Two Hundred and fourty one

CHAPTER 241

Alicia sat in a restaurant called Amore in her gray blazer and matching furry coat. A cup of hot chocolate was set before her, but Alicia still hadn't touched the chocolate-colored drink at all. Alicia checked the time on her left hand as she looked out the window. There was a large glass window beside her, so she chose the far end of the table.

It had been five minutes since the waiter had placed the drinks, but the person Alicia was waiting for hadn't arrived. Alicia's heart started racing. She began to feel nervous and anxious. As she stirred her hot chocolate that was steaming on the surface, Alicia began to think of the words to say when she met her guest later.

And after a few minutes, a familiar voice greeted her.

"Miss Alicia?"

It was Felix, and a man dressed all in black was standing in front of Alicia's desk. Alicia looked up and smiled when their eyes met. Graciously, Alicia stood up and shook Felix's hand.

"Alicia, this is Christine. And Christine, as you heard, this is Alicia. The future CEO of Alpha Company," Felix praised.

Alicia's smile was shy and hesitant as she shook hands with Christine. Beyond her expectations, Christine was much more mature than she expected. She was a black woman with short shoulder-length black hair. Her smile was sweet, especially as she wore red lipstick on her full lips.

"This is my first time seeing the daughter of Lady Michelle and Lord Edward. You are very beautiful."

"Hello, Christine. Nice to meet you." Alicia returned Christine's greeting which also sounded like a compliment.

"Oh, please have a seat." Alicia invited, she pointed to the chairs opposite her. Alicia sat down after the two seniors. They looked like professionals. "We finally got to meet outside of the company. Honestly, the office atmosphere makes me nervous."

Christine and Felix laughed softly, Christine replied to Alicia's words casually. "That's normal, darling. You're still very young. As for me, I'm almost forty, I'm close to menopause I think."

The joke made ALicia chuckle. Unexpectedly, Christine was a very friendly person. She and Felix ordered drinks before moving on to deeper and more serious matters. The waiter also served their menus well. Everything seemed to be going smoothly and Alicia could feel comfortable with the atmosphere in front of her.

Eventually, Felix cleared his throat and took over the conversation. "How about we start talking business over a drink? I'm sure I'm not the only one who's excited about all these changes."

Christine nodded her head. She agreed with that. "First of all, I'll explain who I am and what my role is in the company."

"Okay. That sounds good."

Christine's eyes moving from Felix to Alicia, she continued with a smile still printed on her red lips. "I am the secretary to the CEO, I worked for over ten years for your mother, Mrs. Michelle. Our relationship is a business relationship, I never talk about personal matters to Madame Michelle, or vice versa. During the time she raised you as a daughter, she never told me anything other than your background. It's such a sad story, but I believe you became strong because of it."

Alicia smiled at Christine's words.

"I will replace Madame Michelle until you get married and become the next CEO. During my time in charge, I will discuss all my answers and responses with Felix, Madame Michelle's lawyer. I will be by your side, helping you learn the things you need to become a CEO."

"That sounds very good. Thank you very much, Mrs. Christine."

Felix then interjected. "And as the person in charge of legal matters, I will take care of the paperwork, legalities, licenses and of course, the law."

Alicia looked at Felix and nodded in agreement. She was amazed at the people who worked with her mother, they were loyal and dedicated.

"Is there something you'd like to ask?" asked Christine in her soft voice.

There was a small mumble, before Alicia finally answered. "I heard that my mother is still in contact with my previous adoptive parents. Perhaps, my mother... has secrets that I don't know about?"

"Do you want to talk about business?" Christine raised one eyebrow.

"No, I mean... is it possible that someone hates my mother and wants to kill her?"

Christine and Felix exchanged confused glances. Silence fell over the table as Alicia's unexpected question hung in the air. Christine and Felix exchanged glances for a few moments, their expressions changing from professional to concerned.

Alicia hesitated, her eyes flickering between Christine and Felix. The atmosphere, which had been light and relaxed, now held an undercurrent of tension. The noise around the restaurant seemed to disappear, leaving only the soft hum of conversation and the clinking of cutlery in the distance.

Felix leaned forward, his voice measured. "Do you have any particular reason or incident that leads you to believe that your mother might have enemies who want to kill her?"

Christine's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Michelle is a strong woman, and strength often attracts enemies. However, we have security measures in place to protect her. If there is a legitimate threat, we will deal with it quietly and efficiently."

Alicia mumbled and nodded her head forcefully. "I'm curious, because the fire happened so suddenly, I heard an explosion and- oh! I'm sorry! I got carried away. Can we go back to the previous conversation?"

Alicia's two interlocutors did not speak immediately, Christine then held the back of Alicia's hand that was on the table. She patted it lightly, and said, "These are difficult times for you. We understand you very well. If you need more time, you can tell us."

"I'm fine, Mrs. Christine. Thank you for your concern, I really needed that."

Felix cleared his throat, trying to interrupt the conversation amongst the tense atmosphere. "Will you be able to attend the internal meeting with the board next week, Ms. Perth? I think we need Christine today to talk about that."

"Ah, you're right. About the board meeting. What should I do?"