C10 Panic Was All Over Chris

Once inside the office, everyone settled into their workstations. As usual, the attendance register was passed around for signatures.

When it reached my desk, I signed my name. Then, without realizing it, I began scanning the list of names. My eyes moved from one signature to another. I paused. What exactly was I looking for? That girl from lunch yesterday.

The shy one. The beautiful one. The one whose eyes met mine for a brief moment. I continued searching before finally shaking my head.

I didn’t know her first name. I didn’t know her last name. I didn’t even know if she was in our department. But she set in our table. How was I supposed to find her? Feeling slightly foolish, I passed the register along and returned to work.

Elsewhere, Samantha had spent the previous night at her parents’ house. Once again, she had pleaded with them for freedom. Once again, they ignored her. Eventually, she stopped asking.

That morning, she arrived at Wood IT carrying lunch for Ben. At the same time, I happened to leave my department and head toward the washrooms.

The corridor was unusually quiet. Then I saw her. Samantha. She froze. I stopped walking as well.

For a brief moment, neither of us moved. Neither of us spoke.

The silence between us felt heavier than any words could have been. Months ago, we could spend hours talking. Now we couldn’t even greet each other.

After a few seconds, I looked away and continued walking past her as if she were a stranger.

My heart tightened with every step. But I didn’t stop. Behind me, Samantha remained standing in place. Watching.

A few moments later, she reached the Vice Director’s office. She knocked gently. No answer. She knocked again. Still nothing.

What she didn’t know was that Ben had already seen everything. From the floor above, he had witnessed the entire encounter between her and Mike. A satisfied smile slowly spread across his face.

Soon he made his way downstairs. When Samantha saw him approaching, she forced a smile and gently rested a hand on her pregnant belly.

Ben immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Honey,” he said warmly, his smile wider than ever. “You brought me lunch?” He glanced at the containers she was carrying. “That’s a lot of food.”

Then he leaned closer. “Why don’t you join me? We can eat together.” Samantha smiled politely.

But deep inside, her thoughts were still trapped in that silent corridor. And in the eyes of the man who had just walked past her without saying a single word.

The two of them entered Ben’s office. Ben was in an exceptionally good mood. The image of Mike and Samantha standing silently in the corridor replayed repeatedly in his mind. To him, it was proof that he had won.

As they sat down to eat, he looked at Samantha’s stomach and smiled. “Hurry and eat,” he said happily. “My son must be starving.”

Samantha raised her eyes and looked at him. Her face remained expressionless. “How do you know it will be a boy?” she asked calmly.

Ben laughed. “It has to be a boy.” He leaned back proudly. “One day he will inherit everything and run this company.”

Samantha lowered her eyes. Her expression grew slightly gloomy. Ben never noticed. She slowly continued eating while thoughts filled her mind.

What if I give birth to a girl? Would he still love the child? Or would he treat her as another disappointment?

After everything she had suffered, the only thing that truly mattered to her now was the baby growing inside her. Boy or girl. Rich or poor. It would still be her child.

Meanwhile, Mike had completely lost his appetite. After seeing Samantha in the corridor, his emotions had become a mess.

The memories he had spent months trying to bury had resurfaced all at once.

Instead of going out for lunch, he returned to his desk and buried himself in work. Lines of code filled his screen. But his mind was somewhere else entirely. Because of that, he forgot to tell Chris he wasn’t coming.

At the café, Chris waited. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Soon he took out his phone and called. No answer. He tried again. The phone was switched off.

Chris frowned. A bad feeling immediately settled in his chest. He knew better than anyone what Mike had gone through after the breakup. The depression. The sleepless nights. The months of isolation.

Without wasting another second, he headed toward the IT department. Unfortunately, he didn’t have access to the department’s security doors.

Just as he was wondering what to do, he noticed someone exiting the office. Alicia. Chris immediately recognized her.

She was the same woman who had tried to add Mike on Weibo and had directly rejected her.

For a moment, Chris felt awkward. Then he forced himself to wave. Alicia noticed him and stopped walking.

She was tall and elegant, with a gentle face and a naturally graceful appearance. Her confidence disappeared slightly as she approached. She had always been somewhat shy.

When she finally reached him, she spoke softly. “Hello.” Chris barely noticed her nervousness. His concern was elsewhere. “Have you seen my brother Mike?” Alicia blinked. “Mike?” Chris nodded urgently. “Yes. My friend Mike.”

For a few seconds she looked confused. Then realization appeared on her face. A small smile escaped her lips. “Oh, You mean the Nerd.”

Chris frowned. “The what?” “The Nerd,” she repeated. She pointed toward the office behind her. “He’s still inside.” A look of amusement appeared on her face. “Everyone went for lunch except him.” She shook her head lightly. “Nerds can be very strange sometimes.”

Relief immediately washed over Chris. At least Mike was safe. Still, he wasn’t completely satisfied. “Can you call him for me?” he asked.

Alicia hesitated briefly before nodding. “Alright.” As she turned around and walked back toward the office, Chris finally relaxed. he felt his heartbeat returning to normal.