Hidden Desires - Family Secrets-Chapter 48 - 0 After two months, we finally made it back to our city

Carrying the nostalgia for my family and wife, I arrived at our destination and threw myself into the work. This gig was no ordinary job; the risks were obvious, but the real deal was ensuring the quality of our undercover footage.

Following the plan, my team and I started to collaborate. As time passed, I stashed all my personal items, including my phone, at our company’s local branch. It was a necessary precaution—those items could easily blow our cover, so ditching anything with personal info was a must.

After being cut off from the world for the better part of a month, I finally found the right moment to return to the branch to sort through the covert materials. I turned on my phone and called Betty. She was full of concern but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

In my previous gigs, like when I was a war correspondent in Singapore, going off the grid was common due to severe urban destruction from warfare, leaving us with no cell service and relying on satellite phones or walkie-talkies, which we seldom used for safety reasons to avoid drone strikes from foreign forces in the war.

During this mission, there were several close calls with exposure, but thanks to my extreme caution and quick thinking, we managed to stay safe each time.

Over a month after leaving home, I finally got another chance to head back to the branch. It was late at night; I turned on my phone and tried calling Betty several times. The calls went through, but no one picked up.

With limited time, I had no choice but to turn off my phone again and head back where I needed to be.

Even though she didn’t pick up, I knew Betty would see my missed calls and know I was okay.

After nearly two months of nerve-wracking work, our mission was finally a success. During that time, I only managed to call Betty twice, and the second call didn’t even go through. With our hearts pounding with excitement and carrying our valuable findings, we headed home.

Sitting in the car, I reflected on the past two months, which felt more like surviving a nightmare.

The constant fear, the sleepless nights, the numerous times I thought about quitting—but thinking of my home and my beloved wife Betty kept me going. I kept telling myself to hang in there, just a bit longer, and I did.

In the car, everyone was quiet, the past two months had been hellish, and no one wanted to relive it. We all savored the peace. Exhausted, I slumped in my seat, watching the scenery rush by, my desire to get home growing stronger by the minute.

Due to the need for secrecy, until all the work was completely handed over to the company, all of our phones had to be turned off, no contact with the outside world was allowed.

The fear of a mole leaking information was real; for a media company, the secrecy of the material is the soul of the business. As the leader, I had to set an example.

Countless times I wanted to turn on my phone and tell Betty I was coming home, but I had to hold back.

After two months, we finally made it back to our city. Some of the team members couldn’t help but shed tears—it had been a brutal couple of months. There were times we thought we wouldn’t make it back, feeling like we had narrowly escaped death.

We all headed straight to the company. Upon arrival, I led my team directly into the conference room and notified the top brass. Since we had completely cut off external communications, the higher-ups were unaware of our return.

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When we presented all the data to the company executives using multimedia, they were thrilled. They knew the significance and value of the information we had gathered.

After wrapping up this confidential meeting late in the evening, the other team members went home to rest, and the company granted us a few days off to recuperate.

However, I was summoned to the office by the senior management. When a document appointing me as a future department director was handed to me, my heart trembled uncontrollably. If it weren’t for the presence of the senior executives, I would have jumped for joy right there.

With this appointment letter, it was only a matter of time before I would become the department director, just waiting for the current director to retire.

The company’s top leader approved an initial reward of $100,000 for me, and the rest of the team would receive their bonuses upon their return.

The appointment was more important than any amount of money, but the bonus was a welcome extra.

After leaving the company, I didn’t head home right away. Instead, I went straight to a jewelry store and bought a diamond ring, spending $10,000 of my bonus. I didn’t mind the expense because it was a promise I owed to Betty.

When Betty and I got married, we were not in a good financial situation, and I had never been able to fulfill my promise of buying her a diamond ring. Now, I finally had the funds to do so. Even though it cost a significant amount, it felt great.

After purchasing the ring, I returned to the company to finish some work ahead of time, as the company leaders had given me a week off to rest. Knowing how precious this vacation time was, I decided to take Betty on a short trip.

On my way home, I imagined my future as a department director, relishing the thought of everyone addressing me as "Director"—it was going to feel awesome.

I glanced at the time; it was already past nine in the evening. Betty and Michael were probably asleep by now.

I had planned to call Betty in advance, but I wanted to surprise her. The appointment letter and the diamond ring were the biggest surprises I could offer.

Reaching the entrance of my building, I checked the time again—it was nearly ten. The lights in our apartment were off, indicating that Betty and Michael had gone to bed.

Before leaving, Betty and I had a serious talk. She mentioned that to avoid affecting Michael, she would no longer stay up late with him. I had not thought much about it before, so I wasn’t worried at this moment.

At the doorstep, I treaded lightly. I took out my keys and gently inserted them into the lock, trying not to make a sound.

If Michael and Betty were already asleep, I didn’t want to disturb Betty’s rest. After all, she had been taking care of the entire household in my absence, and with an additional child now, her efforts were unimaginable. I quietly opened the door, which made only a faint noise.

The moment the door opened, the familiar scent of home hit me. Standing at the doorway, I greedily inhaled the air, wondering why I had never noticed how wonderful this smell was before.