C65 To Congratulate Them

The next morning, I woke up feeling different. I was no longer an intern. I was now a Cybersecurity Strategic Engineer. The promotion came with greater responsibilities, and I wanted to become someone others could look up to, someone who could guide people in the right direction.

After getting ready, I headed downstairs for breakfast. Mom had woken up unusually early. The dining table was already filled with freshly prepared food, and beside it sat a large insulated lunch bag. She smiled warmly as I took my seat. "Eat well. You'll need the energy." As we finished breakfast, she handed me the large lunch bag. "This is for you, Alicia, and Chris."

I blinked in surprise. "Mom, you really don't have to do this." Mary looked at me as though I had said something ridiculous. "Don't have to do what? I'm simply congratulating the three of you. Is there anything wrong with that?" Dad immediately nodded in agreement. "Exactly. All of you worked hard and earned those promotions. You deserve to celebrate."

Mom added with a smile, "Besides, your girlfriend Alicia liked my cooking last time. She'll probably be the first one to enjoy it." I almost choked. They still believed Alicia was my girlfriend. "Dad... Mom... I've told you before.." Quinton interrupted me with a grin. "When you marry her, we won't even have to change the way we treat her."

Mary laughed before sighing. "I just hope the Mooney family won't mind. They're a powerful family, even if they prefer living quietly." Realizing there was no point arguing anymore, I simply shook my head. "There is something I should tell you. We might come home together this evening. We have something important to do after work."

Their smiles faded slightly. Quinton scratched his head. "Today is Tuesday. Our shift at the Wood residence finishes later than usual." Mary looked worried. "If they come over, should I prepare dinner now? But food cooked this early won't taste as good by evening."

I quickly reassured her. "Don't worry, Mom. We haven't decided yet. If they do come, we'll probably eat something at a café first." "My friends are very understanding." Quinton nodded. "That sounds reasonable." Mary finally smiled again. "Then all the more reason for you to take this lunch."

I sighed in defeat. There was no escaping it. After saying goodbye, I picked up the oversized lunch bag and rode my bicycle to work. When I arrived outside Wood’s IT Company, Chris was already waiting at our usual meeting spot. Or rather... Someone who looked like a wanted criminal was standing there.

He wore a white hoodie pulled low over his head, black sunglasses, and a face mask that covered almost his entire face. Anyone passing by would probably think he was trying to avoid the police. Just then, Alicia stepped out of her family's car.

The moment she saw Chris, she burst into laughter. "What happened, Brother?" she asked while pointing at him. "You look like an old thug hiding from the entire neighborhood. Who did you offend?" I couldn't help laughing too. "You look terrifying. Are you trying to scare every woman away so you can remain a lone wolf forever?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "You two have no sympathy." He lowered his sunglasses slightly before explaining. "I don't want any more attention. These promotions have become a real problem." Alicia tilted her head. "What kind of problem?" "My entire department found my Weibo account. Some keep asking me out, others message me about work after office hours. Isn't work supposed to end at 4:30?" Both Alicia and I burst into laughter again. The more we laughed, the more irritated Chris became.

Once we had finally calmed down, our conversation shifted toward the afternoon's plan. Chris and I looked at Alicia. She sighed. "I spent most of last night thinking of a way to get Sarah into Mike's room without making his parents suspicious..." Before she could continue, I interrupted. "You don't have to worry anymore. My parents will be working late today, so if we're quick, no one will notice."

Alicia froze. Then she looked at me with an expression of complete betrayal. "So... after all the planning I did last night... you're telling me none of it was necessary?" Chris rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. "Young Sister... I'm sorry you worked so hard." I laughed. "If only someone had listened to me yesterday." Alicia rolled her eyes. "So you already knew it would be like this?"

Chris looked between us in confusion. "Wait... listened to what?" "Why do I feel like you two decided something without me again?" I tried my best to keep a straight face. "Brother, we talked about it in the group chat." "You were the only one who didn't notice." It was a complete lie. But judging by Alicia's amused smile, she understood exactly what I was doing.

She decided to play along. "Anyway," she said, turning toward Chris, "did your girlfriend agree to meet us?" Chris nodded. "She'll be waiting for us at five." Then she looked at me. "And you?" "Did you finally confess?" A huge smile spread across my face. "I did." "And..." "She said yes."

Chris immediately grinned. "Congratulations, Brother!" Alicia smiled genuinely. "Finally." "No more Samantha." "I'm happy for you." "But this time, don't let your heart make reckless decisions." I laughed. "Don't worry." "I've learned my lesson."

Just before we went our separate ways, Alicia noticed the large lunch bag in my hand. "What's in there?" "Oh, this?" I lifted it slightly. "My mom prepared lunch for the three of us to celebrate our promotions." Chris's eyes immediately lit up. "Great!" "That saves money."

Alicia smiled softly. "Please thank Aunt Mary for us." I nodded. "She also said you liked her cooking, so she made extra." A faint blush appeared on Alicia's face. After a brief silence, she smiled to herself. "If she prepared lunch for us..." "...then I should do something too."

Chris and I exchanged puzzled looks. "What are you planning now?" Chris asked. She simply smiled mysteriously. "Nothing." "We're going to be late." Without another word, the three of us headed toward our respective departments.

The morning passed quickly. James Courington continued teaching me everything about my new responsibilities, leaving me buried beneath stacks of documents. Across the building, Alicia continued reading the mountain of books assigned to her. But today... She couldn't focus. "Mike confessed to Laura..." "And Laura accepted..." "So... they're really dating now." She sighed softly.

Then she remembered something else. She had forgotten to ask her grandmother about the signs of falling in love. "I'll ask her tonight." Her thoughts soon returned to the lunch Aunt Mary had prepared. She didn't like owing people favors. If Aunt Mary had cooked for them... Why couldn't she prepare dinner for Mike's parents? Since she now knew that they would be working late.

Besides, everyone at home loved her cooking. Whenever she cooked, Grandpa Peter and Grandma Georgia practically competed for second helpings. Smiling to herself, she made a silent decision. She would cook dinner for the Smith family. But she wouldn't tell Mike or Chris. It would be a surprise.

Chris's morning was much smoother. Most of his responsibilities involved supervising and guiding his team rather than memorizing endless information. Being a Team Leader wasn't as difficult as he had imagined. Still... He found himself growing increasingly nervous about meeting Sarah later that afternoon.

Before long, it was lunchtime. As I stepped out of my office, Bright and Alex immediately stopped me. "Nerd!" Bright called. "Is your girlfriend angry with you?" "She didn't come yesterday." "And she still isn't here today." I laughed helplessly. "You two have misunderstood something."

At almost the same time, Alicia stepped out of her office. Several curious employees approached her. "Miss Mooney," one of them asked with a teasing smile, "where's your boyfriend today?" "My boyfriend?" She looked confused for a moment before remembering yesterday afternoon. Unable to help herself, she laughed. "You people really love gossip." She waved them away and continued walking.

Outside, the three of us gathered once again and enjoyed the delicious lunch Mom had prepared. As we ate, I turned to Chris. "So..." "What exactly do you want me to tell Sarah?" "Should I start from the phone call?" Chris nodded seriously. "As long as she understands everything." "I don't want to keep feeling like I owe her."

While we discussed the details, Alicia quietly ate her lunch. Her mind, however, was somewhere else entirely. She was already planning tonight's dinner for the Smith family. Chris was worried about Sarah's reaction. Alicia thought about recipes. I thought about Laura.

Then, suddenly, I realized something. She's my girlfriend now and I haven't even called her once today. Without wasting another second, I took out my phone as I walked back toward my office. The call connected almost immediately. "Hello..." Laura's soft, shy voice reached my ears.