C8 Ben Will React If Mike Is Being Noticed

I looked at him curiously. "Brother, why do you keep calling yourself a lone wolf? With that handsome face of yours, surely some women here are interested." Chris immediately laughed. "Look who's talking about women now."

I narrowed my eyes. "Answer the question." He pointed at me. "No. First answer mine." "What question?" His grin widened. "That means you've healed." I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"For months you never looked at another woman. Today you're noticing women again." I immediately realized he was changing the subject.

I shook my head and laughed. "Come on, brother. Tell me. Which beauty in this company has caught your attention?" Before he could answer, several women from the Administration Department walked past us.

The moment they saw Chris, they smiled. "Goodbye, Mr Chambers." "See you tomorrow, Mr Chambers." "Have a good evening, Mr Chambers." Chris awkwardly waved. I tried my best not to laugh.

The moment they were out of earshot, I couldn't hold it anymore. I straightened my posture and copied one of their voices. "See you tomorrow, Mr Chambers." Chris stared at me. I copied another voice. "Have a wonderful evening, Mr Chambers." This time I burst out laughing. "Since when are you called Mr Chambers?"

Chris looked completely speechless. "They're annoying." I laughed even harder. "Oh really? They don't seem annoying." "They are." "They seem very friendly." "They are not." The more serious he became, the more I laughed.

For the first time in a very long while, the conversation wasn't about heartbreak. It wasn't about Samantha. It wasn't about Ben.

It was just two friends enjoying the end of a good day. Eventually, the sun began to set. Chris and I said our goodbyes and headed home.

As I rode my bicycle through the evening streets, I found myself smiling. For the first time life didn't feel completely broken.

My day had gone better than expected. When I got home that evening, I could not hide my excitement.

“Mom, Dad,” I said proudly, “today I managed to save a major system threat at work. Everyone congratulated me. Even my manager took the whole team out for lunch. For once… I felt like a hero.”

I smiled and I continued. “In the future, I will work even harder so that I can take care of you both… and maybe one day, you won’t have to work for Ben’s family anymore.”

My parents exchanged warm smiles. My mother let out a small laugh, clearly proud of me. My father nodded slowly. “Very good, son. Keep working hard.” We sat down for dinner together and for a short moment, everything felt normal.

But that peace did not last long. Just as we were finishing our meal, my father’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, stood up immediately and stepped away from the table. “Hello, Madam… yes, don’t worry, I will come right away.”

A strange silence filled the room. I exchanged a look with my mother. When my father returned, his expression had changed slightly. “I might have to leave, son,” he said calmly. “The boss’s garden has a problem, and I need to go fix it tonight.”

I frowned. “Dad… it’s already late. Why not go tomorrow?” My mother also looked worried. “Quinton, what’s going on? It’s too late to be going out for gardening.” Something about it didn’t feel right.

Before he left, I hesitated for a moment, then spoke again. “Mom, Dad… something strange happened today.”

They both looked at me. “Everyone congratulated me for solving the system breach… except Ben.” I paused. “And people who saw him said he was completely different today. Cold. Unapproachable.”

A heavy feeling settled in my chest. “Could this be related?” I lowered my head. “Dad… I’m sorry if I’m bringing unnecessary trouble.”

My father smiled gently and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, son. Mr. Wood is not a bad man. It’s very unlikely he would interfere in matters between young people.”

That calmed me slightly. But something still felt off. This had never happened before. And yet… today, everything felt different. After my father left, I returned to my room and opened my laptop, trying to focus on something anything to clear my mind.

At the same time, at the Wood residence…Quinton arrived quickly at the large property, slightly out of breath from the urgency of the call. But when he arrived, he noticed something unusual.

Kelvin Wood was not there. Instead, Ben’s mother, Tracy Wood, stood waiting near the entrance. “Good evening, madam,” Quinton said respectfully. “I came as quickly as I could.”

Tracy Smiled & acknowledged him. Her attention was fixed on Ben, who stood nearby looking visibly irritated. “This garden,” Ben snapped, “has been completely ruined.” He pointed toward the neatly arranged flower beds.

“I told you not to touch anything but you insisted on planting new flowers. Now the smell is unbearable. How am I supposed to sleep like this?” He spoke quickly, almost angrily, as if he had been holding it in all day.

Quinton blinked in confusion. “Young Master… these changes were made under Mr. Wood’s instructions. He specifically asked for new flowers to be planted.”

He paused, trying to remain respectful. “But if there is an issue, I can remove them immediately.” Tracy frowned slightly, now even more confused. “If those were Kelvin’s instructions… then why remove them?” For a moment, no one answered.

The air felt tense, but unclear. Eventually, she sighed and turned away, walking back toward the house without another word.

Quinton stood there for a moment, unsure of what exactly had just happened.

As the sun began to set, the air grew colder. Quinton stood alone in the garden, wearing his work gloves, continuing his task quietly under the fading light.

His face looked pale, not from illness, but from heavy thoughts he could not express.

Earlier that day, Michael had achieved something significant at work. He had saved a major system from a security threat and earned recognition from the company. But instead of celebration, Quinton could only think about the consequences behind it.

If Michael was being noticed… then Ben would not stay silent. He worked in silence, carefully removing the flowers he had been instructed to plant only hours before.

From a distance, Ben stood watching him. He leaned casually near the balcony, observing the scene below with a faint, satisfied smile.

“That’s what you get,” Ben muttered to himself, barely audible. “For raising someone who thinks he can compete with me.”

His eyes followed Quinton’s movements with quiet amusement, as though this was nothing more than a small reminder of control.