C298 I Can't Just Forget Everything

Laura giggled. "My new best friends are Sarah Wood and Alicia Mooney." There was a brief silence on the other end of the call. Josh finally spoke, his voice filled with concern. "My child... have they really forgiven you? Is everything alright between all of you now?" Laura smiled warmly. "Yes. Today Sarah bought the movie tickets. Alicia came with Mike, and Bright and I joined them." Josh let out a long sigh of relief. "And Sarah?" he asked curiously.

Laura giggled again. "That's a secret. I'm not telling you. I don't want to upset them." Josh laughed softly. "My daughter... as long as you're happy, that's enough for me." He paused before continuing gently, "But I miss you. Come and visit your father whenever you have time." Laura nodded even though he couldn't see her. "I will, Dad." After exchanging a few more words, she ended the call with a smile on her face.

At an undisclosed location... Brian knocked once before entering Willy's office. This time, unlike before, he looked much more relaxed. "Boss, we've finally identified him." Willy looked up from the documents on his desk. "And who is he?" "His name is Michael Smith." Willy frowned. "I don't know any Smith family powerful enough to provoke me in Scotland. What are you talking about?" Brian lowered his head respectfully. "We thought the same thing, Boss. So we dug deeper."

He placed a file on the desk. "Michael Smith recently married Alicia Mooney, Mark Mooney's daughter. The day we searched that house, nobody was there because they had already moved into the Mooney residence." Willy leaned back in his chair, his expression slowly turning cold. "So... the Mooney family." Brian nodded. "Yes, Boss. It seems Lucia Goods wasn't acting alone. The Mooney family is involved as well." For several seconds, Willy remained silent. Finally, he sneered. "Peter Mooney never knows when to quit."

His eyes became icy. "If they want a war..." "...then we'll give them one." He slowly stood up. "If they come after us, kill every single one of them." "No witnesses." Brian bowed immediately. "Understood, Boss." "If they attack first, we'll respond." Willy waved his hand dismissively. "Good. Let them make the first move. I'm curious to see what tricks Peter Mooney has prepared." Brian nodded once before quietly leaving the office.

Back at the Mooney residence... After taking her shower, Alicia went straight into the study. A few minutes later I finished showering as well and followed her. The moment I stepped inside, both our phones began ringing at the same time. I laughed. "It has to be Chris. No need to guess." Since we were together, Alicia answered her phone while I ignored mine. We both sat in front of the desk as the video call connected. Chris and Sarah were sitting together, using Chris's phone.

The moment the screen lit up, I laughed. "Brother, you still have time to call us? Shouldn't you be busy entertaining your wife?" Chris sighed dramatically. "How can I be busy when my own mother skipped work just to disturb our peaceful married life?" Everyone burst into laughter. After the laughter died down, Chris smiled. "Today's call will be short." He paused before adding, "Actually... this is just a warm-up. There is something that has been bothering me all day."

Alicia's expression immediately became serious. "What is it, Brother?" Chris crossed his arms. "What happened today." He turned to Sarah. "My wife invited people without discussing it with us first." Then he looked back at us. "She invited our enemies." Sarah rolled her eyes before joining the call with her own phone. "I came to defend myself." She looked directly at Chris. "My husband isn't thinking properly. He accepted someone's gift, wears it proudly every day, yet still refuses to accept their apology."

Alicia laughed. "Brother, Laura is our friend now. You'll have to accept that eventually." Chris groaned dramatically. "You girls can be friends with whoever you want." He pointed at the screen. "But why involve us? What if Mike and I weren't ready to see them?" He immediately looked at me. "Mike, say something. Why are you so quiet? Aren't you on my side?" The moment I opened my mouth, Alicia quickly covered it with her hand. "As you can see," she said innocently, "he's busy." Everyone laughed.

I gently moved her hand away. "But Chris has a point." I shrugged. "You two accepted Laura. That doesn't automatically mean we were ready." Chris clapped his hands. "Exactly!" He leaned forward. "Although... after today, I can't honestly say I've forgiven Laura." "But I think I will soon." Everyone looked surprised. "What about her husband?" Chris immediately shook his head. "Impossible." "I haven't forgiven Bright." Chris continued without the slightest hesitation. "And I won't forgive him anytime soon."

The playful atmosphere from only a moment ago faded. Even Sarah, who had been smiling, quietly lowered her phone and looked at Chris. Alicia frowned. "Brother... are you serious?" Chris looked at her calmly. "Very serious." He leaned back against the headboard and folded his arms. "Are you all forgetting what Bright did? He was the one who took the picture of Mike and Laura together. He was the one who spread it around the company. That single picture destroyed my brother's life."

The room fell silent. No one interrupted him. Chris continued, "Then, before any of us could even understand what was happening, he married Laura." He let out a faint laugh. "Maybe everyone else can pretend that never happened, but I can't." Sarah looked at him with surprise. "But... today you were all laughing together." Chris nodded. "That is called pretending." He shrugged. "My wife had already invited them. What was I supposed to do? Chase them away in front of everyone?"

I couldn't help smiling. Alicia added "I thought you were getting along." Chris looked at him. "Sister, getting along for one afternoon doesn't mean everything that happened suddenly disappears." Sarah slowly sat down beside him. "So... you were really pretending?" Chris turned to her and smiled gently. "I wasn't pretending." He paused. "I was simply being polite." Alicia sighed. "I thought today was a new beginning."

Chris answered immediately. "It can be." "But forgiveness and being civil are two different things." He looked at the camera. "I can respect someone without trusting them." I nodded thoughtfully. "I actually understand that." The moment I spoke, Alicia immediately reached over and covered my mouth with her hand. "As you can see," she said with a smile, "my husband has decided to support the wrong side." Everyone laughed.

I gently removed her hand. "No, listen first." I looked at Chris. "I understand what you're saying." Then I looked at Alicia. "But I also understand what my wife is trying to do." Chris nodded. "Exactly." I continued, "Laura apologized long ago." Chris agreed. "Yes." "And today, I think she's genuinely trying to move forward." Chris nodded once more. "I know." "So why not Bright?" Chris became quiet. After several seconds, he finally answered. "Because Bright knew exactly how much that picture would hurt you."

His voice had become much softer. "He wasn't some random employee." "He knew that Laura's father was your boss." "He knew how much Laura meant to you." "He knew what would happen if that picture spread." Chris looked directly into the camera. "And he still did it." The call became silent again. Sarah finally understood why Chris had reacted the way he did earlier. She quietly asked, "So... if Bright apologizes properly?" Chris smiled. "I'll accept the apology."

Everyone looked relieved. But before anyone could speak, Chris added, "That doesn't mean I'll forgive him." Sarah sighed helplessly. "Husband..." Chris laughed. "What?" "You always tell me not to lie." Sarah couldn't argue with that. Alicia finally spoke. "Brother, people change." Chris nodded. "I know." "So perhaps... give him time to prove it." Chris remained quiet for several moments. Then he smiled. "I'll observe him." He pointed toward the camera. "But don't expect me to trust him overnight and forget everything." I laughed. "That's already better than what I expected."

Chris grinned. "Don't celebrate too early." Everyone laughed. Sarah, however, still had another question lingering in her heart. She looked at Chris carefully before asking in a much quieter voice, "Then... what about Samantha?" The laughter disappeared again. "She's my sister... and my best friend." Chris looked at Sarah for a long moment before answering. His expression softened far more than before. "That's different." He looked down briefly before continuing. "Samantha hurt my brother... but she also suffered."

He sighed. "I won't pretend everything is fine." "But unlike Bright... she never intended to destroy Mike." He paused. "She made terrible choices." "She stayed silent." "She broke his heart." "But I can see she regrets it." Chris looked back at Sarah. "So yes... I accepted her apology." Sarah smiled faintly. "And forgiveness?" Chris chuckled. "She's your sister." He shrugged. "So... let's just say she's already much closer to forgiveness than your other traitor." "What about you brother have you forgiven her?"