C268 Are You Forgetting That You Are Pregnant

Alicia fell silent for a moment, carefully considering everything that had been discussed. After organizing her thoughts, she looked around the table before speaking. "I think three sections will be enough," she said calmly. "We need one area for physical fitness training, another for shooting practice, and the last one for combat training... something like a boxing ring where we can learn self-defense."

Everyone became quiet as they pictured what she was describing. Peter leaned back in his chair and looked at his granddaughter with interest. "You've really thought this through, haven't you?" Alicia smiled proudly. "I have. If we're going to prepare ourselves, then we shouldn't do it halfway." I suddenly cleared his throat. "Wait..." Everyone turned to look at me. "If we're planning to use three separate offices, why don't we just use one of the boardrooms instead?"

The room became quiet again. I continued thoughtfully. "The boardroom is much bigger than any office. We could redesign it into one large training facility instead of dividing everything into different rooms." I began counting on my fingers. "We could have one section for physical fitness equipment, another section for boxing and hand-to-hand combat, and another area with a shooting simulator or practice range. Everything would be in one place."

I smiled. "It would save space, make supervision easier, and everyone would train together." For a brief moment, nobody spoke. Then Alicia's eyes lit up. "Husband..." A bright smile spread across her face. "You're very smart." Everyone burst into laughter. I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. "I was just making a suggestion." Mark nodded repeatedly. "No, Mike is right." He looked toward Peter. "The boardroom is large enough to accommodate all three activities. It would also cost less than renovating three different offices."

Peter stroked his chin thoughtfully before smiling. "I agree." He turned to Alicia. "What do you think, Director?" Alicia laughed. "I've decided." She looked at me warmly. "We'll use the boardroom." She then looked toward Peter again. "So, Grandpa, we'll need at least three... maybe four trainers." Peter nodded. "What kind?" "The first instructor should specialize in hand-to-hand combat. Boxing, self-defense, close-quarter fighting..."

She raised another finger. "The second should be someone experienced with firearms, someone who can teach us how to handle weapons safely and improve our shooting accuracy." Everyone listened attentively. "The third..." She paused briefly. "...should be a sniper." That single word made everyone look at her. "A sniper?" Mark repeated. Alicia nodded seriously. "If we're ever forced into a dangerous situation, distance could become our greatest advantage."

She looked around the table. "If we're going to learn, then we should learn properly." Mark stared at his daughter for several seconds before shaking his head with a helpless smile. "You keep saying 'we.'" He folded his arms. "Have you forgotten that you're pregnant?" The room fell silent. Alicia looked down at her growing stomach before looking back at her father. "I know." Then she smiled mischievously. "I'm not saying I'll start tomorrow."

Everyone laughed. "I'll train after I give birth." Mary couldn't help smiling. "There she goes again." Peter chuckled. "This girl never changes." Mark sighed dramatically. "Fine..." He pointed a finger at her. "But while that baby is still inside you, you're not lifting weights, throwing punches, or climbing obstacle courses." Alicia saluted playfully. "Yes, sir." The room erupted into laughter once again.

Georgia smiled warmly as she watched the family enjoying themselves. "It feels nice seeing everyone laugh like this." Peter nodded. "We've gone through too much recently." His expression gradually became serious. "But preparation isn't a bad thing." He looked toward Alicia and I. "I'll make a few calls tomorrow." Both of us looked at him expectantly. "I still know a few people from my military days."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Finding trainers won't be impossible." Alicia's face brightened. "Really?" Peter smiled confidently. "I can't promise they'll all accept immediately." He shrugged. "But I'll do my best." Mark nodded in agreement. "I'll also help." Everyone turned toward him. "If we're going to convert a boardroom into a training facility, there are legal procedures we'll have to follow."

He looked directly at me. "Especially if firearms are going to be involved." I nodded. "I understand." "The shooting equipment, firearm licenses, safety inspections... all of that has to be approved." Mark smiled. "Exactly." He leaned back. "I'll see what I can do." Alicia looked at everyone around the table. "Thank you." Her voice was softer this time. "I know this isn't something any of us expected."

She reached under the table and gently held my hand. "But I feel much safer knowing we're facing it together." I squeezed her hand gently. "We always will." Mary watched the two of us with moist eyes. "My children..." She smiled. "I pray none of this danger ever reaches this house." Silence filled the dining room. Although everyone hoped for the same thing, deep down they all understood one painful reality. The Harris Family had already noticed me. The battle had already begun.

The discussion at the Mooney Residence finally came to an end after everyone had agreed on the first steps they would take. Although there were still many unknowns surrounding the Harris family, at least they now had a direction. Meanwhile, at the Wood Residence, evening had quietly settled in. The family had just gathered around the dining table after returning from their company.

The aroma of the food filled the house, creating the warm atmosphere everyone had become accustomed to. Only one person was missing. Sarah looked around the dining room before asking curiously, "Mom... Dad... where's Ben?" Kelvin and Tracy exchanged puzzled glances. Tracy frowned slightly. "That's strange..." "Your brother left shortly after we got home from the bank." Kelvin nodded. "He seemed to be in a hurry. We didn't even have time to tell him that the bank only managed to transfer two hundred thousand dollars today."

Sarah blinked. "He left before hearing that?" Kelvin nodded. "He probably assumed the full five hundred thousand had already been deposited." Samantha rested her chin on her hand. "Maybe he's with Natalie." Tracy smiled. "Maybe." Kelvin waved his hand. "Alright, enough talking." "The food is getting cold." "Let's eat first." Everyone nodded and quietly began their meal.

The atmosphere remained peaceful as they enjoyed dinner together. After several minutes, Sarah finally put down her utensils. "Dad..." Kelvin looked at her. "Yes?" "I had the board meeting today." "I officially announced that we accepted Spain National Bank's proposal." Kelvin smiled proudly. "And?" Sarah smiled faintly. "They argued." Everyone laughed. "I expected that." "They all preferred either UK International Bank or Scotland Celtic Bank."

Kelvin nodded knowingly. "That's normal." "People usually judge a proposal by the money written on the first page." "The difficult part is reading everything that follows." Sarah nodded. "I explained every condition to them." "Eventually they all understood." Kelvin leaned back comfortably. "Good." "That means your explanation was convincing." "But..." His expression suddenly became serious. "The real challenge hasn't even started."

Sarah looked confused. "What do you mean?" Kelvin folded his arms. "The Spain National Bank contract." "You accepted it because of its long-term benefits." Sarah nodded. "Yes." "But those benefits come with responsibilities." Sarah continued listening carefully. Kelvin smiled. "You'll have to review every update before it's goes live." "You'll need to approve translations." "You'll need to understand reports."

Sarah nodded again. "I know." Kelvin raised an eyebrow. "In Spanish." Sarah blinked. Kelvin continued calmly, "And French." Silence. Sarah stared at him. "..." Her eyes slowly widened. "What?" Kelvin couldn't help laughing. "You heard me." "If you're the Director approving multilingual systems..." "How exactly do you intend to approve work written in Spanish and French if you can't even understand either language?"

Sarah's jaw slowly dropped. The realization finally struck her. "Oh no..." She rubbed her forehead. "I completely had no idea about that..." "I only thought about hiring translators." Kelvin chuckled. "My child..." "Even if you hire translators..." "The final approval still belongs to you." Sarah covered her face. "So you're saying..." "I have to learn both languages?" Kelvin smiled. "At least enough to understand technical documentation."

Sarah groaned dramatically. "Oh, come on..." "I already have enough work." "Now I have to become a language expert too?" Samantha burst into laughter. "I told you..." "Being Director isn't as glamorous as everyone thinks." Tracy also laughed. "You chose that proposal yourself." "So don't blame anyone else." Sarah looked pitifully at everyone. "I suddenly miss England." The entire dining room erupted into laughter.

Even Kelvin couldn't stop smiling. "You wanted authority." "Authority comes with responsibility." Sarah sighed dramatically. "Fine..." "I'll learn Spanish..." She paused. "...but someone else can learn French." Samantha laughed even harder. "It doesn't work like that." Sarah groaned again. "I knew I should have chosen Scotland..." Everyone laughed once more. The cheerful atmosphere completely filled the room.

Just then... The sound of the front door opening echoed throughout the house. Everyone instinctively turned toward the entrance. Footsteps slowly approached. A few seconds later... Ben walked into the dining room. The lively atmosphere disappeared almost instantly. Everyone froze. Ben looked nothing like the confident man who had left the house earlier that afternoon.

His clothes were wrinkled. His hair was messy. His face had turned pale. Dark circles surrounded his eyes. It looked as though he had aged several years within a single afternoon. Even his shoulders drooped lifelessly. He no longer carried the excitement he had shown earlier. Instead... He looked completely defeated. Sarah slowly stood. "Brother..." "What happened?" Ben didn't answer immediately. He slowly walked toward the dining table.

Every step seemed heavier than the last. Kelvin frowned deeply. "Ben?" "Weren't you with Natalie?" Still... No answer. Tracy's smile disappeared. She immediately sensed that something terrible had happened. "My son..." "Talk to us." "What happened?" Ben finally stopped walking. He looked at every member of the family one by one. His lips trembled slightly. His eyes had become red, as though he had been holding back tears for a very long time. The silence inside the dining room became suffocating.

Finally... Ben took a deep breath. In a hoarse voice, he spoke the words that stunned everyone. "...Natalie..." He swallowed hard before continuing. "...ran away." The dining room instantly fell into complete silence. No one moved. No one spoke. Every member of the Wood family stared at Ben in disbelief, struggling to process what they had just heard.