Chapter 17: Chapter 17

"Hey, why didn't you tell me?" The girl greeted Sebastian as he opened the door. Fathia had been eagerly waiting for him as the evening approached. Or was it already night? Fathia didn't care; right now, all she wanted was to meet Sebastian and talk to him in person.

Ever since she received his message, Fathia couldn't wait to bombard the man still dressed in his formal attire with many questions. Sebastian wouldn't appreciate being bothered with trivial messages unless they were really urgent.

"What?" Sebastian asked, confused, looking at Fathia who was blinking excitedly in front of him, like a little child welcoming their father home, urgently asking for something. It had been a long time since he saw Fathia like this. Was it because he had spent too much time not being there for this lonely girl? Ah... Sebastian suddenly regretted it.

"Oh, pretending like you don't know! You're the speaker at the seminar on my campus in two days. How come?"

Sebastian just shook his head and gently moved the girl who still seemed enthusiastic.

"Uncle," Fathia whined, holding Sebastian's hand.

"Why?" Sebastian hadn't heard Fathia's playful whining in a long time. Was it because they had wasted so much time not spending it together? Sebastian suddenly regretted it.

"Answer my question first."

"Yes. Satisfied?"

Fathia pouted, imitating Sebastian's steps as he headed towards his room.

"Do you want to come too?"

"Uncle!"

"What?" Sebastian felt like laughing, but really, looking at Fathia blushing because of his teasing was a rare sight. "I'll tell you later. I want to take a shower and change first. Can you make me some coffee?"

The spark of curiosity that had been in Fathia's eyes turned into a burst of enthusiasm. "But you have to drink it, okay? Don't skip it."

"Sure."

Before Sebastian could close his bedroom door, Fathia had already gone to the kitchen with a joyful hum. It was moments like these that Sebastian enjoyed the most. He closed his eyes for a moment, recalling when was the last time they had shared such friendly banter. It had been a long time.

Sebastian didn't have anyone else in the world. His parents had passed away a long time ago. He had worked hard in the capital city, under the Group Azure group, from being an ordinary staff to becoming a manager at a relatively young age, which intrigued Alvin, who tested him and found Sebastian's skills impressive. And when he met Felice, Alvin thought Sebastian would be a good match for his eldest daughter, regardless of Sebastian's humble background. For Alvin, it wasn't a difficult matter. Sebastian was responsible and dedicated. And now, Alvin had asked Sebastian to take care of Fathia. So, that's what he would do, just like in the will.

And now, his life revolved around Fathia. They had similar backgrounds. Sebastian genuinely cared for this fragile person who might be wreaking havoc in the kitchen right now. It didn't matter. As long as...

"Sebastian!!!"

Without much thought, Sebastian came out of his room. He found Fathia waving her hand while occasionally blowing on it. Sebastian had forgotten that Fathia could be quite careless. Like now.

"Can you be more careful?" Sebastian asked, with a stern gaze, making Fathia, who had wanted to complain to him, suddenly shrink back. But what could she do? Her hand was hurting a lot. It was burning.

"Geez! I thought I was being careful. But why did it slip like that when I was pouring? Now I..." Fathia winced and cried out in pain as water touched her hand. Sebastian quickly turned on the tap and washed Fathia's hand.

"It hurts," Fathia said, wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry."

Sebastian didn't care about Fathia's tears that kept flowing. He had to suppress the emotions that were about to erupt because Fathia, who couldn't be careful at all, got hurt like this. "Sit down," Sebastian ordered without mercy. He was trying his best to control the words he had already assembled from slipping out perfectly.

It was useless to scold Fathia like this. He also contributed to the mistake. He thought that Fathia's carelessness had improved significantly. Ah, Sebastian regretted his earlier request. He quickly took out some burn ointment. Fathia's fair hand had turned red, and Sebastian was sure she was in great pain.

"Slowly," Fathia whispered, wiping her eyes occasionally. "It hurts."

"I'm sorry."

Fathia looked up and gazed at Sebastian, who only briefly returned her gaze. The man chose to busy himself with taking care of Fathia's hand. "Why?"

"If I hadn't asked you to make coffee, you wouldn't have been splashed with hot water." Sebastian really wanted to scold himself. Out there, he did everything to take care of Fathia, but here in the apartment, the supposed safest place he could provide, he ended up causing harm just because of a cup of coffee.

Damn!

"But I wanted to make you coffee."

Their eyes met at last. Sebastian gently wiped away the tears from her doll-like eyes that had been shedding tears. "No need. I'll make it myself."

Instead of stopping, Fathia's tears increased. It left Sebastian quite puzzled. "Why?"

"Isn't there anything I can do to make you happy?"

***

Sebastian stood not far from the edge of Fathia's bed, making sure the girl was sleeping comfortably without any disturbances. For some reason, it had become his responsibility to ensure this. His gaze was fixed on the figure he had covered with a blanket. Her breathing was steady, a sign that she was completely asleep.

Sebastian's activities only paused when his phone in his pocket vibrated. At first, he ignored it, but it was Clara, for the third time. It meant it was important. He quickly checked who was disturbing his night.

Vino.

Without beating around the bush, Sebastian left Fathia's room. He turned off the main light and replaced it with a dim bedside lamp. "What is it?"

"Sir, sorry to disturb you."

Sebastian remained silent, waiting for Vino to speak.

"For the seminar tomorrow, we've made sure nothing is overlooked. The whole auditorium is safe, and I've made sure people are guarding around."

"Good. Make sure it's done without bothering."

"Okay, Sir."

Sebastian was about to end the call with Vino when he added, "One more thing, Sir." He chose to wait.

"Saylendra won the tender again. Our representatives were completely defeated. Their proposal was almost identical to ours. The most significant difference was the more tempting profit they offered."

"Your calculations?"

"We can match it, but we need more funding. Saylendra is being quite daring."

"He's not daring because the profit is small. Saylendra knows that Group Azure participated in the tender. They are aiming at us. You need to understand that, Vino."

"Okay, Sir. What's the next step then?"

"What do you think?" Sebastian opened the balcony door slightly, feeling the cool night breeze rushing in mercilessly. The wind was quite strong tonight. His hair must be all messy by now.

"I... I don't know, Sir."

Sebastian nodded faintly. "Alright then. Rest for now. Our day will get longer and heavier." It took a few minutes before Sebastian decided to close the glass door. The breeze stopped instantly, replaced by the gentle hum of the air conditioner caressing his skin. The room's fragrance diffuser automatically spread a pleasant aroma from one corner.

"Saylendra. When will them be satisfied?" The frustration was evident as Sebastian uttered those words. He sank his body onto the comfortable sofa, which welcomed him with a soft creak. He leaned his head back, his eyes gazing as if trying to penetrate the blank internet page now filling his vision. He used his hand to massage his temples, as the headache was becoming unbearable.

He had tried very hard. The pressure he was facing was not a trivial matter that could be taken lightly.

"If this continues, Group Azure could go bankrupt." Sebastian knew that sooner or later, the downfall of Group Azure would be inevitable. It could be avoided if he had an injection of funds, not in the form of loans but more towards high-profile projects that involved amounts with several zeros, enough to buy several units of this apartment.

"What should I do, Mr. Alvin?" he murmured. The weight of Clara's responsibilities that he had taken on was choking him. If it weren't for a debt of gratitude, he might have outright rejected Alvin Mehram Claire's request.

As if the pressure on Sebastian wasn't enough, one message arrived that drove him even crazier.

Vino: Sir, the board of directors wants a meeting regarding yesterday's tender. I think they are preparing to abandon Group Azure. And the other Claire’s are starting to strongly protest against your leadership. They want the rightful owner to take charge.