Aster Veren
Episode 71

- Ansel

Dreet... Dreet...

The vibrating sound of my phone woke me up this morning, I quickly grabbed my headphone stored on the nightstand.

"Who's calling so early?" I muttered while looking at the digital clock in the upper left corner of my headphone screen before raising the incoming call.

Just at 04:45 in the morning, she's crazy, call me at this hour? My mind before raising an incoming call from Eric.

"Yes?" I asked as I glanced at Aster who was still asleep in his sleep, trying to speak as slowly as possible so as not to wake him up.

"... we managed to catch the person who visited Hans at that time–" Eric's voice made me fully recover, whereas before I felt still sleepy.

"You caught him?" I asked a little to raise my tone so surprised and glanced back at my daughter, making sure she didn't wake up because of my voice.

"Ya–iya, we have no other choice. In addition ... you should go to the hospital first and meet Hans directly. Maybe you'll understand the situation." It certainly sounds doubtful. No, instead of hesitating it sounded a little frightened.

"All right, I'm leaving now." My words ended Eric's call and rushed from Aster's room to my room to prepare.

***

Arriving at the hospital, I immediately rushed to Hans's ward in a hurry.

In the ward...

I saw Tomi standing not far from where Hans was pensive on his bed, "what is it? Why did Eric ask me to come here?" My murmur could not distract me from Hans, not even I noticed Tomi's salute bending her body slightly towards me.

"Report the situation!" My words made Tomi nod before turning her head back towards Hans.

"Hans, sir has arrived. You can tell me now!" His words left me confused.

I saw Hans slightly flinched when I heard Tomi's voice before turning towards me. It seems he is daydreaming.

"Master .. anu–" he said with teary eyes.

"You ... don't forget the memory?!" I asked when I realized the look in his eyes, "it's stupid to believe the stupid doctor's words." I try to control my feelings of annoyance.

How not, because of this person I had to wait a long time to get the truth from my mother's death. And I hate waiting.

"You know I hate wasting time? Before my patience runs out tell me everything you know about what happened that day!" I said I couldn't stop looking at him so sharply, even subconsciously I was putting pressure on him.

"Sorry ...." He said as he squeezed the blanket that covered his feet.

"I'm sorry? Whatchu mean?" I asked while shortening the distance between me and the waiter, "you didn't mean to apologize for letting my mother die, did you? Don't mean to apologize for lying to me, do you?" I continued while grabbing her clothes collar.

"Tu–tuan calm yourself." Tomi's voice doesn't matter.

"Why pretend to lose memory? You mean to waste my time, huh?" I asked again to tighten my grip on her clothes.

"Ti–no, it–"

"You can tell everything to master, Hans. I can guarantee your family's safety, so tell the lord everything." Tomi said making me glance at her.

"family?" I asked her to meet me, and then I took my hand off her collar when I found out what Tomi was talking about.

"True, it seems that the person Rigel was telling him had already threatened Hans and made him have to lie to master."

"Who?"

"The one who swiped Hans."

"Ah~" I muttered considering that the man who came out of Hans' ward had my patience exhausted.

***

- Esther

The time is 09:00 in the morning. By the time I opened my eyes, Dad had disappeared from my room. Can't even be found anywhere.

"Where did papa actually go? Why not say goodbye to me first? It's not usually papa goes quietly like this ...." I muttered while watering the flowers in the greenhouse.

"Here it turns?" Said someone startling me half dead, I quickly turned my body towards the entrance and I found Teo there.

"Shock ...," I muttered as I stroked my chest, "wait! Teo?" I continued to explore the activity of watering my flowers and walking to him who had also walked up to me.

"Yes!" He said as he held his right palm while his left hand was inserted into the front pocket of his pants when he stopped his footsteps.

"Why didn't that night come? You sick?" I asked while remembering Nathan's party that night.

"No" he answered briefly.

"Why not come then? You should call me if you don't come, I'll–" I said immediately cut by him.

"When I call you, you won't come too?"

"Here you go, I'm here to drop someone off. Is your father home?"

"Nothing, it looks like he left so early in the morning."

"Ck, you busy man." He muttered while sighing tiredly and rubbing his nape with his right hand.

"Who is coming?" I asked him to stop rubbing his nape.

"Mr Albert." His reply made me gasp in surprise at what I heard from Teo's mouth.

"Ma–you mean that Mr Albert? Su–his aunt Claretta?" My many stammered him making a quick nod.

"Why? What's he looking for papa?" I continued wondering while rushing back into the house followed by Teo.

I don't know, when I heard Mr. Albert's name. It felt like my heart was becoming curious, even now I wanted to know why I was staring at Kalea like that that that night. Did he not know that the person he was staring at was his stepson?

Arriving in the living room, I immediately met Mr. Albert who was enjoying a warm tea dish that had been presented in front of him.

"Se–good morning sir." I saluted him, made him stop sipping tea in his hand and put the cup back in its place.

"Good morning, you're Ansel's daughter?"

"Right, we've met before at Nathan's sister's party."

"Ah, right too. I'm sorry I forgot, by the way where is your father?"

"He left so early in the morning, there seemed to be important work that could not be left behind."

"So yeah .. Then I'll come back when he's back from his job."

"... a–anu!" I said along with his body that had risen from his sitting position.

"Yes?"

"Ti–not so, I will announce the arrival of the master to the father so that he can contact the master later." I said with a faint smile at him.

"Then I say good." He said before walking out of the house followed by me and Teo.

"Be careful on the way, sir." Ucao Teo who had been silent beside me.

"You?" He continued while glancing at me after Mr. Albert's car drove towards the gate of the house.

Though I wanted to ask him about his attitude to Kalea that night, but somehow I couldn't do it. I can't seem to get involved, and again I don't know anything about Kalea and her family. My mind while clenching both my hands.

"I'm sorry I didn't accompany you that night." Teo's words surprised me, especially when his right palm reached the top of my head.

"... It seems like everyone is very happy to stroke my head huh?" My mutter made him immediately release his hand from my head.

"Ma–maaf," he said with a guilty expression that looked laughable.

"Pft.." I muttered trying to hold back my laughing voice while throwing my face out of direction.

"You're laughing at me secretly, aren't you?"

"Ti–no tuh!"

"Lied, I heard your laughter just now." I don't care.

I put my feet back into the house with my mind crossed. I don't know why my head's overflowing with Kalea and Carel now.

"Huh, I don't understand anymore! What's with them?" I murmured in frustration at not knowing anything and not being able to do anything for them.

"For yesterday's quarrel, their expressions became like that." I continued, hugging my head, hoping to find a way to help them make up.

"What are you thinking? They quarrel? Who?" Teo's voice made me look at him.

"You're still here? Haven't come home?" My question while standing back made him frown in annoyance upon hearing my words.

"Can't you? Is it only Carel who can linger with you?" Her question confused me with her change in nature that seemed foreign to me. Though in the past Teo looks so calm and rarely shows his regret.

Although upset, he always showed his smile and made it look scary. Even when he was mocking Carel, his thin smile never faded from his face.

"No–not that, it's just .. You'll never play at my house." My answer recalls a few moments when I asked her to play at home when Carel went to pick me up at school to play with me.

Obviously, Teo used to say he didn't like to play, and he always refused my calls. When Carel took her, she never paid him any heed and left quietly in the presence of Carel and me.

It seems like everyone has changed, right?

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Thanks for reading...