Chapter 87: Chapter 87

"Never make baseless accusations, Sebastian!!!" Alef warns loudly. He gathers what's left of his voice to bare his fangs. To prove that he's not affected by everything Sebastian is saying, he speaks without hesitation. "Where's the proof, huh?! Where is it!!?" His grip on the cane he uses to support himself tightens, growing stronger.

His breath races unpredictably. His face is tensed, flushed with a shade of red due to his anger that he can't hold back any longer. "Alan, get my lawyer on the line. I won't stand for being humiliated like this, especially these groundless allegations this guy is spewing!" With a swift movement, he lifts the cane and points it at Sebastian, who stands a considerable distance away.

Behind him, Alan chooses to stay silent. Observing and waiting for the right moment. Watching the drama unfold. He never imagined that the explosion would fail. Calculating all the possible outcomes from the chaos happening here.

Including... execution for him. Imprisonment.

"And who is she? Fathia? Alvin's child?" Alef's voice resounds again, breaking the reverie of the many people present there, including Alan. His voice is filled with doubt because, truly, Alef can't believe what's in front of him now. "You're easily fooled by a woman, Sebastian! She's not even a Claire. Look at her face! She doesn't resemble Rossie at all. Alvin's youngest child looks a lot like Rossie. Are you blind, huh?"

There's one thing that warms Fathia amidst the multitude of words her uncle utters. If it's true, in the eyes of others, she closely resembles her mother. Whereas Sebastian himself said she resembles Felice. This means both of them resemble their mother. Not just one of them resembles their father. Just like the jokes that used to happen in the living room of their house back then. When the four of them would engage in friendly banter.

"I'm a witness to everything, Uncle."

Alef, along with everyone else in the room, turns to the source of the voice. Including Sebastian. Near the entrance, Clara and Larasati stand, present as well. The door is fully open, with impeccable timing. Sebastian is thankful, Vino designed this because in anticipation of the worst-case scenario, he had to be prepared.

"What is all this?" Alef asks, bewildered.

"I'm Clara. Uncle Alef must know who I am." Clara speaks with confidence. She lets her counterpart snort and sends her a displeased look.

"I don't know what happened back then, but what's certain is that I was affected by the explosion. Although I only sustained scratches and injuries in a few places, I have a special mission. To protect Fathia without her needing to know." Clara still doesn't want to mention Fathia's name too much. If it weren't for the series of phone calls that ended with her begging Laras to stop interfering in Clara's personal life, she would've chosen to be at Lombok Beach. Doing a photoshoot for the well-known Exclusive magazine across the nation.

"I made sure that this girl is indeed Fathia Bernessa Claire. And I confess, it was a huge mistake for me to fake all the death documents for Fathia because this girl's life is in danger." Clara closes her eyes momentarily. She doesn't want to utter the name she despises the most, but it's a necessity now. Especially since what she feared has truly come to pass in her eyes.

Sebastian is once again focused on Fathia, and Clara knows that the gaze of the man who reigns in her heart never breaks away from the girl by his side. His look is so different. Warm, soft, and offering a sense of heightened protection to Fathia. It's so palpable. Unlike when Sebastian looks at her. He's more often diverted or engrossed in his work screen. Her fate is quite distressing.

"Tell the truth! How much did Sebastian pay you guys, huh?!" Alef is truly frustrated by all this talk. "Spill it! I may pay triple, but don't ever talk nonsense like this. Do you think I'd believe everything you say, huh?!" Alef is still unwilling to lower his octave when speaking. "And you," he points to the woman looking graceful in her brown blazer, who holds the status of being his wife. "What do you want here?"

The woman, who's still beautiful in her current age, is actually quite frightened. She's never truly raised the flag of resistance against Alef. Throughout her life with Alef, her husband's words are something she must obey. No matter what. Including her freedom to speak and socialize. She's only allowed to manage the foundation as a self-image for Alef, to show that he has a generous wife.

She takes a breath for a moment, then smiles slightly. Ignoring her fear because she's set her goal. She walks toward Sebastian and Fathia, not too far from her current position. "Defending my niece, Alef." She holds Fathia's hand, which is immediately reciprocated. "This child shouldn't have fallen victim to your greed, Alef. She... Fathia. Rossie's beloved child, if you want to know."

Alef is taken aback by the new address that just reached his ears. Since when did his submissive wife change? Her gaze is different too. As if challenging Alef to challenge her. Damn it. Has Sebastian's influence reached this far? Why did Alef have to be kind enough to let Sebastian go, only to have him come back to haunt him today? Damn it!!!

Sebastian still has a calm smile. He can witness for himself how Alef is shocked, for whatever reason. "What if Mrs. Laras explains it?"

Feeling that all eyes are on her now, Laras holds onto Fathia even tighter. Although, indeed, Fathia is also haunted by fear facing so many people here. She doesn't speak, choosing to observe everything in the room. She also watches Alef's movements, as he's reluctant to acknowledge the truth directly. Yes, that's surely it. He'll keep denying the cruel things he did even though the evidence is right there.

"Enough, Alef. Just admit it. You orchestrated everything. For years, I've been searching for evidence that points to one name. Yours." Laras takes a deep breath for a moment. "You've been involved in every significant event in Alvin's life. You're the one who left a child without parents forcibly. As if that weren't enough, you even targeted his life."

Alef grumbles in displeasure.

"No matter what, Fathia is under my protection. Alvin's child, my child too."

"You damn woman! Clueless fool! Bastard!!!" The curses reverberated perfectly in the conference room. Almost everyone present flinched as those words smoothly rolled off the tongue of Alef Walker, who always appeared harmonious on the outside.

There had never been rumors of cracks in the Alef Walker family. It was so perfect that it made many of his business colleagues envious. And when faced with the reality here, they stared in disbelief.

"Come on, Mr. Alef Walker. Join us for further investigation." One of the uniformed men approached a furious Alef. His gaze was sharp, piercing everyone in the room.

"I absolutely refuse all these accusations! This is all manipulation! Alan... you contact my lawyer. Sue them all for defamation!"

"Sir, you can say that at the office." Since Alef was hard to approach due to his continually raised cane, poised to strike each person there one by one, another officer stepped in.

"I will never accept this!!!"

The voice echoed once again. A blend of immense frustration and the anger that had been festering in him for days. As one of the officers reached for Alef's supporting cane, he growled in anger. He resisted, struggling, but his strength waned as the two officers, with robust bodies, managed to restrain him.

"I can walk on my own! I'll settle the score with all of you myself!" he exclaimed, pointing his finger.

"Alright, sir. Please follow us."

Alef grumbled in frustration beyond words. When he glanced at Alan, his loyal assistant, he was met with an expressionless face. Utterly devoid of any expression. "Alan, stop daydreaming. Call Henry. Tell him I'm being falsely accused. My reputation is being tarnished!"

However, Alef's heart seemed to plummet to the ground when Alan shook his head slowly. His smile was thin. Suddenly, his gaze darkened. His face grew tense and rigid all of a sudden. Alef wanted to ask, but...

He didn't get the chance to pose the question. Because the next moment, with a lightning-fast movement that seemed expertly executed, Alan drew his pistol. He aimed it directly at Alef, who was not far away.

It didn't take long for the sound of a gunshot to reverberate.

Accompanied by terrified screams, including Fathia's.

"Aunt!"