Aster Veren
Episode 103's

- Ansel

The time is 09:00 in the morning, and I'm still busy taking care of my work. I think my head will break if it keeps getting preoccupied with these fucking files in front of me.

I didn't have time to call my daughter for a second because Rigel wasn't there to help me. Though I usually share my work with him, but today and so on I must be able to take care of it myself because Rigel I have sent back to Singapore to take care of my company there.

At first he refused and staunchly asked me to come along, but I turned him down because my company here was not doing well either. If I leave, who will take care of it?

"Am I just looking for a secretary?" I muttered while massaging the base of my nose after sighing tiredly.

It just so happened that my work increased after I finished taking care of my problems with the people involved in the late mother's accident case.

I guess the woman cooperated with her mother ..., my mind remembers the day of the trial. I thought they would live long in prison. But the only one who entered the bars was his mother because she was proven innocent.

"... must be difficult to live life after his face was plastered in various news media. Victor was made to worry about her, too" I muttered remembering Claretta's pitiful expression.

Tok tok!

There was the sound of a door being knocked from outside, waking me up from my brief daydream. "Lake in!" Shouted me.

Soon the door opened showing the figure of Khael and Arsel entering my work space with a beaming expression, making me frown at the confusion watching the child and father in front of me.

"What's wrong?" I sniffed at Arsel when our eyes met. He did not have time to answer, his son had run to my desk and surprised me.

"Khael wants to play!" He cried while looking up his head in front of my work table with his fingers that had gripped tightly on the edge of the table.

Look at! She was so cute because her tiny body was no taller than my desk, I who saw her body tremble could only guess that Khael was on tiptoes right now. Then her facial expression was also very adorable, her cheeks bulging and reddening like she was holding her breath in order to see my face from her position.

Though he could approach me directly to the other side, but this boy instead forced himself to stand in front of my desk.

Really adorable, right?

"Pft ...," I murmured helplessly to hold my laughter, but as best as I could try to hold my laughing voice as I saw Khael struggling to hold himself in front of me, "want to play with me?" After I managed to control myself.

"Yes!" He was very enthusiastic with his big smile.

"... but my work is not done yet," I said feeling sorry for not being able to heed her request.

"You still busy working on holidays like this?" Arsel's new voice chirped, making me look at her who was already sitting sweetly on the sofa available in my work space. Somehow I felt annoyed when I saw him that relaxed, as if not concerned with his presence and his son who had disrupted my work time.

"You want to replace me?" I look at him inside.

"No, thank you." Reject it while reaching for the apple in front of him and immediately biting it.

"Then why don't you just go outside? Bring your children." My advice while reaching back to my computer keyboard that I had neglected because I felt tired.

"Hah~ Hana come in!" Shouted Arsel after sighing harshly, then before long the person who was summoned entered into my work space.

"Yes, sir" said the waiter politely.

"Bring Khael outside, there's something I want to talk to my brother about."

"Eh~ papa says Khael can play with uncle. Why are you telling Hana to play outside?" The protest of Khael who was standing next to his father. I don't know since when he was standing there, I didn't even notice his departure from my desk.

"Later after papa finished talking yes, now Khael played with Hana first." Arsel clearly with his soft voice.

"... alright," she pasrahnya with her pursed lips irritated, walked up to Hana and pulled the end of her clothes. "Let's go!" It made Hana nod and immediately bow her body to me and Arsel before going outside together with Khael.

***

"This means ... what?" I muttered as I opened all the letters that Arsel had given me to my hand.

"No idea, I haven't even seen it yet because it's labeled and shown to you." Her words made me stare at her annoying-looking red bead.

"Then why did all these letters go to your house?" I asked her to look at him suspiciously while leaning my body against the recline of the sofa I was sitting on, facing Arsel.

"Hem... Why? Why do you think?" The answer asked back, making me angry. It's been a long time that he hasn't made me this sorry, plus all the junk mail in my hand. I felt my annoyance increased many times over.

Is my patience being tested now? All the people who sent me letters asking for approval to match their son with my daughter, then they offered cooperation and promised trashy things to make my blood heat up.

Do they think my property will run out if they don't accept their offer? Aren't they the ones who want to add to their wealth by making this match? My grunts inwardly, trying to hold back my near-peaking resentment.

"Did I just destroy their families?" I continued, throwing all the papers in my hand onto the table, drawing Arsel's attention.

I saw that he had grabbed all the letters and started reading them, "this?!" He said with an annoyed expression that slowly began to adorn his annoying face.

"They're looking to die, right? How dare they want my beloved niece." And then immediately squeezed all the paper.

"Yes, right?"

"... You didn't open the others?" Arsel's question made me glance at the pile of other letters.

"No!"

"Why?"

"The idea must be the same,"

"Then let me just burn all this junk!" His words immediately grabbed all the piles of letters I had not opened, but his hands immediately stopped when he saw the two letters that caught his attention.

Yeah, burn! My mind while nodding steadily approvingly at his decision.

"This? You sure you're not gonna open it?" He continued, giving two letters that had stolen his attention. Then I got two letters in his hand and I saw the coat of arms of the Alterio and Alaric families there.

"They .. couldn't be, right?" I muttered while staring lazily at the letters in my hand.

"Let me open!" Arsel took back the letter he gave me.

I saw him start reading the contents of the letter from Ian with his serious expression slowly turning into an expression of disgust? Then turning to the letter from Albert, this time his expression was even ordinary. Contrasted from before.

What did they write until this person put on such an expression? My mind was curious about what Arsel was reading, even more curious about the contents of the letter written by Ian. Because he was Arsel to the point of making such a disgusted expression before me.

"I won't give you my niece!" He said later, almost shouting and surprising me who was enjoying the warm tea in my hands.

Won't give my nephew? Don't say .... My mind noticed Arsel's expression, the next second I could immediately guess the contents of the letter he read without seeing it first. Moreover, he said he would not give his nephew. That means the contents of the letter are similar or similar to the letters I had previously read.

Without a second thought, I quickly recaptured the two letters in Arsel's hands and began to read them, "they're both looking to die as well huh?!" My words were really upset by the contents of the letter I read. Even more upset than before, it feels like my blood isn't heating up anymore right now, it's boiling.

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Thanks for reading...