C295 We Are Preparing For War

Alicia responded calmly. "Okay, no problem. Just head inside. The security team will direct you. I'll be there shortly." After hanging up, I laughed. "It looks like our little outing is going to have a short break." Sarah looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?" I smiled. "You've never visited our company before." "So today, we're giving all of you a chance." Alicia laughed. Chris looked confused. "Sister, you just told them you're coming. What does that mean?"

Alicia smiled. "It means we're all going." "We'll only be there for about an hour." "After that, we'll come back and continue shopping. We'll still have enough time for the movie." Everyone agreed. Soon, we bought the clothes we already picked and left the mall. We got into our respective cars, and drove toward Lucia Goods Headquarters. Our car led the way since the others didn't know the route.

At an undisclosed location... Brian knocked on an office door. A deep voice came from inside. "Come in." Brian stepped inside and bowed respectfully. "Boss, our tech team has finally discovered who has been tracking us." Willy immediately became interested. "Who is it?" Brian replied, "Sir, it's just a young man." "We weren't certain before, but our surveillance cameras captured him at Celtic Mall today." "Now we're sure." Willy frowned. "What does he want?" Brian lowered his head. "We've confirmed his identity, but we're still investigating his motives."

Willy's expression darkened. "What is wrong with all of you lately?" "Our shipment was stolen, and you still haven't found out who took it." "Now you're telling me you can't even investigate one young man?" Brian bowed even lower. "I'm sorry, Boss." "I'll tell the team to work faster." "Tell them to hurry up." "I need results as soon as possible." Brian quickly left the office. Every second he spent in Willy's presence felt like he was risking his life.

Back at Lucia Goods Headquarters... We finally arrived. The renovation team had already unloaded their equipment inside Hall C. Everyone looked around in amazement. "Alicia..." "You own a company this big?" Alicia smiled modestly. "Not me." "My family owns it." "I'm only managing it." We led everyone into Hall C, where the renovation crew was waiting. Alicia took out the blueprint and handed it to the project supervisor. "This blueprint shows the new layout."

She pointed at several sections. "Please make sure the walls are properly soundproofed." "I don't want any sound escaping from the training rooms." The supervisor nodded. "We understand, Miss." Chris looked around at the enormous hall before noticing the construction materials stacked neatly on one side. He looked at me. "Brother..." "What exactly are you two planning?" Alicia smiled. "A training hall." She looked at Chris. "Brother, you're welcome to join as well." Sarah frowned. "Join... what exactly?"

I laughed. "Our family has encountered a few problems recently." "So we decided to renovate this hall into a complete training facility." "There'll be boxing, martial arts, physical conditioning, and self-defence classes." Laura still looked confused. "So you'll just train people?" "For how long?" "And if nothing dangerous ever happens, what then?" She paused before asking another question. "And who funded all of this?" Alicia answered without hesitation. "I did." "As for danger..."

She smiled calmly. "It will come." "That's exactly why we're preparing now." "Mike will train while I'm pregnant." "After I give birth..." "I'll start training as well." Bright laughed. "What about us?" "Are we allowed to join?" Alicia looked at him before smiling. "Of course." "But there are consequences." "It's still too early for Laura to become a widow." Chris immediately frowned. "Sister..." "Can you please stop speaking in riddles and explain properly?" Everyone laughed.

Alicia nodded. "Fine." "We're preparing for war." The laughter instantly disappeared. She pointed toward one side of the blueprint. "My plan is to build my own security team." "A team that can protect my family whenever necessary." "They'll train in boxing, martial arts, and tactical combat just like everyone else." She then pointed toward another section of the blueprint. "And over here..." "...will be the shooting range." "My security personnel will train with real firearms." "They'll improve their marksmanship before advancing to sniper training."

Sarah's expression immediately became complicated. "You mean..." "Everything here will be real?" "And what war are you talking about?" Alicia answered honestly. "We're fighting a drug syndicate." "We already know they're ruthless." "They won't hesitate to kill." "Right now, our family appears to be their target." "But if they ever shift their attention to Lucia Goods..." "...we must be ready." She looked around at everyone. "There will be two application forms." "The first is for anyone who simply wants to improve their fitness and learn self-defence." "That training ends with boxing and martial arts."

She then raised another document. "The second form is different." "It includes firearms training, tactical operations, and advanced combat." "But before anyone signs it..." "They'll clearly acknowledge one thing." She paused. "That they're prepared to risk and if necessary, sacrifice their lives for this company." "When that day comes..." "They won't hesitate to stand beside us and fight." Chris slowly looked at me before laughing awkwardly. "Brother..." "Whose crazy idea was this?"

I smiled. "No more questions." "We'll talk about everything tonight." Sarah remained silent. The words drug syndicate continued echoing inside her mind. Could this be connected to Jack? What if my brother gets dragged into all of this as well? More questions popped up she dazzed for a while become snapping back. Alicia spent the next several minutes explaining every detail of the renovation to the construction team. She walked through the blueprint section by section, pointing at the walls that would be removed, the rooms that would be built, and the areas that required extra reinforcement.

she said patiently, "If anything on the blueprint is unclear," "don't guess. Call me immediately. I'd rather answer a hundred questions than have one mistake." The project supervisor nodded respectfully. "Don't worry, Miss Alicia. We'll follow the plan exactly." Alicia smiled before turning to the security guards. "Please stay with them throughout the day. If they need access to any part of the building or require additional equipment, assist them. And if anything unexpected comes up, call me straight away." "Yes, Director."

Only after making sure everyone understood their responsibilities did Alicia finally turn back to us. "Well," she said with a smile, "let's go back."