C66 A Thoughtful Surprise

"Hello, my beautiful angel," I said the moment Laura answered the call. "I've been thinking about you all morning. Are you alright?" A soft laugh came from the other end of the phone. "I'm doing well. What about you? Aren't you supposed to be busy at work today? I'm surprised you even had time to think about me."

I leaned back in my chair and smiled. "No matter how busy work gets, I have to make time for the most important woman in my life." "Oh?" she teased. "So I'm more important than your new promotion?" "Not even close. Promotions come and go. A woman like you is once in a lifetime."

Laura giggled. "You really know how to make a girl smile." "I'm only telling the truth." There was a brief silence before she spoke again, her voice becoming gentler. "Did you eat breakfast?" "I did. Don't worry, your future husband is taking good care of himself." "My future husband?" she laughed. "Who proposed?" "I've already proposed in my heart. I'm just waiting for the right day to say it properly."

Her laughter filled my ears, warming my heart. "You are impossible." "And you love me anyway." "...Maybe." "Maybe?" "Fine," she admitted shyly. "I do." For a moment neither of us spoke. Simply hearing each other's breathing was enough. "I miss you," I finally whispered. "I miss you too." "We'll make more memories together soon." "I'll be waiting."

After chatting for a few more minutes about work, family, and the weekend, we reluctantly ended the call, each promising to text later. With renewed energy, I returned to work. By noon I had finally begun to understand my responsibilities as a Cybersecurity Strategic Engineer. Unlike security analysts who mainly monitored alerts, my role focused on designing long-term security strategies before systems were even built.

I worked alongside software architects to ensure every new project followed secure-by-design principles. I reviewed network diagrams, identified potential weaknesses, and proposed stronger authentication methods before implementation.

Later, I analyzed possible attack paths that hackers could exploit and suggested ways to eliminate those risks before deployment. We also performed threat modeling, imagining how different cybercriminals might attack our infrastructure and creating defenses against each scenario.

Part of my afternoon involved reviewing security policies, recommending encryption standards, designing incident response procedures, and planning penetration testing schedules. Rather than simply reacting to cyberattacks, my job was to make sure they became extremely difficult to happen in the first place. By the time work ended, I finally felt like I belonged in my new position.

Outside the company building, Chris and I unlocked our bicycles. Just as we were about to leave, Alicia hurried toward us. "Wait!" she called. We stopped. "We're all going to the same place. If I drive while you two ride your bicycles, I'll arrive much earlier. What am I supposed to do while waiting alone?"

Chris and I exchanged glances. She smiled. "Come on. Let's ride together." Before I could answer, Chris spoke rapidly. "No way. Being with a beautiful girl like you already attracts enough attention. If everyone sees us leaving work together, they'll create all kinds of rumors. Besides, Sarah is already heading there. If she can wait for us, you can too." He finished everything in one breath.

Alicia stood speechless. Before she could respond, Chris had already mounted his bicycle. "I'll see you there!" He pedaled away immediately. I sighed helplessly. "Sorry..." I quickly followed him, leaving Alicia standing alone at the company entrance.

Instead of becoming angry, she watched us disappear down the road before smiling to herself. "Actually... this works out perfectly." She had been thinking about Mike's parents ever since hearing how warmly they had welcomed everyone yesterday. Since they would return home late from work again, she wanted to prepare dinner for them as a way of expressing her gratitude.

She remembered several traditional Scottish meals she had learned from her grandmother and decided to prepare them. Her menu included, "Cullen Skink , a rich smoked haddock and potato soup." "Mince and Tatties, seasoned minced beef served with creamy mashed potatoes." "Cock-a-Leekie Soup, a comforting chicken and leek soup with a traditional Scottish flavor." "Cranachan, a sweet dessert made with cream, oats, honey, raspberries, and a touch of whisky flavoring."

Satisfied with her plan, she walked toward the family car. The driver quickly opened the rear door. "Young Madam, shall we head home?" "No," Alicia replied politely. "Please take me to the supermarket first." The driver looked puzzled but nodded. "As you wish."

They soon arrived at a nearby supermarket. Alicia carefully selected fresh vegetables, potatoes, leeks, herbs, cream, smoked fish, minced beef, fresh raspberries, oats, and several other ingredients she needed. After paying, she returned carrying several shopping bags.

The driver helped place them inside the car. "Young Madam," he asked curiously, "are you cooking at home today?" She smiled. "No. Please take me to the Smith residence. My friends are waiting for me there. We still have some work to finish." Without asking further questions, the driver started the engine.

Nearly forty minutes later, the family car slowly stopped outside the Smith residence. To Alicia's surprise, Sarah had just arrived moments earlier, while Chris and I had only recently parked our bicycles. She stepped out carrying several bags full of fresh ingredients.

The three of us looked at her in confusion. I scratched my head. "Alicia... did you go shopping? Are those groceries for your family?" Instead of answering me, she walked toward Sarah with a warm smile. "Good afternoon, Miss Wood. How are you?" Sarah blinked before smiling politely. "Miss Mooney, why so formal? I'm probably two years younger than you. Please just call me Sarah."

Chris quietly watched the exchange. For some reason, a faint blush appeared on his face. None of us noticed. I was still staring at Alicia. She finally turned toward me. "You'll understand once we're inside." Curiosity growing, we entered the house together. The moment the front door closed behind us, I asked again, "So... what's your plan this time? You always surprise us."

Alicia set the shopping bags on the dining table before answering. "Yesterday Aunt Mary and Uncle Quinton welcomed us into their home, Today they prepared lunch." She smiled gently. "I don't like owing people favors. Since they'll return home late from work today, why should they still have to worry about preparing dinner? I'll cook for them."

Sarah's eyes widened. "You can cook?" Alicia nodded confidently. "I already know everything that happened during the celebration party, so there's no point in watching the footage again. While you two help Sarah understand everything, I'll prepare dinner."

For several seconds the room fell completely silent. Chris looked at her in disbelief before finally shaking his head. "I admit it." She looked at him curiously. "Your IQ is even higher than I thought." He chuckled. "In fact... I think it might even be higher than mine." Everyone burst into laughter.

Alicia simply smiled. "Now," she said, "would someone kindly tell me where the kitchen is?" I pointed toward the hallway. "The first door on the left." "Perfect." She picked up the shopping bags and walked confidently toward the kitchen. Naturally, the three of us followed behind her, curious to see what she planned to do.

The moment she stepped inside, however, she turned around, smiled mischievously... and locked the door.