[5] a

Birthday gift.

October 2015.

Fathia chose to join a dance extracurricular activity at her school. This activity took up a lot of her time, but she was happy about it. She left in the morning and returned in the evening, with a bunch of other activities to do. For Fathia, this was her own joy because she didn't dwell on the departure of her parents and her older sister anymore. Her life was now running smoothly in Sebastian's luxurious apartment. Occasionally, he would come home and stay there for quite a long time.

Just like their previous closeness, Sebastian asked her many questions about various things, especially her school activities and grades. He always reminded her to prioritize her academics for her future schooling and business. Sebastian had already started preparing Fathia so that when she came of age, she would be ready to take over the Azure Group.

Especially today, Fathia came home early. She was greeted with curious looks from the workers tidying up the apartment; Summer. The girl just shook her head with joy but her hands were very busy. In the end, she gave up and asked Summer for help in decorating the living room.

"Today is Sebastian's birthday, and it's perfect because he's coming home tonight. That's why I'm preparing a surprise."

Summer just smiled a little. Since she started working there, the girl rarely interacted with her, although she never showed any signs of disliking her. The girl was friendly and polite, but she preferred to be alone in her room. Whatever she was doing, Summer didn't want to get too involved. Her duties were clear: to tidy up the apartment and keep it clean, and occasionally to prepare food for the girl if Sebastian was out of town.

She thought of Fathia as her master's beloved sister.

Meanwhile, on the other side, a smile never left Fathia's lips. It had been almost two months since she last met Sebastian in person. They only communicated through phone calls and messages, with instructions to behave while she was at school. And now? Fathia was really looking forward to tonight.

Luckily, all her preparations were finished half an hour before dinnertime. Sebastian had said in his message that he would arrive at the apartment just in time for dinner. Fathia had time to take a quick shower and get ready to greet Sebastian. And right on time, when the man opened the door after hearing the click of the automatic lock there...

"Sebastian!" Fathia exclaimed with joy, without thinking, she rushed toward him, almost knocking him down.

"Fathia," Sebastian growled, but he didn't let go of the hug that turned into a lift as Fathia clung to him like a koala. "You're getting heavier, goodness," he complained automatically, which made the girl pout at him.

"Ugh, that's so annoying. If a girl is called heavy, it makes her insecure, you know!"

Sebastian chuckled. He had intended to put the girl down, but when he caught sight of the decorations in the living room, he abandoned that intention. "Is there a surprise?"

Fathia blinked slowly, wriggling to be let down, but Sebastian held her firmly. "Why?"

"Ugh... I need to get the birthday cake for Sebastian first."

In the end, he gently put the girl down, who looked even prettier in his eyes. There was a strange feeling for a moment after she was half-running away from him to the kitchen. The sweet scent of vanilla lingered even after Fathia was no longer on him.

"Here it is!" Fathia walked carefully after taking out a small, divided cake from the refrigerator. "Happy birthday, Sebastian!"

The man smiled. Throughout his life until now, only three Claras had celebrated his birthday. Perhaps if Felice were still here, they would be spending time on the shores of Bali. Felice loved the beach and the sand that greeted her feet. And now?

The girl with flushed cheeks and short of breath approached him. Sebastian felt like the girl had cut her hair or styled it differently. Her long, straight black hair was now wavy, and her front bangs made Fathia look even cuter in his eyes. Not to mention her broken white dress with small flower patterns that contrasted beautifully with her fair skin.

"Come on, blow the candles. Don't just daydream."

"I feel like a kid."

Fathia pouted. "Even though I worked hard to prepare all this. You should appreciate it, you know?"

Amused, Sebastian messed up Fathia's neatly styled hair, making her pout even more. He then blew the candles on the cake and placed it on the table. Fathia was about to cut the cake when her movements suddenly froze as Sebastian wrapped his arms around her waist, making her sit on his lap.

"What have you been doing today?"

Fathia blinked and felt her heart racing, making it difficult to focus on Sebastian's question. She fidgeted anxiously and tried to escape.

"Just a little while," Sebastian held her back. "I miss you."

"Ah, you're probably just missing Felice." Fathia crossed her arms. She realized that their faces were similar, but their appearances were not. Felice liked bold colors, while Fathia preferred soft colors. They had opposite tastes.

"But it's okay, you can stare at my face as much as you want, so you won't miss Felice too much."

At first, Sebastian wanted to refute and dispel the idea of this almost seventeen-year-old girl, but... he froze when Fathia suddenly snuggled into his broad chest. It felt nice to hold her closer.

"It's not just Sebastian who misses you. I do too."

A loud sigh surprised both Sebastian and Fathia.

"Can Uncle talk to Sebastian? Can Fathia?" The girl blinked nervously and quickly got off Sebastian's lap, approaching the middle-aged man who was looking at them disapprovingly. Nervously closing the gap, Fathia approached him and shook the hand of the man who was one of her father's trusted people. She kissed the back of his hand reverently. "Uncle," she said.

"Come in, Fathia."

The girl obeyed.

Meanwhile, Sebastian let out a long sigh. "It doesn't look like what Mr. Ronald had in mind."

"Is that so?" Ronald hesitated softly, taking his seat right in front of Sebastian. "I don't see it."

Sebastian massaged his temples gently and sighed again. "What do you want to talk about, Uncle? Any updates?"

"So far, at the office, how is it going?"

Once again, Sebastian sighed, and his facial expression became more tense than before. "Almost all shareholders rejected the new policy I issued."

The most vehement opposition came from Alvin's brother, Alef Walker. Ever since Alvin's will was read, he was the only one who adamantly opposed it, followed by other family members. Although Sebastian had been leading the company for almost two years, the pressure he faced was getting more intense.

"Mr. Alef is indeed dangerous. How about his project? Have you checked it?"

Sebastian nodded. "Yes, Uncle. And there have been many covert irregularities. I've asked Vino to be careful. But unfortunately..."

Ronald chose to wait.

"Alef controls many tenders, Uncle. And I suspect they're colluding with the Sailendra group."

Ronald was quite surprised by this information. "Sailendra is Alvin's main enemy. Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. Vino is quietly investigating it."

"Don't let your people get caught, and if possible, don't trust others too much," Ronald warned. "The investigation results are murky. No progress. These two years have given me a headache. No breakthrough, including the accident that took Alvin."

In unison, they sighed softly.

"And I'll warn you again, Fathia is still young. Don't make her a target for your frustration just because Felice isn't here. Take care of her, protect her, that's what you should do, Sebastian."

Sebastian's gaze suddenly darkened.

"Find a woman your age. You two are different. Fathia can still see the world that she should be able to see."

There was a brief pause before Ronald continued speaking. "You're too close to her. Remember, no matter what, we're working under her. She is the boss."