Bursting into laughter, I couldn’t hold it back. It was almost comical how crazy I’d become. Just as he said,you were mad, crazy.
“I know you hate me,” his calm voice returned beneath me.Oh, I hate you more than ever now.“But I hope you’ll stay at home this weekend. Your brother’s coming, Zioh.”
My laugh stopped, arching my brow as he continued. “Zeraiah. He’s coming here.”
My body locked up, refusing to respond, and he left.
Minutes passed, and silence was all that remained. I slumped back, staying still as Natasha watched me intently. With a weary breath, I muttered, “Natasha, book me a hotel for tonight.” She nodded, barely moving.
Natasha sat with me, wordless. Just being there in the quiet helped until my phone buzzed. I didn’t move, and I didn’t even look at it. Natasha reached for it instead. After a pause, she glanced at me. “Zioh, it’s from Tsabinu. Maybe about the matter—”
“Answer it and confirm to me later. I can’t deal with it right now.” I said with a low voice. I tried to breathe normally and adjust my AirPods until Natasha’s voice returned. “Sir, I’m sorry, but Mr Tsabinu wishes to speak directly. He’s… already here.”
The moment she finished, a knock sounded at the nearby door. I sighed. “Let him in.”
Moments later, Tsabinu entered, suited up, on a bloody Sunday. His dedication was ridiculous. His eyes met mine, and he greeted me. “Good afternoon, sir. Forgive me for disturbing your time.” He stepped in, and Natasha, who’d been quietly at my side, cleared her throat and looked at him as he sat opposite us.
“I come as a representative of the Legal Division to discuss Mr. Bakti’s case. Yesterday, our team held an initial meeting. We plan to file charges—” His voice faded in and out, melting into the noise in my head. “Criminal Code Article 310 (2) and Article 433 (2). Written defamation. We also intend to—” What did he say?—his words flickered, here and gone. I blinked hard, shaking my head.
Since yesterday, I’d tried to silence everything inside me, but it only screamed back harder. And when it finally did… it was as if nothing remained inside me, my bones reduced to rubber.
They have seen it—Natasha, even Tsabinu. Because when I looked at him again, he only sat there in silence, and his gaze never left me.
Oh yeah, he was there that day too. He saw it—the shameful, sickening scene. Witnessed it, again andagain. Somehow, whether in the past or now, we always shared the worst moments and endured them together.
Even if it always ended worse.
Bloody unlucky, weren’t we, Tsabinu?
His steady gaze, its quiet tremor, reminded me of the past and almost made me huff a laugh. He used to look at me this way when we still called each other friends, and all I could do was give him a faint smile. The silence broke as I pushed my chair back and rose. “Just send me the details, Tsabinu. Let’s call it a day.”
« -- * -- »
Even with my state of mind, the next day I found myself dressed immaculately, standing before the lift at Artamain’s office.
Truthfully, I didn’t even trust myself right now. That was why I wanted to pull away for a while, but because of my dad’s bloody behaviour, and this damn position, I had nochoice but to drag myself here. To help find a solution under pressure from both Artamain and INDTV Group.
Thanks, Dad. Truly.Don’t embarrass you, huh?
Natasha, Tsabinu, and I stood on one of Artamain’s top floors. After meeting with Artamain’s superiors, we waited together for the lift. Natasha was in the middle, and Tsabinu and I were flanking her. We were headed to the 20th floor, the media communications division, for an urgent meeting.
The silence broke when Natasha cleared her throat. “What if we also invite the medcom team for lunch? It’s nearly lunchtime, and we might be disturbing their break.”
Tsabinu answered with a faint smile in his voice. “That’s fine, Miss Natasha.”
Even without looking, I knew Natasha was glowing. Should I warn her? Or let her hold on to her spark of hope here? Because this was going to be a long haul anyway.
I sighed, and I knew she shot me a sly look.
At last, her polite facade cracked.
When the lift arrived, Natasha kept chatting with Tsabinu, and he replied, his tone calm and kind. I mean, he was Tsabinu after all. The lift stopped, and I walked out first, leaving them to it, giving Natasha more time to try.
Outside the meeting room, Natasha knocked, and we stepped in.
Strange…
The place was buzzing, more than a dozen people inside. Yet my eyes went straight there.
