Chapter 24: Chapter 24

"Sir, I think the meeting went well." Vino couldn't hide his excitement for a moment. As an assistant and trusted person of Sebastian Sachdev, he walked two steps behind him, observing the surroundings while his face showed a contented smile regarding the meeting's outcome.

Sebastian's negotiating skills were truly praiseworthy, and Vino had learned a lot from him over the three years he had worked for Sebastian, despite the pressures. Vino enjoyed it. He gained many valuable lessons about the business world and everything that surrounded it.

Sebastian shook his head slightly. Deep down, he truly believed that this negotiation would have an impact. Not a significant one, but it would at least prove to the shareholders that he still had potential.

This was a significant task considering that until now, there were still many doubts and even strong suspicions about the direction and stability of the Azure Group. Sebastian could easily ignore the situation and simply maintain it until someone with legitimate ownership took control. In a stable condition, he wouldn't need to bother or worry about the numerous agendas in the last three years.

However, for some reason, Sebastian believed that the moves of Azure Group's toughest rival could not be ignored. It was clear that they wanted to create chaos within Azure Group. Assisted by Ronald, he started investigating, even with very limited information. The accident five years ago, the tragedy at Fathia's house, and the storms that began to hit Azure Group, all seemed to be orchestrated meticulously by someone unknown.

Sebastian even worried that all of this might be related to the closest family of Alvin Mehram Claire. Whenever he thought about this, a sudden headache mercilessly attacked him.

Vino hurriedly opened the door, but Sebastian grabbed it firmly in one swift move, creating a question in Vino's mind.

"I'll do it. Fathia is inside."

Ah, the euphoria of the meeting made Vino forget. The heiress was inside, and she was certainly being taken care of meticulously by her boss, without any room for flaws. Vino could sense that since he worked under Sebastian's pressure, only that fair-skinned girl could somewhat soften him.

Even though they only communicated through phone calls during their break in the meeting, Vino could clearly sense that Sebastian's affection was directed towards the girl they had picked up from the mall. Meeting her occasionally made Vino amazed, as Fathia had grown into a charming young woman.

Tall and elegant, with flawless white skin, shiny black hair, and doll-like eyes. She exuded a gentle yet distant aura. Untouched. Unreachable.

Clearing his throat to snap out of his thoughts about Fathia, Vino decided to return to his desk. He let Sebastian enter the room, but before the glass door closed, he heard his name being called again.

"Vin, prepare the car. I'm heading home soon."

Without many words, Vino promptly carried out Sebastian's request.

Inside the room, Sebastian remained standing not far from the sofa, observing intently as the person he protected slept soundly. Occasionally, her eyebrows furrowed, and her slightly cracked lips, with traces of lipstick that seemed to be fading, moved as if murmuring inaudibly.

Sebastian stayed silent in his position for quite some time, contemplating how much the girl had changed, how she had distanced herself from him, partly due to his own mistakes, and how soon she would replace him in this room. Memories of the sweet teenage Fathia still lingered, though he often tried to push them away.

Ronald was right; Fathia was forbidden.

He noticed Fathia's phone, vibrating gently. The message display was still visible without any automatic lock. It meant that she had fallen asleep and allowed the messages to come in one after another. Sebastian was curious about the world of this beautiful girl. He only received reports about her academic progress, achievements, and grades. In terms of her social life, Sebastian only knew one close friend of hers: a girl named Jess.

Perhaps the girl he had met at the mall earlier was Jess. Sebastian would find out later, as he was only informed about someone who had been Fathia's friend at the campus.

[Fathia, are you sure?]

[I'm really afraid you're going to work for Asya.]

[You'd better focus on your studies. Are you really short on money? Where does your sugar daddy go? Broke because of your constant spending?]

Sebastian chuckled. Intrigued, he scrolled up to read the previous messages.

[I'm at Om Sebastian's office. How about you?]

[Safely arrived at my destination. Even though we didn't talk. Weird. Adults are mute, aren't they?]

[Help me, Jess.]

[What for?]

[Find me a job. I need much money.]

[Are you crazy?]

(Still sane.)

[Your sugar daddy stopped giving you money?]

(Am I like a sugar baby to him?)

[Hahahhaha... if Daddy Sugar is as sexy as Om Sebastian, then I'm in. Seriously, though, staying in the same place with such a cool adult man, I'm in.]

(Think of Roy, Jess.)

[Oops! But I'm serious. Your sugar daddy doesn't give you an allowance anymore.]

(No. He's angry at me. Scary.)

Unconsciously, Sebastian shook his head in amusement because this message amused him.

[Flirt with him; he'll melt. Despite his scary appearance, I'm sure he cares about you.]

(Cares, but he keeps scolding me. Annoying.)

(Jess, I'm serious. Can I work for Asya?)

Soft knocks on the door made Sebastian hurriedly pocket Fathia's phone, not wanting anyone to know what he was doing, including Vino.

"Ready, Sir," Vino said, opening the door.

Sebastian nodded briefly. "Bring Miss Fathia's bag."

Without hesitation, Vino followed the instruction and took the lead, making sure the door was wide open for his boss to pass through easily. Fathia was still comfortably asleep in Sebastian's arms. Although she occasionally stirred slightly, she kept her eyes closed. Perhaps it was due to the satisfying meal she had earlier, or maybe she was just tired. Sebastian didn't care. Right now, his main concern was to get Fathia safely back to her apartment and put her to bed.

***

The last thing Fathia remembered was lying in Sebastian's office. She couldn't just turn around as she would have fallen and met the carpeted floor. But when she did turn around, she didn't feel the pain of hitting the floor. Slowly, she opened her eyes, feeling like time had warped.

"Why am I in the bedroom?" Fathia mumbled to herself. To her surprise, she found Sebastian lying next to her. His breathing was steady, and his chest rose and fell rhythmically. From this brief observation, Fathia knew that the successful man who had ruined her mood earlier was still in his work attire.

He had only taken off his Armani coat, rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, and undone a few buttons, revealing a portion of his chest, which appeared ... sexy?

Fathia quickly shook her head. Where did that thought come from?

Originally, Fathia had planned to rush to the bathroom and change her clothes. Taking a relaxing bath seemed like a good idea since she hadn't touched water all day. However, she abandoned that plan when she observed Sebastian so closely.

"Tired, huh?" Fathia gently extended her fingers, yearning to touch Sebastian's face, which had been stern with anger earlier. "I'm sorry. I'm still causing trouble. You're the only family Fathia has, Sebastian. I love you, just like I love Felice."

Fathia dared herself to give Sebastian's face a soft kiss, caressing it gently before stepping back to take a shower. Her body felt sticky, and she wanted to change into her pajamas and get ready for bed. Suddenly, her stomach grumbled.

"What time is it?" Fathia looked up to find the clock pointing to eleven. "Oh my God. I might get sick if I take a shower now."

As Fathia left, Sebastian blinked slowly. He had actually been awake since the moment she slipped away from his embrace, but he pretended to be asleep. He traced the spot where Fathia had kissed him with his fingers unconsciously, pulling his lips into a slight smile. Sebastian sat up and moved his head and arms slightly, feeling a bit stiff from Fathia unintentionally lying on him earlier.

Initially, he didn't plan to lie down on Fathia's bed, which was adorned with lily-patterned bedsheets—her favorite flower. But when he tried to get up, Fathia's hand stopped him. She curled up cutely, muttering something unclear but adorable in Sebastian's eyes.

As Sebastian was about to move away from the edge of the bed, Fathia emerged from the bathroom, already changed into her sleepwear and looking refreshed.

"Uncle, just woke up?"

"Can you address me properly?" Sebastian stared at Fathia without breaking eye contact. Standing at the bathroom door, Fathia appeared to swallow nervously.

"Sebastian," she repeated softly. Earlier, her lips were so fluent in apologies. Why did she become awkward and formal again after waking up from their nap together?

"Are you hungry?"

Fathia blinked a few times, her mind occupied with how embarrassed she would be if Sebastian found out what she had done! She closed her eyes for a moment before gathering the courage to speak. "Yes."

"Fried rice?"

"Are you going to cook?"

Sebastian sighed softly. "Yes. Whether you like it or not."

"I do!"

Quickly, Fathia followed Sebastian as he left her room. She was certain he was heading to the kitchen. She would enjoy this very late dinner, despite still feeling irritated when she remembered the unfortunate fate of her golden card.

Speaking of cards, she suddenly remembered her phone. Checking it, Sebastian was busy in the kitchen. She wanted to interrupt or simply ask if she could help, but she was a bit scared. Once Sebastian was in the kitchen, he was in control. No one should disturb him.

Fathia decided to return to her room, unpack her bag, and look for her phone. She relied on the device quite a bit. Moreover, she hadn't continued the chat conversation from earlier. Searching through her bag, she carefully looked through her books, hoping her phone might have slipped in between them. But it was nowhere to be found.

Could she have left it somewhere else? Fathia slapped her forehead gently, remembering that she had left her phone on the table before lying down and falling asleep earlier. She sighed softly; she needed to interrupt Sebastian's activities.

She asked Sebastian to check whether her phone was still in his office or not, cursing herself for being so forgetful about her belongings. Not without reason, being alone in an empty room with nothing to do made her drowsy. On top of that, she was full from the late meal.

"Looking for this?"

Fathia flinched, taken aback by the sudden appearance. She even placed her hand on her chest to calm herself from the surprise she just had. Sebastian was standing near the open bedroom door, holding her pink phone with the half-bitten apple logo.

"I thought I left it," Fathia said, feeling relieved. She hurriedly approached the man standing near the door. "Thank you."

"After discussing me in this chat, you have nothing to explain?"

Fathia blinked, starting to put together what Sebastian had just said. Don’t tell if Sebastian reads …