57 February 5, 2021: Kaamos

"Manager, I'll be going first."

"Wait, have you drank your medicines?"

With a countenance that manifested how absent-minded she was, Syn turned around to face the manager once she heard his query. Even though she intended to make her exit as soon as possible, she figured that her obstinacy wouldn't win over her uncle, so she retraced her steps back to a nearby table and placed her bag on it.

On the other hand, upon seeing his niece's expression, Emir Morrel sharply took a breath as he halted his feet. He then opened his bag, took out a bottle of mineral water, and handed it to Syn.

"You never fail to miss your scheduled time of intake. I allowed you to take a break just to take your prescriptions, right?" If not for his temperate utterance, for outsiders, it wouldn't appear that Emir was actually reprimanding the young lady.

Syn was left with no option but to accede absent any protests, since he would rather have both of them benefit from the assurance that she did take her medicines. The young lady brought out the palm-sized green pillbox and did herself a favour by accommodating her body's needs.

In the meanwhile, Emir stood from afar, looking occasionally at his wristwatch, as he abided for the young lady to finish her chore. After a couple of minutes, including the time for tidying up her things, Syn spoke to her uncle.

"Alright, I'm done. Are you heading out now too, uncle?"

"Yes, do you want me to take you to the university?"

"I'll just walk. It's near anyway."

Emir's final response was to nod his head prior to resuming his walk towards the cafe's back door, Syn let the manager take the lead, trailing his rare from a meter's distance. Once they're outside, the manager waved his hand, bidding his farewell to his niece ahead of sauntering en route his parked car.

Latterly of returning the gesture, Syn began wend her way in the direction of her university. She had an allowance of thirty-minutes up till the start of her class, more than enough for her to indulge in a leisurely ten-minute walk.

All of a sudden, before she could even pass the first alley, somebody grabbed the lady by her arm and pulled her inside the alleyway. Considering how fast the occurrence was, she was not given the opportunity to blink her eyes, much more resist the firm grip.

Syn only realized what was happening when her back hit the concrete. The impact wasn't painful, to say the least, just ample to wake the lady from her quick stupor. She hurriedly lifted her gaze to glance at the face of the perpetrator all the while attempting to free her arm that was pinned above her head.

"Tristan?" Syn asked in the midst of her confusion. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Is that your answer?" Without hesitation, Tristan raised his query with a voice that contained no emotion at all.

The coldness of his elocution assimilated with Syn's awareness. However, it wasn't the point that she decided to confront foremost, owing to the fact that the arising of such situation was too abrupt for her.

"Wha-" At that moment, Syn grasped the meaning of his query. She forwent her assay in freeing her arm and met Tristan's eyes with her's, showing a similar intensity of his stoniness.

"Yes, that's how things are going to be. Arthasia is willing to offer herself up to you, so you better respect that."

Mocking her words with a sneer, Tristan tightened the hold he had on Syn and riposted, "You told me to give you a few days to think about the terms of the contract. I was not expecting this stupid of a reply, Syn. I already informed you that I'm not willing to terminate it. Do you understand?"

In this instance, it was Syn's turn to throw a retort with the intent of disparaging his statements.

"If you're going to be this aggressive in pushing the outcome that you desired, then why even ask me in the first place? I will reimburse the money that you've spent on me, so let's terminate the contract."

"Syn, are you aware of what you're requesting? Or is it that you found a client who can pay more than what I can tender?"

Not once or twice, but she was offended by mere words several times in the span of less than an hour. Under no circumstances was Syn tolerant of people who provoked the negatives of her emotions. Be that as it may, she had patience and sympathy for the man who made her feel safe during one of the toughest parts of her life.

Syn didn't set her heart on hurting Tristan, for no other reason than the discernment that she wouldn't be able to be beside him for long. That being the case, with her free hand, she touched his face and caressed it, lightly to calm his nerves down.

"Tristan, if it's your wish for me to not accept a contract with another man, it will be my pleasure to grant that. There are other methods for me to earn money for the meantime. In return, please heed my words."

Slowly, Tristan's gaze softened as he listened to her voice that soothed his mind.

"Give Arthasia a chance to prove herself to you. I can see that her love for you is genuine. As a woman myself, I know how painful it is for my love to be unrequited. The grief of that feeling can overwhelm our rationale. It's nauseating and suffocating, a sensation that will take your heart into an embrace full of thorns."

Tristan absorbed every word in her message as if they were instructions to save his life. His grip gradually loosened up, and soon, his hand dropped to his side. Noticing his action, Syn reached for his hand, intertwining them with her's.

"I can only hope for you to find happiness with a woman who can grow old with you. I'm a despicable woman and I can't devote myself to you. I don't want to involve you further into my messy life."

"Why... do you sound like you're saying goodbye?" Tristan muttered his query, confusion clouding his eyes.

"There are some things that we can't predict. I won't dissociate myself from you, but I will do my best in letting Arthasia free her mind from being threatened by my presence. You might have been forced by her into this engagement. For all that, she didn't do it out of spite. Once more, I implore you to allow her to prove herself."

Syn was cognizant that she was being audacious and inconsiderate for obliging the man to be with another woman. It seemed much worse, considering that she's aware that Tristan was deeply attracted to her.

Tristan opened his mouth, yet closed it right away. He repeated it thrice before eventually articulating a possibility that made Syn pity Arthasia even more, increasing her agitation on how Tristan was handling the matter.

"If she isn't successful in capturing me, can you be mine again?"