C479 A Father For A Father

For a while, Laura couldn't stop crying. She eventually sank to the floor, covering her face with both hands as the reality of what had happened finally overwhelmed her. “My father…” Her voice broke. Amanda immediately knelt beside her and wrapped her arms around her. “Laura, everything will be fine. Please don't cry. You need to be strong. We have to go to the station.” Laura shook her head as tears continued streaming down her face. “So Hanna killed my father?” Nobody answered. Laura looked around at us. “But why? What did I ever do to her?” The question left the room silent. Laura hadn't done anything to Hanna. Her only mistake had been being close to Alicia. Alicia slowly walked toward her and wiped the tears from Laura's face. “She is targeting everyone close to me.” Faith looked at Alicia. “So what are we going to do?” She paused. “Are we still leaving for the Gupta family?” Alicia immediately shook her head. “Definitely not.”

She looked at Laura. “We can't leave her alone. We really can't. She is our family, and we have to stay with her just like all of you stayed with Mike and me when we lost Emmanuel.” Laura looked at Alicia through her tears. “Thank you.” Amanda helped her stand. She placed both hands on Laura's shoulders. “You have to be strong. And if you need anything, anything at all, I'll always be here for you.” Laura nodded, trying to control herself. I stepped closer. “Laura, we must first go to the station. Let's leave everything here and go there now.” Chris nodded. “Yes. We can cry later. Right now, we need to know exactly what happened.” Nobody argued. Within minutes, the Lions left Lucia Goods and rushed to the station. When we arrived, the police took Laura through the necessary procedures. She was nervous as she walked toward the room where the body had been taken. A police officer stood nearby. “Miss Gomez, please take your time.” Laura slowly entered. We waited outside. Nobody spoke. A few minutes later, the door opened. Laura walked out with tears running down her face. She nodded. “It’s him.” Her voice was barely audible. “It's my father.”

She covered her face again. Amanda immediately went to her. Laura cried for several minutes before finally sitting down. I stood a few steps away with Alicia. We both knew that no words could make this easier. Eventually, Laura looked up. “Hanna killed my father.” Her voice was different now. The sadness was still there. “I can't let this go unpunished.” She wiped her tears. “Another innocent person has suffered because of her. When will she stop?” Alicia and I slowly walked toward her. “Laura,” Alicia said gently, “we need to talk.” Laura looked at us. “I'm listening.” I reached out and took her hand. “We have decided not to go to the Gupta family for now.” Laura stared at me. “We are going to stay here and support you while you prepare your father's burial.” Alicia nodded. “We also can't make any harsh decisions right now. You know that. We are still mourning Emmanuel. We are still grieving for our son, and now you have lost your father.” Laura gave us a faint smile. “Thank you.” She wiped her eyes. “I'll arrange everything quickly so that we can go there.” We all froze. Sarah looked at Chris. Chris looked back at her. They both understood what Laura meant.

Laura continued. “She first killed your son, and we understood why you wanted revenge. But how is killing my father relevant to her wanting the Gupta family's power?” Faith slowly shook her head. “To me, this is no longer about power.” Everyone looked at her. “This is about Hanna coming after us and the people we love.” Laura nodded slowly. Then she looked directly at Alicia. “You said Hanna's father is at the Gupta family.” Alicia nodded. “Yes.” “And you said he was untouchable because he is your grandfather.” “Yes.” Laura's expression hardened. “That doesn't work anymore.” Alicia frowned. “Laura…” “She killed my father.” Laura's voice became firmer. “So I will kill hers.” Alicia froze. “Laura, no.” “A father for a father.” Laura's words hung heavily in the air. I could see the anger in her eyes. She wasn't thinking about the consequences anymore. She was thinking about the man she had just lost. Alicia stepped closer. “I understand what you're feeling.” Laura looked at her. “Do you?” Alicia didn't answer immediately. Instead, she took a breath. “Yes. I do.” Her voice became softer. “But killing my grandfather won't bring your father back.” Laura looked away. Alicia continued. “My grandfather doesn't know where Hanna is. You heard everything yesterday when Victor came to Lucia Goods. He was also trying to find her.” She paused. “And my grandfather told us that Samson was also tasked with finding Hanna.”

I stepped closer. “Laura, Hanna killed your father. Not her grandfather.” Laura looked at me. “What are you saying?” “I'm saying that killing an old man who had nothing to do with your father's death won't avenge your father.” Laura remained silent. I continued. “If you kill him, you will only create another grieving family. And then what? Hanna will still be out there.” Alicia nodded. “We will catch Hanna.” She looked directly into Laura's eyes. “And when we do, she will answer for everything she has done.” Laura breathed deeply. For several seconds, nobody spoke. Finally, she nodded. “Fine.” She looked down. “I understand.” Alicia put her hand on Laura's shoulder. “We will do this together.” Laura nodded. “But I still want Hanna.” “So do we,” Chris said. His voice was cold. “We all do.” Alicia looked at the team. “But we're not going to let grief make decisions for us.” Everyone nodded. For the moment, the decision was made. Everyone was staying. The Gupta family would have to wait.

Meanwhile, the situation at Wood IT Company had become chaotic. Police vehicles surrounded the building. Officers were moving around the premises, collecting evidence and speaking to employees. Some workers stood outside in small groups, whispering among themselves. Nobody understood what had happened. Inside the building, Bright had arrived earlier. He looked around in confusion. “What happened?” Before anyone could answer, Alex rushed inside. “Bright!” Bright turned toward him. “What is it?” Alex was breathing heavily. “Things are bad. Very bad.” Bright frowned. “What happened?” He pointed toward the windows. “Why are the police here?” Alex hesitated. “Our team manager was shot.” Bright's face changed. “When?” “about an hour ago.” Alex swallowed. “He was shot just outside the work premises.” Bright stared at him. “You said who was shot?” Alex lowered his voice. “Josh Tryon.” Bright froze. For a moment, he couldn't speak. Then his eyes widened. “You mean…” He struggled to finish the sentence. “My father-in-law?”

Alex nodded slowly. Bright's face went pale. “You're telling me Laura's father has been killed?” “Yes.” Bright immediately pulled out his phone. He called Laura. The phone rang several times before she answered. “Hello?” “Wife…” Bright's voice was shaking. “What happened?” Laura couldn't speak properly. She was still crying. “Bright…” Her voice broke. “I’m going back home.” Bright closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry.” Laura sobbed. “We're not leaving anymore.” Bright understood immediately. “Okay.” He ended the call. He didn't waste another second. He turned toward Alex. “I have to go.” Alex nodded. “Go.” Bright rushed outside. He got into his vehicle and drove straight toward the Gomez residence. Prince Gomez had already heard the news. He was devastated. The moment he received the call, he left everything behind and rushed home. As he drove, his mind refused to accept what he had heard. Josh was gone. His daughter-in-law had lost her father. Prince remembered the strange phone call. He remembered Laura asking him whether the woman who had contacted him could be Hanna. Now everything felt different.

By the time Prince arrived at the house, his face was filled with worry. He stepped out of his vehicle and hurried inside. Bright arrived shortly afterward. The house was unusually quiet. Nobody knew what to say. Prince stood in the living room, staring at the floor. Then he looked toward the door as Bright entered. “Where is Laura?” Bright looked at him. “She is on her way back." Prince nodded slowly. “What about their plans?” “I think her team is with her.” Prince took a deep breath. He sat down heavily. “My son…” His voice broke. Bright looked away. He was trying to stay strong, but the pain was becoming harder to hide. Outside, another vehicles arrived. The sound of footsteps approached the house.