Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

The distance was too far, and it was nighttime, so I couldn't see clearly.

I could only guess that it was probably a homeless person. Lacey must've noticed me standing by the window for a while and asked, "Emily, what's up?" I replied, "I see someone down there."

Lacey and Benjamin both got up and walked over.

Lacey just glanced downstairs, then turned and rushed down the stairs.

I watched as Lacey dashed into the snow and dragged the person upstairs.

I thought she was being super enthusiastic. But when she brought the person inside, I was shocked.

Was it Richard?

I had no idea how long he'd been standing down there, but he was covered in snow from head to toe.

After being dragged in by Lacey, he lowered his head, looking a bit embarrassed, totally different from his usual arrogant self.

Then he saw Jason and me, clearly curious about why we were here.

"Richard, since you're here, why didn't you come up? It's freezing outside," Benjamin said gently.

As he mentioned before, he wouldn't dislike Richard because of Linda and Victor, even though Richard wasn't his son.

Richard, irritated, just scratched his head, causing snowflakes to fall off.

Benjamin pointed to the sofa. "Have a seat."

Richard stood still, and Lacey gave him a tug, pushing him onto the sofa, where he passively sat down.

"Haven't eaten yet? Lacey, go get some utensils," Benjamin said to Lacey.

Lacey fetched the utensils and handed them to Richard.

Richard occasionally glanced at Jason and me.

Benjamin probably noticed his curiosity and pointed to Jason to introduce him. "This is Lacey's boyfriend."

Then he looked at me. "I don't need to introduce Emily, right?"

Richard, surprised, pointed at Lacey and Jason, immediately putting on a gossiping face. "Sis, you two? Since when? How come I didn't know?"

Lacey put a piece of lettuce into the pot and rolled her eyes at him. "Do I need to specially inform you?"

"Not really." Richard chuckled.

Benjamin took an empty bowl and started picking out the peppers from the Crawfish Boil, saying kindly, "I remember Richard didn't like peppers when he was little." Richard stared at Benjamin, picking out the peppers one by one, and I could see he was somewhat moved.

I thought this kind of care was something he never got from Victor.

Although Victor also doted on him, that kind of affection was different.

Benjamin's care came from the little things in life, seemingly ordinary but more real and touching than Victor's love, which was piled up with money and material things. Outside, the sound of fireworks was everywhere. And inside, everyone gathered around the steaming Crawfish Boil.

This was what New Year's Eve should be like.

I noticed that Richard was way more chill around Benjamin, not his usual arrogant and domineering self like with the Windsor family.

Guess everyone has different sides, showing different ones to different people.

And in front of kind-hearted Benjamin, Richard's tough exterior just couldn't hold up.

Benjamin started sharing funny stories about his students, and soon everyone was reminiscing about their school days.

Talking about school days, I instinctively glanced at Jason, only to find him looking at me too. Our eyes met, sharing a silent understanding.

We smiled knowingly at each other and then looked away at the same time.

Benjamin talked a lot about Richard's childhood.

He mentioned how Richard once poked a beehive and got stung several times, making Richard laugh and fall back on the sofa.

"Richard, how did your pants get torn?" Lacey asked.

Hearing this, almost everyone instinctively looked at Richard's pants.

Richard quickly sat up, covering his crotch, moving so fast.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Richard, a bit embarrassed, said, "I fell when I came out just now, and my pants got torn."

Benjamin put down his utensils and said to Richard with a smile, "Come inside, and I'll find you a pair of pants to change into. I'll sew up the ones you're wearing."

Richard obediently followed Benjamin inside and came out wearing another pair of pants shortly after.

Those pants were probably Benjamin's. Since Richard was now much taller than Benjamin, his ankles were exposed, looking quite funny.

Benjamin took out a sewing kit, put on his glasses, and sat under the lamp, carefully sewing Richard's pants.

At that moment, none of us spoke, and the whole world seemed to stand still.

Only the scene of Benjamin lowering his head and sewing stitch by stitch, like slowly flowing notes, sang a warm and touching melody.

Richard stared at Benjamin, who was sewing his pants without blinking. Slowly, I noticed that his eyes were a bit red.

Facing such selfless care from Benjamin, even the hardest heart would be somewhat touched, right?

Later, Richard drank a lot and passed out on the sofa, his pant legs riding up to expose his calves.

He lay on the sofa, drunkenly babbling loudly.

"Faris is my homie. I was driving without a license, and he took the blame for me even though he had been drinking. What's wrong with giving him a piece of land? My mom has been sick lately, saying the cemetery was built incorrectly on the land. I don't agree. What's wrong with him building a cemetery?"

It seemed he had argued with Victor and stormed out during a family dinner.

Ethan likely didn't enjoy his meal either. He gave away the land, angering Victor so much that he ended up in the hospital. Victor couldn't easily forgive him, but Richard probably thought Ethan handled it brilliantly.

"He also said he wants to tear down the grave Faris built. I told him if he dares to tear it down, I'll tear down his Silent Grove Village."

We all knew he was just talking nonsense, so no one responded.

Only Benjamin sat next to him, patted his shoulder, and said with a sigh, "Richard, you're not a kid anymore. It's time to grow up."

Unexpectedly, Richard suddenly hugged Benjamin's arm and started crying like a child. "Dad, you're the one who cares about me. When I was in jail, you were the one who visited me often."

Turns out, when Richard was in prison, Benjamin often visited him.

Just like Benjamin told me last time, after all, Richard had called him dad for so many years, so he naturally had feelings for him.

Benjamin gently patted his back, comforting him. "Alright, you're not a child anymore. Real men don't cry easily. You've grown up, and it's time to be a man. Your parents and I won't always be there to take care of you. You have to rely on yourself in the future. Making mistakes isn't the scary part; what's scary is not learning from them. A real man stands tall, does the right thing, and follows his conscience."

Richard continued to cry sadly. I didn't know if Benjamin's heartfelt words got through to him. But I was deeply moved.

At that moment, Benjamin sat on the worn-out sofa, wearing a very ordinary coat. He was an ordinary person, but in my eyes, he was dazzling.

Later, Richard cried himself to sleep. The sofa was short, so he had to curl up. Benjamin, like a loving father, took off Richard's shoes and covered him with a blanket.

Lacey saw us out. Jason offered me a ride, but I declined, saying Ethan would pick me up. Looking gloomy, Jason got into his car and drove away without insisting.

I noticed the dinner dishes were still uncollected, so I told Lacey to go back inside.

As I stood alone by the roadside waiting for a car, a vehicle suddenly stopped in front of me. The window rolled down, and it was Faris.

I turned to leave, but Faris got out and blocked my way. "Where are you going? I'll take you."

"No need," I said, trying to walk around him.

But he suddenly picked me up, ignoring my struggles, and put me in the passenger seat, fastening my seatbelt. Then, he quickly got into the driver's seat and started the car.

I unbuckled the seatbelt and tried to open the door, but Faris locked it.

"Where are you taking me?" I pounded on the door, both anxious and angry.

Faris smirked. "I told you to go to my grandma's for dinner. Since you wouldn't come, I had to come get you."

"I'm not going. Let me out," I said firmly.

Faris glanced at me, his eyes filled with a faint smile as if he had me right where he wanted.

"If you don't go, I'll send that video to Ethan."

I felt like I had swallowed a stone, just staring at him.

Seeing me quiet down, he smiled in satisfaction.

"What do you really want?" I asked softly.

He glanced at me but didn't answer.

"What do you really want?" I nearly screamed, almost hysterical.

He was visibly taken aback, staring at me with a slight frown.

At that moment, my emotions surged, and I almost broke down instantly.

"What do you really want? What did I ever do to you? Why do you keep disrupting my life? You keep threatening me for that video, making me live in constant fear. Faris, I'm just an ordinary woman. I just want a peaceful life. Why are you doing this? If I did something to offend you, I apologize. Please, just let me go, okay?"

I cried as I spoke, venting all my negative emotions at once.

Faris pulled over, took out a tissue, and leaned over to wipe my tears.

I pushed his hand away, refusing his approach.

His hand hovered in the air for a few seconds before slowly retracting.

"Silly girl, don't cry," he said softly.

I ignored him, continuing to cry my heart out.

"I didn't make a backup of that video," he suddenly said.

My crying stopped abruptly, and I looked at him with tear-filled eyes.

He looked resigned, repeating, "I didn't make a backup of that video."

I stared at him like a fool, and tears that had already welled up in my eyes rolled down again.

He took out another tissue to wipe my tears. I flinched, but he held my shoulder.

"Don't move." He gently wiped my tears, his eyes never leaving my face.

After a while, he swallowed hard and said softly, "I never realized I was only causing you trouble."

He gave a bitter smile, sat up straight, and unlocked the door. "You can get out now."

I hurriedly opened the door and got out, and he followed.

"I'll hail a cab for you and make sure you get home safely," he said.

While waiting for the cab, he lit a cigarette, leaning against the car.

He said, "Silly girl, I won't bother you anymore. I'm planning to leave Starlight City. Now you can be at ease, right?"

I didn't look back or respond.

Soon, a taxi arrived.

Faris paid the fare and sternly warned the driver to get me home safely.

The driver quickly started the car.

In the rearview mirror, under the snowy night, Faris's figure standing in the middle of the road grew smaller and smaller.

I always felt he wasn't that bad. I just thought he was like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment, making me want to escape the closer he got.

The villa was dark; Ethan hadn't come back yet.

I picked up my phone to call him.

The phone rang a few times before it was answered, "Hello?"

It was a woman's voice.