Chapter 14: Chapter 14

"Morning, Fathia."

If Fathia's eyes could jump out of their sockets, it would have happened right at that moment. "Did Aunt Clara stay overnight?" There was a hint of surprise in her voice, but Fathia ignored it. She had forgotten who Clara was in the first place.

Sebastian's girlfriend.

For some reason, in Fathia's eyes, Clara looked exactly like a sly fox with nine tails. Ever since she was introduced to this seemingly beautiful woman, an evident air of hostility had formed. At first, Fathia thought Sebastian had forgotten about his sister. But... she remembered. How could a seemingly normal guy like Sebastian, even though he seemed unapproachable, not be tempted by the allure of Clara?

They were a perfect couple that emerged from the business world, as the news pages reported their closeness. Fathia felt angry, but what could she do? Could she summon Felice just to drive Clara out of that reserved man's life?

"Yes, I stayed overnight, and you were already asleep when I arrived," Clara said with a saccharine smile that was entirely fake. She deliberately wore Sebastian's loose shirt just to make the girl leave immediately. Fathia's very existence was incredibly frustrating for Clara.

Sebastian had to know everything about Fathia, everything, no matter how small. He even knew what kind of food the twenty-year-old girl liked more than the trivial things Clara favored. Every time Clara asked about Fathia, she received only sarcastic glances. Not to mention all the questions Clara asked, they were expertly deflected.

At first, Clara didn't care, but over time, she grew increasingly annoyed. Two years of their relationship had seen no progress other than attending numerous business-related events together. Beyond that, Sebastian reverted to being the reserved and cold person he used to be.

However, with this girl whose smile she wanted to crush, Sebastian could be so different.

Fathia just nodded slightly in response. Her eyes challenged Clara, who never seemed to lower the intensity of her animosity, even for a moment. Fathia was never afraid of Clara. Here, she held the most significant place. Clara was merely an outsider, though deep down, Fathia felt envious of the beautiful woman with bright hair. Sebastian's attention often seemed to be directed towards Clara. The image of Sebastian hovering above Clara, almost half-naked, pleading for her attention, haunted Fathia's mind.

Damn.

This morning was truly dreadful.

Her eyes wandered again, hoping Clara hadn't noticed her behavior. Her only objective was Sebastian. Where was he now?

"Oh, if Fathia's looking for Uncle Sebastian, he's in his room. Probably tired," Clara remarked, observing Fathia from the corner of her eye. It was evident that the girl was taken aback by her statement, but Clara didn't care.

"In that case, I'll leave first. Please tell Uncle Sebastian I said goodbye. Bye, Aunt." Fathia chose to suppress her hunger for now. Luckily, she was already dressed and ready to leave for campus. Hearing Clara's words just made her feel full and nauseous all of a sudden. For some reason, her mood took a nosedive. Maybe the beautiful woman was right; Sebastian was tired.

"Don't you want breakfast first, Fathia?"

Clara's smile was full of deception, and then she quickly changed it to a playful look.

"No need. I don't want to disturb Aunt Clara and Uncle Sebastian's hot breakfast. Please, go ahead. I don't want to intrude."

"You're understanding, Fathia."

Fathia's blood boiled, ready to be spit out, but she held back. She quickly put on her shoes and pressed the elevator button, as well as her phone, to inform Jess that she'd be there in less than thirty minutes. Jess owned the Amore Café.

Who knows, Jess and her partner might be having a morning tiff, and Fathia's arrival could disturb them.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Clara smiled with an air of triumph. Removing Fathia from the picture was her main goal in the near future. Although she didn't know what relationship Fathia had with Sebastian, she didn't care. There was nothing between them. It was just a huge sense of pity that Sebastian had for the girl, which led him to constantly protect her like a pampered lover. That's what she thought.

"Where's Fathia?"

Clara almost dropped the spoon she was holding. She quickly greeted Sebastian with delight. "Morning, dear."

Sebastian brushed off Clara's hand that was about to caress his face. "Where's Fathia?"

A displeased snort escaped Clara, as Sebastian was genuinely irritating her. "She's already gone."

"Gone?"

Clara rolled her eyes with obvious annoyance. "Probably to college."

"College?"

Originally, Sebastian wanted to have breakfast with Fathia, something they hadn't done in a long time. But upon receiving this information, he became alert. He immediately grabbed his phone and called someone. "Vin, what's Fathia's schedule today? Does she have college? "Vin, the person he called, replied, "Yes, but she's free after lunch. Why, sir?"

Without saying anything more, Sebastian quickly hung up. Irritated, he chose to go back to his room and get ready.

"Sebastian, don't you want to have breakfast first?" Clara tried to stop him from leaving. Sebastian's manner seemed rather agitated.

"You can eat by yourself, Clara. I have a meeting."

"For heaven's sake, Sebastian!" Clara couldn't believe this. She had put in so much effort since morning, and what did she get? Goodness! "Can't you appreciate me?"

Sebastian looked at Clara with a puzzled expression. "I didn't ask you to go to such lengths. Besides, I already told you to go home last night."

Clara screamed in frustration. "You're my boyfriend, Sebastian. You can't just do whatever you want with me!"

"I warned you from the beginning, didn't I? I can't be overly romantic like you want me to be."

There was nothing Clara could do but stare at Sebastian's tall back as he walked towards his room. She collapsed onto the sofa with frustration. Clara thought that postponing their photo shoot for a week would make her closer to Sebastian, especially since he had just returned from a business trip. But it seemed like nothing had changed.

Everything remained the same.

***

"Eat, Fathia! Goodness! The way you look at it won't make it disappear," Jess exclaimed with extreme annoyance. Fathia's early morning visits were usual, but the breakfast she made went to waste. It seemed like her egg sandwich creation didn't appeal to Fathia at all.

Even though Jess had made it with all her heart.

"I know," Fathia replied, choosing to slightly pout her lips. Once again, she attempted to enjoy the free meal from the kind-hearted Jess.

"What's wrong with you?" Jess had to carefully ask about Fathia's life. Introducing her to her friends didn't mean that the girl opened up about her life. Unlike herself, who was open about everything, including the passionate night with her boyfriend.

"That Fox is at the apartment," Fathia whispered. Very quietly, hoping Jess wouldn't hear. But it turned out, Jesslyn Rasopati heard her perfectly well. There was only one woman who received the dreadful nickname from Fathia: Clara Jasson. A famous photo model and influencer all over Manhattan City. Beautiful and sophisticated, but unfortunately, Fathia dubbed her the Fox.

"She stayed over?"

Fathia shrugged. "I went to bed early last night. I don't know when she came."

"She came again?"

The girl with alabaster skin chose to focus on her meal instead of giving a more detailed answer to Jess's question. This made her friend let out a soft sigh. Knowing that Fathia no longer wanted to talk.

"Jess," Fathia called softly after finishing her breakfast with some difficulty. "Thanks for the breakfast."

Jesslyn smiled happily. Seeing Fathia looking brighter now warmed her heart. "If there's anything, you tell me, Fathia. I'm your friend, right?"

True. Besides Sebastian, Fathia had Jesslyn. She should be able to lighten her burden, but for some reason, Fathia chose to stay silent.

"Thanks, Jess. This is more than enough for me."

Jess knew and was sure that Fathia concealed a lot behind her smiling face. "Is Roy upstairs?"

Fathia's sudden question made Jess blush. Discovering the embarrassed and blushing look that Jess couldn't hide, Fathia understood. "I'll go to college now."

"Our class is at 1, Fathia."

"I know. I'll study in the library. Better than staying here and damaging my hearing."

Jesslyn frowned.

Meanwhile, on the 34th floor of the Energy Building, Sebastian was flipping through the report Vino had given him. His mind was focused, calculating things that should already be in progress. This included the new regulations and taxes imposed by the government regarding mining exploitation.

"Miss Fathia has been at the campus for a few hours, sir," Vino reported without lowering his gaze from the tablet he always carried. "Antony is keeping an eye on the campus vicinity."

Sebastian merely glanced briefly and nodded in response. Then, he continued to examine the reports still in his hands.

"And the meeting is less than thirty minutes away, sir."

Sebastian nodded again. "Prepare everything, Vin."

"Alright, sir."

The door to his office closed, making Vino Pratama's figure disappear from his sight. His assistant was efficient and meticulous, which Sebastian always appreciated.

A pop-up on his phone caught his attention. Sailendra's business experienced a sharp surge, surpassing their business rivals by a large margin.

Sebastian couldn't let Clara do as she pleased. Last week's chaos with her throwing the phone was enough. News about Sailendra always managed to make his anger rise to the highest level. He wouldn't let them stay at the top forever. Damn! If only he hadn't been divided in his focus, Azure might have secured a significant deal four months ago. It would have supported the stability of the profits they could have gained. Should he let go of one of them?

How long would he sit here, spinning around for a business that wasn't even his? He should enjoy his routine at the large table, with various types of knives as companions, as well as flour, various types of meat, and vegetables.

Playing with fire on the stove and setting the grill for the taste of the dishes he liked. Since long ago, his activities in the kitchen had been one of the many ways he released himself from the stress that now overwhelmed him.

Not to mention the pressure from other shareholders who were none other than the Claire family members. Since long ago, they questioned why he had to lead. Was it because of his canceled engagement with one of the Claire family members? There were also many malicious rumors circulating about Fathia being in his protection, which made him more unstable, shattered his concentration, and stirred his emotions lately.

He never asked for this to happen in his life. Never.

To take care of someone who wasn't his sister and had no relation to him except as the beloved little sister of his ex-fiancée. To lead the Group where within it, there were so many snakes, including himself, ready to attack him whenever he let his guard down.

He never wanted this.

Before his thoughts were sucked in again, a message notification from the bank appeared on the screen.

Congratulations. You have successfully made a transaction using Visa card number 4554**********9001 for $1,050.

Sebastian growled in annoyance afterward. "Fathia," he muttered angrily.