C76 The Confrontation

Kelvin had remained silent ever since Sarah and Samantha left the dining room. The atmosphere had become unbearably heavy, and the only sounds that echoed through the room were the faint clinking of cutlery and the ticking of the wall clock.

Ben frowned as he looked at his parents. He had sensed the strange atmosphere from the moment he sat down, but he still had no idea what had happened while he was asleep.

Finally, Kelvin slowly raised his head and fixed his sharp gaze on his son. "Ben." His voice was calm, but the disappointment it carried was unmistakable. "As your father..." he paused, "...I am deeply disappointed in the man you've become."

Ben was caught off guard. "Dad, what are you talking about?" He glanced between Kelvin and Tracy before continuing. "If both of you have something to say, then say it directly. I don't like people talking behind my back."

Those words only fueled Kelvin's anger. For the first time in years, he had the urge to slap his own son. Had Ben not been a grown man, and had Kelvin not spent decades cultivating self-control, he would have already lost his temper.

Instead, he took a slow breath. "You want us to speak directly?" "Fine." "Everything happening in this family today... is because of you." Ben's expression stiffened. "Even your own sister trusted you with all her heart, yet today she left this house in tears because of your actions."

Kelvin leaned slightly forward. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'A person lives according to the choices they make?'" He didn't wait for an answer. "Good decisions build your future." "Bad decisions destroy it." "And if you continue making the kind of decisions you've been making..." "...one day they will destroy you."

Ben remained silent. Something wasn't right. His father's words were too specific. His mother looked heartbroken. Sarah had suddenly left for England. Even Samantha had barely looked at him that morning. What exactly had happened?

Kelvin's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Tell us the truth." "The complete truth." "About the Year-End Celebration." Ben immediately relaxed. He had expected something much worse. "Dad," he sighed, "why are we discussing this again? I already explained everything. We were all drunk. I blacked out and woke up beside Samantha the following morning. I honestly don't know what happened."

Tracy slowly shook her head. "You blacked out..." "...yet somehow Samantha became pregnant?" She looked directly into his eyes. "Ben, your father and I were once young too." "We attended parties." "We drank." "We made mistakes." "But when we made them..." "...we accepted responsibility." Her voice trembled. "Do you know what hurts us the most?" "It isn't your mistake." "It's the fact that you continue lying while looking us straight in the eyes."

Ben's expression darkened. "So now I'm a liar?" Kelvin slammed his palm against the dining table. The loud bang startled everyone. "No." Samantha heard the noise and quickly rushed out. She stood in the stairs and heard everything.

"You've become someone who lies so often that even the truth coming from your mouth is difficult to believe." Ben had never seen his father this furious. For a brief moment, he genuinely felt nervous. Kelvin continued. "Tell me." "What happened during the celebration party in France?"

The color instantly drained from Ben's face. His breathing stopped. France? How did they know about France? He unconsciously clenched his fists beneath the table. "...Nothing happened." "We met some business partners." "We attended the celebration." "After that everyone returned to their rooms."

Kelvin gave a cold laugh."Still lying." Ben forced himself to remain calm. "Dad, I don't know why you're accusing me." Kelvin ignored him. "Do you know some crimes carry prison sentences?" "I warned you before that leaking photographs and creating scandals would eventually come back to haunt you." "Yet instead of learning..." "...you became even bolder."

Ben swallowed nervously. "Dad..." "I honestly don't know what you're talking about." Tracy finally spoke. "Ben." Her gentle voice was filled with sadness. "I've been wondering about something." She looked at him with eyes filled with disappointment. "Why do you hate Mike so much?" Ben blinked. "What?" "What did Mike ever do to deserve all this?" "When did he become your enemy?"

Ben opened his mouth but couldn't answer. Because deep inside... Mike had never actually wronged him. Even after Samantha had become pregnant, Mike never fought him. He never sought revenge. He never tried to destroy him. The only person carrying hatred... had always been Ben himself.

Seeing his silence, Tracy continued. "You've blamed him for everything." "You've envied him." "You've targeted him again and again." "But why?" "What has he ever taken from you?" Ben lowered his head. "...Nothing." "I've never targeted him."

The words had barely left his mouth before Kelvin exploded. "You still dare deny it!" His voice thundered across the dining room. "I must have been blind!" "I actually believed you could one day lead Wood Corporation."

He pointed at Ben. "But now..." "I question whether you're even worthy of carrying our family name." The mention of the company immediately changed Ben's expression. "Dad..." "If I've done something wrong, I'll admit it." "But don't accuse me of things I haven't done."

Kelvin reached into a nearby folder and placed several documents on the table. "You want proof?" "Fine." His voice became colder than ever. "Why did you instruct a waiter in France to spike Mike's drink?" Ben's pupils contracted.

Kelvin didn't stop. "Why did you secretly pay journalist Kelly Wellington to fabricate the story claiming Mike abused his girlfriend?" "Why did you deliberately involve the Police Minister's daughter in that scandal?" "Do you even realize that because of your selfish actions, Wood Corporation lost nearly three percent of its market value overnight?" "We're still trying to recover those losses."

His eyes narrowed. "Or were you planning to bankrupt your own family company just to satisfy your jealousy?" Ben's entire body turned cold. How... How could they know? The waiter... Kelly Wellington... Even the market losses were caused by me?... His father knew everything.

Thought after thought flooded his mind. Did someone betray me? Was I being investigated all along? He forced himself to speak. "Dad..." "I can explain..." "It wasn't me." Tracy slowly closed her eyes. "Ben..." "Please stop." "There is no point anymore." She looked exhausted. "We've already seen the security footage from France." "We watched you call the waiter." "We watched you hand him the drugged bottle." "We watched him pour the drink exactly as you instructed."

Every sentence struck Ben like a hammer. His last hope of denying everything slowly disappeared. Then Tracy's expression changed. "And after watching that footage..." "...I suddenly remembered Samantha's words." She looked directly into his eyes. "She once told us she had only taken a few sips during the Year-End Celebration before becoming dizzy."

A heavy silence followed. Kelvin slowly finished the thought. "The methods are identical." "The timing is identical." "The outcome is identical." He stared at his son with disbelief. "Which means..." "You drugged Samantha's drink too."

Ben's breathing became erratic. His lips moved, but no words came out. For the first time in years... He had no lie prepared. No excuse. No fabricated story. The evidence had cornered him completely.

Upstairs, hidden behind the hallway railing, Samantha silently listened to every word. Each revelation made her heart sink deeper. So it really had been Ben. The online posts... The scandals... The lies... Everything pointed back to him. What hurt her most wasn't simply discovering the truth.

It was hearing him deny everything so naturally, as though every crime he had committed could simply disappear if he repeated the lie enough times. Her fingers slowly tightened around the railing. At that moment, she finally understood the terrifying truth.

The Ben she had once knew who wqs Mike's best friend few months ago no longer existed. The man downstairs was ruthless. A man capable of destroying anyone who stood in his way... ...and denying every single one of his actions without the slightest trace of guilt.