Chapter 61: Chapter 61

"His name's Alan," Fathia said, her lips still trembling, which didn't fade even though she tried her best to shake off the recent event. Her eyes kept darting back and forth, staring out the car window. Scared.

"Alan? Alan who? You've been acting so suspicious, Fathia. What's up?" Jess couldn't just casually ask, but now they were in the car. Mr. Dennis was in the front, driving the car promptly.

"That person, Jess. That person," Fathia exclaimed in frustration. "Oh God! I can't possibly forget!"

"Yeah, who?" Jess pressed impatiently, but suddenly, she remembered something. "Don't tell me it's..."

Fathia nodded, though she didn't understand what Jess meant by "the same person."

"Seriously?"

"I have a lying face?"

Jess shook her head. "But are you okay, though? How do you know? Weren't you in Mr. Sebastian's room? How could this happen?"

Ah... when Jess started firing off a string of questions like this, it meant they were talking about the same person they were trying to reach. Instead of answering, Fathia chose to close her eyes and cover her face with her hands. The voice created a unique fear within Fathia. Its aura was so eerie, even though it was just a regular conversation. True. Fathia shouldn't have been this scared, but what had been said was something she could never forget.

"Alan is the one, Jess. That's the person."

"You heard him talk again, Fathia? With who? Talking about that person named Max again?" Jess was impatient, actually, but seeing the distressed expression on Fathia's face made her ask without being too demanding as before. "If you're not ready to talk, maybe in your room..."

Jess eventually stopped because there wasn't a single answer to any of her questions. Gently patting Fathia's shoulder was the best thing Jess could do right now.

Their ride back was filled with music from the audio that Dennis had intentionally played. He didn't dare ask anything to the Young Miss. His face clearly showed he didn't want to disturb her, especially after overhearing that something had happened. He initially wanted to ask a lot of questions to the Young Miss's friend, but Dennis decided against it. Especially after he heard clearly that Jess's questions didn't receive any answers either.

Fathia got out of the car as soon as the sedan stopped right in front of her door. Jack had been waiting for her after making sure Kenzo hadn't returned yet. Fathia chose to go straight into her room, followed by Jess. Jack asked briefly, but Jess signaled with a shake of her head not to disturb Fathia now. Except maybe asking Naomi to prepare a warm cup of tea for Fathia.

In the room, Fathia immediately picked up Jess's notebook containing their plans. "This time, the top priority isn't the archives room anymore." Fathia turned to Jess, who had just placed her bag on the edge of the bed. This instantly caused a puzzled frown on the girl's face.

"But the person Alan's targeting."

"How? How?" Jess moved closer to Fathia, who now looked dead serious.

"Do you remember what that person said, right?" Fathia asked impatiently. There was a hint of irritation in her now. She'd intentionally been quiet for a while, not just to compose herself, but to think. Who could be their next target? And it was definitely related to lives. If she recalled the conversation correctly, her suspicion led to one source: Alef Walker.

Could it be that this time... they're targeting her uncle's life? But why? And who is this Alan? Oh God, just thinking about it suddenly made Fathia feel dizzy. Plus, her heart kept pounding with fear and worry. What's really going on?

"I remember."

"I heard him talk something like this earlier. 'Bos is meeting Sebastian, Max,'" Fathia took a brief breath. She also observed Jess's expression, which seemed to be waiting for Fathia to continue. "And the person who met Sebastian at that time was Uncle Alef."

There was a small disbelief in Jess's eyes, almost like they were about to pop out of their sockets. "You didn't mishear, right?"

Fathia shook her head firmly. "My ears are still functioning, Jess."

Her friend moved closer to her. "This is really dangerous, Fathia. Besides our suspicions that your uncle is involved with the power in Group Azure, now he's being targeted. Right?"

Fathia nodded.

"So, that person's words, this Alan guy, found some clarity. Who's the person they're targeting? Max?" Jess found Fathia nodding in agreement. "Both of them are conspiring to eliminate your uncle, Fathia."

"While we're still looking for other evidence related to the allegations about Uncle Alef in Group Azure," Fathia added.

Jess fell silent for a moment. "What if...," Suddenly, a cold chill ran through her skin mercilessly. Goosebumps suddenly rose on her arms. "Could it be the same mastermind behind all this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let's think about it again, Fathia." Jess gently pulled the notebook from Fathia's grasp. "Your parents had an accident, and up until now, we don't know who was behind it. Everyone assumed it was just an accident, right? Mr. Sebastian and Mr. Ronald, you said you haven't been able to find evidence until now, right?" Jess asked while jotting something down.

Fathia circled "Fathia's parents' accident" with a thick line.

"No, I don't think it was just an accident, Jess," Fathia said with a sad tone, clearly showing. Her eyes lowered slightly, as if bearing a heavy burden on her shoulders. "The last entry in Mommy's diary, it implies that..."

"Implies what?"

Fathia lifted her eyes to look at Jess. Her eyes were teary. Her mind clearly pictured her mother's handwriting, which had strengthened her resolve. She would get Group Azure back. Restore it fully and uncover everything. Anything that covered Djea, whatever the risk, including... telling Sebastian the truth about who she is.

"Mommy said, Uncle Alef threatened to kill our family because she didn't want to follow his wishes in Group Azure."

"Wow... it's getting crowded, huh! Is your uncle actually the owner of Group Azure?" Jess facepalmed.

"I don't even know, Jess. That's why I didn't want to take over Group Azure because of this. It's complicated. I don't understand things beyond my logic, and now I have to understand them. Like a business conspiracy, right?"

Jess nodded. "Your language is getting cooler, Fathia."

Amid the fear, confusion, and the tangle of threads ahead of them, there was still something that made them both laugh. Exchanging jokes even though they were aware that what lay ahead wasn't an easy matter.

"And from that entry, you feel that your parents' accident was actually staged?" Jess continued, and Fathia answered without a trace of doubt with a nod.

May 25, 2014

"Follow my wishes, Ros, and your family's safe."

Was that your threat, Lif? So childish. Wasn't Alvin's share split fair enough? Shares divided along with dividends. You could have implemented better policies for Group Azure. Managing projects without needing Alvin's numerous approvals. Wasn't that enough? Yet, you're still demanding about this project? No, Alvin also has a tolerance level.

This time, Group Azure doesn't have to collaborate with Saylendra. Group Azure can stand on its own. Not like you claimed, Lif.

And I'll make sure my family isn't intimidated by all the threats you've given me more than once. I'm Alvin Mehram Claire's wife.

Right. A week after her mother wrote that note, the accident happened. The threat was genuinely made by her uncle. However, until now, Fathia never knew if there was evidence or not. Considering that even Sebastian and Ronald, who were looking into it, were obstructed.

"If our suspicions are correct, your uncle killed both your parents," Jess drew a line and made a circle where she wrote Alef Walker's name in big letters. "He is a killer. And now... his life is at risk."

Fathia nodded.

"By whom?" Jess again drew a line pointing directly to the right where her uncle's name was written. "Alan and Max. Right?"

Fathia blinked slowly. "Alan is in Group Azure, Jess. It's just that I'm too afraid to even find out what his face looks like."

Jess understood that fear.

"And I distinctly remember, they planned to do it when Uncle Alef is at the peak. So, that means..."

"It means when Sebastian hands over Group Azure to him." Jess snapped her fingers. "We still have a few more months, right? We can find a lot of evidence."

Fathia's brow furrowed, but she nodded confidently. "You're right. Evidence."

Then Fathia's eyes returned to the note with quite an emphasis. "Evidence for my parents' accident, the incident at the campus, and Alef's other crimes."

"Regarding the incident on campus, did you suspect that your uncle was involved too?"

Jess rotated her eyes. "Who else? From your words, he wants to take control of Group Azure, Fathia. Everything in the way will be obliterated. If the owner of Group Azure isn't around, just like he wants now, right? He finally gains power."

Fathia agreed with Jess's statement this time.

"And when he's in power, Alan and Max take him down."

A shiver suddenly ran down Fathia's spine at the thought. "What do you think... what can we do?"

"Besides gathering evidence?"

Fathia nodded.

"Are you ready to tell Uncle Sebastian and Uncle Ronald who you really are?"

A strange surge hit her heart suddenly. She remembered her determination to unveil all the veils, and indeed, she needed additional support to get proof of her uncle's crimes if he was indeed behind everything.

"Ready."

Jess grinned widely. "That's the spirit."

"For the sake of Group Azure."

"Whatever."

"Why, like that?" Fathia was puzzled by Jess's response this time.

"Well... who knows, maybe the primary goal is to have a heartwarming reunion with Sebastian. It's not a problem, Fathia."