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At twenty, she should have been protected by her father and brothers, cherished by her mother<i>, </i>and adored by a boyfriend. Yet here she was, facing life’s pressures alone<i>–</i>along with condemnation from her entire family.
When Charles had first returned to the Yates family, Alicia had been taken in by the Lawrences. He had assumed they would treat her well, so he had left without concerns to join the military,
Who would have thought this was how they would treat her?
Later, he had believed Henry Yates would protect her and make her happy. Never did he imagine that half her suffering woulde from him.
How had she endured all this alone, handling so many matters, facing so many people?
Yes, she had won this time. But how many times had she suffered such humiliation before bing this strong, this resilient? She never deserved to be trampled upon like this.
His hands clenched into fists, barely containing the fury burning in his chest.
Brooke finally finished speaking. Kevin added one more reminder, “Take good care of Miss Lawrence. Hurry back with the food before it gets cold.”
“Alright, I’m going now, Kevin.” Cheerfully, she picked up the food container and left.
Kevin got into the car and nced back at Charles before remarking warmly, “Miss Lawrence can protect herself now. She’s quite capable and very clever.”
But Charles responded quietly, “It’s rather cruel learning to protect yourself at an age when you should be protected.”
Kevin paused, thinking. If his own daughter ever had to learn self–defense like this, it would break his heart
too.
He said nothing more.
Charles also remained silent. Several minutester, Charles opened the car door and walked toward the inpatient building.
He stopped outside room 606, watching through the door crack.
Alicia was eating.
She had taken portions of each dish and arranged them over rice to make a donburi bowl.
Then she mixed everything together with her spoon and began eating.
She tookrge mouthfuls, yet it didn’t appear messy – rather, she ate with a certain grace, as if cherishing each bite.
<b>15:39 </b>Wed<b>, </b><b>Oct </b><b>1 </b>
Charles stood there watching for a long time, until she had finished everyst grain.
Kevin stood beside him, also watching Alicia cat.
When she finally finished everything, Kevin asked, “Shall we go in? Should I knock?”
But Charles shook his head. “Let’s go back.”
“Huh?” Kevin was thoroughly confused.
‘Charles hade all this way… without meeting Miss Lawrence, without even speaking to her… just leaving like this?’
Wait… had he juste to watch her eat?
Now that he thought about it, Miss Lawrence did eat with genuine appetite <b>– </b>taking big bites,pletely without pretense.
Charles was already walking ahead toward the exit.
Kevin hurried to catch up.
On the road, Kevin nced in the rearview mirror. “What would you like for dinner, Mr. Yates? Should I book your usual table?”
Charles stared out the window for a moment. “Get me the same meal they sent to Alicia. Have it delivered to Lavender Court.”
“Sir, that’s the stomach–friendly menu,” Kevin reminded gently.
“Yeah,” Charles said quietly. “My stomach’s been acting up too.”
“Right away,” Kevin responded promptly.
The food arrived within twenty minutes.
Charles sat alone at his dining table, staring at the simple meal. He opened the container exactly how he’d seen Alicia do it through the hospital door, spreading the dishes over the rice, then mixing everything together with a spoon. <fnc6a4> Newest update provided by ?ovelFind</fnc6a4>
Each bite tasted like memory.
Back when they were kids living next door to each other, when his mom workedte, he’d always eat at Alicia’s.
he ar
Richard would make them two simple dishes, and after they finished, he and Alicia would always argue over who got to pour the leftover sauce over their rice–convinced it made the inest rice taste magical.
They’d especially fight over that tomato–egg sauce.
He kept eating until every grain was gone.
15:39 Wed, <b>Oct </b><b>1 </b>
2200
Wiping his mouth, he made up his mind.
“If nobody else can make you happy,” he whispered to the empty room, then I guess I’ll have to do it myself”
The next morning, Charles hadn’t even reached his desk when Tracy appeared with his coffee.
Let’s be real–the guy lived alone at Lavender Court with nobody to make breakfast, so he usually just grabbed ck coffee at the office. Tracy knew the drill.
But today’s cup was different.
Normally he drank his coffee ck – no sugar, no cream, just straight bitter goodness.
But this? This had steamed milk with some fancy leaf design she’d poured herself.
See, yesterday she’d overheard Kevin mentioning some “Miss Lawrence<i>, </i>and suddenly it all made sense. The boss wasn’t opposed to women. He just hadn’t met one he liked enough.
She’d done some digging. This “Miss Lawrence” turned out to be some young, innocent thing – sweet, naive, the easy type. So that’s what he was into?
For two years, Tracy had been the perfect professional secretary. But now? Now she decided to be exactly what he wanted.
She’d been going about it all wrong, thinking killer work ethic would impress him. Turns out Mr. Yates didn’t want a strong, capable woman Instead, he wanted a delicate little rose.
Well, if that’s what he liked… she could y that game too.
She set the coffee on Charles‘ desk, her voice sweet and yful. “Mr. Yates, try today’s brew–I made it myself with a hint of vani for a unique vor. And thette art… I poured it myself—”
Before she could finish, Charles looked up from his screen, his deep, calm eyes seeming to see right through
her.
Tracy’s words trailed off. She fell silent.
Charles didn’t speak either. The office was utterly quiet.
That cold, heavy silence made Tracy feel like she was about to explode.
Her hands began to tremble.
Finally, Charles spoke, his voice low and icy. “How long have you been(my secretary, Tracy?”
“O–over a year,” she stammered.
“Then you should know what I dislike most in a secretary.” His tone remained calm and detached–no yelling, no obvious anger, yet the weight of his words felt suffocating.
Trembling, she reached for the cup. “I’m sorry, Mr. Yates. I’ll… I’ll rece it right away”
“No need,” Charles said mildly.
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For a second, she looked up hopefully–but his expression hadn’t changed. Still cold. Still detached. Her heart sank.
“Answer my question,” he repeated.
She swallowed hard. “Overstepping. You dislike when secretaries act on their own. I understand, sir. Please give me another chance.”
“Of course,” Charles said. “I’m not an unreasonable man.”
Just as she began to rx, he added, “We’ve hired many neerstely. Report to HR–you’ll be assisting with training for a while.”
“I-” She wanted to refuse, but didn’t dare.
AD