Chapter 51: Chapter 51

A week passed, during which Fathia spent more time in her father's office. All the Azure reports were there, including annual taxes and copies of partnership agreements from year to year, neatly organized. It turned out her father kept many Group Azure documents here. This meant that what Naomi had told her about Sebastian's assistant and the man coming here at the beginning of the year to collect information about the upcoming changes was indeed true.

However, what about Alef?

What did her uncle want here? A fleeting memory of the day the will was read flashed back in her mind. Alef Walker and Aunt Larasati remained silent. They only observed and listened carefully during the final decision, when Group Azure was temporarily handed over to Sebastian Sachdev before eventually being transferred back to Fathia.

When she came of age and had completed her education. That was the plan, but everyone knew that the sole heir of Group Azure was no longer alive.

"Fathia, if I observe, most of the partnerships are rarely with new clients, right?" Jess seemed focused, flipping through page after page. Wearing square glasses with bright purple frames, Jess's appearance was quite eccentric. She had her green hair tied up high, wore a loose Minnie Mouse t-shirt paired with shorts that showcased her long legs and smooth skin.

"Yeah, Sebastian reads me the reports every six months. Most of the company names in the partnerships are rarely new. Sebastian said their quality is good."

Jess nodded slowly. They didn't look at each other as they were engrossed in their own activities.

"Hey," Jess said in surprise, lifting her gaze to find her friend on her tiptoes, reaching for one of the folders. "Why is this one all marked up?"

Fathia abandoned her intention to take one of the folders. Her eyes fixed on Jess, puzzled. "Marked up?"

Jess nodded confidently, walking over to Fathia. She pointed at the many scribbles she had found. Fathia immediately focused, reading through each page, including the numerous additional figures in the adjacent columns. Clearly written in the bottom right corner was 'Rejected.'

In the signature column, there was Alef Walker's name as the planner.

"What year is that?" Fathia asked, intrigued.

"2010."

"Let's focus on 2010 then. We need to find out the revised copies, Jess."

Jess nodded. "Pay attention to the amounts, girl. This isn't like usual. There's a ton of them."

She looked at Jess with an unreadable gaze, then followed her finger to the total nominal column. She flipped through the pages full of scribbles. "You're right. This is really suspicious."

"Alright, let's focus on 2010."

Until two in the afternoon, they were immersed in Alvin Mehram Claire's numerous files. Little by little, Fathia began to understand why Sebastian had to inform her so much at that time. And now, all the information Fathia had received was starting to make sense. Usually, Fathia did ignore but never truly disregard. She just tried to listen carefully and grasp the big picture.

A knock on the big office door sounded. Both Fathia and Jess stopped their activities and exchanged glances. One of them glanced at the large clock in the corner of the room, sighed in relief. Kenzo hadn't come home yet.

"Miss, have lunch first. It's way too late." Naomi, after shouting at the door, made her way in. She had been to this room several times, but the two girls inside kept refusing. Naomi didn't want her young lady to get tired and end up getting sick. Seeing Fathia coming in looking so thin already saddened Naomi.

And even more... oh, Naomi couldn't describe how her heart felt seeing Fathia's appearance now. Several times she had asked how she survived that terrible incident, but Fathia only gave her a small smile. Also, the words that, according to Naomi, were just meant to cover up the sadness that overcame the young girl. "Naomi's prayers also helped me to survive. Now, I just ask for prayers that whatever Fathia is working on doesn't have too many obstacles."

Fathia didn't need to be asked, Naomi would always pray for her. Taking care of her, watching her grow up, and now seeing her stronger and more resilient in the face of what lay ahead already made Naomi proud. She never imagined Fathia could be this strong.

Naomi knocked again. She could've just pushed open the big carved wooden door, but she didn't want to disturb. "Miss?"

"We're supposed to eat, Fathia," Jess said with a chuckle. "And besides, we've been in here for how many hours? Aren't you hungry?"

Jess didn't need Jess's answer when she heard Fathia's stomach loudly demanding to be filled. Making the girl laugh. "You're right. I'm actually hungry. Tomorrow we'll continue, and the suspicious folder, we'll take it to the room. I want to study it."

"Got it, boss!"

Fathia just shook her head. Quickly tidying up some scattered documents on her father's desk. She followed Jess, who was already heading out with the folder she had pointed at earlier.

"Lunch with what menu, Aunt? I feel like I'm about to faint," Jess complained the moment she opened the door. She intentionally made her face look as dramatic as possible. As if spending hours in there had completely drained her.

Naomi laughed when she saw her. Jess's behavior was truly entertaining. If her young lady appeared quiet and untouched, Jess was the opposite, always talkative. "That's why you've been offered food and won't leave."

"Miss Fathia tortured me, Aunt," Jess complained, greeted with an unsatisfied glare from Fathia.

"No one's going to believe you, Jess." This time, Fathia led the way. Heading to the dining room where, in her mind, Naomi must have prepared grilled fish as she had wanted that morning when asked what she wanted to eat.

The atmosphere at the dining table was lively. Fathia hadn't felt this way about a shared meal in a long time, where everyone gathered. Jack and Dennis joined them, which slightly made Fathia wince. They were waiting for her to finish her work. Tomorrow, she wouldn't immerse herself so deeply in searching for clear information about Group Azure. Because Group Azure was the foundation where her family's accident began.

"Miss, want to check out the backyard later this afternoon?"

Fathia's plate was empty, and she gently wiped the corner of her lips to make sure no leftover seasoning was left. Then, her eyes lit up as she looked at Jack with enthusiasm. "Sure. Jess, you coming?"

Her friend dramatically shook her head. "I'm on shift duty. Need a bed to sleep."

That made Fathia pat Jess's shoulder quite hard, causing a yelp of pain that Fathia ignored. Not long after that lunch, Jess chose to return to her room while carrying what Fathia had asked for. Meanwhile, Fathia remained sitting comfortably in her chair, observing Naomi tidying up the table and dirty dishes.

"Naomi," Fathia called as she remembered the question that had slipped from her when Clara first arrived here. Her thoughts were interrupted by Kenzo's sudden arrival.

"Yes, Miss?" Naomi, in the midst of wiping clean plates she had just washed, turned her head. Her brow furrowed as she waited for her young lady to speak.

"Do you know about Mommy's past relationship? Because you've been with Mommy for a long time, right?" Fathia asked straightforwardly. Her eyes locked onto the middle-aged woman, who returned Fathia's gaze with an expression that was hard to decipher.

"That," Naomi stuttered. She hadn't expected Fathia to bring up this question again. After all, that night, Kenzo's arrival had luckily diverted Fathia's focus. But... Naomi didn't dare to stall for too long. "But."

Fathia's brow furrowed slightly. "But?"

Slowly, Naomi placed the mostly dry plate on the rack. She took a deep breath before deciding to tell the story. A story where secrets had indeed woven a dramatic tale within the Claire family.

***

Fathia stared at her bedroom ceiling, propping her head up with her arm instead of using a pillow. She declined Jack's enthusiastic invitation to see the garden. Maybe because of her sudden melancholy mood, which she hadn't anticipated, or confusion about how to master her emotions, Fathia decided to return to her room.

Jess wasn't in her room either. She said she wanted to go swimming, taking advantage of the time when Kenzo wasn't busy working. The annoying male version of Jess usually returned around eight in the evening.

When Naomi told the story about her mother's past, Fathia sat at the dining table, lost in thought for a while. If it weren't for the offer of mango pudding with a layer of chocolate custard on top, she might not have been distracted.

"Mrs. Rossie was like Miss Felice, if I may say so, a duplicate of Mrs. Rossie... Miss Felice. Beautiful, independent, assertive, intelligent too. But Miss Felice didn't like flowers like Miss Fathia. While Mrs. Rossie? Well... the entire garden in this house was her masterpiece, Miss," Naomi spoke with visible enthusiasm. But when Naomi accidentally locked eyes with Fathia, the enthusiasm vanished. Fathia gazed at the middle-aged woman who was sitting somewhat restlessly.

There was a soft sigh and a sad expression on Naomi's face that couldn't be hidden from Fathia.

"Mrs. Rossie should have married Mr. Alef, not Mr. Alvin."

There was a rather loud thud that hit Fathia because of that statement. So... so the photo meant that? "Then why did she end up marrying Dad?"

Naomi smiled knowingly. "Arranged marriage, Miss. Mr. Alef was arranged to marry Mrs. Larasati and had to get married. If not, Mr. Bruce Mehram would have been angry. In fact, Mr. Alef even ended up in the hospital at one point because he strongly refused."

Referring to Mr. Bruce Mehram was Fathia's grandfather who was indeed temperamental. Fathia remembered when she was little, she didn't want to get close to him because of his fierce appearance. There was never a smile on his face, and he didn't want to be approached. Even though at that time, Fathia recalled wanting to give her grandfather candy. If she wasn't mistaken, it was when Fathia was around nine years old. Even then, Felice urged her to do it eagerly. Her sister said, "Don't be afraid, Grandpa Bruce isn't mean, really. He won't scold Fathia."

However, Fathia still didn't have the courage. She chose to walk behind Felice, trembling in fear of her grandfather's voice, which sounded like thunder in her ears.

"And? Dad? Why did Dad end up marrying Mommy?"

In front of her, Naomi sighed once again. "Mr. Alvin and Mrs. Rossie were good friends, Non. Miss Felice's father was the kindest person I've ever met, and Mrs. Rossie herself approved of this. She never forced Mrs. Rossie to deal with Mr. Alvin. She always supported Mrs. Rossie's wishes and gave us guidance to not make her sad. Maybe Mr. Alef is still on her mind. Until, well, love works its way in the right place. The heart knows where it ultimately leans."

Fathia didn't understand what Naomi was talking about in the end of her Clara's story earlier.

"Mrs. Rossie fell in love with Mr. Alvin unconsciously, Miss. She began to forget the past with Mr. Alef, who was already married, right? She wouldn't want to be a third party while Mr. Alvin was giving her attention and affection."

A brief memory of Fathia was slowly pulled into her mind, of her parents' interactions. Where her father, who always looked at her mother with affection. There were never words said loudly or a displeased expression when facing her mother. Even amidst his busy schedule, her father always took the time to ask, "Where is Mommy going today? Shall Papa pick her up?"

However, Fathia knew her father was very busy at the office. It was Felice who often teased him. She would say, "Please, Pa. Don't be too in love with Mommy. It annoys me when I see it."

Her father would laugh. "Hey, is it wrong for Papa to love Mommy? No, right?" Mommy would give a small kiss on his cheek. "Someday, Felice will also know what it's like to be loved by the right man."

"Like Sebastian, right?" her father joked, while Fathia, who was having breakfast at the time, looked at them one by one in confusion. Shrugging her shoulders, Fathia finished her breakfast. And when she glanced at her sister, her beautiful face was already blushing.

"Dad!"

And they both burst into laughter together.

"Miss," Naomi called, causing Fathia to blink slowly. That sweet reverie disappeared instantly, replaced by Naomi's puzzled expression. "Miss tired? Need to rest?"

Fathia hurriedly shook her head. There's still one big question about her parents past that she needs answers to. "Did Uncle Alef interfere with Mommy? Maybe because their love couldn't be together?"

Truly, Naomi's face was like a corpse that suddenly lost its blood circulation; pale. Swallowing saliva and no longer wanting to look at Fathia.

"Naomi?" Fathia pushed.

"Yes, Miss," Naomi whispered softly. "He often came and blamed Mr. Alvin, taking advantage because he was arranged."

"Is that all?"

Naomi lowered her gaze even further.

"Naomi, come on! I need this information. I came here with strong determination. I don't want to return here if you want to know. But I'm realizing... everything is too dark for me to face the future if this past isn't unveiled."

"Besides coming here angry all the time, Mr. Alef also frequently threatened Mr. Alvin. He said that if it wasn't for management or whatever, whatever part that Mrs. Rossie managed, Mr. Alvin's company wouldn't be this big. I don't fully understand, but I often heard that when Mr. Alef got angry, Mr. Alvin didn't have much say."