C24 Alicia Grabbed My Hand

The moment Tracy disappeared, Samantha put down her fork and stood up. “I’m going to bed.” Ben immediately rose from his seat as well. Together they walked upstairs. The silence between them felt heavy.

When they entered their room and closed the door, Samantha turned around immediately. She didn’t hesitate. “Are you stalking Mike?” The question struck like lightning.

For a brief moment, Ben froze. His heartbeat accelerated. He hadn’t expected her to ask something so directly. A flash of panic appeared in his eyes before he quickly forced himself to calm down.

His expression returned to normal. “What?” He frowned. “Why are you bringing him up again?” “And why would I stalk him?”

Samantha stared at him. “You know exactly why.” “Stop pretending.” Her voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp. “I know it’s you.”

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room turned icy. Ben was many things. Careless at times. Arrogant most of the time. But he wasn’t stupid.

He knew that arguing would only make her more suspicious. So instead of defending himself, he chose another route.

“If you want to talk about Mike, that’s your business.” His voice became colder. “But don’t bring him into our room.”

He walked toward the bed and removed his jacket. “I’m tired.” “I’m going to sleep.” Then he turned off the bedside lamp on his side. “Good night.”

Samantha remained standing where she was. She watched him carefully. His reaction had answered nothing. Yet somehow it felt like he had confirmed everything.

Still, she had no proof. Without proof, there was nothing she could do. She changed into her night clothes and lay down on the opposite side of the bed.

Neither of them spoke another word. The room became silent. But unlike Ben, Samantha couldn’t sleep.

As she stared at the darkness above her, countless thoughts ran through her mind. If Ben truly was behind the rumors… Then what else had he done? And how many of Mike’s misfortunes had never been accidents at all?

Samantha felt that she was standing at the edge of a truth she had been unable to see. And once she found that truth… She wasn’t sure what would happen next.

The next morning was bright and sunny, perfect weather for flying kites.

I woke up early, washed up, and stood in front of my wardrobe wondering what to wear. In the end, I chose a simple T-shirt and shorts before heading to the dining room for breakfast.

The moment my parents saw me dressed so casually, they looked surprised. “Son, where are you going looking this good?” my mother asked.

I laughed and reminded them, “Today is Kite Flying Day.” They looked at each other before suddenly remembering. “Oh yes!” my father said. “Enjoy yourself, son.”

After breakfast, I headed out. When I arrived at our meeting spot, Chris was already there. Coincidentally, he was also wearing a T-shirt and shorts. We looked at each other for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. “It looks like we planned our outfits,” I said.

Before long, Alicia arrived wearing a beautiful green dress. The sunlight reflected off her long hair, making her look even more stunning than usual.

She looked at our matching outfits suspiciously. “You two planned this, didn’t you?” Chris immediately laughed. “See? What goes around comes around.” Alicia frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“We really didn’t plan it,” Chris said. “Just like you claimed you didn’t plan anything before. So tell me, how does it feel to be the one left out today?”

Alicia instantly understood. “He is provoking me, he started it today,” she thought. “Fine. I won’t show him any mercy later.”

The three of us made our way toward the large open field where hundreds of people had already begun flying kites.

Once we found a good spot, Alicia proudly revealed the kites she had bought.

There were three of them. A pink kite. A brown oval-shaped kite with beautiful patterns. And an owl-shaped kite.

Alicia took the pink kite for herself. She handed me the brown kite. Then she gave the owl-shaped kite to Chris.

Chris stared at it in disbelief. “Why am I getting the owl?” He looked at Alicia with an expression full of grievance. “Alicia, do you hate me that much?”

I immediately burst out laughing. Alicia folded her arms proudly. “See who’s laughing now.” She even stuck out her tongue at him. Chris pointed at her dramatically. “You did this on purpose!”

The two immediately began chasing each other around while I stood there laughing.

At that moment, we looked less like young professionals and more like children enjoying one of the happiest days of their lives. The atmosphere was peaceful and carefree.

Soon we began assembling our kites and preparing to fly them.

Just as we were getting started, we noticed two familiar figures walking toward our direction. Ben. And Samantha. As the saying goes, enemies often cross paths.

Neither Alicia nor Samantha knew each other. Alicia only noticed the sudden change in Chris’s and my expressions. Curious, she followed our gazes.

She immediately recognized Ben. Then she noticed the pregnant woman beside him. She didn’t need anyone to tell her who Samantha was.

Samantha’s eyes landed on Alicia. Her sharp gaze lingered on the beautiful young woman standing beside Mike.

Alicia, however, couldn’t care less. She simply waved her kite string and said, “What are you two waiting for? Fly your kites! Mine is already in the air.”

Chris snapped out of his thoughts and walked over to try flying his “ugly owl.” Alicia continued teasing him while laughing. I joined them.

Just as I stepped closer, Alicia suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand. I froze. I wasn’t sure whether she had done it intentionally or simply because I was standing behind her. But the timing was too perfect.

Samantha saw everything. A surge of jealousy rushed through her heart. The woman beside Mike was beautiful. Far more beautiful than she had expected.

Samantha wanted nothing more than to pull Alicia away from him. Beside her, Ben noticed every reaction.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face. “Finally,” he thought. “Now she’ll let Mike go.”

After they walked past us, Alicia quietly released my hand. Chris and I were still stunned.

Then Alicia spoke casually. “One day you’ll thank me for that, Brother.” The two of us looked at each other before laughing. Our laughter drifted through the field.

Ben heard it and immediately assumed we were laughing at him and Samantha. His expression darkened, but he couldn’t say anything.

Ironically, the scene he had wanted to create was unfolding perfectly. It almost felt as if he had planned it himself.