C113 The Planner's Heart

The rest of lunch tasted bitter. The delicious food sitting before me suddenly felt bland. Every bite reminded me of the conversation I had just had with Samantha. Her tears. Her trembling voice. The regret hidden behind every word.

For the first time in two years, I questioned whether I had judged her too quickly. "...Brother." Alicia's soft voice pulled me back to reality. She had been watching me quietly for several minutes. "Don't think too much." I looked at her without saying a word. She smiled gently. "I know you probably said some terrible things to Samantha." Her words surprised me. "You... know?" She nodded. "I know you." "You always speak from your heart when you're hurt."

She rested her chin on one hand and continued softly. "I don't blame you." "And I don't think she blames you either." "The way she disappeared from your life was cruel." "You spent two years believing she betrayed you." "So expecting your first conversation after all that pain to be perfect..." She slowly shook her head. "...would be impossible." Her calm voice somehow eased the storm inside me.

Chris, who had been silently eating, suddenly raised both hands dramatically. "Brother..." "This conversation has officially exceeded my IQ." He pointed toward Alicia. "So I'll leave it to our special planner." "As for me..." "I'll just continue thinking about my future wife and my unborn child." Alicia burst into laughter. "You've only been waiting five hours." "I thought you said you'd know in two weeks."

Chris folded his arms proudly. "Can a man not dream peacefully?" "My son is waiting for me." Alicia laughed even harder. "You're already calling it your son?" Chris nodded seriously. "Obviously." "The Chambers bloodline needs another genius." I couldn't help laughing. The heavy atmosphere finally became lighter.

After calming down, Alicia suddenly looked at me. "I think I have a better solution." I immediately became interested. "What is it..." I smiled unconsciously. "...Beauty?" Before Alicia could answer, Chris nearly choked on his drink. "There!" "That's the second time!" "You called her Beauty again!" At exactly the same time, Alicia and I turned toward him. "I thought you weren't disturbing us." We spoke in perfect unison. The three of us froze.

Chris stared between us before bursting into exaggerated laughter. "Oh..." "I see." "So the lovers are now speaking together too." Neither Alicia nor I entertained him. I simply turned back toward her. "So..." "What solution did our beauty come up with?" Chris leaned closer dramatically. "You're still calling her Beauty?" We ignored him completely.

Alicia smiled before becoming serious again. "I've been thinking." "If Josh and Vice Director Ben are really working together..." "...then you're fighting two powerful enemies." I nodded silently. She continued. "So why continue fighting Samantha too?" Her words immediately caught my attention. "You've already moved on." "You don't love her anymore." "Holding onto hatred won't help you."

She paused before speaking even more gently. "If you clear things up with Samantha..." "...even if the two of you never become a couple again..." "...she may become someone willing to stand beside you against Ben." Chris slowly stopped joking. He realized she was serious. Alicia looked down for a moment before continuing. "As for her anger..." "Let her direct it toward me." Both Chris and I stared at her.

She smiled casually. "She can't do anything to me." "My family has enough influence to protect me." "But Laura..." Her smile disappeared. "Laura is different." "She's still a student." "She doesn't understand how people like Ben manipulate others." "If Samantha truly decides to hate someone close to you..." "I'd rather it be me." Silence filled the table.

Chris looked at her strangely. "Wait..." "Are you sacrificing yourself to protect Mike?" Alicia immediately corrected him. "I'm protecting Mike." "And I'm protecting innocent Laura." She looked directly at Chris. "I have enough power to defend myself." "Does Laura?" Chris slowly lowered his head. "No..." "She doesn't." Alicia nodded. "So if Samantha must choose someone to target..." "I'd rather it be me."

For some reason... My chest became warm. She wasn't saying those words to impress anyone. She genuinely believed protecting the people around her mattered more than protecting herself. Chris finally sighed. "Our planner..." "...you're frighteningly smart." Then, without warning, he smiled proudly. "My future son will definitely inherit my intelligence too." Alicia rolled her eyes. "You contributed nothing to this conversation." "I contributed moral support." We all laughed.

After the laughter settled, Alicia looked back at me. "Brother." "After lunch..." "Go back to Samantha's office." I blinked. "What?" She nodded firmly. "Apologize." "Not because you're getting back together." "Not because you're trying to fix the past." "But because..." "...after everything she's already suffered..." "...your words this morning probably became another wound." She lowered her eyes. "She spent two years afraid of facing you." "Give her some peace." "After that..." "...the decision is hers."

I thought about her advice for a long time. Finally... I nodded. "I'll do it." Chris immediately slammed the table. "What?!" "Apologize?" "Have you both forgotten?" "She's the same woman who once called us lowly-born people." "She practically said we lived in different worlds." Alicia frowned. "Chris." "This is serious." He frowned back. "So was that." "Why should I look at her side?" "What about ours?" "If she thinks she suffered..." "We suffered too." The table fell silent.

For once... Even Alicia had no immediate answer. I smiled helplessly. "You two really know how to argue." Then I looked toward Alicia. "I'll apologize." "But..." "I don't want her misunderstanding my intentions." "I don't want her back." "I've already moved on." "If things don't work out with Laura..." "I'd rather start over with someone else."

The moment those words left my mouth, Alicia paused. She looked at me carefully. "What do you mean..." "'If things don't work out?'" Chris immediately nodded. "Exactly." "You've been hiding something." "I tell you everything." "You've started keeping secrets." I sighed. "Yesterday..." "Laura told me her father is doing everything possible to separate us." "He even wants to arrange marriage for her."

Both of them became quiet. "But Laura hasn't given up." "She's still fighting." Alicia frowned thoughtfully. "That's too extreme." She slowly shook her head. "At first I believed her father was only trying to protect his daughter." "But now..." "It feels personal." She looked directly into my eyes. "Or perhaps..." "...it's exactly what Ben wanted." The three of us became silent again. There wasn't enough information to reach any conclusions.

Eventually, Chris broke the silence. "Let's deal with one disaster at a time." We all nodded. For now... The future could wait. After lunch, we separated. Chris returned to his department. I took a deep breath before walking toward Samantha's office, replaying Alicia's words over and over in my mind. Meanwhile, Alicia headed toward the Director's Office. She stopped outside and knocked politely.

A secretary opened the door. "Please come in." Inside, Director Kelvin was carefully reading several documents. When he noticed Alicia, he slowly put them aside. His usually calm expression became slightly serious. "The Police Minister's daughter." "Please." "Have a seat." Alicia smiled politely before sitting down. "Director..." "You can simply call me Alicia." Kelvin chuckled. "Very well." "What brings you here?" "I must admit..." "I wasn't expecting this visit."

Alicia folded her hands together. "I came because I believe something is happening inside the company that you may not be aware of." Kelvin's expression changed immediately. "Go on." "Team Manager Josh has been making things increasingly difficult for Mike." The moment Josh's name was mentioned, Kelvin remembered seeing Josh leave Ben's office that very morning. A coincidence? Or something more?

He quietly closed the file in front of him. "I'm listening." Alicia explained everything. "Today, Team Manager Josh assigned Mike a new project." "It's related to Information Systems." "I don't know every technical detail..." "But Mike said it's about developing a secure banking defense system that remains user-friendly."

Kelvin slowly nodded. "I remember." "I personally discussed that project with Jamie from Information Systems and Josh from Cybersecurity." He frowned slightly. "Josh insisted his department could complete it within a short period." Then realization appeared on his face. "Wait..." "That project was never intended for one person."

Alicia nodded gently. "Exactly." She hesitated briefly before speaking again. "I've recently been promoted." "But apart from training, I haven't received any major assignments." She smiled shyly. "So..." "I was hoping you could officially allow me to assist Mike." Kelvin stared at her for several seconds. Then he smiled. "A very intelligent request."

He remembered France. How Mike and Alicia had worked side by side. How they had secured one of the company's biggest international partnerships. The two of them complemented each other naturally. Without another word, Kelvin picked up a small authorization slip. He wrote several lines, stamped it with the company's official seal, and handed it to her. "From today onward..." "You have my permission." "Show this to your department manager and to Josh whenever necessary." "You may assist Mike for as long as this project continues."

Alicia accepted it with both hands. A bright smile slowly appeared on her face. "Thank you, Director." As she left the office clutching the authorization letter close to her chest, she couldn't stop smiling. She wasn't smiling because she had won. She was smiling because... For the first time since Mike joined Wood Corporation... He would no longer have to fight alone.