C374 How Did They Know

The Mooney residence was unusually chaotic. The moment the vehicles entered the property, the maids rushed toward them. Some were still frightened by what had happened earlier. Others were whispering among themselves, trying to understand how a peaceful morning had turned into a scene of violence. The body of the security guard who had been killed during the attack had already been taken away by the police.

Mark had not returned with the family. Instead, he had gone directly to the police station to deal with the investigation and the captured Harris Family members. As soon as Alicia stepped out of the car, however, she stopped. Her eyes immediately fell on the vehicle parked near the entrance. It was her car. But the sight of it made her heart sink. There were bullet holes everywhere. The bodywork was badly damaged, and several windows had been shattered. Alicia slowly walked closer. She stared at the damage in disbelief. "This..." She touched the side of the vehicle. "I left this car with the taxi driver."

She paused. "I never even told him where my family lives." Her eyebrows tightened. "How did it get here?" Nobody immediately had an answer. Even us who had video call with him yesterday did not respond. Then a voice came from nearby. "Miss." Alicia turned. The taxi driver was standing there. His knee was heavily bandaged from the gunshot wound he had received earlier. Alicia stared at him for a moment before recognizing him. "You..." A faint smile appeared on her face. "You're the taxi driver from yesterday." The man nodded. "Yes, Miss."

He looked down at his injured knee before continuing. "This morning, I came here to return your car." Alicia looked at the damaged vehicle. "And take your car back?" "Yes." He hesitated. "But when I arrived, I suspected that some people were waiting to ambush you." His expression became serious. "I didn't know what was happening, but there were too many armed men around." Alicia's face became serious. "So you survived the attack?" The driver nodded. "Yes, Miss." He pointed toward his injured knee. "Although not completely unharmed." Alicia looked at the bandage. "I'm sorry."

The driver shook his head. "It's all right." He then looked around. "But I don't see my car." He looked toward the property. "I've been searching for it, but I can't find it." Alicia looked at Sarah. Sarah immediately understood what he meant. Then she remembered the old car she had used after leaving the warehouse. "I left it back at home." She paused. "But it was damaged." The taxi driver nodded. "I see." Alicia smiled gently. "Thank you for everything you did." The driver looked confused. Alicia then pointed toward Peter. "Wait here for a moment. I'll get your keys from my grandfather."

The taxi driver frowned. "Your grandfather?" He looked at Sarah. "But I thought the car was at her family's house." He looked even more confused. "What keys are you talking about?" Sarah herself looked puzzled. Before she could ask anything, I whispered to Chris. "Brother, don't worry about it." I smiled. "Let them handle it." I gently gestured toward the residence. "Come on. Let's go inside and see what the maids saw." Chris looked at me for a moment before following. The taxi driver remained outside. He had no idea what Alicia intended to do.

A few minutes later, the garage door opened. A blue Hyundai i20 slowly emerged. The car rolled toward the taxi driver before stopping directly in front of him. He stared at it. Then he looked toward Alicia. She stepped out of the vehicle with a small smile. "Sir." The taxi driver was still confused. Alicia handed him a set of keys. "For your loyalty." He stared at the keys. "What is this?" Alicia pointed toward the Hyundai. "This car is yours." The driver's eyes widened. "What?" Alicia smiled. "You helped me when I needed you." "Yesterday, you allowed me to use your vehicle during an emergency."

She glanced toward his injured knee. "You returned my car and almost got killed." The driver shook his head. "But Miss..." Alicia gently interrupted him. "Your car was damaged because of what happened." She handed him the vehicle documents. "So I will personally replace it." The driver stared at the papers. "Miss..." "Take it." He looked at the car again. Then back at Alicia. "You are giving me this?" Alicia nodded. "Yes." The man was completely speechless. Nearby, Samantha and Laura exchanged surprised glances. Neither of them had expected Alicia to do something like this.

Alicia didn't wait for the driver to respond. She turned around and started walking toward the house. Then she stopped. She looked back. "Lions." Sarah, Samantha and Laura looked at her. "Aren't you coming inside?" Without waiting for their response, Alicia walked into the residence. Sarah finally smiled. "You're a lucky man." The taxi driver still couldn't believe what had happened. "Alicia is very kind." She pointed toward the car. "It seems she has gifted you this vehicle." She smiled. "Drive safely." The driver nodded slowly. Sarah then added, "You can also go to the Wood residence later and collect your old car." The driver looked at her. "Thank you."

Sarah bowed slightly before entering the house. Samantha and Laura followed. The driver remained outside for several seconds. He looked at the Hyundai. Then at the keys in his hand. Finally, a wide smile appeared on his face. "God is great." He looked toward the house. "One day, I will repay this kindness." He glanced down at his bandaged knee. Then laughed softly. "This pain was worth it." He climbed into his new car and slowly drove away from the Mooney residence. Inside the house, the atmosphere was very different. The happiness of seeing everyone safely return had not completely erased the fear left behind by the attack.

Everyone gathered in the living room. One of the maids stood in front of us. She looked nervous. I noticed her hands trembling. "What happened?" The maid swallowed. "They came here looking for Miss Alicia." Alicia's expression immediately changed. "The men who attacked the house?" The maid nodded. "Yes, Madam." She looked toward the others. "When the shooting started, we became frightened." She pointed toward the corner where several of the maids had hidden. "We all hid there." Alicia nodded slowly. "And after that?"

The maid hesitated. "They searched the house." Nobody spoke. "They couldn't find anyone." She took a deep breath. "Before they left, they told us to give you a message." I frowned. "What message?" The maid looked directly at me. "They said..." She paused. Everyone waited. Then she finally spoke. "A son for a son." The room became completely silent. The words seemed to hang in the air. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. I looked toward Alicia. Her face had suddenly gone pale. "A son..." She looked towards Emmanuel. Georgia was holding little Emmanuel in her arms.

The baby was sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of everything happening around him. I swallowed. "Do they know about Emmanuel?" Georgia looked at the baby. "What about him?" Alicia stared at her son. For several seconds, she couldn't answer. Then she slowly shook her head. "I don't know." Her voice became quieter. "But their message..." She looked toward me. "A son for a son." Everyone exchanged worried glances. Alicia's breathing became heavier. She looked at Emmanuel again. "How?" She whispered. "How could they know?"

Nobody answered. "Nobody knew I survived." Her voice trembled. "Nobody knew I had given birth." She slowly placed a hand over her chest. "Not even my own family knew until this morning." She looked toward the others. "So how did they know?" The room fell silent again. Alicia's eyes remained fixed on her sleeping son. The fear on her face was not for herself. It was for Emmanuel. The same frightening question began to form. If Harris Family knew about Emmanuel already... How much did they really know about Alicia and the Gupta Family?