C27 Dinner At Wood’s

Later that evening, after dinner, everyone retired to their rooms.

Samantha, who earlier had considered returning to her parent’s home but was stopped by Ben, now felt a little more at ease. A sense of guilt lingered in her heart his parents were treating her with kindness, unlike her own family, who seemed more interested in benefiting from her situation.

Still, one thing remained clear in her heart, she did not love Ben. As she lay in thought, she considered the investigation she wanted to carry out.

Combined with the red envelope she had received from Kelvin, she made up her mind. It was time to begin her own quiet investigation. But what if Ben is really Behind this.

The next morning, I woke up early after another restless night. No matter how hard I tried, sleep refused to come easily.

My thoughts were all over the place. First, there was that beautiful young woman, Laura. Her innocent appearance and shy personality kept appearing in my mind. Then there was the dinner at the Mooney Mansion later that evening.

By the time I stepped out of my room, dark circles had formed under my eyes.

My parents immediately noticed. “Mike, did you not sleep well?” my mother asked with concern. “If you’re tired, why don’t you go back and rest for a little while?” I shook my head firmly. “No need, Mom.”

I sat down and sighed. “I was just thinking about the dinner at the Mooney Mansion. Even Alicia doesn’t know why her family arranged something like this.”

I paused before continuing. “She made Chris and me promise that no matter what happens tonight, or whatever her family says, it won’t affect our friendship. She said she’ll still be our younger sister and we’ll still be her older brothers.”

I raised my wrist and showed them the matching bracelet. “We chose these together. All three of us have one. It symbolizes the beginning of our friendship.” My parents exchanged glances before smiling.

At the Chambers residence, Chris was having a very similar conversation. He told his parents about Alicia’s request and how the three of them had promised not to let anything affect their bond.

“No matter what happens tonight,” Chris said, “she’ll still be our younger sister.” Professor David Chambers and Valeria listened quietly while exchanging knowing looks.

Meanwhile, it seemed that everyone involved was feeling nervous about the evening’s gathering.

At the Mooney residence, Alicia had woken up unusually early. Unlike Mike and Chris, she wasn’t nervous because of the invitation itself. She was excited.

The problem was that she was also confused. She still couldn’t understand why her family had invited not only Mike and Chris but their entire families as well.

If her father and grandfather simply wanted to meet her two older brothers, they could have invited only the two of them. Why involve everyone?

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. After washing up, she returned to her room, only to discover another problem.

What was she supposed to wear? She didn’t want to dress too casually and appear disrespectful. But she also didn’t want to dress too extravagantly and attract unnecessary questions from her family.

For nearly an hour she stood in front of her wardrobe trying on different outfits. One dress after another. Yet none of them felt right. Finally, she gave up.

Grabbing two dresses, she hurried downstairs. “Grandma!” Her voice echoed through the house. “I really can’t decide what to wear tonight.”

Everyone immediately turned toward her. In one hand was an elegant designer dress decorated with small diamonds. It was beautiful, expensive, and eye-catching.

Ironically, it was the same dress she had previously refused to wear because she claimed the diamonds attracted too much attention.

In her other hand was a simple black dress. It wasn’t expensive, but it fit her perfectly, accentuating her graceful figure and long legs.

She held both dresses up helplessly. “I don’t know which one to choose.” The entire family burst into laughter.

Even Mark couldn’t resist teasing her. “Why do you look so nervous this early in the morning?” he asked. “The dinner is tonight, not now. Relax."

Alicia immediately realized he was making fun of her. Seeing her speechless expression, Mark smiled proudly, clearly pleased with himself.

Her grandmother, however, looked delighted. She rarely had opportunities to help her granddaughter with things like this.

She smiled and stood up proudly. "I was once a great beauty myself, you know." The family laughed again. "Come here, my child," her grandmother continued. "Let me see the dresses you chose. I'll help you decide."

Alicia immediately walked over and sat beside her. As grandmother and granddaughter examined the dresses together, the warm atmosphere of the morning filled the entire house.

In the afternoon, it was finally time for the dinner gathering.

I chose a fitted black suit, while Chris wore a stylish grey suit. Their parents dressed formally as well. Coincidentally, both Mary and Quinton wore the gifts I had bought for them the previous day, while David and Valeria proudly wore the gifts Chris had given them.

Since my family did not own a car, the Chambers family picked us up first before all of them headed together toward the Mooney Mansion.

After hearing about the promise the boys had made to Alicia, the parents had already prepared themselves.

Whatever the purpose of the invitation was, they had agreed not to take anything personally. Alicia was their children’s friend, and they trusted their sons’ judgment.

As their vehicle approached the estate, everyone was left speechless. The mansion stood proudly behind tall iron gates. Security guards were stationed throughout the property, and luxurious vehicles could be seen parked around the grounds.

Chris immediately pointed toward a group of bodyguards. “Dad, those are the same men who delivered the envelopes to Alicia at the company.”