CHAPTER 54 — The Real Beginning (Part 2)
At first the conversation stayed professional.
Nova and Ben were discussing hospital systems with Cin.
Alex and Endrix had already started arguing about cybersecurity technology.
Lyra and Rakhi were talking about design and architecture influences.
Kevin and Aries were joking about corporate negotiations.
The room slowly filled with energy.
Ideas.
Debates.
Possibilities.
Then Percy leaned back in his chair and looked across the table.
"So," he said casually.
"How did your group actually survive college together?"
Kevin immediately answered.
"With great difficulty."
Ash rolled her eyes.
"That's not even a lie."
Joong laughed quietly.
"We were chaos."
Daisy added softly,
"But we always protected each other."
Honey smiled.
"That part sounds familiar."
Freya rested her chin on her hand curiously.
"How many people are in your families?" she asked.
The question moved naturally around the table.
Ella talked about her parents.
Aries mentioned his brothers.
Honey spoke about her younger sister.
Rakhi described her large extended family.
Kevin talked about his noisy family gatherings.
Ash mentioned her cousins.
Joong spoke about his parents.
Daisy talked about her father proudly.
Alex mentioned his sister.
Lyra described her parents with quiet affection.
Nova had family members in medicine.
Ben talked about his older brother.
Keifer told about his brothers.
Jay jay mentioned about her family.
The conversation moved smoothly around the table.
Until someone finally looked at Care.
"And you?" Freya asked gently.
Care didn't hesitate.
"I don't have family."
The room fell silent for a second.
Not uncomfortable.
Just surprised.
Care's tone hadn't been sad.
It had been calm.
Factual.
Cole glanced at her briefly but said nothing.
Neither did anyone else.
But something invisible shifted around the table.
A quiet understanding.
Later that afternoon, both groups stepped out into the streets of London together.
Twenty people walking down historic roads.
The city buzzed around them.
Red buses passed by.
Tourists filled the sidewalks.
The Thames shimmered in the distance.
Kevin suddenly stopped walking.
"I just realized something."
Ash groaned immediately.
"That sentence always leads to trouble."
Kevin ignored her.
"We have twenty ridiculously talented people here."
Endrix added calmly,
"And one entire month."
Freya smiled.
"This could get dangerous."
Cole glanced toward Care.
Care met his eyes briefly.
They were thinking the same thing.
Cole spoke first.
"Why don't we work together?"
Everyone looked at him.
Nova nodded immediately.
"Hospital collaborations."
Alex added,
"Technology projects."
Lyra said,
"Architecture and design."
Percy added,
"Corporate partnerships."
JJ looked around the group thoughtfully.
Keifer smirked slightly.
"And maybe some competition."
Kevin clapped his hands excitedly.
"Now THAT sounds fun."
Care finally spoke.
Her voice calm.
"For the next month…"
She looked around at all nineteen people.
"We work together."
Silence.
Then smiles began spreading across the group.
One by one—
They agreed.
Twenty brilliant minds.
Two powerful groups.
One city.
London.
And this time—
The real story was only just beginning.