C54 You Went To Smith's Residence

When Alicia got home. She immediately sensed that something was wrong. Three pairs of eyes turned toward her at once. Mark was pacing back and forth across the living room with his arms folded tightly across his chest. Peter sat beside the sofa, glancing repeatedly at the clock, while Georgia remained comfortably seated with a cup of tea in her hands.

The atmosphere was heavy. Before Alicia could even remove her shoes, Mark spoke. "Where have you been?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried enough authority to make anyone nervous. "I called Kelvin three hours ago. He told me your flight had already landed."

His brows furrowed. "So why are you only getting home now?" Peter crossed his arms as well. "Don't tell me you spent all that time with those two boys again." Alicia opened her mouth, but before she could answer, another voice interrupted. "Oh, stop frightening the poor child." Georgia smiled warmly as she patted the empty seat beside her. "Come here, sweetheart."

Unlike the two men, her curiosity was directed elsewhere. "So..." "Tell Grandma everything." "I heard your team succeeded in France. Is that true?" "Was France beautiful?" "Did you visit famous places?" "Did you take lots of pictures?" "Come on, show me! I want to see everything." She asked every question without stopping to breathe.

Mark and Peter stared at her in disbelief. Peter rubbed his forehead. "Wife..." "In everything that happened..." "The only thing you care about is whether she had fun?" "Weren't you worried five seconds ago?" Georgia shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course I was worried." "But look."

She pointed toward Alicia with a smile. "My granddaughter is standing right there." "She's home safely." "So why waste time worrying?" "I'd rather hear all the interesting stories." She chuckled proudly. Alicia couldn't help smiling.

She removed her shoes before walking over and sitting beside her grandmother. Leaning her head gently against Georgia's shoulder, she began speaking. "Grandma..." "France was beautiful." "Everything looked like it came straight out of a movie." "The streets..." "The buildings..." "Even the cafés were amazing."

Her eyes sparkled as she remembered the trip. "The company booked us into a luxurious hotel." "Whenever we had free time, the three of us walked around the city together." "We visited famous places, tasted local food, and took lots of pictures."

Georgia clapped excitedly. "I knew it!" "My granddaughter finally got to travel overseas." Alicia laughed before continuing. "The project went better than we expected." "The clients were very satisfied." "Our director personally congratulated us." "And to celebrate..." "The company organized a party for everyone."

The smile on Mark's face immediately disappeared. "A party?" He looked horrified. "My daughter now attends company parties?" He shook his head dramatically. "I really need to have a serious talk with Kelvin." "He's slowly forgetting who I am."

Georgia rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop acting like parties are illegal." She nudged Alicia playfully. "Tell Grandma." "Did you dance?" "Did you drink?" "Were there handsome young men there?" "Did you make new friends?" Peter sighed deeply. "Honey..."

Alicia's cheeks slowly turned pink. "I had a few drinks." "But not many." "By the time Dad called..." "I was already back in my room." She smiled shyly. "And no..." "I didn't really pay attention to handsome men."

The moment those words left her mouth... A certain image unexpectedly flashed through her mind. Mike. Standing inside his room wearing nothing on top and a formal trouser. His perfectly sculpted abs. The confident smile on his face. Without realizing it... She became lost in that memory. Her heartbeat quietly sped up. Fortunately, no one noticed.

She quickly cleared her throat. "And..." "I didn't really have time to make new friends either." Mark looked at her carefully. "If everything ended after the party..." "Why did you arrive home three hours late?"

Alicia hesitated. She glanced at her father before lowering her eyes. "One of my brothers ran into a small problem." "We had to help him." She forced a small smile. "But..." "Seeing how upset you already are..." "I don't think telling you will improve your mood."

Georgia's ears immediately perked up. "A problem?" She looked at Mark. "If you're planning to get angry..." "Go to your study." "I'd like to hear this story peacefully." Mark ignored his mother's teasing. Instead, countless thoughts ran through his mind. A problem? One serious enough to delay them for three hours? What exactly happened?

He took a deep breath before speaking more calmly. "Fine." "I promise." "I won't lose my temper." "You have my word." Only after hearing that did Alicia begin explaining everything. She carefully described the celebration party. How everyone had been enjoying themselves. How Chris had suddenly begun acting strangely after drinking from his glass. How his condition rapidly worsened.

She then explained how Mike had refused to ignore the incident. "He believed something wasn't right." "So..." "He hacked into the hotel's security system." "He accessed the surveillance footage." "And we reviewed every camera one by one."

As she spoke... Her admiration for Mike became impossible to hide. Every time she mentioned his name... A soft smile unconsciously appeared on her face. Neither Georgia nor Peter noticed. But Mark certainly did. The old woman smiled quietly without interrupting.

When Alicia described the suspicious exchange between Ben and the waiter, she deliberately stopped herself. She never mentioned Ben's name. Nor did she reveal that Sarah had been the one who helped Chris. Those weren't her secrets to tell. By the time she finished, the room had become unusually quiet.

Peter finally broke the silence. "That's terrible." He slowly shook his head. "What if nobody had helped Chris?" Mark nodded seriously. "Thankfully he wasn't alone." "Otherwise..." He didn't finish the sentence. There was no need. Everyone understood. Georgia gently patted Alicia's hand. "So that's why you came home late."

Alicia smiled, "We went to Mike's Home. He wanted to use his computer to get clear understanding." The worry in the room slowly disappeared. Then Peter suddenly frowned. "Wait." He looked toward Alicia. "So..." "You went to the Smith residence?" "Without inviting us?" "How is that fair?" Alicia laughed softly. "It wasn't planned." "There were still a few things we needed to discuss." "And..."

She smiled warmly. "Aunt Mary had already prepared dinner." "It was delicious." "I don't think I've ever eaten so much homemade food before." Georgia burst into laughter. "See?" "That's exactly how neighbors should treat each other."

Meanwhile... Across the city... Chris had just returned home. The moment he entered the house, the familiar smell of dinner welcomed him. Valeria immediately stood up. "My son!" "You're finally home." She hugged him tightly before stepping back to examine him. "So..." "How was France?" "Were you successful?"

Before Chris could answer, David folded his newspaper. He looked at his son curiously. "How do you know so much about business?" "Aren't you still just an intern?" Chris laughed. "Dad..." "I'm not a child anymore." "I enjoy learning about business." "One day..." "I'll build companies of my own." "You'll see." David smiled proudly. "That's the spirit."

Valeria gently touched Chris's shoulder. "So..." "Tell us." "How did everything go?" Chris smiled. "The project was successful." "Our clients were happy." "The director congratulated all of us." "And he even organized a celebration party." Just then, Valeria carried dinner to the table. "Perfect timing." "Come eat."

Chris looked at the delicious food before smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mom." "I'm actually full." She looked surprised. "You've been away for an entire week." "Didn't you miss my cooking?" Chris laughed. "I did." "But after we returned..." "There were still a few things about the project that needed discussing." "So we went to Mike's house."

He smiled as he remembered the evening. "Aunt Mary had already prepared dinner." "And..." "I accidentally ate more than I should have." Valeria pretended to sigh dramatically. "So..." "My son's heart has already been stolen by someone else's cooking." The entire family burst into laughter.