C52 He Was Behind This

The dining table was already completely covered. Five different dishes filled the table, their aroma spreading throughout the living room. Freshly cooked vegetables, grilled meat, soup, rice, and homemade pastries were neatly arranged as if my parents had been preparing for a celebration instead of receiving three unexpected guests.

I looked at my mother in disbelief. "Mom... how did you prepare all this so quickly?" She smiled warmly as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "When your son comes home after nearly a week, no amount of preparation is too much."

Dad laughed from beside the table. "Stop standing at the door. Come in." He looked toward Chris and Alicia with the same welcoming smile. "Chris... Alicia... welcome home." The two of them greeted my parents politely. "Thank you, Uncle." "Thank you, Aunt."

I carried my backpack upstairs. "We'll just go to my room first. We still have something important to.." Before I could finish speaking, Mom folded her arms. "And where exactly do you three think you're going?" I froze. She pointed toward the dining table. "Sit down first." "You've just gotten off a plane." "You must be exhausted." "Business can wait."

I looked helplessly toward Chris. Chris looked helplessly back at me. Before either of us could respond... Alicia had already rushed over and pulled out a chair. She sat down with a bright smile. "Brothers!" "Hurry up!" "You're delaying lunch!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Mom couldn't help smiling. "You really are a lovely child." Alicia scratched her cheek shyly. "Thank you, Aunt." Mom continued teasing, "No wonder my son talks about you almost every day." I nearly dropped my backpack. "Mom!" Chris immediately started laughing. "So it's true!" Alicia also laughed, though her cheeks became slightly pink.

I covered my face. "Mom... please don't start." Dad chuckled quietly while helping himself to some soup. Alicia smiled before explaining, "It's because he's my brother." "My dad says I also keep talking about Mike and Chris whenever I get home." Chris nodded dramatically. "So I'm not the only victim." Everyone laughed again.

The cheerful atmosphere instantly erased the exhaustion from the long flight. Everything felt normal again. As lunch continued, I secretly observed Alicia. Before today, I had assumed someone raised in such a wealthy family would be extremely picky with food.

Instead... She happily tasted every dish. "Aunt!" "This is delicious!" "You made all of this yourself?" Mom smiled proudly. "I'm glad you like it." "I was worried it wouldn't suit your taste." Alicia quickly shook her head. "Not at all." "I've eaten in many expensive restaurants..." "...but this tastes different." "It feels..." She paused before smiling warmly. "...like home."

Mom's eyes softened immediately. "Then eat as much as you like." Chris leaned toward me and whispered, "I think Aunt has found a daughter." I couldn't help laughing. "I think so too." The table was filled with laughter for nearly an hour. When lunch finally ended, Chris stood and bowed slightly."Thank you for the meal." "It was wonderful."

Dad smiled. "You're always welcome here." I looked toward my parents. "We're going upstairs now." "We have something important to investigate." Dad simply nodded. "Take your time." "We won't disturb you."

The moment we entered my room, Chris looked around with a familiar smile. "Nothing has changed." "It still looks exactly the same." Alicia, however, was seeing my room for the first time. She slowly walked around, carefully observing everything. "...It's so neat."

She sounded genuinely surprised. There wasn't a single thing out of place. Every book stood perfectly aligned. My desk was spotless. Even the cables behind my computer had been arranged carefully. "You actually live here?" I laughed. "Of course."

She walked toward one wall. Several framed photographs were neatly arranged there. She stopped in front of one of them. "...Kite Flying Day." The three of us were smiling brightly beneath colorful kites. Next to it was another frame from our school picnic. There were four smaller photographs arranged together. Chris. Mike. Alicia. Laura. Each picture captured a different moment.

She looked back at me in surprise. "When did you frame all these?" Before I could answer, Chris beat me to it. "It's one of his old habits." "Back in high school, whenever we took group photos..." "...he'd secretly print and frame them." "I didn't even know until months later."

Alicia looked at me again before smiling softly. "So you've always been sentimental." I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "I just don't like forgetting good memories." She quietly looked at the photographs again. For some reason... Her smile became gentler.

I switched on my desktop computer. Unlike the laptop, the large monitor made every detail much clearer. The security footage loaded quickly. Chris pulled his chair closer. "Let's start before the drinks were served."

I nodded. The recording began. The banquet hall appeared once more. People chatted happily. Music played in the background. Everything looked perfectly ordinary. We watched silently. Soon the waiter carrying our drinks entered the screen. I was about to pause. Chris suddenly said, "Wait." "Go back a little." I rewound the footage several seconds.

Then pressed play again. Before the waiter reached us... Another incident happened. Someone accidentally bumped into Sarah. A glass tipped over. Its contents splashed across the front of her dress. She looked down in surprise. Several nearby employees apologized. Sarah smiled politely before excusing herself.

She headed toward the elevators alone. Alicia suddenly looked at Chris. "...Brother." Chris turned. "What?" "Is Sarah the one who helped you?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Is that why you kept looking at her the whole trip?" Chris nearly choked. "W-What?" "I..." "I don't know."

The answer sounded strangely unconvincing. I looked between the two of them but decided not to interrupt. Instead, I continued playing the footage. Several minutes passed. The waiter returned. Then... His phone rang. He glanced around before walking toward a quiet corner of the banquet hall.

I immediately slowed the playback speed. "Something's different." The waiter answered the call. He spoke briefly. Then someone entered the camera's view. Boom. All three of us froze. "...Ben?" Chris whispered. Ben stood facing the waiter. The two exchanged only a few words. Then... Ben discreetly handed him a tiny bottle no bigger than a thumb.

The waiter quickly slipped it into his pocket before looking around nervously. The bottle disappeared from view almost instantly. Silence filled my room. None of us spoke. I replayed the scene. Again. And again. Each replay showed the same thing. There was no mistake.

Chris slowly stood from his chair. His face had turned pale. "...Why?" His voice was barely audible. "I've never had any problems with Ben." "So..." "Why would he secretly give something to that waiter?" Alicia's expression also became serious.

She folded her arms tightly. "Maybe we're jumping to conclusions." "It could have been medicine." "A vitamin." "Anything." I nodded. "That's possible." "But..." I paused the recording on the exact frame where the bottle changed hands. "...if it was something innocent..." "...why did they both look so nervous?"

Once again, silence filled the room. The mystery that had begun with a single glass of drink had just taken an unexpected turn. And yet again. Ben had become part of it.