C99 Together We Stand Tall

After Team Manager Josh left my office, I remained seated in silence for a long time. The room felt strangely empty. His final words echoed repeatedly inside my mind. "If you still want to remain on my good side... you already know what you have to do." I looked at the computer screen in front of me. Lines of code filled the monitor, waiting for my attention. Normally, solving complex cybersecurity problems was where I found peace.

Today... The words on the screen seemed meaningless. I tried to focus. I really did. I opened several reports, reviewed system logs, and even attempted to continue the security assessment I had started the previous day. But every few minutes, my mind drifted back to Laura. Break up with her... Those words refused to leave me alone.

I rubbed my forehead before closing my eyes. "Come on, Mike..." "Focus." I forced myself to continue working. Five minutes later, I realized I had been staring at the same paragraph without reading a single word. I sighed heavily. For the first time since joining Wood's IT Company... I couldn't do my job. My thoughts slowly became darker. Why was it always like this? Every time I found happiness... Something happened. Every time I finally managed to protect someone important... Life found another way to take them away from me. Samantha... She disappeared from my life. Not because I wanted her to. Not because I stopped loving her. She simply chose another path.

Now... It felt as though history was repeating itself. Only this time, I wasn't losing Laura because she no longer loved me. I was being forced to make the decision myself. The more I thought about it, the heavier my heart became. I had promised myself after Samantha that I would never allow depression to consume me again. But now... That familiar darkness slowly crept back into my heart. I clenched my fists. "Why..." "Why do I keep failing the people I love?" I couldn't protect Samantha. And now... I couldn't even protect Laura.

Meanwhile, on another floor of the building, Alicia sat quietly inside her office. Several reports were neatly arranged on her desk. Yet she hadn't read a single page. Instead, she stared absentmindedly through the office window. Her family's words continued replaying inside her mind. "Lucia Goods will still be yours, even after five years." "Take your time." Peter's gentle reassurance had eased some of her worries.

And after thinking about it throughout the morning... She finally reached a decision. "I'll tell them tonight." She smiled faintly. She wasn't ready to become a director yet. She still wanted to learn. She wanted to experience real corporate life. She wanted to make mistakes while the consequences were still small. Wood's IT Company had become more than just a workplace. It had become a place where she was growing. "I'll continue working here as a Special Analyst."

She nodded to herself. "Then... when I'm truly ready..." "I'll gradually take over Lucia Goods." The decision finally brought her peace. Then another thought crossed her mind. Mike. Chris. "They should know." A warm smile appeared on her face. "I'll tell them during lunch."

The morning passed painfully slowly. Finally... Lunch break arrived. Alicia left her department and walked toward my office as usual. She gently knocked before opening the door. The moment she stepped inside... Her smile slowly disappeared. I was still sitting behind my desk. Motionless. My eyes looked tired. My shoulders had slumped. It looked as though I hadn't slept for days. "Mike..." she called softly. I forced a smile. "I'm coming." Without asking anything further, she quietly waited for me.

Together, we walked toward our usual meeting place where Chris was already waiting. The moment he saw me, he frowned. His cheerful expression disappeared almost instantly. "Brother..." He stared at me carefully. "What happened?" "This morning you were laughing." He shook his head slowly. "But now..." "You look like you've aged ten years."

Normally, I would have laughed at a joke like that. Today... I couldn't. Chris immediately realized something was seriously wrong. The atmosphere turned unusually quiet. Alicia looked between both of us with growing concern. After taking a deep breath, I finally spoke. "This morning..." "Team Manager Josh came to my office." Both of them immediately became serious.

I told them everything. How Josh had confronted me. How he believed I had approached Laura because she was his daughter. How he thought I wanted to gain favor inside the company. And finally... The choice he gave me. "If I want to remain on his good side..." "I have to break up with Laura." "But if I choose Laura..." "I'll be on his bad side." "And I don't know what that means for my future here." Silence filled the room.

Chris lowered his head. Unlike Alicia... He had witnessed what happened after Samantha left me years ago. He remembered the sleepless nights. The empty smiles. The loneliness. He knew exactly why I looked the way I did now. Alicia, however, had never seen that side of me before. She looked at me with eyes full of sympathy. Her heart ached. She had always known me as someone calm, dependable, and optimistic.

Seeing me completely defeated... Broke something inside her. "I'm... so sorry, Mike." She spoke softly. "I didn't know..." I simply smiled weakly. "It's okay." "No one did." For several minutes, nobody spoke. The cheerful atmosphere that usually surrounded our lunches had completely disappeared.

Alicia looked down at the lunch box in front of her. She had originally planned to tell us her exciting news immediately. Now... It almost felt inappropriate. Still... She knew she couldn't keep delaying it. "There is... something I wanted to tell both of you." Chris looked up. "What is it?"

She took a deep breath. "My family recently acquired eighty percent of Lucia Goods." Both Chris and I froze. "What?" She nodded. "They want me to become the future director." For several seconds... Neither of us spoke. It was such an enormous revelation that even my own problems disappeared from my mind.

Chris was the first to recover. "Alicia..." "Congratulations." I smiled genuinely. "That's incredible." "I'm really happy for you." She smiled shyly. "Thank you." "But..." She paused. "I turned it down." Both of us looked at her in surprise. "You what?" Chris asked. "I told myself this morning that I'm not ready." "The interim director will continue managing the company." "I'll stay here at Wood's IT Company for now." "I still want to learn." "I want experience before accepting such a huge responsibility."

Chris slowly nodded. "Honestly..." "I think that's a wise decision." I agreed. "You've always been the planner among us." "You think carefully before making decisions." "If that's what you believe is best..." "Then we support you." Alicia smiled gratefully. "Thank you." After a brief moment of happiness...

The conversation slowly returned to my own situation. Chris folded his arms. "The first thing you need to do is talk to Laura." I nodded slowly. "I know." Alicia reached across the table and gently placed her hand over mine. Her voice was calm and reassuring. "Mike..." "No matter what happens..." "You won't face this alone." I looked at her. "If you choose Laura..." "And things don't work out with Team Manager Josh..." She smiled warmly. "I'll gladly accept the director's position earlier than planned." Chris looked at her in surprise.

She continued without hesitation. "And when that day comes..." "I'll make sure Lucia Goods has a place waiting for you." For the first time that afternoon... A small smile appeared on my face. Not because my problems had disappeared. But because I realized something important. No matter how difficult the road ahead became... I wasn't walking it alone.