C336 A Dangerous Revelation

At the Mooney residence, Alicia and I finally returned to our room. It had been a long day. Alicia's pregnancy was becoming more noticeable with each passing day, and I couldn't help but worry about her. However, tonight, something else caught my attention. The moment we entered the room, I looked at her hand. “Wife, what happened to your hand?”

Alicia looked down at it and smiled. “When Grandpa was preparing my candle, he needed some of my blood, so he made a small cut.” She waved her hand casually. “Don't worry. It's nothing.” I still looked concerned. “Does it hurt?” She shook her head. “Not anymore.” She smiled at me. “I'll go take a shower.” I nodded. “Alright.” Alicia walked into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came out, changed into her night clothes, and climbed into bed. By the time I finished showering and returned to the room, she was already fast asleep. I smiled when I saw her. After everything that had happened today, she deserved the rest.

I quietly climbed into bed beside her. But just as I settled down, both our phones suddenly began ringing. I quickly picked up mine, trying not to disturb Alicia. “Hey, guys.” The video call connected. Laura greeted as well "Hey guys." Chris immediately laughed. “At least today you knew you had to be alone.” Laura grinned "Chris you are starting again." Sarah looked at the screen and noticed something. “Mike, where's Alicia?” I glanced at my sleeping wife. “She is tired. She's asleep.”

Chris shook his head. “Then the video call is incomplete. Wake her up.” I stared at him. “What?” Sarah nodded. “Yes. Wake her up. We have some important news.” Laura also laughed. “I have something important to tell you too. Come on, Mike. Wake her up.” I looked at Alicia. I really didn't want to disturb her. “Guys, she's exhausted. Can't we talk without her? I'll tell her everything in the morning.” Chris shook his head. “Come on, brother. You're already wasting time.” He grinned. “Just splash some water on her face.” I stared at him. “You're serious?” “Very.”

Without thinking too much, I took a little water and splashed it onto Alicia's face. She immediately woke up with a scream. “Mike! What are you doing?” Everyone on the video call burst into laughter. I quickly defended myself. “Wife, it was Chris's idea! Don't blame me.” Alicia wiped her face and glared at the screen. She picked up her phone and joined the call. “Everyone who participated in this idea is going to pay.” Sarah laughed. “Chris, if you ever do this to me, I won't speak to you for an entire week.” Alicia's eyes narrowed. “So it was your idea, Chris?”

Chris grinned. “It's your fault. How can you sleep when we haven't had our daily video call?” Alicia shook her head. “What is so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow?” Sarah's expression immediately became serious. “My brother gave Jack my number.” Alicia's smile disappeared. “Jack?” Sarah nodded. “He said Jack told him that his uncle wanted to buy Lucia Goods and wanted me to convince you and your family to sell the company.” Alicia's eyes widened. “Wait. Jack is from the Harris family?”

Before Sarah could answer, Samantha spoke. “Sis, you left early. He realized something else after you left.” Sarah frowned. “What do you mean?” Samantha explained. “After you left, Mom questioned Ben about the conversation. That's when he admitted that most of his conversation with Jack was actually about Alicia, Mike, and Lucia Goods.” She paused. “He even told Jack about us signing the contracts and about the training facility.” The call became quiet. Chris frowned. “Wait. How did Ben know all of that?”

Samantha continued. “Ben eventually realized that something didn't feel right.” She looked at Sarah. "Jack wasn't simply asking about Lucia Goods. He was asking about everything happening around Alicia and Mike.” Her voice became more serious. “And now he has your number.” Chris's expression changed. Laura said “Then that means he could come after Sarah first.” Alicia froze. I looked at the screen. “So you're saying Jack is working for his uncle?” Chris shook his head in disbelief. “Wait. You mean someone could come after my wife?”

He looked frustrated. “Jack is Ben's friend. How can he come after his friend's sister?” Alicia rubbed her tired eyes before speaking. “Regardless of whether Jack considers himself Ben's friend, we have to be careful from now on.” She looked directly at Sarah. “Watch where you go. Don't tell people about our plans. And Sarah...” She paused. “I know Ben is your brother, but from now on, keep these matters between us. We can't afford for information about our training or contracts to spread.”

Sarah nodded slowly. “I understand.” She still looked confused. “But Samantha, are you saying Jack is targeting me?” Samantha shook her head. “Not necessarily you personally.” She paused. “I think he's interested in Lucia Goods.” She looked at Alicia. “And I don't think Jack will simply call Sarah and politely ask her to convince you to sell the company.” Alicia nodded. “Exactly.” Samantha continued. “Look at what happened to the Maguire family. Jack claimed his uncle was responsible. If that's true, then this could be connected to him too.”

I looked at Samantha. “So you're saying Willy Harris is using Jack to come after us?” Alicia slowly nodded. “That would make sense.” She thought for a moment. “Jack is Ben's friend. He knows Sarah is Ben's sister. If he is working for Willy, he can approach Sarah without immediately raising suspicion.” She looked at Sarah. “And because the Wood family hasn't directly involved itself in our conflict with the Harris family, they might see Sarah as an easier target.” Everyone became quiet. Sarah slowly nodded. “Then I need to be careful.” Alicia nodded. “Very careful.”

For a moment, nobody said anything. Then Laura suddenly spoke. “We have another problem.” Alicia looked at her. “What problem, Laura?” Laura smiled awkwardly. “My husband is very talkative.” Alicia immediately remembered their earlier conversation. “You told Bright about the contracts?” Laura nodded. “Something like that.” She laughed. “He immediately opposed it. But my father-in-law supported me.”

She paused. “He told me that if this friendship is truly worth something to me, then I have the right to make my own decision. He only warned me that if danger eventually reaches the Gomez family, I will also have to protect them.” I looked at Laura. “If that's not about the contract, then what else did you discuss?” Laura hesitated. “It was about the contracts you promised to explain to us.” Samantha immediately nodded. “Exactly. Laura is right.”

Alicia smiled. “Yes. Then let's make sure everyone understands what they actually signed.” She looked around the screen. “The second contract is serious.” Her expression became firm. “It means you are not simply training with us. You are becoming part of our group.” Everyone listened carefully. “If Lucia Goods is attacked, you will be expected to come and help defend it.” She paused. “If there is a shooting, you may be expected to fight.” Alicia's voice became quieter. “And yes, there is a possibility that people could get hurt or even lose their lives.”

Laura swallowed. Alicia continued. “That is why I specifically said that everyone who signed the second contract would receive strict and difficult training.” She looked toward me. “The weapons will be delivered tomorrow.” Chris nodded. “And the coaches?” “I already found them,” Alicia answered. “They will train us in combat, martial arts, shooting, and other defensive skills.” Alicia lowered her eyes. “I know this may be difficult for all of you, especially because you work at different companies.”

Samantha immediately shook her head. “That isn't a problem.” She smiled. “We can train after work.” She paused. “But there is something I don't understand.” Alicia looked at her. “What?” “If we are going to be assigned our own guns, what happens if something goes wrong?” Samantha continued. “What if my gun is stolen?” She hesitated. “And what if an attack happens and I use my gun to kill someone while defending myself? Would I be arrested?” Alicia smiled slightly. “I like the way you're thinking.”

She explained carefully. “First, regarding the training schedule, Lucia Goods employees can train during working hours. Since they already work here, we have more flexibility.” She looked at Samantha. “For those of you who work elsewhere, I'll arrange training sessions starting around five in the afternoon.” Samantha nodded. “And the weapons?” Alicia continued. “I've already spoken to my father. Lucia Goods will have a proper security structure, including trained security personnel.”

She paused. “Every weapon will be registered to a specific person.” Samantha listened carefully. “If you use your registered weapon while defending yourself or Lucia Goods during an attack, that situation can be treated as self-defense, depending on the circumstances and the law.” Alicia raised a finger. “But if you use the weapon outside that situation and someone is killed, you will be responsible for your own actions.” She looked at everyone. “That is exactly why the weapons will be registered. We need to know who has which weapon and how it is being used.”

Laura's eyes widened. “So... we're really going to kill someone?” Chris laughed. “See? This is exactly what I was talking about.” Laura frowned. “What?” Chris grinned. “You're still too innocent.” He shook his head. “When danger comes, the enemy won't hesitate to kill you.” Laura's expression slowly changed. Chris continued. “So you need to get rid of the idea that training is just about learning how to throw punches.”

Alicia remained silent. The conversation had started as a simple video call. But now, everyone understood that the training facility was no longer just a place to exercise.