Chapter 388: Chapter 388: Victim

Garrison frowned, irritation flashing across his face. “What’s so funny?”

Ben’s laughter grew louder, almost hysterical, his shoulders trembling.

“What do you even know?” he spat, his voice cracking as it rose. “You sit above everyone, don’t you? Looking down from your high place… so how would you ever understand what I went through?”

His eyes reddened, filled with a mixture of anger and despair.

“Do you even have a heart left, Garrison?”

That was enough.

Garrison’s expression darkened instantly. “If you have something to say, say it properly. Stop acting like a victim.”

Ben’s laughter stopped abruptly.

The room fell silent again.

Slowly, he lifted a trembling hand and pointed at Garrison, his finger shaking with suppressed rage.

“A victim?” His voice dropped, low and bitter. “If you think I’m not one… then tell me something.”

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing. “What’s my full name?”

Garrison froze. The question caught him off guard.

His brows furrowed as he searched his memory. “Your surname… it starts with ’R’…” he muttered, but his voice trailed off midway.

Because… He couldn’t remember. Not fully. Not correctly. A flicker of realization crossed his face.

And Ben saw it.

He let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head. “See? That’s how much you know about your own subordinate.”

His voice rose again, each word heavier than the last.

“You didn’t know I was being blackmailed. You didn’t know my family was in danger. You didn’t know I was thinking about ending my life.”

His chest heaved as he spoke, years of suppressed pain spilling out all at once.

“You didn’t know anything!”

The words struck like blows.

Garrison’s grip tightened unconsciously as he glanced away for a brief second before forcing himself to respond.

“I paid you well,” he said, his tone stiff. “If you had a problem, you should’ve come to me directly instead of doing this.”

Ben stared at him. And then… He laughed again. This time, there was no humor in it. Only exhaustion.

“Come to you?” he repeated, his voice almost incredulous. “When?”

His eyes sharpened, locking onto Garrison.

“Whenever I tried to reach you, you were always busy.”

His words came faster now, sharper.

“Sometimes you were dealing with a fake and a real heiress. Sometimes you were accompanying the real heiress on shopping trips. Sometimes you were with your girlfriend… or your mistress.”

“And sometimes…” his lips curled bitterly, “…you were too busy trying to gain your family’s attention.”

Each sentence landed like a hammer.

“You told me to handle it myself,” Ben continued, his voice dropping. “Over and over again.”

The room felt suffocating.

For the first time, Garrison hesitated.

A faint trace of guilt flickered within him, but he suppressed it quickly, his expression hardening again. “Even then… you had no right to betray me.”

Ben nodded slowly.

“You’re right,” he said quietly. “I didn’t have the right.”

There was a pause. Then he looked up again, his eyes dark.

“But it wasn’t your rivals who were pressuring me, was it?”

Garrison’s expression shifted slightly.

“And it wasn’t you,” Ben continued, his voice growing steadier, “who promised to protect your employees.”

“You even announced it publicly, didn’t you?” His lips curved into a faint, mocking smile. “That after your family… the person closest to you was your assistant.”

Garrison’s face changed. The weight of those words settled heavily.

“It was your own arrogance,” Ben said, his voice now calm but cutting, “that destroyed everything.”

He let out a shaky breath. “If I had a choice… I would’ve never worked under someone like you.”

His gaze hardened. “You’re nothing but a block of ice. You don’t deserve human feelings.”

His voice broke at the end.

A strange mix of laughter and tears escaped him, his body trembling uncontrollably.

And then… the door burst open.

Police officers entered swiftly, their boots echoing against the floor. Without hesitation, they restrained Ben, pulling him up from the ground.

He didn’t resist.

As they dragged him toward the exit, he turned his head one last time, his lips curving into a faint, eerie smile.

“One day…” he murmured, his voice almost a whisper yet filled with certainty, “you’ll feel the same helplessness.”

His eyes locked onto Garrison. “And when that happens… I’d like to see how righteous you remain.”

The door closed. Silence followed.

Garrison stood there, unmoving.

A strange, bitter feeling stirred in his chest… unfamiliar and unsettling.

’Could I… end up like him?’

The thought flickered for a brief second. He immediately shook his head, dismissing it.

’What nonsense.’

He was the young master of the Almond family.

How could he ever fall to that level?

With a deep breath, he turned and walked back to his room.

He rubbed his temples, exhaustion creeping in, and eventually collapsed onto his bed.

Sleep took him quickly.

…………………………

When he opened his eyes again… He wasn’t in his room anymore.

He was back. Back in that moment. The so-called “past life.”

Everything unfolded in front of him like a vivid memory.

He saw Lana. Her face was pale, her eyes filled with desperation as she shook her head repeatedly.

“I didn’t do it,” she pleaded, her voice trembling. “If you don’t believe anything else… at least believe in me.”

She stepped closer, grabbing his hand tightly.

“I promised I would never betray you… how can you even think that?”

Her grip tightened, her fingers trembling. “Big brother… please… trust me.”

She leaned toward him, seeking comfort.

And then… He saw himself. Cold. Expressionless.

He pushed her away without hesitation. No warmth. No doubt. Just rejection.

Lana staggered slightly, her face going blank for a moment before pain flooded her eyes.

Beside them, his assistant stood quietly. Watching.

There was pity in his gaze. And guilt. But in the end… He lowered his head, said nothing, and protected himself.

Garrison clenched his fists as he watched.

The scene shifted. He saw what came after.

The assistant, burdened by guilt, was unable to bear the weight of his actions.

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