C46 The Celebration Party

Soon it was time for the celebration party. I stood inside my hotel room staring at the clothes laid across the bed. The formal trousers were already on, but I was still deciding which shirt and jacket looked best.

A knock sounded at the door. Before I could answer, the door opened. Chris walked in first. Behind him was Alicia. Neither of them expected to find me half-dressed. I only had my formal trousers on while the rest of my outfit was still spread across the bed.

Chris glanced at me and immediately laughed. "Nerd, why do you look like you're preparing for a fashion competition?" I rolled my eyes. "I've been standing here for ten minutes trying to decide." "Then you've already lost." I was about to answer when I saw Alicia unusually quiet. Chris didn't notice anything strange. I didn't either. But Alicia's thoughts were in complete chaos.

Her eyes had fallen on me the moment she entered the room. The next thing she noticed was the toned physique I had unknowingly revealed. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. Then another. Then another. For some reason she couldn't look away. Her face slowly became warm. She wished she could touch my ABs.

Chris continued talking. "Alicia?" No response. "Alicia?" Still nothing. She was completely lost in her own thoughts. Questions appeared one after another. Why was her heart beating so fast? Why did she suddenly feel nervous? Why was she looking at him this much? Hadn't she already convinced herself that Mike was simply her older brother? Then why was she feeling this way?

"Alicia!" Chris finally raised his voice. She jumped slightly. "W-What?" Chris and I looked at each other. Then both of us burst into laughter. "You weren't listening at all." "I was!" "No, you weren't." Alicia immediately became defensive. "I was thinking about something important." Chris smirked. "Sure."

Alicia glared at him. "If you say one more word, Protector, I'll tell everyone how you screamed when you saw a spider at the park." Chris instantly went silent. I laughed so hard I nearly dropped my jacket.

Soon we finished preparing and headed downstairs. The celebration was being held in one of the grandest halls in the hotel. Crystal chandeliers illuminated the room. Elegant music played softly in the background. Employees, executives, investors, and foreign partners filled the venue.

The atmosphere was lively. The moment we entered, several people immediately approached us. Especially me. To my surprise, many of the foreign executives wanted to personally meet the members who had solved the security crisis.

Josh introduced us repeatedly. "This is Michael Smith." "The engineer who identified the root vulnerability." "This is Alicia Mooney." "She played a crucial role in the information systems analysis." "This is Christopher Chambers." "He was heavily involved in the business planning."

Everywhere we went people greeted us. Congratulated us. Asked questions. Praised our work. Even Sarah found herself observing us from across the room. She had spent three days watching us work. Now she was seeing how much respect we had earned.

Meanwhile, someone else was watching as well. Ben. His smile remained polite. His posture remained calm. But inside, jealousy was growing stronger. Every conversation seemed to involve my name. Every compliment seemed directed toward me. Every success somehow pointed back to me.

The more he watched, the more uncomfortable he became. At one point he quietly stepped away from the crowd. His expression darkened. After a brief moment, he returned carrying a small bottle. His eyes searched the room.

Soon they settled on one of the hotel staff members as he called him on his phone. After a short conversation, the staff member nodded, hang up the phone and disappeared into the crowd. Ben watched from a distance. A cold smile appeared briefly on his face. Then it vanished.

Back near our table, Chris and I were discussing the project while Alicia listened. A few moments later, a staff member approached carrying drinks. "Congratulations on the successful partnership." We thanked him. The glasses were placed before us. None of us thought much about it. Just as we were about to drink, several familiar voices interrupted.

"Congratulations." We looked up. Josh. Jamie. Joe Sharma. All three team managers had arrived together. The drinks were immediately forgotten. We stood up respectfully. The managers spent several minutes congratulating us. Praising our work. Sharing jokes. Talking about future opportunities.

By the time the conversation ended, nobody remembered which glass belonged to whom. We simply picked up the nearest one. Chris grabbed one. I grabbed another. Alicia was too busy arguing with Chris to notice.

"Protector, don't become arrogant." "You should be saying that to yourself." They continued bickering. I laughed and took a sip. Chris did the same. The celebration continued. Few minutes passed. The music grew louder. More guests joined the conversations.

The atmosphere became increasingly lively. Eventually the event began winding down. Everyone was tired after three demanding days. Chris suddenly loosened his tie. "You okay?" I asked. He frowned. "Yeah."

A few moments later he took a seat, in that moment Bright called me and i went there while went to answer her phone we separated. She went back to her room. Chris struggled to get up but stood up anyway. Trying to go to his room, he walked slowly to the elevator and finally he pressed the up button. The elevator went up and when it reached his floor.

Chris walked alone through the quiet hallway. His footsteps echoed against the polished floor. The further he walked, the hotter he felt. His vision blurred slightly. He stopped. Something wasn't right. He reached his room door. His hand searched for the key card. The hallway seemed to spin. "What's happening..."

The card slipped from his fingers. A wave of dizziness struck him. His knees weakened. The next moment, Christopher Chambers collapsed heavily onto the floor outside his hotel room. The corridor fell silent. And no one was there to see it happen.