C520 A Return To Family

Just as we entered the city, Cipher looked at us. "We're back home now, so there's no need for code names." Everyone nodded in agreement. Amanda continued driving steadily. Then Alicia's phone rang. Seeing Hammer's name on the screen, she answered with a smile. "How did it go? Did you catch them?" "Yes, Madam," Hammer replied. "We know who they are and who sent them. However, your spies weren't there when we captured them, so we executed the assassins. Please check whether your spies are safe." Alicia nodded. "That can wait. Right now, tell me who's behind all this." Hammer's expression turned serious. "Madam, it was Darry Gupta. Your grandfather's older brother and Miller's second son." Alicia froze. "What? How? Didn't everyone say he never got involved in these matters?" "That was true in the past, Madam, but things have changed. He made it clear that although his first attempt failed, he's coming for you. He wants revenge for his older brother's death." Hammer paused briefly before continuing. "Madam, should we inform the Boss?" Alicia shook her head. "No. I'll inform Grandpa myself. For now, your priority is to inform every soldier that their leader has returned back home to reorganize and prepare for their next defence plans. Tell them I'll be coming back." Hammer nodded. "Understood, Madam."

The call ended, and Alicia lowered her phone. "Well, now I know who's been trying to kill me." We all turned towards her. "My second grandpa, Darry Gupta, wants to avenge Hanna's father's death. That's why he's coming after me." Laura lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Alicia. I regret everything now. This is all my fault." Alicia smiled gently at her. "What's happened has happened. We'll discuss our next steps tomorrow. Right now, the most important thing is making sure all of you return to your families safely." Alicia insisted on personally dropping everyone off at their respective homes. She wanted to make sure everyone arrived safely before she returned to the Mooney residence. After everything we had experienced at the border, none of us was in the mood for unnecessary complications. Our first stop was Amanda's home. Alicia had arranged for the platoons to protect the Stokes residence, and once we arrived, Amanda stepped out of the vehicle, smiling as she prepared to say goodbye. Laura, however, had other plans. The moment Amanda was out of the way, Laura rushed towards her and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I will miss you!" Laura exclaimed. Amanda laughed and hugged her back. "We will see each other, Pixel." Before they could say much more, the Ravens approached us. They greeted us warmly, clearly pleased to see that we had returned safely. Alicia exchanged a few words with them before giving them their next instruction. "Starting tomorrow, you no longer need to guard the Stokes family. Your assignment is officially over." The Ravens looked at one another, then nodded. "Understood, Madam." "Report to Lucia Goods tomorrow morning. We'll discuss your next responsibilities there." "Yes, Madam."

With that settled, we said our goodbyes and returned to the vehicles. Our next destination was Capsey family. Due to last time confrontation. Alicia looked at Faith. "Fait you know your family never agreed to this, inform them that Me and My family will one day visit to apologize properly for all the misunderstandings." Faith nodded and left. We then proceeded to the Gomez residence. When we arrived, Falcons were already waiting for us. Laura smiled the moment she saw Bright, and Alicia accompanied her inside while the rest of us remained outside. The moment we entered the house, we were welcomed by a familiar and warm atmosphere. Alicia greeted the family first. "Mr Gomez, Mrs Gomez. And Bright, you're still as talkative as ever." Bright laughed. "I've learned to be quiet these days." Alicia raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's difficult to believe." "People change, Alicia." "Apparently." Their exchange brought laughter to the room. For a moment, everything felt normal again. The family was together, and the tension that had followed us from the border seemed to fade. Then Laura spoke. "Father-in-law. Mother-in-law. There's something I need to tell you." Everyone turned towards her. Laura took a breath before continuing. "I have avenged my father." The warmth in the room disappeared. Prince froze, staring at her as though he hadn't understood what she had said. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Did you kill Hanna?" Laura held his gaze. "A father for a father. That was the promise I made to my late father." Bright's expression changed immediately. "Laura, what have you done?"

He stepped closer to her, his voice filled with concern. "Hanna is still alive. If she discovers what you've done, she'll come looking for you. You know what she's capable of. Now we are not safe." Laura shook her head. "Alicia told them that she was responsible. She took the blame to protect me." Prince slowly nodded. "That was better." Godness looked at him in disbelief. "How can you say that?" she demanded. "Our daughter-in-law has just admitted to killing an innocent man, and you're saying it's better?" Prince turned towards his wife. "Wife, not now. We'll discuss this later." "But..." "Please." His voice softened as he looked back at Laura. "Right now, we're happy to welcome our daughter-in-law back into the family. Whatever has happened, we need to talk about it calmly." Laura's expression softened. She stepped forward and hugged him. "Thank you, Father." Prince embraced her, gently patting her back. "You're family, Laura. You don't need to thank me for that." Bright watched them quietly. Although he was relieved to have Laura home, the fear of what Hanna might do remained in his mind. Godness, meanwhile, was far from satisfied. She said nothing more, but her expression made it clear that she wasn't prepared to forget Laura's confession. Alicia recognised that the family needed time alone. "I'll leave you to talk," she said. "We'll see you again soon." After exchanging a few final words, she left the house with Laura's family still gathered in the sitting room.

Once we were back outside, The same order was passed to the Falcons. "Tomorrow you report to Lucia Goods." We then continued towards the Chambers and Wood residences. The Wolves were especially excited to see us. The moment we arrived, they came forward to greet us, their faces bright with relief and happiness. Alicia smiled at them. "It's good to see you all again." They greeted us enthusiastically, and after a brief exchange, Alicia gave them the same instruction she had given the Ravens. "Starting tomorrow, you'll report to work at Lucia Goods. Your assignment guarding the Wood and Chambers families is over." The Wolves acknowledged the order. "Understood, Madam." Alicia nodded. "Make sure you arrive on time. We'll discuss your next assignment when you get there." "Yes, Madam." We then went inside to greet the families. Both the Chambers and Wood families were delighted to see us. They welcomed us warmly, and for a while, the houses were filled with conversations, laughter, and questions about our return. After spending some time with them, we finally said our goodbyes and left. We had barely gone when Kelvin turned towards the two women seated next to him. "There is a lot we need to discuss." Samantha looked at him curiously. "What is it, Father?" Kelvin smiled, but there was something in his expression that immediately made her uneasy. "You And that girl." Samantha froze. She exchanged a quick glance with Sarah beside her, they wondered what Kelvin could possibly have discovered. Before either of them could respond, Kelvin continued. "And then there's Ben and all the problems he's been causing."