Chapter 39: Chapter 39

"Whoa, there's so many orders?" Fathia's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she looked at the list that Melly, her assistant at the store, had just given her. Melly handed it over with a grin and a small smile.

"Looks like a stroke of luck, Anne."

Fathia's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, luck, I guess. We're going to be working overtime." Then she received a gentle pat from Melly.

"We can handle it," Melly encouraged.

"I'm sure we can, it's just... Aunt Melly, you know, there's Ica. What about her? It's tough if I'm away working overtime all the time."

"Ica's in the back, playing with the soil."

Fathia slapped her forehead.

"As long as she's with Aunt, there won't be any issues. Come on... let's get these orders done. It's a good opportunity, right? I can use it to buy Ica some milk."

Fathia's smile initially faded, but as she spoke with Melly, a tug at the corner of her lips reappeared. With this resilient single parent, Fathia reflected, there wasn't a single complaint from Melly even though she was in a difficult situation.

Before working with Fathia, even buying a small box of milk was a struggle, and she often went hungry. Living in Bandung with her daughter, left by an irresponsible man after marriage, and fighting alone, Fathia took her in as an employee. Melly, ten years younger, deserved admiration for her dedication. She was incredibly diligent.

"Let's go," Fathia finally exclaimed. Together with Melly, they began assembling the flower balloons for each order. They had chosen same-day couriers for the orders, ensuring they arrived on the same day and were handled with care to maintain their safety. Fathia selected couriers she could trust to deliver packages to her loyal customers with meticulousness.

Fathia had meticulously written the greeting cards using basic yet elegant handwriting techniques she had surprisingly mastered. She hadn't expected to have another skill, apart from indulging in extra cheesy pasta, of course.

Approaching lunchtime, they were still engrossed in arranging flowers on the foam cushion before sealing them in round balloon-shaped glasses. Upon a closer look, they resembled hot air balloons adorned with colorful ribbons.

"What do you want to eat? I'm heading to the fried chicken restaurant. Ica wants fried chicken," Melly said, breaking Fathia's concentration as she placed a set of leaves into one of the holders. Fathia looked up while contemplating what she wanted for lunch.

"Sure, go ahead. Put some mozzarella cheese on it, okay?"

Melly nodded, preparing the stroller to take Ica out. Fathia was really lucky; the shop she rented had a backyard space that she could also rent. So, she could place seedlings, other plant varieties, and even cultivate small decorative plants there.

Sometimes, that yard became her personal retreat for a few hours, occasionally giving the plants some fertilizer. She would deeply inhale the scent when she watered them. The sound of water droplets touching the soil was enough to create a sense of relaxation for Fathia.

Taking a moment, she allowed herself to rest. Her eyes were tired from constantly looking down and assembling. Since that incident, her vision had been slightly impaired, but she was getting used to it. The last time her doctor had seen her, he mentioned that she needed time to adjust. The doctor himself was amazed at the extent of her healing, acknowledging the greatness of God's hand in her recovery.

Fathia joked, "Seems like God still wants to tease me, Doc," chuckling softly at that memory.

In front of her, the order notes were starting to dwindle. There were only twelve orders left with different destinations. Even though they were pre-orders for three days later, Fathia wasn't the type to wait or delay. She then checked the stock of artificial flowers in the large cupboard. She couldn't afford to run out since the delivery process to her store took almost a week.

Doing a rough calculation with the current stock, considering fulfillment quotas, Fathia felt she needed to reorder those beautiful flowers. Slowly walking through the backyard area, she approached the flower that had caught her attention since she opened the door. A lily.

For a moment, she was captivated. "No matter how long I've tried, it still doesn't taste good," she whispered as she gently touched the white flower. "Sebastian, how are you doing? I actually miss you." Then her eyes turned towards the arrangement in the far-right corner; red roses. "Now I can take care of flowers, you know. Pretty cool, right? If you could see my shop, you'd be proud. Right?"

Until now, she still didn't dare touch the roses without protection. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but she felt the thorns could prick her at any moment. Even though Melly said that if you're careful, you won't get hurt.

"Was my choice wrong? But I feel peaceful and alive, Sebastian."

Fathia closed her eyes briefly, navigating through the flood of thoughts that ruthlessly rushed by. It was as if her center was now fixed on a single point, "Is all of this real?"

The scorching sun couldn't make Fathia budge. She chose to let the heat slowly turn her fair skin red. Wearing a loose comfortable t-shirt and calf-length jeans, it allowed her the freedom of movement she needed.

"No, I don't regret the decision I've made. After all... there, I'm a hundred percent sure that Kak Sebastian is safe and sound. I'm just an outsider in his life. So I think... this is the truth." She looked up, reflexively raising her hand to shield her eyes from the sudden burst of sunlight. She felt a bit dizzy from the intense glare.

"Sorry, Dad. Choosing to step back and seek tranquility. Hopefully, Papa understands my wishes."

Taking a slow breath, Fathia chose to refocus. She checked other online orders, maybe there were additions. When Fathia checked, it was true, there was an order for a flower bouquet to be sent to the Arta Media building. She knew the location. It wasn't far from Jess's cafe.

Looking at the delivery date, it was for tomorrow, which meant Fathia could deliver it herself. The delivery time was scheduled for the afternoon. Conveniently, she could finish her flower balloon orders, and then deliver the bouquet in the afternoon. She could also drop by Jess's store. Usually, every Friday, Asya would introduce a new menu.

She got ready to assemble again while waiting for Melly to bring lunch. Her spacious work table was already crowded with various tools and ribbons. It was like that every day. Jess said that her flower balloon business needed to expand, offering deliveries outside the city. The demand around Bandung alone was already high. Jess was convinced that if Fathia dared to promote it, their monthly earnings could be luxurious again, like in the past.

Fathia just chuckled in response to Jess's teasing. She was still apprehensive about the delivery aspect. The glass balloons they used were quite delicate. She hadn't found the right packaging for out-of-town deliveries. Still, handling orders within the Bandung area was already quite overwhelming.

Suddenly, Fathia's activity came to a halt. A honk and a screech in front of the store followed by a loud crash caused it. She hurried outside. Her heart suddenly filled with worry. She feared that something had happened to Melly and her child. She considered both of them as her own family.

And as she opened the door, she was shocked by a sight that twisted her expression into a painful grimace. A motorcycle and a car had collided, with the motorcyclist lying in a pool of blood in front of the car that had hit them. Immediately, a crowd of people formed around the accident. Most of them wanted to help to minimize the victim's injuries. Some of them, Fathia could hear, were calling an ambulance.

Meanwhile, the driver, who appeared to be concerned, knelt next to the person they had hit and then got up. That was when Fathia couldn't divert her gaze from that figure; Sebastian. He stood there with a cellphone, grumbling. Fathia couldn't hear what he was saying, but his expression was clearly annoyed.

"Just get here soon, Vin. I'm going to stay with the victim for now."

"How could it happen?" Ronald asked in amazement. Hearing the news that Sebastian was involved in an accident caught him quite off guard. The guy he knew was always calm and unaffected by his surroundings, yet he lost control.

Through a phone call, Sebastian had informed him about what had happened three or four hours ago. "I don't know. I guess I had a lot on my mind."

Ronald chuckled. "What on earth were you thinking about? Engagement preparations? Come on... just hire a well-known event organizer. Plus, Clara's got plenty of endorsements. Everyone's probably scrambling to be a part of your engagement party."

Sebastian stared out of the hotel window where he would be staying for the next three days. Business matters in Beverly Hills with Alef required him to be here for a while. They had already begun the transition of roles, where Alef Walker, the person with the most votes to replace Fathia, would take over in six months.

Not wanting to take advantage of the situation, if he had to let go, he would. After all, Group Azure wasn't his. He also began building the restaurant he had once dreamed of with Felice. This time, without anyone knowing, including Clara. The woman who would soon become his wife would only find out after he left Group Azure and returned to work at one of the consulting firms.

Not that he didn't want to tell her his plans, but for some reason, Sebastian felt that he didn't want Clara to know.

"No, Uncle," Sebastian sighed softly. "Clara's handling all the preparations. I'm good."

"And then?"

"Group Azure."

"Why Group Azure? What are you worried about?"

Sebastian chuckled. "I don't know why, but Alef seems to be waiting for the moment when I let go of Group Azure."

They fell silent, letting the quiet settle between them.

"Do you also feel like you want to have Group Azure?"

The man loosened his tie. Surprisingly, since he returned to the hotel room after taking care of the accident victim, his black tie was still on, making him feel a bit breathless without even realizing it.

"No."

"Well then, let it go."

"Just suddenly remembered something Mr. Alvin said." There was a brief pause before Sebastian continued. "Make Group Azure a support for both of you in the future. Don't let it fall apart and decline. Do your best to keep moving forward. I'm sure Fathia would have managed Group Azure well too."

"In reality, Fathia's not here. No. I'm not happy that Fathia died that way. The police have arrested the suspected terrorists, and we ourselves witnessed the way it unfolded—"

"But I still don't believe it was the work of terrorists."

"The evidence points in that direction, Sebastian. What can we do? I've already mobilized people to investigate."

Sebastian closed his eyes for a moment. "I'll do my best in my remaining time in this position."