C332 He Asked For Your Number

The journey back home was unusually quiet. Alicia sat beside me, holding the Gold and Diamond dagger carefully in her hands. Every few minutes, she would look down at it as if she was still trying to understand how something so small could suddenly change so much about her life. I glanced at her a few times. There were too many questions running through my mind, but I decided not to ask her anything yet. Whatever she had learned from the Gupta family, she would tell me when she was ready.

At the Wood Residence. After dinner, everyone remained in the living room for a while. Sarah eventually stood up. “I think I'll go to my room.” She had barely taken a step when Ben suddenly spoke. “Sis... I think I made a mistake today.” Sarah stopped. Kelvin and Tracy exchanged concerned looks. Sarah slowly turned around. “What did you do now?” Ben looked worried. “Today I met Jack.” Sarah's expression changed slightly. “Jack?” Ben nodded. “He explained to me that he wasn't directly involved in what happened to the Maguire family.”

Samantha looked at him. “And?” Ben took a breath before continuing. “He said his uncle summoned him back to the family. Jack didn't want to go, so he used me as an excuse.” Kelvin frowned. “What kind of excuse?” Ben explained. “He told his uncle that he was helping me find my girlfriend. He said she had scammed me out of my money and disappeared, and that I needed his help to find her.” Sarah stared at him for a moment. “So, in other words, you became his excuse for returning to the family.” Ben nodded.

Sarah sighed. “And this somehow makes you feel better about what happened?” Ben hesitated. “Jack said that if someone wanted to hunt down a family that was hiding in another country, bring them all the way back to Scotland, execute them and then dispose of their bodies at a mall, they would need a lot of resources.” He looked at Kelvin. “He said he doesn't have those kinds of resources.” Kelvin nodded slowly. “Well... in that regard, I think he may be right.” Ben continued. “But then Jack asked me to return the favour I owed him.”

Tracy immediately became worried. “What favour?” Ben looked toward Sarah. Sarah noticed his expression. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Ben took a breath. “Jack told me that his uncle is interested in Lucia Goods.” Sarah's expression changed. “He wants to ask you to convince Alicia and her family to sell the company to them.” Sarah stared at him. “What?” Ben continued. “He said they can name any price they want, and you would be rewarded for helping them.” Tracy looked shocked. “What do you mean?” Ben answered honestly. “That's exactly what he said. He then asked me for Sarah's number and I gave him.”

Samantha suddenly jumped up. “Ben, are you crazy?” Ben looked at her. “What?” “You gave him your sister's number?” Ben nodded. “I told him I probably wouldn't be able to convince her, but he said he would call her himself and ask.” Sarah slowly shook her head. “This brother of mine is really naive.” Ben frowned. “What? I'm naive for returning a favour to my friend?” He pointed toward Sarah. “You're the smart one, yet you just signed a contract dedicating your life to Alicia and Mike.” Samantha immediately choked. She opened her mouth but couldn't think of anything to say.

Sarah simply shook her head. “Brother, you're really stupid.” She turned and began walking upstairs. Ben watched her go. “Will you answer the call?” Sarah didn't respond. She continued walking until she disappeared upstairs. Ben remained standing there. Tracy looked at him carefully. “Ben.” He turned toward her. “Sarah and Samantha signed contracts with Alicia and Mike.” Ben nodded. Tracy's expression became more serious. “If Jack finds out about that... do you really think he will simply call Sarah to convince her to ask Alicia's family to sell Lucia Goods?” Ben froze. “What do you mean, Mom?”

Tracy continued. “Think about it.” She pointed toward the stairs. “Sarah is now part of Alicia and Mike's group. And Samantha is involved too.” Ben slowly sat down. Tracy continued. “Sooner or later, the Harris family could learn that Alicia and Mike are building something.” She paused. “And if they discover that Sarah is helping them strengthen their group, do you really think they will simply ignore her?” Ben's face changed. He suddenly stood up and walked toward the window. For several seconds, he stared outside. Then he turned around and slowly walked back to his chair.

He sat down heavily. “Why didn't I think of that before?” He looked at his mother. "Why didn't you tell me this before I met Jack?” Kelvin frowned. “What exactly are you talking about, son?” Ben shook his head. “Dad... I made a big mistake.” His voice was quieter now. He looked between his parents and Samantha. “Dad, Jack kept asking me about Lucia Goods.” Samantha immediately became serious. “What do you mean?” Ben swallowed. “The more I think about the meeting, the more I realize something.” He rubbed his forehead. “Jack spent a lot of time asking me about what was happening at Lucia Goods.”

Samantha stared at him. “Go on.” Ben continued. “I thought he was just curious.” He shook his head. “But now I realize that his questions weren't random.” Kelvin leaned forward. “What did he ask?” Ben took a deep breath. “I told him about the training facility.” Everyone became quiet. “I told him about the boxing ring, the martial arts area and the shooting range...” Samantha's expression immediately changed. Ben continued. “Just like you and Sarah told us.” He paused. “He even asked me whether Mike was leading it.”

Samantha slowly stood up. Ben looked at her. “And then he asked me for Sarah's number.” Samantha could no longer sit still. She began pacing around the room. “So you put us in danger because you wanted to return a favour?” Ben shook his head quickly. “I didn't know!” His voice cracked slightly. “I swear I didn't know. I thought we were just talking.” Samantha stared at him. “What else did you tell him?” Ben shook his head. “Nothing else.” He paused. “After he took Sarah's number, he said we'd been sitting there for too long and that he had to leave.”

Kelvin slowly shook his head. “Son...” Ben looked at him. “You may have just put your sister in danger.” He paused. “And the worst part is that she's pregnant.” Ben's face became pale. Tracy noticed how frightened he had become. She walked toward him. “Let's not jump to conclusions.” Ben looked at her. “Maybe Jack will only call Sarah and try to convince her to persuade the Mooney family to sell Lucia Goods.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You made a mistake, Ben. But that doesn't mean we should immediately assume the worst.” She pulled him into a hug. “Don't worry, son. Everything will be okay.” Ben remained silent. His eyes were fixed on the floor. He slowly shook his head. “I should have thought about it.” He closed his eyes. “I'm really a fool.”