him a favour?" "So that I would eventually seek his protection?"

Sarah frowned. "You think he manipulated you?" Ben nodded slowly. "I do." He paused before continuing. "After everything happened..." "I became curious." "So I investigated the men who attacked me inside prison." Kelvin remained silent. Ben continued. "They're called Ryan Doyle, Marcus Flynn and Trevor Collins." "I thought they were just ordinary prisoners." He shook his head. "They're not." "They're all connected to Jack." The room suddenly became much quieter.

Ben laughed bitterly. "I was beaten..." "Then Jack suddenly appeared like some kind of hero." "He protected me." "He gained my trust." "And now..." He slowly looked down at the dining table. "I think..." "I was played." No one spoke for several seconds. The weight of Ben's words settled heavily over the dining room. Kelvin finally sighed. "I warned you." Ben lifted his head. "I told you before." "Jack wasn't an ordinary criminal." "He's connected to one of the drug syndicates operating throughout the city." "You thought I was making excuses because I refused to help."

Kelvin's voice softened. "But regardless of what happened..." "You're my son." "If those people truly intend to target you..." "You won't face them alone." He looked directly into Ben's eyes. "As long as I'm alive..." "I won't sit back and watch anyone harm my family." For the first time that evening... Ben's expression softened ever so slightly. Just then... A gentle knock echoed from the front door.