C23 Consider Who Your Father Is

At the Chambers family home, Chris was just as excited about receiving his first salary. Unlike Mike, however, the very first thing he did after entering the house was pull out the envelope.

His father, Professor David Chambers accepted it and began reading. When he finished, he raised an eyebrow before calling out, “Honey.”

Valeria had only recently returned from the hospital after a long shift. Exhaustion was visible on her face. She had planned to eat something and go straight to bed. “What is it, Husband?” she asked tiredly.

David handed her the envelope. She quickly read the contents. A smile appeared on her face. “Who gave you this?”

Chris immediately sat up. “Three giant bodyguards from the Minister of Police.” Valeria blinked. “The Minister of Police?” “Yes.” Chris nodded enthusiastically.

“They arrived in a luxury car during lunch break. They found Alicia and gave her two envelopes. One was for Mike and the other was for me.”

“And then?” Valeria asked. She was used to Chris telling stories halfway before getting distracted.

Chris continued. “Before leaving, they said Alicia’s father was looking forward to meeting Mike and me.”

He then looked toward his father. “Dad, those guys were huge. They looked like movie gangsters, but they treated Alicia with so much respect. Even when she argued with them, they listened.” The family burst into laughter.

After explaining everything, David and Valeria informed Chris about the invitation. Just as they had suspected, Mike’s family had likely received the same one.

The Mooney family clearly intended to invite everyone together. More importantly, it was not the kind of invitation people casually declined. The Mooney’s were one of the most influential families in the city.

Turning down their invitation without a valid reason could easily be interpreted as disrespect. Neither family wanted to make that mistake.

Alicia did not go straight home after leaving the company.

She stopped at a shopping center and purchased three colorful kites. Looking at them made her smile. She carefully placed them in the car before finally heading home.

When she arrived at the Mooney residence and stepped out of the vehicle, she immediately put on an unhappy expression. “Dad!” she shouted as she entered the house.

“What?” her father replied from the staircase. “You made me loose face today.”

Mark Mooney had just come downstairs after finishing some work in his study. Seeing his daughter pouting, he couldn’t help but smile.

“You always say I make you lose face,” he said. “But somehow your face keeps getting bigger every year.”

Alicia’s cheeks instantly turned red. “Dad!” Her embarrassed reaction only made him laugh harder. Still smiling, he walked toward her and asked, “Now tell me, what exactly did I do this time?”

Alicia folded her arms. “First, you sent those giant bodyguards to my company.” “So?” “They attracted everyone’s attention.”

Mark nodded thoughtfully. “That sounds like their job.” “Dad!”

She almost stomped her foot. “And then you gave me those envelopes.” “What is wrong with envelopes?”

“Who even uses envelopes anymore?” Mark looked genuinely confused. “I do.” Alicia stared at him speechlessly.

What frustrated her most wasn’t the envelopes themselves. It was what happened afterward. Her face became even redder. “And then your bodyguard said you were looking forward to meeting my two big brothers.”

Mark immediately understood. “Oh.” Now he finally knew why she was embarrassed.

“They think I tell you everything,” she complained. “And don’t you?” Mark asked in amusement. Alicia immediately looked away. Her silence answered the question.

At that moment, laughter echoed through the room. An elderly man slowly walked into the living room. It was Alicia’s grandfather, Peter Mooney followed by his wife, Georgia.

He had heard most of the conversation. Looking at his granddaughter’s red face, he laughed heartily. “Look at you.” “Grandpa!” Alicia protested. Peter continued laughing. “My granddaughter is afraid of being the center of attention.”

Georgia nodded. “That is quite surprising considering whose daughter she is.” Peter took a seat with his wife and smiled.

“Little girl, you belong to the Mooney family. Whether you like it or not, people will always pay attention to you.” Alicia sighed dramatically before sitting beside her father.

The family chatted for a while. Soon the conversation shifted toward the upcoming dinner. Mark discussed the arrangements while Peter listened quietly.

When they finished, Alicia couldn’t help asking, “So why are you inviting everyone anyway?” Peter immediately answered. “Dinner?” He smiled mysteriously.

“Dinner is simply an excuse.” Mark laughed. Alicia narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “An excuse for what?” Peter pointed at her. “To meet these two boys you never stop talking about.”

Alicia nearly choked. “Grandpa!” Peter continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “I want to see whether these boys are really as good as you claim.” Mark nodded in agreement.

“And if they cause trouble?” Peter stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Then I will let your grandmother punish them.” Alicia burst into laughter. “Grandpa, they haven’t even met you yet and you’re already threatening them.”

“Good,” Peter replied proudly. “That way they’ll behave themselves.”

The room filled with laughter once again. Alicia felt genuinely happy. But Her thoughts drifted toward the three kites she had bought earlier.

Tomorrow would be Kite Flying Day. And for some reason, she was looking forward to it far more than the upcoming dinner.

At the Wood family residence, the atmosphere was much quieter. Kelvin had already heard about the scandal that had been trending throughout the day.

As the director of the company, information reached him quickly. However, he chose not to ask any questions during dinner. The family ate in relative silence.

After finishing his meal, Kelvin excused himself and returned to his study, leaving Tracy alone with Ben and Samantha.

Tracy smiled as she looked at the young couple. “So, how are the plans for tomorrow going?” Samantha looked up briefly before glancing at Ben. She remained silent.

Throughout the entire dinner, she had barely spoken a word. Her mind was occupied with something else.

Ever since Michael’s latest scandal appeared online, she had been thinking nonstop. The more she thought about it, the more certain she became that something wasn’t right.

The photograph from the café. The photograph outside the company. The timing of the rumors. None of it felt random.

Someone had been watching Mike. Closely. Very closely. And every trail seemed to lead back to one person. Ben. Samantha wasn’t foolish.

The photograph Ben had shown her days ago was the exact same photograph that later appeared online. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

The question was why. Why would Ben go through so much effort to target Mike? What did he hope to gain? The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Eventually she reached a decision. She would investigate the matter herself.

Across the table, Ben answered his mother’s question. “Nothing special.” “We’ll celebrate Kite Flying Day the same way we always do.” Tracy nodded. “That’s good.”

Seeing neither of them interested in talking, she decided not to push the conversation any further. “Well, don’t stay up too late.” After that, she headed upstairs to her room.