C286 The Warehouse Owner

Mr. Weatherby looked miserable. Dark bruises covered his face and arms, and his clothes were stained with dust. Even standing seemed difficult for him. He slowly bowed. "Mr. Wood..." His voice was hoarse. "I have always respected you." He looked at Ben before shifting his gaze to Kelvin. "I respected you as businessmen." "And I respected the Wood Family because people always said you were humble despite your wealth."

He lowered his head. "But today..." He paused for several seconds. "...today I realized something." His eyes became moist. "People like us..." He smiled bitterly. "...people born with nothing..." "...who struggle every day just to survive..." "...will always remain beneath people like you." His voice trembled. "We're nothing more than insects waiting to be stepped on." The entire living room fell silent. Tracy's eyes immediately became watery. She hurried forward. "Mr. Weatherby..." "Please tell us." "What happened?" "What did we do?" "Who hurt you?"

Ben suddenly remembered Jack's confident words from the previous day. "Prepare one hundred thousand dollars." "Leave the rest to me." His heart skipped a beat. A terrible feeling washed over him. Jack... Was this your doing? Embarrassment slowly filled his face as he lowered his head. Kelvin stood up. "Mr. Weatherby." "I know you." "You're one of the largest fishermen supplying fresh fish across the country." He looked at the old man seriously. "How exactly did the Wood Family wrong you?"

Instead of answering... Mr. Weatherby quietly reached into his worn leather bag. He removed a folded document. Walking forward, he placed it on the coffee table. "This..." "...is the deed to my warehouse." He sighed deeply. "Your son and I discussed its sale a few days ago." "I've already signed all the necessary papers." He hesitated before continuing. "I was told..." "...that I should only accept one hundred thousand dollars." He placed another sheet of paper beside it. "My bank account is written here." He bowed respectfully. "Mr. Wood..." "I wish you and your family a peaceful evening."

Without waiting for another question... He slowly turned around and walked out. Silence filled the room once more. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Tracy's tears quietly rolled down her cheeks. Kelvin stared at the warehouse deed in complete confusion. Sarah and Samantha exchanged meaningful glances. Finally... Samantha broke the silence. She looked directly at Ben before smiling faintly. "This..." She tapped the warehouse papers. "...has your name written all over it."

She tilted her head playfully. "Husband..." "What exactly did you do?" "Were you so bored that you started beating innocent old men now?" Ben forced a smile. He wanted to defend himself. But the words refused to come. Kelvin slowly looked at his son. "Ben..." "You told me this warehouse was worth two hundred and fifty thousand dollars." "So why..." "...is Mr. Weatherby suddenly accepting only one hundred thousand?" He paused. "And..." "Who beat him until he looked like this?"

Ben kept staring at the floor. His emotions were in complete chaos. Jack really was ruthless. He hadn't hesitated for even a second. An old man had been beaten... Simply because he wanted to help him. Yet... Another thought appeared. He did all of that... ...for me. Without asking for anything. Without worrying about getting himself into trouble. Could someone really be that loyal? The room remained silent as everyone waited for Ben's explanation.

After what felt like forever... Ben finally spoke. "Dad..." "I honestly didn't know." He rubbed his forehead. "My friend said he'd help me." "But..." "He never told me how." "I only told him Natalie ran away with my money." "And..." "I needed to pay for the warehouse." He looked around helplessly. "I only asked him to help me find Natalie." Kelvin frowned. "The friend you're talking about..." "...is Jack?" Ben nodded. "Yes." "He helped me before." "And now..." "He said he'd continue helping me..." "...if I became his friend." "He never asked me for anything."

Sarah finally stood up. She looked at her brother in disbelief. "Brother..." "Are you pretending to be this naïve..." "...or are you genuinely unable to see what's wrong here?" Ben frowned. "What?" Sarah folded her arms. "You actually believed him?" Ben sighed. "Just like always..." "Everyone is blaming me." "It was Jack who did this." "Not me." Tracy slowly walked toward her son. "My child..." She gently held his shoulder. "You're twenty-two years old." "You should already know the difference between right and wrong."

Her tears continued falling. "Natalie betrayed you." "Yes." "But that doesn't mean you should drag yourself deeper into darkness just because you want revenge." She pointed toward the door Mr. Weatherby had used. "Look at what happened today." "Our family's reputation..." "...has been dragged through the mud." "That old man was beaten..." "...simply because he wanted to sell his own property for a price he believed was fair."

She looked at Ben with disappointment. "What happens if he decides to take revenge?" Ben lowered his head even further. He had no answer. Samantha calmly added, "One lesson wasn't enough for you." She sighed. "Just wait." "One day Jack will come asking for something in return." "And when that day comes..." "...you'll regret everything." She looked directly into his eyes. "What if he asks for shares in your future club?" Ben immediately shook his head. "No." "He wouldn't." "He told me himself." "He doesn't want anything." "He only wants my friendship."

Sarah let out a helpless laugh. "You believed that?" She shook her head. "Well..." "I'm going upstairs." "There are still many things I need to prepare." She forced a smile. "I'm not hungry anymore." "Good night, everyone." She walked away. Without saying a word... Samantha followed behind her. A few moments later... Kelvin and Tracy quietly stood up as well. Neither of them had any appetite left. Ben was sitting alone in the silent living room. He regretted what had happened. Yet... A strange warmth remained inside his heart.

For the first time in his life... Someone had risked everything... Simply to help him. Without asking for immediate payment. Without hesitation. After sitting alone for several minutes... He finally stood up. Slowly... He made his way back to his room. Meanwhile... At the Mooney Residence... Alicia and I finally arrived home after another long day. The delicious aroma of dinner greeted us the moment we stepped inside. I smiled. "It smells amazing." Alicia nodded happily. "It really does."

As we entered the living room, however... Both of us stopped. Something felt unusual. Only Mark, Quinton, and Grandpa Peter were sitting there chatting. Mary and Grandma Georgia were nowhere to be seen. I looked around. "Dad..." "Where's Mom?" Almost at the same time, Alicia asked, "And where's Grandma?" "Is everything alright?" The three men burst into laughter. Mark pointed toward the kitchen. "Look over there." Just then... Mary and Georgia emerged from the kitchen carrying several steaming dishes.

Alicia blinked repeatedly. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Am I dreaming?" Grandma Georgia ignored the comment completely. "Dinner is ready." Mary carefully placed the dishes on the table before immediately walking over to Alicia. Without hesitation... She wrapped Alicia in a warm hug. "My daughter..." "How are you feeling today?" She gently rested a hand on Alicia's stomach. "Your pregnancy is finally starting to show."

Alicia blushed shyly. "Mom..." "This pregnancy is so confusing." She looked completely puzzled. "Today I ate something really delicious..." "But only a few minutes later..." "I vomited everything." Georgia laughed softly. "My dear..." "Being a woman has never been easy." Everyone laughed. Alicia then looked around again. "Grandma..." "Your cooking is always extraordinary." "But..." She looked around the dining room. "Why isn't anyone else here?" Mary frowned. "What do you mean?"

Georgia immediately understood. "She means the household staff." She chuckled. "I don't know." "Maybe they realized it wasn't you cooking today." She smiled proudly. "We started preparing dinner long before the two of you got home." Alicia laughed. "Then..." "Did you cook enough?" Georgia shook her head confidently. "Only enough for this family." Alicia smiled mysteriously. "That's alright." "I'll think of something."

Soon... Everyone gathered around the dining table. The warm family atmosphere quickly returned. Laughter echoed through the house as they enjoyed dinner together. After everyone had finished eating... Alicia suddenly became serious. She looked at Mark. "Dad..." "I want to ask you something." Mark noticed the seriousness in her expression. "What is it, my child?" Alicia took a slow breath. "Judging from everything my mother left behind..." "Was she... rich?"

Mark froze. He hadn't expected that question. Before he could gather his thoughts... Alicia asked another. "You've never told me about my mother's family." She looked straight into his eyes. "Which family... did my mother come from?"