Chapter 4 He's The Person!

"How was your experience at the Book Festival?" Darnia tried to open the topic of conversation after Patricia had been silent for the past five minutes.

Darnia glanced at some of the plastic bags and chuckled to avoid drowning Patricia in irritation. She pulled out a chair and resumed taking care of the catering orders.

"You seem to have gotten your book," Darnia commented.

After taking a sip of water with a sigh of relief at the end-Patricia forgot to buy a drink at the last second she wanted to go home, unfortunately her desire to explore the bookstore was still so great that she regretted it once she was in the taxi: she was thirsty.

Patricia walked to the sink and washed her glass briefly as she replied, "Not bad. The discounts there are really big. I bought some books that were really cheap."

"But the books are good, right? I mean, you didn't pick books that didn't suit your taste, right?"

After washing the glasses and placing them on the dish rack by the sink, Patricia turned around to walk to the dining table. "I think there are three or four that aren't on the wish list. But, Tante..."

Patricia's sitting position immediately changed to face Darnia. Her eyes looked at her seriously, making her aunt frown between her nimble hands.

"At the book festival there was someone, a man, and he gave me a book that I really wanted! At first he said..."

Darnia tilted her head while giving Patricia a questioning look. Patricia's sentence suddenly hung. Unbeknownst to Darnia, Patricia instantly remembered the man's words in relation to their meeting and the broken shoe - which meant Patricia had to tell her where she met him at the Supermarket, then Darnia would end up questioning why she was in an area that was not the direction of the Book Festival.

Patricia didn't want to tell Darnia about her consultation with Jessica. Her mother's sister-or aunt-was not allowed to know about it. For Patricia, it was already tiring enough for Darnia to carry the burden of earning extra money.

She shouldn't have to add to that burden, right?

Patricia didn't even realize that the sandals she was wearing earlier were those of the man at the Book Festival. Did Darnia notice her sandals?

Her facial expression immediately grimaced, making Darnia now stop her activities.

"Patricia, what's wrong with you, how come you're suddenly silent?"

Patricia glanced at Darnia forcing her lips into a smile to cover something she was hiding. Unfortunately Patricia's smile read awkwardly in Darnia's eyes. The woman sighed as she lowered her shoulders, squinting.

"You have something to hide, don't you? What did that man say? He must have said something dangerous and mean to you, huh?"

Hearing Darnia's tone, which was starting to sound annoyed, Patricia quickly raised her hands to her chest, signaling to restrain Darnia.

"Uh, no. Not at all. I don't think he's the kind of guy who would dare say that at the beginning of a meeting," Patricia replied.

"You think there aren't a few brash men out there? Besides, even if you haven't just met him and are already close, is it okay to say things like that?"

This is why Patricia didn't want to tell Darnia about her consultation with Jessica. She was easily panicked and provoked. Patricia was even speechless because of Darnia's series of sentences when questioning the man. Patricia had already prepared the sentences in her head, but in a second they disappeared somewhere.

"Not like that, Ma. Listen to me first," Patricia interrupted before Darnia could utter any more incoherent words. "The man said: this book is to replace the sandals I bought for you. Before the Book Festival, we met in... in the parking lot of the Festival."

"Why did he buy you slippers?"

Patricia's face looked pitiable. "My shoes broke on the way."

Only then did Darnia sigh with an incredulous look on her face. "Then he bought you sandals? How come? Where did he buy them?"

"I-yeah... at the supermarket near the parking lot."

"Did he walk to the supermarket like that?"

Patricia nodded her head hesitantly. In her heart, the young woman felt guilty for telling Darnia something dishonest. But Patricia knew she had good intentions so that the woman wouldn't have more to think about.

Moreover, her irritability and panic made Patricia hesitant to tell the truth.

"It's very strange. I just met that guy, but he bought me slippers," Patricia replied.

"Wow. But is he really not messing around? Who knows if there's a surveillance camera in the book or the sandals-"

"Tante Darnia..." Patricia called Darnia in a resigned tone, which was enough because Darnia had been panicking for some reason. She then took out the plastic book the man at the Book Festival had given her earlier and showed it to Darnia as she flipped through it.

"How can a book this flat be fitted with a surveillance camera?" asked Patricia as she showed the shape of the book.

Darnia immediately relaxed her shoulders, a look of regret on her face after realizing that she was too immersed in panic earlier. The problem was that her only daughter had never met anyone or been given anything from anyone else.

So, after hearing her story-let alone being given by a strange man, Darnia was left with an unpleasant prospect that would be ridiculous to think about now.

"There was nothing. If he had messed with me, I would have gone 'hrrgghh' right away," Patricia said as she clenched her fist anxiously at the word 'hrgh'. A second later, she smiled soothingly.

"You should just calm down, the proof is that I'm still safe at home."

A smile spread across Darnia's face as she saw Patricia put on an alright face. She shook her head before returning her attention to her earlier activities that had stopped. Patricia was about to open the plastic book, but the sound of the door opening distracted her.

"I was actually worried that something might happen to you," Darnia said. "I've already lost your mother, and I don't want to lose anyone else."

Patricia's face turned sad as soon as Dania said that. Patricia was already very aware of Darnia's very protective attitude towards her. Especially since the incident of her mother's death.

"By the way, I have something to talk to you about," Darnia said seriously.

Patricia raised both eyebrows, her expression beginning to look curious.

"What do you want to say?" she asked.

Darnia seemed to think for a moment as she prepared to say something.

"To tell you the truth, I have received a report from your father's bodyguard about the man who was at the scene of your mother's accident."

Suddenly Patricia immediately looked at Darnia through enthusiastic eyes.

"Really? What did he find?" Patricia asked.

Darnia then showed Patricia the screen of her tablet. The tablet screen showed an HD version of the face of a man caught on CCTV.

"Who is he?"

"Mr. Robert Patrenson. He is the CEO of a famous fashion brand, Laurenz Corp," Darnia replied.

Then Darnia swiped the tablet screen and showed the family tree.

"He has a son who runs the fashion company Big 5 Fashion. They're very famous," Darnia replied as she showed the tablet screen.

Patricia frowned after seeing a portrait of a man she was very familiar with. Wait, isn't this the man she met at the Book Festival?

"I know him," Patricia said. "He bought me sandals and offered me a job as a magazine writer at his company."

Darnia immediately snapped her fingers with an enthusiastic smile.

"Well! How about you try approaching him?" asked Darnia. "But, wait, why is he offering you a job at his company?"

Patricia shook her head while shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't understand. But I'll accept the job he offered, because..."

Darnia raised both eyebrows with a very curious face.

"I'm fired," Patricia said with a grimace.

"Good! Perfect timing," Darnia replied. "I'm sure you'll be able to approach him to find out who Mr. Robert is. You need to get as much information as you can about whether or not he has anything to do with your mother's death."

"What if I can't-"

"Don't say bad possibilities!" cut in Darnia who immediately warned.

"Wouldn't you rather make that man fall in love with you?"

Not only Patricia, but Darnia also raised her face to look at the man who appeared from the room. For a few seconds the silence lasted. Patricia frowned as she heard the words of Mr. Fredic-her grandfather.

Their eyes were sharp. The man closed the door slowly without taking his eyes off Patricia.

"What do you mean, Grandpa?" asked Patricia.

Mr. Fredic arrived at the dining table and handed Patricia a document.

"This is your father's will, Patricia." A grin appeared as the tall Mr. Fredic sat down in the chair at the far end. "It seems like the meeting of the two of you was ordained by God."

Patricia took the document Mr. Fredic handed her and opened it. Her eyes still showed confusion. Darnia just watched Patricia and gave an expression that seemed to invite Patricia to continue her actions.

Patricia exhaled heavily as no one explained in more detail. There seemed to be something that Patricia did not expect now. After opening and removing the contents of the document, Patricia discovered that the will contained a request to accept the engagement.

The problem was that Patricia's father was asking her to accept an engagement with Mr. Robert's son! Who else but the man she met at the festival?

"I don't know why he asked you to accept the engagement. He had already planned your engagement," Fredic replied, explaining the confusion on Patricia's face.

Patricia was still dumbfounded with disbelief.

"Oh my... what was Dad thinking when he planned this engagement?" asked an astonished Patricia.

What was going on? Patricia really didn't think that her father would plan this engagement.

"Maybe your father had a bad feeling about their family, Patricia. You know, your father's company is also in competition with many parties," Mr. Fredic said.

"What do you know?" asked Patricia.

"I don't understand, but you can take this opportunity, Patricia," Mr. Fredic tried to convince Patricia.

Meanwhile, Patricia was still on the edge of her seat as she thought about what Mr. Fredic had said. Feeling that the events of the day had confused her too much, she straightened up her seat and organized the documents and items in her plastic bag.

"I'll think about this later. I want to go to my room first to rest my body," Patricia excused herself to Darnia who had nothing to say.

Patricia briefly bowed her head to Darnia and Mr. Fredic without showing a confused expression on her face. She then walked away carrying the documents and five plastic bags containing only a few books, not much.

From the moment she got this document, Patricia had no idea why she was experiencing everything.

The feeling that she had seen the man at the scene of the accident being detained, was now forcing the door of her heart. It was hard for Patricia to hold back her fast-paced heartbeat because the emotion came out without warning. No matter where the man was, Patricia never felt the atmosphere was pleasant.

Just as Patricia was about to reach her room, she met Savier-her personal bodyguard at the mansion.

"Mrs. Patricia? Are you okay?" asked Savier who stopped his steps in front of Patricia.

Patricia immediately stopped. She almost saw Savier, but then lowered her head to avoid his face.

"Ah, I'm fine. You don't have to worry, Savier."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired, so I want to go inside right away. Can I rest?"

Savier's face looked doubtful at Patricia's answer. His eyes showed sharpness. The lines on his forehead seemed to imply he realized that Patricia had just lied.

"Mrs. Patricia, don't forget that I've been accompanying your family since six years ago. That means I know the gestures of all the family members, including you."

Patricia was taken aback immediately after hearing Savier's words. She tried to hide her worry.

"But you don't know everything I went through. How can I feel sad after attending a book festival?" Patricia asked with a chuckle.

Patricia even showed her shopping bag.

"Look. I just finished shopping. Why am I sad?" Patricia asked.

Slowly Savier began to change his face to look trusting to Patricia. Savier finally nodded his head because Patricia didn't want to explain.

"Oh, okay. If you're okay, you can rest."

Patricia curved a smile as she tried to neutralize her heartbeat, which was speeding up and becoming more and more suffocating. After hearing Savier's words, Patricia went straight into her room.

From inside the room, Patricia could hear the conversation between Savier and Mr. Fredic.

"What are you talking about with Patricia?" asked Mr. Fredic.

Leaning against the door of her room, Patricia felt a bad feeling. One of the hands next to her body was unconsciously clenched. Her head still had no intention of turning.

The chaotic feelings that had arisen earlier were increasingly besieging her. Patricia closed her eyes, resisting the tightness that began to rise into her chest cavity.

"I asked her about her condition because she seemed confused and worried."

Just then, Patricia sharpened her hearing.

"Maybe she's still trying to come to terms with the engagement her father is planning," Mr. Fredic replied.

"I hope she's doing well," Savier replied.

***

Patricia walked down the corridor to her division room. It was her first day at the new company. Only a few employees had arrived at the company lobby. Half past seven was a very early hour for employees to arrive. He didn't pay much attention to the passers-by-because they didn't really care about him either.

No human knows the possibilities before them. The same was true for Patricia. She didn't know what the future would bring, including as she walked to find where her division room was. How she would meet her coworkers, how she would do during her break time, how she would start her work, and how she would do everything else until she left the company building when it was time to go home.

But one thing that was clear and that Patricia knew very well was...

"Hey, what are you looking for?"

Patricia was about to meet the man-CEO of the company, Mr. Robert's eldest son.

Taking a breath and letting it out slowly, Patricia tried to regulate the rhythm of her heart. Her feet stopped walking, paused for a moment without regard for the owner of the voice, then turned her gaze back.

"Oh, you..." Patricia realized that the person in front of her was her boss. She corrected, "I mean, Mr. CEO-I don't know your name yet."

The man, Bram, showed her the name tag on the left side of his blazer. The name Bram was written there.

"I didn't expect that you would come to this place and agree to my request. So, you are officially a writer for this company's magazine?"

Patricia nodded her head. She actually didn't entirely want to be faced with a situation like this. The problem was that the man in front of her now... was the son of the man who was suspected of having a connection with her mother's death.