C369 We Are Moving Out

Kelvin asked "If they get married my daughter will have to leave and stay with her in laws?" David nodded straight away. "She will be Chris's formal wife so they will stay together at our house." Kelvin remained silent for a long moment after David agreed that Sarah would always be welcomed as a daughter-in-law of the Chambers family. He had expected that answer. In fact, it was the only answer David could have given. Yet hearing it spoken aloud still made his heart ache.

For years, Sarah had been his little girl. No matter how successful she became, no matter how independent she acted, part of him still saw the child who used to run into his office asking for sweets. Now she had her own family. A husband. A son. A life that no longer revolved around him. David noticed the complicated look on Kelvin's face and frowned slightly. "What were you planning?" he asked. Kelvin let out a slow breath. "Mr. Chambers..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I know this may sound strange." David waited patiently. "But after everything that happened today, I believe both our children need more protection than ever before."

David's expression turned serious. "What happened?" Kelvin looked surprised. "Chris didn't tell you?" "Tell me what?" Only then did Kelvin realize how little the Chambers family actually knew. He shook his head. "My daughter was kidnapped this afternoon." David froze. For several seconds he simply stared. "What?" His voice rose slightly. "How did that happen?" Kelvin rubbed his forehead. "It is a long story." He glanced toward the ward door. "We'll discuss it inside." After a brief pause, he continued. "Actually, there is another reason I wanted to speak with you." David nodded.

Kelvin pointed toward the distance. "Our neighbors are selling their property." "So?" "I want you to buy it." David blinked. "Me?" Kelvin nodded. "Mr. Chambers, I would like our families to live closer together." David looked completely confused. "You want us to move?" "I know it sounds unreasonable." Kelvin sighed. "But after today's events, I don't think any of us can pretend life is normal anymore." He lowered his voice. "If something happens again..." "I want us close enough to help each other immediately." David folded his arms. "You mean you want us to abandon our home?"

Kelvin shook his head quickly. "No." "I mean I want our families united." His expression became earnest. "Today Sarah was kidnapped." "Tomorrow it could be Chris." "Or Samantha." "Or someone else." "We don't know." "The danger is real." David's eyes narrowed. "What danger?" "Could something like this happen again?" Kelvin nodded slowly. "It could." David stared at him. The more Kelvin spoke, the less he understood. His son had clearly been hiding something. A lot of things.

After a moment he said firmly, "I'll think about the house." "But right now I want answers." Without waiting, David turned and walked back into the hospital room. Kelvin followed closely behind. The moment David entered, he looked directly at Sarah. "Sarah." The smile on his face was gone. The room immediately became quiet. "Your father just told me you were kidnapped." Sarah nearly choked. "What?" David continued. "Who kidnapped you?" "Why were you kidnapped?" "What dangers are ahead?" Then he turned toward Chris. "And what exactly have you been doing?"

The cheerful atmosphere that had filled the room moments ago vanished instantly. Everyone exchanged awkward glances. Chris rubbed the back of his neck. "Dad..." Before he could continue, Valeria stepped forward. "Christopher Chambers." Her tone immediately made everyone sit straighter. "Why was my daughter-in-law kidnapped?" Chris groaned. "Mom..." "Answer me." Chris looked toward Sarah. Then toward Samantha. Finally he shook his head. "You two really can't keep secrets."

Sarah looked away guiltily. Samantha suddenly found the floor extremely interesting. Chris pointed at them. "You both always said I was the one who couldn't keep secrets." He shook his head dramatically. "Turns out it's actually you two." Despite the tension, a few people couldn't help smiling. Unfortunately, Valeria was not one of them. "Christopher." Her voice sharpened. "Stop changing the subject." Chris immediately straightened. "Yes, Mom." He cleared his throat. Then his expression became serious. "A lot has happened recently." "Things aren't as simple as they used to be."

Everyone listened carefully. Chris continued. "Mike and Alicia have been investigating the truth behind Alicia's mother's death." David frowned. "I know that part." Chris nodded. "What we discovered led us to the Harris Family." The room became silent. "Since then, we've been targeted." David's eyes widened slightly. Chris continued. "They're involved in a large criminal operation." "We've been gathering evidence." "They realized we were investigating them." "And they started targeting people around us." Valeria slowly sat down. The situation was sounding far more serious than she expected.

Chris continued. "To prepare ourselves, Alicia created a training program through Lucia Goods." "We've been learning self-defense, firearms, surveillance, and combat techniques." David stared at his son. "You've been doing all this?" Chris nodded. "Yes." Kelvin added quietly, "They dedicated themselves to helping Mike and Alicia." The room fell silent again. After a moment Chris continued. "Today Sarah was unlucky." "They found her." "They kidnapped her." Valeria gasped. Sarah lowered her eyes.

Chris took a deep breath. "The man responsible was Jack." "Ben's friends." David frowned. "What do you mean?" Chris explained. "He used Sarah as bait." The room grew even quieter. "Then Alicia exchanged herself for Sarah." The words hit everyone hard. Valeria covered her mouth. "What?" Chris nodded slowly. "She willingly took Sarah's place." "She knew it was dangerous." "But she still did it." No one spoke. Even Kelvin lowered his head. The image of Alicia facing danger while heavily pregnant was difficult to process.

Valeria's eyes became red. "That little girl..." "She really did that?" Sarah nodded. Tears appeared in her eyes. "She saved me." Chris continued. "Fortunately, Alicia's mother's family arrived before it was too late." "They rescued her." "And Jack was killed." Valeria jumped from her chair. "Killed?" She looked at Chris in horror. "Christopher, are you a killer now?" Chris nearly choked. "What?" "No!" Everyone laughed despite the heavy atmosphere. Chris pointed toward himself. "Why would you immediately assume it was me?" Valeria folded her arms. "Because you're my son."

The room erupted into laughter. Chris shook his head helplessly. "It wasn't me." "It was Alicia's mother's family." The laughter slowly faded. Sarah spoke quietly. "The problem is that Jack belonged to the Harris Family." Everyone understood immediately. If the Harris Family learned Jack was dead... They would come looking for answers. And they might assume the wrong people were responsible. Sarah gently looked down at her sleeping son. "That means they'll probably come after us again." Nobody argued. Because deep down, everyone knew she was right.

David remained silent for a long time. Finally he looked at Sarah. "My child." "How are you feeling?" Sarah smiled softly. "I'm fine." She glanced at her son. "I finally gave birth." Then her expression hardened. "And once I've recovered..." "I'll continue training." Everyone stared at her. Sarah smiled. "Next time they come for me..." "I won't be helpless." David looked at her for several seconds. Then he turned toward Kelvin. "I accept." Kelvin blinked. "What?" David nodded firmly. "I will buy it." "We'll start making arrangements." Valeria looked between them. "What arrangements?"

David answered calmly. "We're moving out." The entire room froze. "What?" Valeria exclaimed. Tracy nearly dropped the baby blanket she was holding. Samantha's mouth fell open. Chris looked completely confused. David smiled. "We're becoming neighbours with the Wood Family." Before anyone could recover, he added another sentence. "And we'll start planning the wedding as well." Silence. Then everyone spoke at once. "What wedding?!" The entire ward erupted into chaos.