Gonzales Mansion.
Meanwhile, in the other room of the Gonzales Mansion, someone had long lost his sleep, all thanks to a certain pretty doctor. Alexander lay on his back, eyes fixed on the ceiling. An arm under his head. The night was still, but his mind wasn't. Every time he closed his eyes, the image of her face appeared. Pretty, elegant, calm…and .. untouchable . The way she stood on that stage earlier, poised yet distant, had left something stirring deep within him.
He chuckled softly to himself. Zaria… The name rolled off his mind like a secret he wasn't upposed to utter.
"What's so special about her anyway?" he murmured, though his lips betrayed him with a faint smile.
Her calm voice, beautiful smile. Everything seemed so undramatic. Simply real. Pure.
"Dr. Zaria," he whispered again, almost tasting the name. He thought of her laughter, her soft smile, and the way Rian stood beside her earlier. A strange heaviness flickered in his chest.
He groaned, pressing a hand over his face. "Get a grip, Alex. She's just a doctor."
But even he didn't believe that. The corner of his lips curved. "Who am I kidding…"
Outside, the garden lights dimmed as the mansion slipped into silence. Everyone asleep, except for one man lost in thoughts of a woman he didn't yet realize would change his life.
Next day.
Military camp.
The morning sun had barely warmed the grounds of the military base when General Alexander Gonzales sat in his cabin, engrossed in paperwork on his laptop. His desk was neat; every pen, file, and document precisely placed. The room carried his aura: cold, disciplined, and sharply quiet.
There was a knock.
"May I come in, sir?"
Alexander didn't look up. "Yes."
Lieutenant Benjamin Smith stepped in and offered a crisp salute. "Lieutenant Smith reporting sir!" Alexander glanced up briefly and signaled him to sit. Ben dropped into the chair comfortably, far too comfortably for someone sitting in front of General Gonzales.
"Reports," Alexander said, emotionless.
Ben handed over a file. While Alex skimmed it, Ben casually picked up a marble paperweight and rolled it between his fingers like a bored child. The contrast was striking.
Ben, son of Military Chief Henry Smith, always sunny and talkative, versus Alexander, the silent storm everyone feared. Yet, strangely, they worked perfectly together. May be because of years old friendship.
"Heard you're arranging a full medical checkup here," Ben said.
Alex hummed in acknowledgment, eyes still on the file.
"When's it scheduled?"
"Tomorrow afternoon."
Ben narrowed his eyes. "Why are you suddenly so concerned about soldiers' health?"
That made Alexander pause. His eyes slowly lifted. The stare alone was enough to make a grown man stand straight.
Ben, who had been lounging comfortably, immediately dropped the paperweight and
straightened like a proper soldier.
"It's not only for jawans," Alexander said calmly. "It includes officers too. You. Me. Everyone."
Ben blinked. Inside his mind: 'Something is fishy.'
And he stared.
"What?" Alexander snapped.
Ben leaned forward dramatically and took Alex's hands between his own.
Alexander froze, appalled.
"Alex… we're friends," Ben said gravely. "You can tell me. I won't judge. You don't have to go to such lengths."
"What the hell is wrong with you, Ben?" Alexander yanked his hands away, disgusted.
Ben continued anyway, face full of concern.
"You're sick, aren't you? A chronic disease. That's why you arranged the medical camp, to get treatment secretly. Tell me what it is. Kidney? Liver?"
Alexander closed his eyes, grabbed the paperweight Ben had dropped and threw it at his head.
"Come to your senses!"
Ben rubbed the spot it hit. "No one appreciates kind hearts nowadays."
Alexander sighed, exhausted.
"If I remind you, we always had medical checkups before missions. I decided to make it yearly. That's all."
"Oh." Ben nodded. "That does make sense."
There was a pause.
"So… which hospital?"
"RN Hospital."
Ben blinked.
"That's quite far."
Alexander gave him the eyebrow.
"You have any problem with that hospital?"
"Huh? No. Obviously not." Ben coughed.
"Good. Be ready tomorrow afternoon."
Ben's soul left his body. "Hello, no! I want half-day leave tomorrow. Also, I had my checkup last week."
"Fine," Alex said, signing a paper. "Approved."
Ben took it instantly.
"Any plans?" Alex asked.
"Nope. Just sleep." Ben shrugged.
"Alright."
Ben stood up. "I'll get going then. Major Lex can handle the checkup…" he tailed off.
Alexander's head snapped up.
"Why would he? I am here."
Ben froze.
Again suspicious.
Very suspicious.
"That's so unlike you."
Alex slowly took back the leave paper.
"…Do you still want leave?"
Ben straightened like a rocket.
"Yes. Yes, sir. No more questions. You can do whatever you want. You are the General."
Alexander smirked faintly and handed the paper back. Ben saluted and left at the speed of light.
Right after Ben left the cabin, Alexander slowly leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting up to the ceiling. An unusual smile tugged at his lips, soft, deliberate, and deeply unsettling in its rarity.
His mind was already filled with her.
Dr. Zaria. A name that tasted like intrigue and unfinished history. His eyes gleamed with something sharp, anticipation, excitement, and a shadow of something darker, warmer… and dangerous.
"I'll be waiting, babygirl."
He murmured, eyes closing as the room fell silent around him.
He is silently preparing for their meeting tomorrow. The battlefield wouldn't be guns or commands. It would be eyes meeting eyes.
And this time, if everything goes right,
he would be the one in control.