Chapter 70: Chapter 70

Laras maintained her seated position. The two guests from earlier had probably left about an hour ago. Nothing was disturbing her now. The rustling of the wind mixed with the leaves and the faint fragrance from the nearby garden wafted by. Even though there were several servants standing around ready to serve her, she still felt lonely. Even the sound of the pool's water, which was always present, was a loyal companion in this solitude of Clara's.

The sun had shown its full strength. The bright heat should have prompted the woman to move away, to go inside her cool house. It would offer a special comfort that would lull her. But she chose to stay. Under the sizeable gazebo that could provide shade.

The difference was that here she felt the breeze, which didn't make her suffocate as indoors did. All that luxury caused a dramatic effect that was enough for her to decide not to move.

"Would madam like lunch?" one of the servers offered.

"No, just bring some cold fruit."

The server nodded obediently. Before he left completely, the voice of the Lady stopped him.

"Don't let my husband know that someone came to see me."

The server hesitated for a moment, then nodded again. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the server move away from her. Leaving only one person around her.

"Rani," she called. The server approached quickly.

"Yes, madam?"

"Fetch my bag from my room. Make sure I haven't left anything behind. And tell Malik to prepare my car."

"Alright, madam."

Left alone, she actually felt freer. She closed her eyes again, the conversation that had taken up so much of her emotions replaying in her mind.

"Why aren't you acting like the guardian you're supposed to be? Protecting Fathia from all threats?"

Even she shivered hearing those words escape from her lips. The accumulation of confusion and fear that had dominated her, causing her fortress to crumble, swirled so vividly in her heart. She was shattered when she found out that what she overheard three days before the incident had turned out to be true.

In the span of three days, what could she do with her limitations? Nothing. But when she learned of unexpected help, she made her decision right away. At that moment, she only wanted one thing – for her niece to be alive and hidden safely from the people seeking her life.

Every tense second passed until the news of Fathia leaving, her niece's safety being revealed, lifted the weight off her slowly. It didn't matter how many were deceived by her actions. She didn't care. She just needed to ensure that Rossie's beloved child was safe under her protection.

"I set up a perimeter. I couldn't let Fathia go without security."

"But what did I know? Fathia got hurt."

Sebastian blinked while his niece stared in disbelief.

"I was behind all the events of Fathia's disappearance. Do you want to know why? Fathia is my niece." Laras slowly rose. She approached Fathia, who now gazed at her with a puzzled look. "And look, Sebastian! Because of your negligence, my niece is like this!"

Fathia's eyes widened as Laras lightly gripped her cheek.

"There's a lot of suffering that Fathia had to go through because of your negligence, Sebastian. Look! Look!" Laras's breath was racing. Her eyes fixed sharply on Sebastian without mercy. "I've been observing all your moves, Sebastian. Stupid of me to trust you like I did with Alvin."

Then the grip was released. Laras's eyes still blazed with anger. She sat back in her chair, normalizing her racing breaths. She swiftly grabbed the glass of water that was always there for her. She took a few sips, quenching her thirst and pushing away the lingering emotions.

"So?" Sebastian still couldn't hide his surprise. Laras was sure of it. It was clear that the usually composed and cautious man was shocked by her revelation.

"Do you think I'm a threat? To Fathia, who's a Claire?" Laras shook her head gently. "You're so narrow-minded."

"Why didn't you say anything, Mrs. Laras?"

"With all of Alef's eyes on you?" Laras scoffed. "Use your head, Sebastian!"

Sebastian fell silent. On the other side, the girl who seemed uneasy in her seat seemed like she wanted to speak up. And indeed, despite her trembling, the girl eventually voiced what might have been bothering her.

"B-But why, Aunt?"

Laras turned. She smiled a little at Fathia. Her tone was no longer high, but full of tenderness, and her gaze was soft as she looked at the short-haired girl. "Why do you ask? What do you think?"

Fathia closed her eyes briefly. "Aunt, I didn't come here to play guessing games. I really want to know why Aunt did all this."

"Aunt's not playing guessing games, Sweetie. For what reason?" Laras maintained her smile. "Come here, Dear."

Hesitant but determined, Fathia wanted to approach. She glanced briefly at Sebastian, seeking his approval. Meanwhile, the man who never took his eyes off the girl nodded ever so slightly.

As Fathia moved closer, she was met with her cheek being cupped by Laras. The woman's eyes glistened with tears. Her lips quivered, especially when her left palm gently brushed Fathia's old scar. "Aunt feels like I failed to protect you, Sweetheart."

A tear escaped, confusing Fathia even more. In this close distance, where Laras gazed at Fathia intensely, the girl decided to match her level. She knelt down to at least level their gazes.

"Rossie was right."

Fathia's heart felt like it stopped when her mother's name was mentioned.

"If you really do look so much like her."

"Dad says I look like Dad."

Laras shook her head with a faint smile. Her eyes still welled with tears. "Your dad is wrong. Everyone knows that you resemble Rossie so much."

"Is that true?"

Without hesitation, Laras nodded.

"Aunt... were you close to Mommy?"

That small smile now carried meaning. She directed a waiter to move Fathia's chair closer to her. Laras rarely interacted with Fathia. Even Felice. But that didn't mean that as their stories grew, she lost her moments. It wasn't that Laras didn't want to see them often. Though her heart didn't doubt Rossie's words about her feelings for her husband, Laras was simply trying to guard her heart.

There were days when, if Alef picked up Laras from Alvin's residence, the vividness of his longing gaze was clear. It was directed at one point; Rossie.

"Close enough to be categorized as our strange relationship," Rossie had said.

Fathia's gaze remained fixed on her father's half-sister. "Aunt... Does Aunt hate Mommy?"

Laras chuckled softly. She gently stroked the top of Fathia's head. "Hate? What's the basis?"

Fathia wanted to voice what was bothering her about her mother's relationship with her uncle. The man who was now looking at her closely.

"Rossie often talks about you and Felice, Sweetie."

"Really?" Fathia couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Aunt... you know about us?"

"You're Aunt's nieces. Why wouldn't Aunt know?"

"I mean, Aunt never came to the house. Visited. Said hi to us."

Laras chuckled softly again. "Our relationship is indeed strange, Sweetie. But that doesn't mean Aunt turns a blind eye to her two beautiful nieces." Laras gently stroked Fathia's cheek again.

"And is it because of this that Aunty saved Fathia?"

Laras's movement suddenly halted. This immediately prompted Fathia to ask a question that made her curious enough.

"Does Aunty know about Fathia's family accident?"

Fathia let the silence linger between the two previous questions for a while. The expression on Laras's face became the next consideration for what Fathia wanted to continue. The woman's smile vanished. She had dried her wet cheeks. The corners of her eyes, which were still watery, were now dabbed with a tissue to keep them dry.

Occasionally, she cleared her throat as if calming the storm within her mind.

"Aunty?" Fathia broke the silence. For her, she had patiently waited long enough to know the answer that held the key to everything that had happened.

There followed a long sigh and a frustrated groan from Laras. "Aunt saved you because Rossie left her final message."

Fathia straightened her posture. "Final message?"

Laras gave a faint nod, considering her answer. "Three days before..." She closed her eyes briefly, taking in a lungful of air. Her memories and her presence on the day when the clouds hung heavily over the Claire family still haunted her. "Before the accident happened, Rossie contacted me, her voice trembling."

Laras's memory was dragged back to a time when she hadn't even finished her breakfast just to listen to and calm Rossie. Also, to intercept Alef before he went to the office.

"I don't know why, Alef's acting possessed, Ras. You're okay at home, right? He's not being harsh with you, is he?"

At that time, Laras chose to remain silent, covering a thousand languages. "How do you mean, possessed?"

"The threats are coming again. I'm not scared because Alvin isn't at fault. I think his policies are fine. But why is Alef lie this?"

"I'm not good with business talk, Ros."

Over there, Rossie, who is essentially her sister-in-law, just chuckled. "No need to understand it better."

"If you're disturbed by it, I'll talk to Alef, Ros."

"No, Ras. Don't." Rossie's voice sounds panicked. "I just called to vent. Maybe I'm also stressed dealing with a lot of investors and pressure from Alef. I see the threat as just a threat, you know. Don't say anything, Ras."

"Okay."

"But, Ras... promise me one thing, can you?"

Laras's forehead furrows right then. Her movement to pick up her breakfast pauses. "Promise? What promise?"

"Please help me protect Fathia, okay? In any way, I agree. As long as Fathia is safe. Secure. Whatever way you see fit."

"I don't understand."

"Just promise, Ras. Can you?"

"Yeah, but that promise is heavy, Ros. I also don't understand the direction of your talk."

"Promise, Ras. That's what I need," Rossie urges with a worried tone. It leaves Laras with no choice. With frustration and anger, Laras finally makes her promise. "Okay. I promise."

Then there's a long exhale from Rossie. "Ah, I feel relieved now. Gotta goes, Ras. Let's talk later during lunch."

And no other conversation follows. Until that news startles Laras. She strongly suspects that everything revolves around Alef, her husband. But Laras has no evidence whatsoever except for the conversation she couldn't trace. For years, she's been gathering all the evidence pointing to her husband, bit by bit.

"What did Mommy say?" Fathia asks impatiently. In front of her, once again, Laras cries. For some unknown reason. Fathia's earlier question breaks her reverie. She smiles gently and refocuses.

"A promise to protect you the Auntie way."

"From what?"

It's about time Fathia knew. That's how she thinks.

"Before Auntie goes any further, has Clara been taking good care of you?"

Fathia furrows her brows.

"Clara is among you as Auntie's person, Fathia."

Both Fathia and Sebastian exchange glances.

"All this time, Clara has been hidden from you at Auntie's command. Now isn't the right time for you to return."

Questions about Clara keep piling up in Fathia's mind.

"But it's okay. Auntie is happy that you finally came here. Did Clara not say anything about Auntie's plan?"