C316 She Is Upset

The next morning, Alicia woke me up. The moment I opened my eyes and looked at the time, I rubbed them in disbelief. “I’m almost late.” Alicia, who was already dressed and standing beside the bed, laughed. “Almost? You are very late. I already finished showering while you were still sleeping.” I sat up and looked at her accusingly. “It’s all because of you. I was worried about you the whole night.” Her expression softened. “I’m sorry.”

I studied her face for a moment before asking, “Are you feeling better now?” She smiled. “Yes. I’m fine now. So hurry up and take a shower. We also have somewhere else to go this afternoon.” “Somewhere else?” She nodded. “Yes, but I’ll tell you later. For now, go before we become even later.” Without thinking too much about it, I rushed into the bathroom. By the time I came out, Alicia had already prepared my outfit for the day. I stopped and stared at the clothes laid out for me. “That is very rare.” She looked at me and laughed. “What?” “You actually prepared my clothes.”

She shook her head. “What? I’m simply doing my duties as your wife.” I laughed. “Well, I suppose I should appreciate it.” “You should.” Soon, we went downstairs. The moment we entered the dining room, everyone looked at us. Alicia immediately smiled and walked toward Mary. “Good morning, Mom.” She hugged her warmly before turning to Quinton. “Good morning, Father-in-law.” “Good morning, my child,” Quinton replied with a smile. Alicia then took her seat and began eating.

For a few moments, everything seemed normal. Then Peter suddenly laughed. “I know that look.” Alicia looked up. “What look?” Peter pointed at her. “That look on your face. You are upset with us.” Alicia frowned. “I’m not upset.” Peter laughed. “Then tell us what we did.” Georgia also looked concerned. “My child, did something happen? Did we say something wrong?” Alicia shook her head. “No, grandma. Everything is fine.” Mark, who had been quietly watching her, looked at me. “Mike.” “Yes?” “How long did my daughter spend in the study last night?”

I looked at him, slightly confused by the question. “About an hour.” Mark's expression immediately became serious. “And?” I froze. For a moment, I remembered exactly what had happened the previous night. Alicia had come out of the study with tears in her eyes. I looked at her. She was sitting quietly, eating her breakfast, her head slightly lowered as though she had suddenly become very interested in her food. I cleared my throat. “And she came out crying.” The atmosphere immediately changed.

Peter and Georgia exchanged a worried glance. Mark slowly stood up. “Alicia.” She stopped eating and looked at him. “If you want to ask me anything, come to my study.” He turned around and walked away. Everyone expected Alicia to follow him. Instead, she calmly picked up her car keys. “Mike, let's go. We’ll be late.” I stared at her. “What?” She stood up. “Come on.” Without waiting for me, she walked toward the door. I remained frozen for a moment, completely confused. Peter smiled. “Don’t worry, son. Go with her. Just look after her.”

I looked at him. “Grandpa, what does that mean?” I paused before asking again. “Is everything all right with her?” Peter nodded. “Don’t worry. It’s about her mother.” I knew it was related to Alicia's mother, but that only made me more curious. I wanted to know what had really happened the previous night. Still, there was nothing I could do at that moment. I stood up and followed Alicia. The two of us left together. Inside the house, Mark returned to the dining room after waiting for Alicia in his study.

He looked around. “Where is Alicia? Why didn't she follow me?” Georgia sighed. “It’s obvious. She is upset with us.” Mary looked confused. “What is she upset about?” Peter answered quietly. “Surely it is about us not telling her everything about her late mother.” Mary's eyes widened. “Her late mother?” Peter nodded. “Yes.” Mary looked as though she wanted to ask another question, but Quinton immediately gave her a sharp look. She understood that there were things she was not supposed to ask yet. She slowly lowered her gaze and remained quiet.

Meanwhile, at the Wood family residence, the atmosphere had finally begun to calm down. Sarah came downstairs, expecting to find Samantha already there. But the chair was empty. She looked around. “Dad, Mom, is Sam late? Is she still sleeping?” Kelvin and Tracy looked at each other. Neither answered immediately. Then, almost simultaneously, they turned their attention toward Ben. Ben was sitting at the table, quietly eating his breakfast. He noticed everyone's eyes on him but decided not to say anything.

After several minutes, footsteps could be heard coming from upstairs. Samantha finally appeared. The moment she entered everyone's sight, the entire family froze. Sarah was the only one who immediately burst out laughing. Samantha stopped. “What?” Tracy stared at her from head to toe. “My child... are you going to work wearing leggings?” Samantha looked down at herself. Then she looked back at her mother. “Yes, Mother.” Kelvin shook his head. “Samantha, have you forgotten that you are the vice director?” Samantha shrugged. “No.”

Kelvin pointed toward Sarah. “Look at your sister. She is dressed formally.” Sarah immediately looked down at herself. Before she could say anything, Samantha laughed. “That’s because she is trying to hide that big belly of hers.” Sarah nearly choked. “What?” The entire table erupted in laughter. Samantha laughed. “Yes. Look at you. You can hide the big belly, but you can’t hide those big cheeks. And you definitely can’t hide the fact that you’ve gained weight.” Sarah grinned and placed a hand over her cheek. “I feel offended.”

Kelvin and Tracy immediately laughed. Ben, who had been quietly eating his breakfast, finally looked up at Samantha. “My wife is going to work wearing leggings?” Samantha looked at him. “Yes. Why?” Ben raised an eyebrow. “What are you advertising now? You want everyone’s attention?”