C270 I Don't Regret It

The dining room fell silent after Ben disappeared upstairs. Only the sound of his footsteps echoed through the staircase before the house became quiet once again. Kelvin let out a long sigh before looking at his wife and the two young women seated across from him. He never imagined that the son who always carried himself with confidence would one day leave the dining table looking so defeated.

Tracy also stared at the staircase for a long moment before looking back at everyone. Neither of them spoke immediately. Finally, Kelvin broke the silence. He looked at Sarah with a helpless smile. "Sarah..." "He is your only brother." "I know he has made countless mistakes." "I know he has hurt many people." He sighed softly. "But at the end of the day..." "...he is still your brother." Sarah folded her arms and leaned comfortably against her chair.

Instead of feeling guilty, she simply smiled. "Dad..." "He deserves every bit of this." Her voice remained calm. "Now he finally knows what betrayal feels like." She shook her head slowly. "For years he betrayed everyone else's trust." "He betrayed Samantha." "He betrayed our family." "He betrayed people who genuinely cared about him." She looked toward the staircase. "Today someone betrayed him." "I honestly don't feel sorry for him."

Kelvin frowned slightly. "My child..." "Your brother is already suffering." Sarah looked at him. "And?" "You want me to comfort him?" Kelvin remained quiet. Sarah continued calmly, "Dad, when Samantha cried herself to sleep because of him..." "Who comforted her?" "When Mike was falsely accused and imprisoned..." "Who comforted him?" "When our family almost fell apart because of Ben's selfish decisions..." "Who comforted us?"

She shook her head. "I won't laugh in his face..." "But don't expect me to comfort him either." "Some lessons in life can only be learned through pain." The room became quiet once again. Tracy gently nodded. "I can't completely disagree with you." "But..." She looked upstairs. "He is still my son." "No matter how wrong he has been..." "It still hurts seeing him like this."

Sarah's expression softened slightly. "I understand that, Mom." "I just don't want us to forget everything he has done because today he became the victim." Before anyone could continue the discussion, Samantha suddenly spoke. "Father..." "Mother..." "I actually wanted to tell you something." Both Kelvin and Tracy immediately looked at her. "What is it, my child?" Tracy asked.

Samantha smiled faintly. "My biological parents came to visit me at work today." Both Tracy and Kelvin exchanged surprised glances. "They came?" Samantha nodded. "Yes." "They came to my office." A faint smile appeared on her face. "And before they even explained why they were there..." "...I already knew one of you had told them to convince me." Kelvin awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Well..." "I had no choice but to mentioned it." "You two are the current owners of the Wood Company so they have to get your approval not ours."

Tracy smiled helplessly. "We only hoped they would apologize sincerely." Samantha nodded. "They did." "They apologized." "They admitted they had wronged me." "They even begged me to forgive them." Sarah quietly listened without interrupting. She already knew most of the conversation. Tracy asked carefully, "So..." "What happened afterward?" "Did you forgive them?"

Samantha remained silent for a few seconds before answering. "I forgave them..." "...but forgiveness doesn't erase consequences." Kelvin slowly nodded. "That's true." "What happened after that?" Samantha smiled. "I agreed to renew the partnership between Wood IT Company and Heaps Group." Kelvin looked surprised. "So quickly?" Samantha laughed. "Dad..." "Do I really look that soft?"

Everyone chuckled. She continued, "Of course I didn't make it easy for them." "They destroyed two years of my life." "They abandoned me when I needed parents the most." "They kept saying everything they did was for my future." Her smile slowly disappeared. "So I decided..." "If they truly believe everything they did was for me..." "...then they should prove it."

Kelvin leaned forward with interest. "What condition did you give them?" Samantha answered calmly. "I told them I wanted Monica to own thirty percent of Heaps Group." Silence instantly filled the dining room. Even Tracy blinked twice. Kelvin slowly repeated, "...Thirty percent?" Samantha nodded. "Yes." Kelvin leaned back in his chair. "My child..." "Don't you think that's a little too much?"

He spoke gently, trying not to sound critical. "Your father built that company over many years." "Thirty percent is a huge amount." "You were rather harsh." Samantha didn't look guilty in the slightest. Instead, she calmly met Kelvin's eyes. "Dad..." "They are my parents." "They were supposed to give me something far more valuable than company shares."

Kelvin quietly listened. "They were supposed to give me love." "They were supposed to protect me." "They were supposed to believe me." Her voice gradually became heavier. "But they failed." "They sacrificed me for business." "They ignored my suffering." "They watched me struggle..." "...and chose silence." She paused before continuing. "I wasn't asking for money." "I wasn't asking them to make me rich." "I was securing Monica's future." "If one day something happens to me..." "My daughter won't experience the same helplessness I did."

No one interrupted her. Even Sarah quietly lowered her eyes. Samantha smiled faintly. "So yes..." "I was harsh." "But I don't regret it." "Not even a little." The dining room remained silent as everyone reflected on her words. For a long moment, no one spoke. Tracy was the first to smile. She reached across the table and gently held Samantha's hand. "My child..." "You've really changed." Samantha looked at her curiously. "Changed?"

Tracy nodded with a warm smile. "Yes." "The Samantha I first met was quiet." "You would endure everything without saying a word." "You always put other people's happiness before your own." She squeezed Samantha's hand gently. "But today..." "You stood up for yourself." "You negotiated." "You protected your daughter's future." "I am proud of you." Samantha laughed softly. "Mom..." "You're actually saying the exact same thing they said." Everyone looked at her. "My parents also told me I had changed."