Chapter 55: Chapter 55

"What did you tell Mr. Sebastian?" Fathia presses again. She needs an answer that can put her mind at ease. Because today, Sebastian's behavior has made her feel like he knows who she is.

"I didn't say anything, Miss. I swear," Naomi says with the same words she's been using since the young miss arrived, bombarding her with urgent-sounding questions. Looking at her, the miss's lips pucker. She sits with a hint of annoyance, avoiding Naomi's gaze. The middle-aged woman can only let out a soft sigh. "Is something wrong, Miss?"

"What do you mean, something's wrong? At the office, Sebastian acted as if he knew it was me. But I haven't even told him that I'm Fathia. My plan could get messed up," Fathia complains with a long exhale.

"Listen, Fathia dear," This time, Jess speaks up. Taking a seat right beside Fathia. They can both breathe a sigh of relief because it's Friday night, and Kenzo won't be coming back home; he's going to his parents' house. "How long have you lived with dear Sebastian? I think he's a really observant person. There's no way he wouldn't understand or figure out right away that the person in front of him is the same Fathia he knows so well."

Fathia's frustration still hasn't faded from her lips.

"So, what, you don't want to be recognized by Sebastian?" Jess teases with a wink.

"It's not like that!" Fathia half-exclaims in frustration.

"Then what?"

Fathia lets out an annoyed sigh. "So frustrating!" She decides to retreat to her room, not wanting to talk about her presence at the office, especially her strong belief that Sebastian indeed knows who she is. She just has to wait for Sebastian to press her to confess her secret.

She should probably speed up opening the archive room then. Or... should she open up to Sebastian? Tell him about what she found in her father's office? Gather together to uncover what really happened? Should she?

Jess's laughter trails Fathia as she walks away. "Oh... classic innocent Fathia. There's no way Sebastian wouldn't know it's her. Right, Aunt?" Jess playfully glances at Naomi, who lets out a soft sigh. "What's wrong, Aunt?"

Naomi blinks slowly, looking closely at Jess. "I'm afraid... something bad might happen to Miss Fathia, Miss Jess."

Jess nods in understanding. "I've got her back, Aunt. Don't worry. Besides, even if Sebastian's not like that Fox, I'm pretty sure nothing bad will happen to Fathia."

"The Fox?" Naomi furrows her brows. "Who's the Fox?"

"That's Sebastian's girlfriend who's shameless!" Jess mutters without restraint.

"Oh... Miss Clara?"

"You know, Aunt?"

Naomi nods confidently. "She's visited here before."

Jess straightened up. "Here? What's the need?"

Jess could see Naomi's eyes as if staring far ahead. Digging into her memory about Clara's visit that time. "I forgot what year it was, but one thing's for sure, Miss had already been living with Mr. Sebastian in Mr. Sebastian's apartment."

Jess chose to wait for Naomi to continue speaking. Jess's suspicion was correct that Clara was very cunning. She wouldn't have just saved Fathia like that. There must be a strong motive behind it, which Jess now had to find out.

"Miss Clara came with Mrs. Laras. She said she wanted to get files from Mr. Alvin's office on Mr. Alef's orders." Naomi tried to recall the incident. "But it wasn't long, and no files were taken. Mrs. Laras said they were already at the office."

"What files?"

Naomi smiled knowingly. "I don't know, Miss. What right do I have to ask? Just making sure Mr. Alvin's office isn't a mess already gives me a panic attack. I'm afraid of getting scolded by Mrs. Laras."

This information is really useful for Jess to share with Fathia. "Does Fathia know?"

The middle-aged woman shook her head. "Miss hasn't returned to this house since Mr. Sebastian brought her. But we always hear that Miss is doing well there. She lacks nothing, and her face doesn't look sad anymore, Miss Jess. For us, that's more than enough. Mr. Sebastian really takes good care of Miss."

Jess just nodded and excused herself back to her room somewhat hurriedly. She knocked softly before entering the room, which turned out to be unlocked. "Fathia?" she called out then. Feeling no answer, Jess called again.

"Fathia?"

Feeling there still wasn't an answer, worry began to grow for Jess, especially since Fathia's bag was already on the bed. There was no sign of her work uniform, which meant Fathia might still be in the same outfit. She quickly headed to the bathroom, but there was no sign of the person she was looking for. The walk-in closet, which was now half-filled with Fathia's clothes, was also empty.

A growing sense of anxiety enveloped Jess more and more. She rushed out of the room, intending to find Fathia and ask for Naomi's help. That's why she returned to the dining area, passing through the same corridor where... Oh my God! "FATHIA!"

The girl emerged from the swimming pool, looking puzzled. "Why are you shouting like that?" when she saw Jess hurrying toward her.

"I thought you disappeared!"

Fathia chuckled, leaning against the edge of the pool because she wasn't done with her activity yet. Swimming had made her feel relaxed, and she hadn't done it freely in a long time.

"I got some info from Naomi that Clara came here."

"Seriously?"

Jess rolled her eyes. "Let's talk in the room, okay?"

Her friend's suggestion was agreed upon by Fathia. She quickly climbed out of the pool and grabbed her bathrobe while Jess draped a small towel over Fathia's wet hair. "Thanks."

Jess chose to stay silent while letting out a huff. "I'm serious, you know? I thought you were missing."

Fathia's smile still wouldn't fade. "Thanks, Jess, for caring and worrying about me."

Fathia's teasing earned a response. By the time they reached the room, Fathia immediately took a shower and changed clothes, while Jess just washed her face and waited for Fathia.

"Took forever, seriously, meditating in the bathroom?" Jess grumbled impatiently. The cheese cookies snack that Naomi brought earlier was almost half gone by her.

"You hungry?" Fathia asked, ignoring Jess's complaint. Her eyes quickly landed on the almost-empty cookie jar. "Wow... that's so mean!"

"Sit down here, quick!"

Fathia pouted again. "Next time, I'll ask Aunt Naomi to get a different cookie jar. You cheated."

"You're quick with food problems. You're really slow with Clara issues."

"Why, though?"

Despite the teasing, Jess still recounted the conversation they had at the dining table. Fathia was hit with surprise. She hadn't expected that this time the conversation would be about her Aunt, Larasati.

"Do you know Aunt Laras? I mean, do you know her well?"

Jess's answer to Fathia's question was a shake of the head. "I've never been close to Uncle Alef's family."

"I think we really need to plan this out."

"Oh my gosh, Jess. We're like detectives."

"Hey! We need to. Clearly, we're in the middle of a tangled web. We're just starting to unravel it, and we're already feeling overwhelmed, right? If we don't make a plan and set goals, we won't get answers anytime soon."

"How about the archives?"

Jess snapped her fingers. Her face brightened up again, glowing like a very bright star. "Mr. Biyan gave us permission. Next week, on Thursday and Friday afternoons, we're going in."

This news clearly brought a smile to Fathia's face. "Good." But that didn't last long. "But why do I still feel worried? Can't get away from Sebastian?"

"You can. You definitely can. You just have to say you're a new employee. That's the truth, isn't it? Done deal?"

If only it were that easy. Fathia knew Sebastian too well. It wasn't easy to break away from him. Her mind kept replaying how closely Sebastian watched over her. Not a second went by without Sebastian knowing about Fathia's activities, whether at school or outside.

Jess shrugged, seeing Fathia lost in thought. She decided to grab her notebook. "Let's make a plan, Fathia," she said, opening a blank page. "First things first, we need to find the 2010 folder. Look for the annual financial reports from that year, right?"

Fathia nodded, shifting closer to Jess.

"Second, we have to find out about your parents' accident, Fathia. We must. No matter how bitter the truth may be, you still need to find out."

"Yeah. But where do we start?"

Jess paused in her writing for a moment, pondering slowly while twirling the end of her pen. "What if you look in your parents' room? Maybe there's a clue?"

"Seriously, Jess. We're playing detective here."

Jess chuckled. "Your family is full of mysteries, you know."

They fell silent again.

"Just imagine for a moment. Group Azure was built with your parents' hard work, this house can't just magically appear, right? It was built, right, Fathia? And then... you have to hand it all over just because you want a peaceful life? I'm not blaming your decision. Not at all. If I were you, I'd want peace too. I wouldn't want any tragedies like this."

Fathia pursed her lips.

"I'm alone, Fathia. My parents have been dead for a long time. They left me some money, not much, but I have skills. Until I could open a shop." Jess took a slow breath. "My heart would ache if, in my old age, my child, who should be enjoying the fruits of my young labor, is struggling to make ends meet. While my legacy? Controlled by scheming people, for instance."

"So... you think this is really about inheritance?"

"What else?"

"Okay, for our second step. I'm gonna find out what caused my parents' accident that Sebastian and Uncle Ronald don't know about? That's what you mean, right?"

"Exactly!"

Jess wrote down her plan again. "The third thing, this one seems like we have to be super careful."

"Meaning?" Fathia furrowed her brow.

"Clara the Fox."

"Why Clara the Fox?"

Jess facepalmed. "Gosh, Fathia! Can you use your brain, seriously? It's obvious that Clara is a key to unraveling another layer of this tangled mess."

"You said she's cunning. How do we pressure her then? We're basically throwing ourselves into the fire, Jess."

Jess felt like giving Fathia a slap to snap her out of her usual thoughts. "We need something that'll make Clara unable to move. Including the fake funeral you did, right? You never thought that far, did you?"