THE ASHES OF LOVE

6. Nico’s Lip Injury

"Useless brat!"

Director Jimmy's loud voice echoed throughout the room in the corner of the house. Naura, who had just returned home, spontaneously stopped in her tracks as she was about to head to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Her slightly startled eyes turned toward her father's office. Her mind was suddenly filled with confusion and curiosity. Who was her father scolding on a night like this?

"Aunt..." Naura's right hand intercepted Aunt Inah, who happened to be passing by her side.

"Yes, Miss..." Aunt Inah replied with her head lowered.

"Do you know who's with father right now?"

"It's Young Master Nico, Miss."

Naura's brow furrowed slightly. Nico? "Father sounds very angry. What's happening?"

"I'm not entirely sure, Miss. Earlier, when Young Master Nico came home and asked me to prepare dinner, Master suddenly arrived with an angry expression. He forbade me from preparing anything for Young Master and asked him to accompany him to his office."

"Ah, I see." Naura began to understand now. What and why her father was so furious. Considering how Nico had tried to persuade her earlier this afternoon to cancel his dinner date with Ivanka. That must be the cause. Did this mean that Nico wouldn't attend the event after all? What was going through his mind? "Well, Aunt, please continue with your work."

"Alright, Miss," replied Aunt Inah. "If you need anything or want food prepared, I'll be in the kitchen."

Naura nodded. "Thank you, Aunt."

As Aunt Inah walked away from her, Naura took slow steps toward her father's office, located in the corner of the living room. In the past, Director Jimmy's office used to be next to his bedroom on the second floor. However, lately, with his subordinates frequently coming to discuss company matters, her father had decided to move it to the first floor for easier access.

"Once again, your brother is causing trouble..." Naura was about to touch the door to her father's office when Vanessa suddenly appeared from the direction of the kitchen. In her pink pajamas, Vanessa seemed to be enjoying a glass of wine as if it were ordinary water. "And I'm sure it's because of you."

"What do you mean?" Naura furrowed her brow, puzzled by Vanessa's accusation.

Getting a reaction like that, Vanessa smiled sardonically with her beautiful face. She was fed up with what she saw as Naura's pretentious attitude. She was sure that Naura's arrival in the Wiraldi family was part of some hidden agenda. Vanessa wondered why her mother had never mentioned Naura to her, why there were no photos of Naura in their family album, and why her mother had been crying so often since Naura's arrival. She believed that Naura was evidence that her father had an illicit relationship with another woman.

"I heard from Nathan that Nico messed up his meeting with Ivanka again today. He chose to come home early to prepare a little surprise for you," Vanessa said, laughing briefly before giving Naura a cold stare. "You must be delighted, Naura? Causing a commotion just because of your silly birthday. Don't you have anything more important to do than dragging my brother into trouble? Or perhaps, are you playing a Brother Complex drama with my brother?"

"Vanessa!" Naura turned her gaze with an irritated expression upon hearing Vanessa's comments. She disliked Vanessa's last words very much. Brother complex? However bad their relationship was, Naura hadn't expected her sister to use those words. "Take back what you just said."

"Wohohoho, which one?" Vanessa remained insistent. "Everything I said is true. Why? Are you angry?"

Vanessa's attitude was starting to make Naura feel disgusted. Naura looked away while exhaling heavily. Her sister was something else. Did she think Naura always enjoyed her father's treatment? Naura felt the need to respond to every word.

But before Naura could say anything, Vanessa continued, "If there's anyone who has the right to be angry about everything that's happening here, it's me. My father may have made up silly stories about you when you were a child, and my brother believed him. But to me..." Vanessa moved closer to Naura. In a quieter voice, she straightened Naura's not-so-wrinkled shirt while saying, "...you're just trash trying to pollute my home. And I hope, sooner or later, that trash will be where it belongs."

Vanessa's statement pierced Naura's heart like a thousand knives. Her hand clenched tightly, and her jaw hardened. Naura stared at Vanessa with anger in her eyes, as if she wanted to retract every word that came out of her sister's mouth. Did Vanessa dare to act like this in front of her?

"True. I am trash," Naura responded firmly, trying to retaliate against Vanessa. She gave a mocking smile, showing that she was not afraid or intimidated by Vanessa. "Why? Are you scared?"

Vanessa began to take offense. "What did you say? Scared? Me?"

Naura nodded quickly. "Aren't you?" She continued to taunt Vanessa, "All this time, you've thought of yourself as gold, haven't you? Beautiful, pretty, and greatly adored. But now, you realize that the presence of one piece of trash can taint you and make you stink. And you want to get rid of the trash. Unfortunately, the more you try, the more your body will be filled with other trash. In the end, the once noble gold..." Naura raised her chin high and cast her increasingly sharp and cold gaze, "...turns into filth."

"You—" Vanessa tried to retort.

"Let me make one thing clear to you," Naura interrupted firmly, ignoring Vanessa's anger that had reached its peak due to her provocation. Naura brought her lips close to Vanessa's ear and spoke softly, "I... will never leave you, my sister."

Naura straightened her posture again and smiled mockingly at Vanessa's surprised expression. Without hesitation, she continued, "And if you don't mind, I'll take care of all that trash myself. So, now, stop acting foolish in front of me and go back to being a good and obedient girl. Do you understand, sister?"

Vanessa fell silent. Her thin lips were tightly sealed, holding back the anger that surged within her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her hands trembled, causing the remaining wine in her glass to spill. Her eyes gleamed, as if wanting to swallow Naura alive. This was the biggest humiliation of her life. Vanessa felt she had never been treated like this before, especially by someone she considered nothing more than a stranger. If the door to her father's office weren't open, Vanessa might have already pulled Naura's hair and kicked her out.

"What are you two doing here?" Nico's slightly disheveled and somewhat messy appearance emerged from behind Director Jimmy's office door. He seemed somewhat confused by his two younger sisters standing in front of their father's office. "Don't tell me you were eavesdropping?"

Nico rolled his eyes for a moment and stared at his two sisters in disbelief. "Oh my, you shouldn't be..."

"Do you think I'm deaf?" Vanessa retorted, disgusted. "Everyone in this house could even hear how Dad was scolding you!"

"Eihhh, this isn't a big deal," Nico casually said, as if what had just happened to him was a trivial matter. "Dad was just a little upset. Everything will go back to normal tomorrow."

Neither Vanessa nor Naura wanted to respond to Nico's words. They knew that Nico was trying to hide something from them. It couldn't be just because he was upset that their father yelled at him so loudly. There must be a significant problem that had finally pushed their father over the edge and sparked an argument between them. Vanessa, who had suspected from the beginning that everything happening to her brother was because of Naura, cast another disapproving glance at Naura. Thanks to her, the relationship between the two people she cared most about in her life had become strained.

"Vanessa, why are you looking at Naura like that?" Nico seemed to realize her disapproval on his face. But the one being questioned just turned away. "You're... I'm talking to you..."

"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now," Vanessa said after saying that, turned around, and quickly walked away, heading into her room.

The door slammed so loudly from the second floor that it startled Nico a bit. "Oh my, that girl is really... Hey, Vanessa!" Nico yelled, waving his index finger toward Vanessa's room. "Don't suddenly slam the door like that. What if I have a heart attack?"

Naura, who had been silently watching them bicker a little, could only look sad. Although Naura hated to admit it, everything Vanessa said was true. Somehow, her presence in the house seemed to trigger a lot of problems. First, there was Nico, who had never gotten along with his father—and it had gotten worse since he unilaterally decided he didn't want to get married yet. Second, the sibling relationship between Nico and Vanessa had become more strained because Vanessa thought that Nico cared more for and loved Naura. Naura sighed deeply. How could she deal with the problems at home?

"Oii," Nico waved his hand in front of Naura, "What are you daydreaming about?"

Naura shook her head quickly. "Nothing. I was just..." Naura's words suddenly hung in the air as she noticed a small cut at the corner of Nico's lip. Her heart clenched. Once again, what Vanessa had said was true. How big was the problem that their father had to hit Nico?

Seeing Naura's gaze, Nico touched the cut on his lip briefly and then smiled. "Oh, this? Don't think too much. I accidentally tripped in my room earlier," he explained.

He's lying. He should know that nothing can ever be hidden from Naura. She would easily figure it out, even if Nico gave a thousand other reasons to cover the truth. So, what is this? Why is he trying to hide it? What is going on in Nico's mind? Is he hurt? Is it not just his lips that are hurt but also his heart? It's frustrating to be able to guess all his lies but not understand the reasons behind his actions and feelings.

Giving up on all the endless questions, Naura chose to remain silent. Perhaps, what Nico needed right now wasn't words of encouragement from her. Maybe Nico needed some time alone to think and calm his silently aching heart. It would be better for her to return to her room.

"Naura..."

Nico's call halted Naura's steps as she was about to leave him alone. Naura turned and responded to her brother's call, "Yes?"

"...Have you eaten?"

***

"Sir, please, two servings of satay, as usual."

That evening, Nico decided to take Naura to have satay by the roadside, just a few blocks away from their home. It was their favorite satay stall, and it had been Naura's favorite food since she was a child. Both of them were familiar with the stall's owner. When they arrived, without having to explain, the owner already knew their preferences. Spicy level five peanut sauce satay for Naura, and level two for Nico. They had no idea how long it had been since they had made time to eat satay at that stall again.

"So..." Naura chose to start the conversation, "what actually happened between you two?"

"Are you talking about me and Dad?" Nico asked in return. He took two pairs of spoons and cleaned them with a tissue. Once he was sure they were clean, he handed them to Naura, who unconsciously thanked him. "I already told you, nothing happened. And if you suspect that I got this injury from Dad, you're completely wrong. I fell. Satisfied?"

Naura still wasn't convinced. "You told me that earlier, but..."

"Dad is not the kind of person who would do that," Nico cut off Naura's response, "no matter how angry he gets, he would never lay a hand on his own child." Yes. Never. Nico felt his voice tremble slightly. His gaze hung in the air for a moment, and he quickly redirected it, clearing his throat loudly. He didn't want to make Naura more anxious and think of the worst. He then called the owner of the satay stall to serve their food.

"Thank you, Pak Sugeng," he said once their orders were brought to their table.

"Wow, it's been a long time since you two came here," Pak Sugeng remarked with a cheerful face. He patted Nico's shoulder and asked, "How are you, son?"

"I'm doing very well, Pak," Nico replied with equal enthusiasm. He looked around. "It seems like it hasn't been this crowded since the last time we were here."

Pak Sugeng laughed. "All thanks to you two. If it weren't for you being willing to help me sell back then, I might be in the village taking care of a farm by now."

"You could be, Dad," Nico laughed. He noticed Naura's flat expression as she looked at him. Ah, she seemed to realize that his laughter this time was forced.

"Oh, you're Naura, right?" Pak Sugeng's gaze shifted to Naura, who responded with a small smile. "You've grown even more, I hear you've become a specialist doctor. Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Pak," she replied.

"So, if Pak Sugeng ever has any health complaints or anything, don't come to me. But Naura, she will definitely try to make you feel much better," Nico added, which was met with laughter from Pak Sugeng.

"I will definitely come," he said later. "Now, please enjoy your meal. I need to take orders first."

Nico nodded. While Naura just smiled, and it didn't last for more than two seconds before her face turned serious.

"Are you going to be like this all the time?" There was a hint of frustration as Naura only stirred her food with her spoon, without any intention of eating it. "Naura..."

"Hmm?"

"I'm okay," Nico tried to reassure Naura. Taking the initiative, he cut the lontong on Naura's plate into smaller pieces to make it easier to eat. "Hurry and eat before it gets cold. I don't want to see you get sick just because of my problems."

Hearing that, whether she liked it or not, Naura picked up one of the sliced lontong and put it into her mouth. Nico smiled happily at her. "Auhh, you really..." he said again, while gently patting Naura's head. "…you make me worry."

***