C57 I Found Something Important

The next morning, I woke up feeling completely exhausted. I had barely slept after staying up so late reviewing the security footage. My mind was still occupied with everything I had discovered. Today was going to be busy. I had several things planned, but the first item on my list was simple—I needed to tell Chris and Alicia everything I had found.

After taking a quick shower, I headed downstairs. As usual, Mom had already prepared breakfast. The aroma of fried eggs and toast filled the kitchen. "Morning, Mom," I greeted as I sat down. "Morning. You look terrible," Mary said, placing a cup of coffee beside me. "Didn't you sleep?"

I forced a smile. "Just stayed up working on something." She shook her head. "Don't overwork yourself." "I'll be fine." After finishing breakfast, I picked up my bag before heading toward the door. "Dad, Mom, I might be home late today."

Quinton looked up from the newspaper. "Working overtime?" "Something like that." "Alright," he replied. "Just don't forget to eat." I nodded before leaving the house. Normally, I would ride my bicycle to work, but today was different. Since I was meeting Laura after work, I decided to leave the bicycle at home and simply take a taxi. The ride didn't take long.

When I arrived at the company, I was surprised to find that I was the first one there. I stood near the entrance, stretching my tired body while waiting. A few minutes later, I spotted a familiar bicycle approaching. Chris.

He slowed down before stopping beside me. His eyes widened. "Morning, Brother!" he greeted cheerfully before studying my face. "You actually got here before me... and why do you look like you haven't slept in days?" "Morning, Chris." "How are you?" "I've been better." Before either of us could continue, a luxurious black sedan pulled up in front of the entrance.

The rear door opened, and Alicia stepped out gracefully. She smiled brightly as she spotted us. "Good morning!" We waved back. After exchanging greetings, I looked at Chris. "So... did you get the Weibo profile?" Chris immediately smiled. "Yes. Thanks, Brother. She accepted my friend request."

Before I could respond, Alicia blinked in confusion. "What Weibo profile?" She looked between us before narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Chris..." she said with a grin. "Have you finally found someone you're interested in?" Chris immediately looked embarrassed. I couldn't help laughing.

He shot me a helpless look. "See what you've done?" Then he turned toward Alicia. "It's not like that." "Then explain." Chris scratched the back of his head before sighing. "I finally found the girl who saved me that night." "I wanted to thank her properly." As he explained, I couldn't help noticing something.

He wasn't lying... But he definitely wasn't telling the whole truth either. I chuckled. Chris looked at me. "What?" "Brother," I said while trying not to laugh, "you really look funny whenever you're trying to hide something."

His smile froze. "What... are you talking about?" I folded my arms. "Come on." "The more you hide things from us, the less we'll trust you." His face stiffened. For a brief moment, genuine panic flashed across his eyes. "What do you know about that night?"

Seeing his reaction only confirmed my suspicions. "I know," I answered calmly, "that you already knew Sarah was the one who saved you." Chris remained silent. "I also know you've been pretending you didn't know who she was." Beside us, Alicia nodded. "Exactly." "Why would you hide something like that from us?"

Chris stared at both of us for several seconds before finally letting out a long sigh. "You two really won't let this go, huh?" Neither of us answered. Finally, he spoke. "After I collapsed... Sarah dragged me into the room." "I don't remember anything after that." "When I finally woke up the next morning..." "...she was sleeping on the couch."

He smiled awkwardly. "She saved me." "I just felt indebted to her." "So I wanted to thank her." "I asked Mike for her Weibo because I couldn't contact her." "When I offered to repay her..." "...she refused." "She said that as long as I was alright, that was enough."

Alicia's eyes widened. She hadn't known any of this. "Wait..." "The beautiful woman who saved you..." "...is Sarah Wood?" Chris nodded. "The same Sarah?" "Director Wood's daughter?" "The same family as Ben?" Chris nodded again.

Alicia immediately frowned. "Chris..." "Be careful." "If Director Wood finds out you've gotten close to his daughter..." "...he might misunderstand." "Everyone knows how much he treasures her." Chris shrugged helplessly. "I'm only thanking her." "I'm not planning anything." "Buying someone a meal shouldn't become a crime."

His words sounded reasonable. But there was still something bothering him. He suddenly turned toward me. "Brother..." "How did you know all those details?" "You sounded completely certain that I was hiding something."

I smiled tiredly. "Because I stayed up all night." "I watched the security footage again." "And this time..." "...I noticed everything." Chris frowned. "Everything?" I couldn't resist teasing him. "I know your savior stayed inside your room the entire night." "And she only came out the following morning."

Chris's eyes nearly popped out. "Brother!" "Why would you even notice something like that?" I laughed. "Were those really small details?" Beside us, Alicia burst into laughter. Now she completely understood why Chris had been acting so strangely. "So..." she teased. "You spent the entire night with Sarah."

Chris immediately waved his hands. "No!" "It wasn't like that!" "I was unconscious most of the time." "When I woke up..." "...she was sleeping." "That's literally all I know." His desperate explanation only made Alicia laugh harder. Even I found it amusing.

After the laughter settled down, Chris became serious again. "So..." "What else did you discover?" "You wouldn't lose sleep over something so small." His expression became focused. I nodded. "I found something important." "Something all of us completely overlooked." Both of them stared at me.

I took a deep breath before speaking. "Chris..." "You were never the target." Silence. "The real target..." "...was me." Both of them froze. Alicia spoke first. "You mean..." "Ben was trying to drug you?" "Again?" I nodded slowly. "But..." She looked confused. "I thought he was busy preparing for his wedding." "Why would he still act so immature?"

Chris looked equally puzzled. "If I wasn't the target..." "...then why was the poisoned drink handed to me?" "That part doesn't make sense." "It makes perfect sense," I replied. "You just don't know what happened." The two of them waited silently. "I reviewed the footage frame by frame." "I watched Ben make a phone call." "A few tables away, one of the male waiters answered his phone." "He looked around before locking eyes with Ben."

"They secretly met near a corner." "I watched Ben hand him a small bottle." Chris's expression darkened. "So it really was him..." I nodded. "The waiter then picked up a tray carrying three drinks." "He opened the bottle." "And poured its contents into only one glass."

I paused before looking directly at Chris. "That glass..." "...was originally handed to me." Both of them looked shocked. "You remember when the three department managers came over to greet us?"

They nodded. "We all placed our glasses on the table while talking to them." "When the conversation ended..." "...you walked back first." Chris slowly remembered. "I grabbed the closest glass..." "Exactly." "You accidentally picked up mine." "You drank the glass that Ben had prepared for me."

The realization hit both of them at once. Chris remained speechless. Alicia covered her mouth in disbelief. None of us spoke for several seconds. The truth had finally become clear. Chris hadn't been the intended victim. He had simply become one because of an innocent mistake.