Chapter 15: Unacceptable Feedback

The drive to the company was silent. Andy didn’t speak, and neither did Alicia. When they reached the spot where she’d gotten out last time, she said, “Drop me here.”

Andy gave the order, the driver braked, and the car rolled to a stop. Alicia leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “Thanks—and stop trying.”

She pulled back and stepped out. Andy watched her with a meaningful smile. The driver reversed, then pulled away, stopping a short distance down the road where Assistant Luke waited, his face creased with surprise.

“Speak,” Andy said curtly.

Luke began, eyes wide, voice tight with shock. “I don’t know what sister-in-law told Kane, but when I went to negotiate yesterday, he made it clear he has no issue with the branch anymore. And guess what?”

Andy’s expression darkened. He looked at Luke, cold and unreadable. Luke swallowed and rushed on. “When I got to the company, I saw Kane’s men sweeping the place, helping the cleaning crew reorganize the entire building. They were repainting and refurnishing everything.”

The more Luke spoke, the more incredulous he became. Awe lit his eyes. “Isn’t sister-in-law awesome?”

Andy didn’t answer. He tapped his thumb against the armrest and said instead, “Stop investigating her identity.”

Luke blurted, “Why?”

Andy turned to look at him, and Luke fell silent. “Drive,” Andy told the chauffeur. The car moved on.

When Alicia arrived at the branch and saw the renovations underway, she raised an eyebrow—she hadn’t ordered any of it.

A thug she’d previously mocked for his… shortcomings shuffled over, nervous and timid. Word had spread about how Alicia had effortlessly dodged several bullets from his boss; to him, she was a goddess.

“G-Goddess, do you still remember me?” he asked, sweating profusely.

Alicia didn’t make it hard for him. “I’ll write a prescription. Before I leave, come find me.”

Overjoyed, he dropped to his knees, kowtowing. “Thank you, benevolent goddess!”

Alicia moved on. Inside the two-floor building—this remote branch handled logistics, orders, and warehousing—she passed the receptionist and conducted a thorough inspection of the offices. Seeing the efficiency of Kane’s men as they revamped the place, she nodded in approval.

“My boys seem to like you a lot,” Kane said as he walked up to her.

Alicia retorted, “You didn’t come to talk about their adoration for me, did you?”

Kane’s face hardened. He skipped the pleasantries. “I want to return to the field.”

Alicia studied him, cool and unblinking, then gave an unexpected reply. “The field isn’t for traitors. It isn’t for those who ran when their lives were on the line. It’s for those willing to wash their hands in blood and die for their brothers.”

Guilt twisted in Kane’s chest. “I don’t have the right to ask,” he said, voice low. “But… could you help me send a letter to my brothers?”

Alicia thought of the work he’d done—the floors scrubbed, the crews he’d organized to renovate, the quiet sincerity behind it. At last, she said, “Hand over the letter.”

Kane’s dull eyes brightened. His hands trembled as he pulled the folded paper from his jacket. He passed it to her, the words tumbling out in relief. “Thank you. If you can get this to them, I’ll die fulfilled. I’ll be grateful to you until my last breath.”

“I’m not doing it to earn your loyalty,” she replied.

She slipped the letter away and headed to her office. After a quick, satisfied glance around, she sat, plucked a pen from where it was tucked in her hair, and scrawled a prescription onto a sheet she’d brought in. When she finished, she rose, stepped out, and handed the prescription to the thug she’d promised. He praised her to the skies. She left the building without a flicker of emotion.

Out on the street, Alicia walked with an expressionless face. She stopped, tapped twice on the plain, dark band of her wrist, glanced at a street camera, then moved on.

She turned into an alley and passed a blind beggar. Without breaking stride, she slipped Kane’s folded letter into his bowl and kept walking as if nothing had happened.

The beggar palmed the paper, tucked it away, and resumed his act.

When Beatrice received the report from the man she sent to check on the company branch handed to Alicia, she was stunned. Her spy knelt before her, trembling.

“If you’re lying to me,” Beatrice warned coldly, “my daughter is on her way back, and she has someone checking as well. Your life won’t be enough to pay for the lie.”

“I wouldn’t dare deceive you, madam,” the spy replied.

Beatrice frowned and looked out the window. Alicia had returned—unharmed. Still, unease gnawed at her. She made the spy stay on his knees until her daughter, Winnie, came home, seething.

Winnie didn’t bother with her room. She stormed straight into Beatrice’s bedroom. “What dog-shit Kane?” she spat. “He’s a glorified errand boy who can’t even bite. I hate that street rat. With a passion.”

Beatrice’s brow tightened. “And the man you sent? What did he say?”

“Total bullshit,” Winnie snapped. “Absolute crap. Kane’s underlings are cleaning, mopping, renovating—”

She raked her fingers through her hair, eyes blazing. “It’s a joke. A damn joke, they all are!”