C337 You Decide

Laura was left speechless for a moment. “Fine, fine, Chris. I understand.” Chris laughed. “Everyone, Laura must learn how to shoot properly first. I don't want to hear her complaining about a gun jamming when she is supposed to be defending herself.” Everyone laughed. Laura shook her head, but she was smiling. “Chris, my talkative husband has already told my parents that you and Sarah are married and expecting a child.”

Chris immediately froze. “What?” I laughed. “Why would you tell them that?” Chris looked embarrassed. “Why would he say something like that?” Laura shrugged. “It seems you all told the wrong person. I wouldn't be surprised if my father already knows everything.” Sarah laughed. “I don't see any problem with it. I already announced at the opening of the training facility that Chris is my husband.” She paused before adding, “My inbox is now full of messages. People keep asking me whether what I said is actually true.”

Chris grinned. “My wife clearly wants to bring attention to me, even though she knows how much I hate attention.” Everyone laughed again. After the laughter died down, Sarah suddenly became serious. “Alicia, you mentioned the guns earlier. Where are they going to be kept? Will everyone take their own gun home?” Alicia paused. She hadn't expected the question. More importantly, she hadn't really thought about it. She leaned back slightly and considered the situation. “Well... I don't know yet.”

Everyone looked at her. Alicia continued, “I was actually hoping you could help me decide. Should we rely on the fact that every gun will be registered to a specific person and allow everyone to take their weapons home? Or should we keep all of them locked inside Lucia Goods?” She paused. “If we keep them at Lucia Goods, there is another problem. What if someone breaks in and steals them?”

Alicia looked at everyone one by one. “Once a gun is registered to your name, you become responsible for it. If someone steals it and later uses it to commit a crime, the authorities will trace it back to the registered owner. That could create serious problems.” Nobody interrupted her. “And if we allow everyone to take their guns home, what happens if someone loses theirs? What if they forget it somewhere? Or what if they come to training one day and say they can't find it? We can't simply give them another weapon.” The room became quiet.

Everyone seemed to understand the seriousness of the decision. Alicia looked around. “There are six of us here. Let's vote and see what everyone thinks.” Samantha was the first to speak. “I vote for keeping mine.” Alicia looked at her. Samantha explained, “We will never know when trouble is coming. If the Harris family already knows that we are involved, they could come after us at our homes.” She paused. “If that happens, I want to be able to defend myself immediately.”

Laura nodded. “I second that.” She looked around. “Imagine they come at night and try to catch us one by one. If our guns are locked inside Lucia Goods, what are we supposed to do?” Chris rubbed his chin. “You two actually have a good point.” Then his expression became serious. “But there's another side to it.” Everyone looked at him. “Once you own a gun, the Harris family won't be the only thing you have to worry about. Criminals could also target you because they know you have weapons. Someone could break into your home specifically to steal your gun.”

The room fell silent again. For a moment, nobody knew what to say. I finally spoke. “Guys, we have to remember that this is not a game.” Everyone looked at me. “If we're going to take responsibility for these weapons, then we have to take that responsibility seriously. If trouble comes to our homes, I would rather have the means to defend myself than discover that my weapon is locked somewhere else.” Sarah nodded. “I'm already a target now. So, for me, keeping my gun at home makes more sense.”

Alicia laughed softly. “Chris, it seems like you're alone this time. Even your wife doesn't agree with you.” Chris grinned. “She is always against me.” Sarah laughed. “I'm not against you. I'm just stating the facts.” I smiled. “Well, then I think the decision is made.” I looked around the group. “You will all come tomorrow after work to collect your weapons.” Everyone nodded. A few moments later, the video call ended.

Alicia put her phone down. She didn't say anything. She simply turned around and went to sleep. I looked at her. I knew she was still annoyed because of what I had done earlier when I woke her up. I decided not to say anything. A few moments later, I also fell asleep. Morning came quickly. As usual, Alicia woke up before me. She quietly got out of bed, took a shower, and went downstairs. A few minutes later, she returned with a glass of cold water.

When she saw that I was still sleeping peacefully, she smiled. Then, without warning, she poured the entire glass over my face. I woke up with a scream. “Wife!” Alicia stood beside the bed, smiling. “Wake up.” I wiped the water from my face and stared at her. “But yesterday was Chris's idea, not mine!” She laughed. “And who actually threw the water?” I stared at her. This time, I decided not to argue. I slowly got out of bed. “You clean the bed. I'm going to take another shower.” Alicia laughed as she began tidying the bed.

I headed toward the bathroom. Despite everything, I couldn't help smiling. By the time we went downstairs, Mary had already prepared breakfast. We sat around the table together. As we began eating, Mary suddenly looked at Alicia. “Alicia, my child, I have been wondering about something.” Alicia looked up. “What is it?” Mary frowned slightly. “Why don't the maids come into the kitchen when we are cooking? What do they eat? They only seem to come back when you are cooking.”

Peter laughed. “You should ask them yourself. I'm also interested in hearing their answer.” Mark smiled. Before the conversation could continue, he brought up something more serious. “The guns are arriving today.” Everyone looked at him. “When they arrive, call me. I'll send officers to register them properly.” He looked at Alicia. “And make sure you have everyone's identification details ready. Each weapon must be registered to the correct person.” Alicia nodded. “Okay, Father. I will also register some for our family”

Quinton suddenly looked surprised. “Us as well?” Georgia folded her arms. “We're old. How are we supposed to learn how to use guns?” Peter immediately laughed. “Wife, don't make me laugh. Since when do you not know how to use a gun?” Georgia looked embarrassed. “I was speaking for Mary.” Everyone burst into laughter. The breakfast continued with everyone joking around, but beneath the laughter, we all understood that things were becoming more serious.

The weapons were arriving. The training would begin. And our preparations would no longer be just talk. Soon, we finished breakfast and left for work.