THE ASHES OF LOVE

2. THE MISTREATED OLDER SIBLING

Naura walked out of Professor Adit's office with a sulky expression. Her long and heavy sighs drew the attention of several nurses and patients passing by. She was truly irritated and couldn't believe it. How could her professor make such an unfounded decision? He must be joking, right? Naura briefly glanced back at Professor Adit's closed office door. She vividly remembered how those emotionless words had come out so easily from his mouth. What was even worse, she didn't feel the slightest guilt or remorse. Or at least, she didn't feel bad about the punishment, which was undoubtedly going to be very tough.

A sarcastic laugh escaped Naura's lips. "Eight hours? A week? Right. That's the real you," she muttered with annoyance. "Do I even need to be told? Behind your prestigious title, you're just an old devil with a penchant for giving your students unreasonable punishments. But don't worry, your favorite student will do it for you. Are you satisfied?" Naura ran her hands through her hair, frustrated. She knew that getting upset like this wouldn't change the situation. "Aiissshh... incredibly annoying!"

Suddenly, her cell phone vibrated in her white coat pocket. Without paying attention to who was calling, Naura answered it bluntly.

"What is it?"

The person on the other end was quite surprised to receive such an unpleasant greeting from Naura. "Hey, has something happened to your head that you're taking it out on anyone?"

Naura furrowed her brow deeply. She wasn't in the mood for jokes. She moved her phone away from her ear for a moment to check who was trying to mess with her.

The Stupid i***t.

Ah, it was him. Nico Satya Abhista Wiraldi, a thirty-year-old man with a face and build that many young girls and lonely aunties found attractive. He was old enough to get married, but considering all his annoying behaviors—carrying a DSLR camera everywhere and taking pictures of random things without permission—he acted like a kindergartener trapped in an adult's body. If there were a ranking system for the most annoying people in the world, the guy on the other end of the call would definitely be number one. He was no different from Professor Adit. Equally annoying and only capable of causing trouble. To make things worse, he was her sibling.

"Why? Are you volunteering?" Naura replied with a curt tone after placing her phone back to her ear.

There was a hearty and genuine laughter from the other end. "If that's what you want, I'd be happy to do it. For the sake of my beloved little sister."

"Ugh." Naura shuddered in disgust. That was one of the annoying things about Nico, and she had no idea where he got it from. Their father didn't have such an overdramatic nature. "Do you want to die? Stop saying terrifying things like that."

Nico sighed deeply. "Oh my goodness, you really can't be a little sweet, can you? Not even to your own brother."

"I don't care. Just tell me, what do you need?"

"Well, you remember Hans, right? My college buddy who's now a famous singer?" Nico said, unwittingly making Naura mutter softly.

"He'll have a concert at Jakarta EXPO tonight. Hans gave me two tickets. Well, you know me, I'm not really into events like that."

"In that case, just don't go," Naura cut in nonchalantly.

Nico hurriedly continued, "I mean, I might not have to attend the event, but Hans is my friend. It doesn't feel right to turn down his offer."

"Fine, just go then," Naura cut him off again impatiently. "You're an adult, you know what to do. That's it."

"Wa...wait, Naura," Nico's voice rose, trying to stop Naura who was about to end the call. Naura placed her phone back to her ear and asked, "What now? You know I'm busy right now."

"I know. But I'm confused right now. Can't you help me this time?"

Naura rolled her eyes tiredly. "What?"

"Err...," Nico thought for a moment, then, "Actually, if Hans gave me just one ticket, it might not be a problem. But he gave me two. I'm confused. Who should I give the extra ticket to? Then, suddenly, I thought of you. So..."

"No, thanks," Naura immediately cut off Nico's conversation. She knew where this conversation was headed. There were only two possible things Nico would ask for help with. First, he'd try to force her to accept the ticket and go watch Hans's concert. Or secondly, he'd ask her to find another girl to take to the concert. But neither of those would work. Naura knew it was just his excuse to avoid his planned meeting with the girl who was a business associate of their father.

"Hey, I'm not done talking," Nico started to sound irritated. "How can you just decide that it's not possible without knowing what I'm going to say next?"

"I know."

"Huh?"

"Hey, Nico Satya Abhista Wiraldi. Do you think I don't know about all your plans, huh?" Naura continued, hands on her hips. "Don't you remember your foolish actions a few months ago, when you messed up your engagement event with that Japanese girl? You acted absurd the entire time and pretended to have a mental disorder in front of everyone. Fortunately, the girl and her father believed it. So they didn't make a big deal out of it. But not with Dad. He won't easily believe you. And yes, you're trying to sabotage it again this time." Naura took a deep breath for a moment and continued, "What's really on your mind? Do you think that after embarrassing Dad, you want me to help you?"

"He...hey...I...I mean, it's not like that...," Nico's voice, which had been loud before, now sounded somewhat stuttered. Naura was sure her older brother was trying to come up with another excuse as soon as his foolish plan was exposed. "I just..."

"Listen, instead of constantly looking for excuses to deceive Dad and embarrass him, wouldn't it be better if you talked to him directly if you're not interested in the marriage? Or try to find a girl of your choice and bring her in front of Dad. Maybe that way, he'll stop arranging potential brides for you," Naura continued, ignoring Nico's difficulties. She briefly checked her watch. It was time to go around and check on her patients. "I have to go. So I'll hang up now. If you're still insisting on going to the concert, just take Vanessa." Nico's soft voice murmured Naura's name as she was about to end the call, pleading for Naura to help him this time. Annoyed, Naura put her phone back to her ear and said, "And never, ever force me again to get involved in your foolish plans. Got it?"

***

"Ah, this girl can't compromise even a bit," Nico grumbled at his phone screen, as soon as Naura abruptly ended the call. He was completely baffled by Naura's mindset and behavior. She was so rude and impolite to him.

In fact, he had never heard Naura address him as her older brother. What kind of sister was she? Out there, younger sisters were polite and highly obedient to their older brothers. They were even willing to do anything to assist their older brothers in times of trouble. For them, having a younger sister was the greatest blessing for an older brother. Nico couldn't help but think about how fortunate he was to have such a patient older brother. Imagine if he didn't?

"What's up?" Hans asked, having just arrived and handing over his Espresso Coffee Frappuccino.

After his job as a photographer at Jakarta's biggest fashion show, which had just ended two hours ago, Nico had asked Hans to meet him at Starbucks Cafe. Nico intentionally chose the most secluded spot. It wasn't just to avoid the crazed looks from the girls who had been staring at him since they walked in, as if they were the delicious prey to be devoured, but also to avoid attracting attention from other patrons. It could be disastrous if Hans's fanatical fans found out he was at the cafe. Even though Nico knew that the current Hans was an extremely busy person with a packed schedule as a celebrity, he was the only dependable friend Nico had when he was facing a problem.

A few hours ago, he had received an SMS from his father asking him to meet his business associate's daughter at their sushi restaurant in two hours. It was obviously a big deal for Nico, and it had frustrated him. How could his father be so determined to arrange a marriage, while he himself had no desire to get married?

"Have you contacted your sister?"

Nico nodded.

"And? What did she say?"

Nico shrugged. He used his right hand to reach for his coffee and took a slow sip. It was so delicious. The combination of espresso, milk, and ice. It was slightly bitter when he first tasted it, but as time went by, the sweetness became more pronounced. "This time, she's a bit difficult to persuade."

Hans laughed, which made Nico snort in annoyance. "I knew your plan wouldn't work this time, my friend. You know well how your sister is. Even if you were on the verge of death, she would never help you."

"I know," Nico replied tersely, pouting. "But anyway, I'm her older brother. At least she should do something like what other younger sisters do."

"She already did something."

"What do you mean? Oppressing me?"

Hans shook his head. "Not getting involved in all your plans is the right thing for a younger sister to do to her incredibly foolish older brother."

Spontaneously, Nico threw a tissue box at Hans. Instead of helping, he was mocking him. Fortunately, Hans caught it quickly. Nico glared at him in irritation. The grin on Hans's face seemed to invite Nico to hit him. But he couldn't. After all, Hans was a celebrity. It would cause a lot of trouble if Hans's face was bruised. Annoying.

"There are some things I can't understand about you," Hans said, placing the tissue box back, but a little further away, just in case Nico would throw it again when he least expected it. "Why do you always reject arranged marriages set up by your father? Isn't that a good thing? You don't have to go through the trouble of looking for other girls to be your girlfriend or wife. You just need to meet one of your father's choices, and if you like her, the wedding will be arranged. And from what I've seen, they're not that bad. Ah, the Japanese girl from yesterday was actually quite pretty. But you ruined it by acting like a crazy person."

Nico's eyes rolled with boredom, followed by a long sigh. His other friend truly couldn't understand him. "In that case, you do it. I still have her number. Are you interested?"

Hans' pupils widened like a puppy staring at a fresh piece of beef in front of him. Shamelessly, he replied, "Are you sure?"

A disappointed frown crossed Nico's face, bordering on disgust. "You playboy," Nico commented, shaking his head. "I barely offered you her number, and you already look like a starving wild animal. Are you really an artist?"

Hans, on the other hand, grinned, biting his beautiful lips and putting on a fake innocent expression that made Nico even more disgusted. Nico was convinced that this was the face he used when dating girls to get what he wanted. "You don't want it, right? So, I thought it would be a waste to throw it away."

"Hey, do you think she's an object?"

Hans laughed again. He couldn't imagine what would happen if that actually occurred. Maybe he'd end up in the hospital three times a week.

"I've found her, though," Hans continued, then took a slow sip of his coffee.

"Found who?"

"Naura."

Nico choked. The coffee jelly that had been in his mouth almost came out, almost spewing everywhere. Quickly, he grabbed a tissue near Hans and wiped his lips. He looked up at Hans with a sharp gaze. "Hey, don't even think about getting close to my sister."

"Why?" Once again, Hans put on his innocent face. "She's perfect for me. I'll never waste this opportunity. Oh, isn't it her birthday today? How about I take her out for dinner and give her a gift?"

"Don't even think about it!" Nico's voice suddenly rang out, surprising Hans. Nico immediately looked around to make sure no one had heard him shouting. "You can date any girl you want, but not my sister."

Hans furrowed his brow slightly. "You approved me approaching Vanessa, your sister, at first. But after thinking about it, I'm more interested in Naura. So, why can I approach Vanessa, your sister, while Naura is off-limits?"

"It's because...." Suddenly, Nico couldn't continue his sentence. Not that he couldn't, but he was a bit confused. Did he actually have a specific reason to prevent Hans from approaching Naura? They were both his sisters. Hans was his friend. Even though he had a reputation as a playboy, he couldn't play around with his friend's sister. Hans had to be serious. Nico should just agree. But why was his heart rejecting it? "...because Naura is my favorite sister, and I can't just let anyone get close to her."

Hans laughed. "In that case, I meet the criteria. I'm your friend, and you already know me very well. What do you say?"

Nico stood up from his seat. "If I say no, then it's no," he said with a smirk. Hans tried to call out to him, but Nico completely ignored him. He was slightly annoyed. How could his friend be so stubborn? After this, Hans would never give up on pursuing Naura. He would find every possible way to make his dirty plans succeed.

Nico shook his head firmly. "This can't be allowed. I have to see Naura."

TBC