C355 What Did You Feel

At the Mooney Residence. Alicia and I were preparing to leave for work when Georgia stopped us. She looked at the two of us carefully. "My children." She folded her arms. "These days all I hear about is training, fighting, guns, and enemies." Everyone laughed. Georgia continued, "How is Lucia Goods actually doing?" I smiled. "Grandma, don't worry." "The company is running perfectly fine." Mary looked doubtful. "Really?"

Alicia nodded confidently. "Yes." She smiled. "It looks like the people we fired were the only ones causing problems." She glanced at me. "Since then, everything has been running smoothly." I nodded. "The employees are working well." "The orders are being completed on time." "And our clients are happy." Only then did Mary and Georgia finally relax. "That's good." Alicia smiled. "Very good." After saying goodbye, we got into our car and headed to Lucia Goods.

Inside Lucia Goods Headquarters, the day was progressing smoothly. Faith, however, found it difficult to concentrate. Several times she caught herself staring at her lunchbox. The events of the previous evening kept replaying in her mind. No matter how hard she tried to focus on work, her thoughts always drifted back to Samantha. When lunchtime finally arrived, Faith stood up immediately. She picked up Samantha's gun, which she had brought with her that morning, grabbed her lunchbox, and hurried toward her car. Heading towards Wood IT Company.

At Wood IT Company, lunch break had just begun. Employees were leaving their offices and heading toward the cafeteria when Faith arrived at the reception desk. "Good afternoon," she greeted politely. The receptionist smiled. "Good afternoon." Faith hesitated briefly before asking, "Could you please tell me where Vice Director Samantha Wood's office is?" The receptionist pointed down the corridor and gave her directions. After thanking her, Faith followed the instructions and soon arrived outside Samantha's office. She took a deep breath and knocked softly.

Inside the office, Samantha had just stood up from her desk. She assumed Sarah had come to fetch her for lunch. "Come in," she called. The door opened. To her surprise, Faith stepped inside. Samantha froze for a moment. Faith smiled politely. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Wood." Samantha quickly recovered. "Faith?" She looked surprised. "What brings you here?" As she spoke, her fingers unconsciously brushed against her lips before she quickly lowered her hand. Faith noticed but pretended not to. "I came to return something."

She carefully placed Samantha's gun on the desk. "Yesterday you left in a hurry after... everything that happened." Only then did Samantha remember. She had completely forgotten about the gun. "Right..." She shook her head. "I didn't even realize it was missing." Faith smiled awkwardly. "I also wanted to apologize." Samantha looked at her. "For what?" Faith lowered her gaze. "For yesterday." Samantha sighed softly. "Faith, you explained your reason." She paused. "You don't have to keep apologizing." "Let's just pretend as if nothing happened."

Faith nodded. Then she slowly lifted the lunchbox she had been carrying. "Then... would you mind having lunch with me?" Samantha blinked. For a moment she considered refusing. "Every day I eat with my sister." She looked toward the door. "If she finds out I skipped lunch with her, she'll complain." Faith's expression dimmed slightly. Seeing that, Samantha sighed. "Fine." A small smile appeared on her face. "Sit down." Faith immediately brightened. "Thank you." The two women sat together and began eating. For a while, neither spoke about what had happened.

The atmosphere remained surprisingly comfortable. Then Samantha suddenly looked at Faith. "Can I ask you something?" Faith nodded. "Of course." Samantha hesitated before finally speaking. "Are you attracted to women?" Faith nearly choked on her food. She stared at Samantha in shock. After a few seconds, she managed to answer. "I've never been in a relationship with a woman." Samantha immediately relaxed. "Thank goodness." She leaned back in her chair. "So the kiss didn't really mean anything." Faith lowered her eyes. The smile on her face disappeared.

Samantha noticed the change immediately. "What is it?" Faith remained silent for several seconds. Finally, she took a deep breath. "That's not what I said." Samantha frowned. Faith looked directly at her. "I said I've never been in a relationship with a woman." She paused. "I didn't say I felt nothing." The room became silent. Samantha stared at her. Faith lowered her eyes for a moment before continuing. "To be honest, I don't even understand what I felt." She laughed nervously. "When I kissed you..." Her cheeks turned red. "I was shocked by myself."

Samantha remained silent. Faith continued slowly. "I admired you, Madam." "You are strong, kind, and you treat everyone fairly." "I thought it was just respect." She shook her head. "But after that kiss, I couldn't stop thinking about you." Her voice became softer. "I kept wondering if you were angry." "I kept wondering if you hated me." "I kept remembering how your lips felt." Faith looked embarrassed. "I know it sounds strange." "I've never looked at another woman that way before."

She took another deep breath. "But when I saw you leave yesterday, it felt like I had done something terrible." "Then when I woke up this morning, the first thing I thought about was seeing you again." She smiled bitterly. "That's when I realized I wasn't worried because I respected you." "I was worried because you matter to me." The room fell silent once more. Samantha didn't know how to respond. Her mind immediately remembered the previous night. Remembered how she had been unable to sleep.

She remembered how the kiss had stayed in her thoughts. How it had driven her to Ben's room. And the guilt she felt afterward. She remembered lying awake and wondering why Faith's face kept appearing in her mind. Her cheeks slowly turned red. Faith noticed. A small smile appeared on her face. Then she asked softly, "And you?" Samantha froze. "What?" Faith's voice became even quieter. "Did you really feel nothing?" Samantha opened her mouth. Then closed it again. No answer came. Several seconds passed. Finally, Samantha looked away. "I wish I could say no."

Faith's heart skipped a beat. Samantha let out a long sigh. "Yesterday, after I left, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened." She laughed at herself. "I kept telling myself it was just a stupid mistake." "But the more I tried to forget it, the more I remembered it." Faith listened quietly. Samantha continued. "I even started questioning myself." "Questioning why I reacted the way I did." "Questioning why I left when you clearly said it was just to breakfree." She lowered her head. "And that scared me."

Faith's eyes softened. Samantha smiled bitterly. "I'm married." "I have a daughter." "My life is already complicated." She looked directly at Faith. "So when you ask me if I felt nothing..." She paused. "...I can't honestly say that." The room became completely silent. Faith slowly stood up. Before Samantha could react, Faith stepped closer. Samantha's heart began racing. For a moment neither of them moved. Then Faith gently kissed her. Samantha's mind went completely blank. This time she didn't pull away.

At that exact moment, Sarah was walking down the corridor. When Samantha hadn't arrived for lunch, she became worried and decided to check on her. She reached the office door and pushed it open without knocking. The moment she looked inside, she froze. Her eyes widened. For several seconds she couldn't process what she was seeing. Then she stumbled backward. "S-Sister?!" The sudden voice shattered the moment. Samantha immediately pulled away and jumped to her feet.

Her face turned bright red. "Sister!" Faith also stepped back quickly. Samantha panicked. "It isn't what you think!" Sarah stared at the two women. Then at Faith. Then at Samantha. Then back at Faith again. For a while, Sarah found herself completely speechless.