Lt. Col. Killian Gray

As he cannot reject the General's invitation, Lt. Col. Killian ends up joining the father and daughter at the dining table. Silence envelops the dining room for the next few seconds as the three quietly eat.

General Kenzo McLean glances back and forth between his daughter and his favorite subordinate as he eats and flashes a barely noticeable smile because he can tell how awkward the two feels. After a moment, he decides to lift the mood a bit. "Killian."

"Yes, General?" The perfectionist Deputy Commander quickly puts down his fork and spoon and shifts all his attention to what the General has to say.

"Our dinner plans..." General Kenzo starts and spares his daughter a glance. "Do you mind if Alora joins us?"

Dinner? Not just breakfast?! Captain Alora can feel annoyance surging inside her but she tries her best not to act up, especially when the Deputy Commander is around! Besides, she notices how taken aback Lt. Col. Killian is due to her father's question!

"Father -"

"Not -"

As Alora and Lt. Col. Killian speak up at the same time, they both pause and look at each other. Alora still wishes to argue but as she knows that it is the right thing to do, she ends up saying, "Please go ahead, Deputy Commander."

Lt. Col. Killian says nothing for a moment as if he were wondering if it is really okay for him to continue. Then finally, he shifts his attention back to the General and says, "Not at all, sir. You don't even have to ask me that."

General Kenzo McLean smiles widely upon hearing the response. "That's great," he excitingly remarks before adding, "You know, I wasn't really expecting Alora to agree to the leave when I brought it up to her and this dinner plan is made way before that." He briefly pauses and spares Alora a glance once again before he continues, "You also know that she rarely takes leave and I want to spend as much time as possible with her during this short leave." He chuckles as he adds, "But I am greedy and I don't want to miss the dinner plan we agreed on either."

For the first time since they started having breakfast, Lt. Col. Killian flashes a little smile instead of acting all formal with the General. "I understand, sir. You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"I'm glad," General Kenzo remarks with that familiar wide smile and turns to his daughter, waiting for her to protest. However, when Alora says nothing, he is taken aback.

She will accept without protesting? He has no idea it is because Alora cannot bring herself to argue while he looks so happy about it. He is the most precious person in her life after all, and she loves to see him happy.

"I think it's a done deal then," General Kenzo says loudly as if he were making a declaration. Without even thinking much, he rises from his seat and ends up letting out a soft sigh when the two soldiers follow suit. "Are you full already?"

"Yes, General. Thank you for the food," Lt. Col. Killian promptly responds and General Kenzo nods at him. Then the latter's attention is shifted to his daughter.

"Eat more, Lora," he calmly says in the warm tone Alora is familiar with. "I will see you at dinner."

"Yes, Father."

With that said, the two men walk out of the dining room and Alora slowly sits down. As what happened the other night immediately crosses her mind once again, she is not even aware of how the Deputy Commander briefly turns around to look at her. Witnessing how she immediately looks gloomy and troubled, Killian narrowed his eyes for a split second and then hurry to catch up with the General.

"If my father were to know about it..." Alora McLean mutters to herself in a very low voice and shakes her head. She cannot tell her father about it while knowing that it would only make him worry!

* * *

After spending the whole day lying around, Captain Alora takes a shower before she dresses up and leaves for the address her father gave her. She notices that it is the restaurant her father frequents and it was the same place where she often dined with her father before she became too busy with her work.

Pulling over her car near the restaurant, a worker quickly comes to get her key and the Captain walks inside. One of the waitresses there leads her to the table her father reserves and Alora sits there quietly.

Just like she was thinking throughout the whole day, she recalls her encounter with her 'first love' from the other night and also her father's desire for her to move on and live a happy life.

Is Lt. Col. Killian Gray included in the happy life her father imagined for her? Though she always looks annoyed, she often feels the pressure secretly. After all, it is not easy to turn down her father all the time.

Maybe Alora is too focused on her thoughts, she is astounded when she suddenly sees the Deputy Commander who is already standing right before her! With her eyes growing wide in shock, she abruptly rises from her seat. "Deputy Commander."

Lt. Col. Killian lets out a soft chuckle when he sees the expression on Alora's face. "I have never seen you so unguarded before, Captain Alora. Maybe you taking leave has an advantage after all."

Advantage? What was he talking about? Confused as she feels, Alora immediately notices that her father is not with the Deputy Commander. As if understanding her, Killian Gray quickly says, "General receives a phone call from Lieutenant General (Lt. Gen.) Albert when we were on our way here. I think it's urgent. He told me to go ahead because he doesn't want to make you wait."

Lt. Gen. Albert Bryne? He is the Chief of Defence Intelligence and if he called her father at such an hour, Alora can tell right away that there is an emergency or some huge issue.

What could it be?

"General said he will join us after he meets Lt. Gen. Albert but he is not sure how long they would take," Killian Gray adds and cautiously asks, "Will you be fine with starting without him? If not, we can always -"

"It's fine," Alora promptly interrupts the Deputy Commander and mutters, "Maybe there is some emergency and we both know that even a few hours might not be enough, sir."

The Lt. Col. nods his head in understanding. "Then please have a seat."

They both take a seat opposite each other yet it is immediately followed by awkward silence. And after a moment, Alora finally glances at the man who is her respected superior. Noticing how he also seems to be struggling to speak up despite being the higher-ranked one, one thought enters her mind.

Would it be really okay if she moves on and starts anew with this man as her father wished?