Best Defense

Sean & Ashley's Story

...Sean Danial Warner POV's....

"What do you mean warning letter?" I attacked Dean as soon as I was outside the pub with my phone stuck to my ear.

"It is a letter of reprimand so that the second party carries out its obligations according to the agreed contract of cooperation, or there will be consequences." Dean said, flatly.

I leaned my back against the wall of the building behind me while exhaling impatiently. "I know what a warning letter is, I mean why did I get it? As far as I know all the contracts have been handled by Dave, and he must have told me there was a problem."

I heard Dean snort before he answered, and also the sound of paper going back and forth. "This is written, you haven't worked on any of The Great Holdings's projects yet, whereas according to the contract you should have been working on their important projects starting earlier this year, for the next five years."

Exclusive cooperation agreement? If there's anything like this I should know. Why have I never heard of it? After all, the cooperation agreement I received was usually only for two years. I can't believe Dave missed something as important as this from me.

I groaned in my heart while putting my hands through my face to my hair. "I don't remember hearing about The Great Holdings Company before, or anything about an exclusive agreement with them. There must be some mistake."

But Dean's next words really surprised me. "... You signed it yourself."

"That's bullshit, I didn't do it." I said.

I heard Dean sigh long before he said back. "Well, I'll learn it again, if what you say is true ..."

"That's right!" cut me pissed.

"Then I'm sure we'll find something to back up your statement" he said calmly.

Suddenly a feeling of rage filled my mind, realizing that there was one very important thing that he had not mentioned before.

"What's the value of the contract, Dean?"

"Two trillion rupiah," he replied still with the same composure, as if he had just read a weather forecast instead of a weird damn contract that was worth fantastic.

I cursed under my breath as soon as I heard his words. Even I never received a penny of that money, how could they demand that I do anything? That's not gonna happen.

"Half of the value of his contract was paid before the end of last year, and the rest at the beginning of this year," Dean spoke again. "... and they claim to have proof. If they tell you the truth, then the cancellation of the cooperation contract will be the final road to your destruction."

I don't want to hear the continuation, it's too weird. And monstrous. Like a nightmare. I had a picture in my head of a possibility on this matter, and how I wished wholeheartedly that my guess was wrong.

I grumbled softly as I galloped back inside the pub. As soon as I got upstairs, I was surprised not to see Franda there. He turned around after Matt said he was going to the toilet.

I walked through the crowd, grumbling again as I imagined how Franda passed these people as she walked earlier. And I was grateful to see her at the toilet door not far from where I was standing. I smiled at him, but he looked at me strangely. Like... being angry?

I haven't had a chance to grab her hand yet she's muttering something. "I want to go home. Now." Now." Alisku. As I recall, I didn't do anything wrong to make her angry, but I found out as soon as I saw Ashley coming out of the same toilet.

"Damn it!" I wanted to go to the woman and make her know her current position, but Franda needed me more. Whatever Ashley said to him, it must be something that bothered her a lot. And I'm sure it's about our past.

I looked at Ashley sharply for a while before I finally turned around following Franda who had come out first. Along the way to the car, I thought about what Ashley actually said to Franda, is it about our weird past relationship? Or what? Shit, shit, shit! I did not find any answer, instead I sent a message to Taylor that Franda and I would go home first on the grounds that Franda was suddenly not feeling well.

Arriving at the parking area, I found Franda leaning her body on the car with both hands folded on her chest, her face was very moody and she seemed to hold back tears.

I grabbed her hand but she brushed me off. "Open the door, I want to go home" he said firmly. I looked at him, his eyes filled with anger, and by something I could not quantify.

I obey. Letting him in and I got in the car and drove at a speed to the hotel where we were staying. Along the way Franda did not say anything, only a long breath that was heard several times from his mouth. His gaze was directed out through the window by his side, not once looking at me. I have to admit, moments like this are hard to think or say to persuade him. Franda is not an easy woman to deal with.

"What's up, Franda?" I asked as soon as we were in the hotel room.

Franda didn't answer me. He stepped around the room until he stood beside the sofa. Next to his hand held onto the sofa's backrest while the other hand threw his bag carelessly and opened his high heels in a way that showed a very high level of annoyance.

"Frandas?" call me, still standing at the door. Observing gestures. I hate to talk to her about the past, let alone the past. I haven't told her much about me, and something Ashley said must be one of those parts.

"Franda, tell me what's going on? What did Ashley say that you were angry like this? At least you need to tell me something so I know where the problem lies." I said in a desperate tone. Begging him to say anything, it doesn't matter if he wants to curse me, the important thing is that there's a sentence coming out of his mouth.

"This is why I didn't talk to you about my past" He turned to look at me when he heard my words. "You're gonna get mad, and you're gonna shut me down until I feel like I'm gonna go crazy. And if you hadn't been naive when you heard my story, I'd be happy to open it to you."

You idiot! Why would I say that? My God, this is gonna backfire that's gonna hit me. Damnit damnit!

Franda swore at me, "Oh, so now you're throwing the blame at me?" sahut spicy. "You think I'm enjoying a moment where one of your women is telling you how wonderful your past is? And you even have children of her?" continued cynical.

"I can't erase my past with Ashley, Franda. I have no power for that. Can you try to accept me as I accept you?" My reply was fiery, putting aside his mental situation that had not completely improved. I didn't realize what I said might hurt her.

"You, I don't..." He lost his words, his face was flushed red and his lips were bent in annoyance. After a while he was able to master himself and return to speaking. "I thought you might be different. Turns out I was wrong, you're exactly what I thought."

"What does that fucking phrase mean?"

"If you're not a con man, like my ex-husband used to be. You act like you're the hero who's saving me, but the truth is I just haven't seen the real thing behind your mask."

Enough is!

Franda gasped as I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me. He tried to pull his hand, but I tightened my grip and spoke close to his face, making sure he heard every word I said. "Look, if I hadn't married you, you'd end up being a crazy woman lamenting your fate, and you wouldn't be here right now to hate me."

The satisfaction after saying it all only lasted for one second. As soon as I saw the look on his face that was shaken after hearing my words, my heart seemed twisted. Panic quickly crept on me as her tears began to spread and a small sobbing rang out from her.

And before I could say anything, she jerked her hand away from me and ran away and left me. "Frandah!" I tried to call him while chasing him, but he kept running and slamming hard on the hotel room door. She went.

I cursed out loud in my heart, which I addressed to myself. God, how could I act impulsively like that? Franda was not wrong in the least, she had the right to be angry with me for whatever Ashley said because I never opened up to her. Instead of apologizing for my mistake, I made him hate me even more. And now I have to find him to fix everything.

I ran all the way around the hotel with wandering eyes hoping to see her figure somewhere, yet I had not succeeded. Fear pierced through my chest cavity considering this was not our country, and Franda did not bring anything that could help her if she got lost. He put his bag on the sofa in the room. Oh, my God, what should I do?

I took the pinsel out of my pants pocket, quickly contacted Taylor. Once again I was struck by bad luck, Taylor did not pick up my phone until I called her several times. Right now, I was like being on a roll of waves trying to swallow me up. Not long ago I heard of the company's problems, now I'm adding to the mess by making Franda disappear. If there is a day I wish to disappear from the face of the earth, then this is the perfect moment.

I was still in the small streets around the hotel, looking around for Franda. My gut says he can't be far from where I am. And I was right, because I saw him across the street right in front of the hotel lobby.

My gaze was locked onto the figure of Franda walking slowly into the hotel. I was relieved that he didn't do anything stupid, I was sure Franda knew what to do. He just needed some time to calm down, and just look. After almost an hour of anxiety, he came back. The only thing I have to think about right now is how to apologize, and hope that his mentality is not disturbed by this matter.

I stepped in with mixed feelings filled my head until I was in front of our room, and he stood down leaning against the door. Realizing that, I quickly took out an access card and let him in first.

Franda walked over without even glancing at me one bit, her hand raised sweeping away the tears flowing down her cheeks. Watching him like that, made me feel even more guilty. I pursued her desperately, I forced her to marry me, and now I deny all my efforts by saying as if she was the one begging me for love.

I took a deep breath and went into the room. My gaze was fixed on Franda as I walked in. She looked so petite lying there, wrapped in a blanket covering half her body. His shoulders trembled, and a soft suction sound faintly sounded from where I was standing. My heart shriveled in my chest cavity when I realized she was crying.

I just stood for a while, looking at him. Trying to absorb the feelings that now flooded my mind when I saw them. And that's when I realized, I was indeed a bastard for having so evilly hurt her tender heart. Guilt is now inevitable. Just like the sun that rises in the morning.

This feeling was very painful, as well as making me angry at the same time. Love always brings disaster in the end. I can't imagine Franda would end up feeling the disappointment of me. He can't feel like that. Franda was too beautiful, pure, and fragile to think that I could have done something wrong like this and taken everything away from her, or worse, made her go completely insane. It scares me.

"You'll be sick if you keep crying like that, Franda." I muttered softly, ending the gripping silence. I walked over to one of the tables at the end of the room, dragged a wooden chair there, then circled the bed and placed the chair at the foot of the bed.

"What do you care" he murmured with a choked breath, like trying his best to stop his crying. "Go, Sean. You don't have to act like you care, I don't want to be your charity project right now" she said, wiping her tears. His words hit me quite well.

I let out a slow sigh, with clenched hands holding in anger, I forced out a sound from my throat.

"Me and Ashley have had children."

Silence enveloped the room as none of us spoke. I gritted my jaw and squeezed my finger restlessly while I did not know how Franda reacted with my words. Wanting to solve the problem immediately, I continued.

"That happened six years ago. It happened when I was spending time with Ashley and the others when I just lost Mommy. You know, I was fucked up at the time, and Ashley was with me through it all. Until we got closer to each other. It all just flowed until Ashley got pregnant and gave birth to our child."

I stopped to breathe as much air as I could when I felt my breath run out. The tightness runs through my chest cavity until I feel like I want to die. Remembering something painful is like facing that reality again, and it's too excruciating.

"I intended to marry her, but at that time I was not able because my own circumstances still suck. I have nothing to be proud of in front of my family. Well, actually they accepted me, but still, as a man, I felt I had to be ready to guarantee Ashley a good life with me. Just like I didn't dare approach you back when I was in college."