Tuesdays had never been my thing.

They were the midpoint between denial and exhaustion — too close to Monday to still be fueled by coffee and too far from Friday to pretend enthusiasm wasn't slipping.

But this Tuesday?

This Tuesday felt different.

I walked into Gray & Milton with a grin I hadn't worn in weeks. Even the security guard raised a brow when I said good morning before he did.

The reason was simple: I'd backed up the entire Meridian Development Initiative: Phase I files into four flash drives, two hard drives, and my primary laptop, the one I used for personal work. I wasn't losing them again. Not after all that drama.

I was halfway down the hall when Derrick stepped out of one of the smaller meeting rooms, his jacket slung over his shoulder, his expression instantly amused.

"Someone's in a good mood," he said, falling into step beside me.

I smirked. "Let's just say... I have the best wife in the world."

He gave me that you're disgusting but I'll allow it look. "You're lucky Val doesn't let that ego of yours explode."

"Who says she doesn't?" I replied, grinning wider. "She just pretends not to notice."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You going to Hale's office?"

"Yeah," I said, glancing at his briefcase. "You heading somewhere?"

"Another meeting with the same client. They moved the time up."

"Fun."

"Define fun," he shot back, waving over his shoulder as he walked off. "Try not to smile too hard or they'll think you finally lost it."

I laughed softly and kept going.

---

By the time I got to Hale's office, he was already there, hunched behind his desk, his laptop open and several files spread across the table like a war map. He looked up when I entered.

"Morning, sir."

He nodded absently. "Morning, Kai. You're early."

"Trying something new," I said, setting my briefcase down and taking a seat at the small round table meant for team meetings. I opened my laptop and waited, trying to contain the giddy urge to gloat.

Because I had something—no, everything—they didn't.

The rest of the team trickled in within the next fifteen minutes: Tasha first, then Ji-ho, Noah, and Gabriel. Coffee cups, tired faces, and the usual controlled chaos of professionals pretending to be organized.

When everyone finally settled, Hale leaned forward, fingers interlaced. "Alright," he said, exhaling. "What's the plan?"

Tasha rubbed her temples. "I've been trying to rebuild the original Phase I outline. Without the reference data, it's a mess, but I've made some progress."

Ji-ho scoffed lightly. "Progress? Unless you've turned into a computer with a photographic memory, there's no way you're remembering every data set, formula, and design adjustments we made."

Tasha shot him a look. "Well, we can't just sit around and wait for IT to work a miracle."

Gabriel leaned back in his chair. "That's if they ever do recover it."

The room went quiet. The kind of quiet that hummed with unspoken frustration.

Hale turned to Tasha. "Say we do start over. How long is it going to take to recreate everything from scratch?"

Tasha hesitated. "Maybe… two weeks if we push hard—"

Noah cut her off. "A month. Minimum. And even then, it won't be what we had before."

The tension deepened. I could feel it buzzing under my skin, and for once, it didn't make me anxious, it made me amused. Because while they were debating timelines and backup plans, I was sitting there trying not to smile like a kid hiding a winning lottery ticket.

A small, childish part of me liked that they had no idea.

Call it petty payback. They'd suspected Val, my Val, and I wasn't going to interrupt their misery too early.

But after watching Hale pinch the bridge of his nose for a good fifteen seconds, I decided I'd tortured them enough.

"I've got the files," I said.

Five heads turned toward me.

Hale blinked. "You what now?"

I repeated, "I've got the files. Found them last night."

For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then Tasha shot forward in her chair. "What?"

Ji-ho frowned. "You're joking."

Gabriel chuckled nervously. "He's not joking. Please tell me you're not joking."

I turned my laptop around, opening the folder and sliding it toward Tasha. "See for yourself."

She leaned in, eyes scanning fast. Then, suddenly, her eyes went wide. "Oh my God."

Hale stood immediately, moving beside her to look. Ji-ho and Gabriel joined in, crowding around the screen like kids at a magic show.

"It's—" Tasha breathed. "It's all here."

"The source files, the analytics, the layouts, everything," Gabriel muttered in disbelief.

Hale looked back at me, then exhaled a short laugh, half disbelief, half relief. "You're a damn miracle worker, Tanaka."

"Not quite," I said, smiling.

In the chaos of their excitement, Hale actually hugged me. It lasted about half a second before he cleared his throat and stepped back, muttering, "Don't make it weird."

I couldn't help laughing.

Tasha grinned suddenly, squinting at the screen. "Wait, why is it saved as Sleepyhead Husband?"

The room went silent again, this time, for a very different reason.

I coughed. "Funny story."

Ji-ho crossed his arms. "Oh, this should be good."

"Well," I began, leaning back. "About two weeks ago, I was cross-checking the numbers before sending them to Tasha. I… may have fallen asleep with the laptop still on."

Gabriel chuckled. "Of course you did."

"Val found me like that. She wasn't sure if I'd saved my work or not, so she did. Different folder, different name."

Hale blinked, almost smiling. "Wait, you're telling me your wife accidentally saved the project we thought was lost?"

Tasha raised a brow. "It's ironic, isn't it? Saved by Moreau Dynamics."

Ji-ho laughed. "It's a good thing she didn't know what it was, or we'd be finished."

I smirked. "Oh, she knew."

Their heads turned again.

"Not because I told her," I added quickly. "She just… recognized it. She's the Deputy Project Director for Moreau Dynamics. She knows what the Meridian files look like."

Tasha's eyebrows furrowed. "And she still told you where to find them?"

I nodded once.

Hale leaned against the table, arms folded. His tone was quieter now, somewhere between disbelief and reluctant awe. "Why?"

I met his gaze. "Because she's my wife first before she's Deputy Director for Moreau Dynamics. Those were her exact words."

A low whistle came from Noah. "Damn."

Gabriel shook his head, laughing under his breath. "Man, that's loyalty."

Ji-ho added, "You're telling me. We got saved by love. That's… not how I thought this week would go."

Everyone chuckled, even Hale, though his smile carried a hint of guilt.

"The very person you suspected of sabotaging the most important development in our company's recent history," I said evenly, "is the one who saved it."

For a moment, the room went completely still.

Then Hale exhaled slowly, nodded once, and extended his hand.

] "Guess I owe you and your wife an apology."

I took his hand, grip firm, but my grin was teasing. "You can start by buying her coffee next time you see her. She earned it."

That earned a laugh from everyone, loud, genuine, and unguarded.

Ji-ho raised his coffee cup. "This calls for a celebration after work hours. Who's in?"

Gabriel groaned. "Can't. My wife will skin me alive if I skip another dinner."

Noah shook his head. "Girlfriend's parents' house tonight."

Tasha smiled. "Dinner with my fiancé's parents. Can't bail on that one."

Hale chuckled. "Married. I don't even stay out late for birthdays."

Laughter filled the room again — soft, warm, familiar.

And as I leaned back, watching the people who had once looked at me with suspicion now joking like nothing ever happened, I felt that quiet peace that only came when things finally made sense again.

Ji-ho looked at me. "You in, Kai?"

I smiled faintly. "Nah. I've got somewhere I'd rather be."

And I meant it.

Because as proud as I was of my work, as relieved as I was that everything was back on track, there was still only one place in the world where I truly felt grounded.

Home.

With her.

---

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