Out Of the Woods

"Tristan, how long are you going to keep sipping your drink?" said Nicholas, sitting with Tristan at the time at their regular Bar.

Nicholas was already home. He was even getting ready to go on a date with Claire. A few minutes before he left, Tristan suddenly called. The man asked to be followed up because he was currently drunk, and he couldn't drive a car when he got home. Worried, Nicholas could not help but agree to pick the man up.

When he arrived at the Connaught Bar in the Mayfair area, Nicholas could see Tristan sitting alone in a semi-drunk position. The man continued to gulp down the drink in his hand. Meanwhile, from time to time, Nicholas also heard his best friend talking. I don't know what he said.

"Come on, get up quickly. I'm taking you right now," Nicholas ordered once more. He was dizzy when he saw his best friend's behavior.

Tristan is just like Jacob. When there's a problem, always go to the Bar to pass the time with a drink. Both always think alcohol is the best friend who can help relieve the burden of the mind for a moment. What they are doing harms themselves and others.

"I don't think I want to go home, Rich," Tristan muttered with his face down. His head felt heavy even though it was to meet the man's gaze in front of him.

"So? You want to sleep here?" squeaked Nicholas in disbelief. He had expected his best friend to be as troublesome as he was now. "If you're tired of sleeping at home, you return to another place. Hotels, Condotel, Penthouses, or Resorts in London have many choices. You're a rich person, and it's all up to you to choose. Instead of sleeping in bars and getting drunk like now, Tristan," Nicholas grumbled even more exasperated.

"If I could die, I'd rather just die, Rich," Tristan joked innocently.

From his face, Nicholas could see how his best friend looked like a desperate man. Never in his life had Nicholas been friends, seeing Tristan behaving like this.

"What exactly happened?" Nicholas was curious. He thought there must be something big that made the man in front of him to be drunk as he was now.

After all, as far as he knew, the drunken man always told everything according to what happened. Do not cover up, let alone make it up.

"I don't know, Rich. So that you know, I'm almost going crazy carrying the burden I'm going through right now. But by the way, can I ask you something?"

Lifting his face, Nicholas saw how Tristan suddenly smiled and spoke again shortly.

"If you had a stepfather who loved you so much in this world, then suddenly he was killed by your biological father, who do you think you would defend?"

Nicholas was taken aback by the question Tristan had directed to him. He leaned forward to confirm what he had just heard.

"Huh? What do you mean? Stepfather? Real father?"

In his seat, Tristan immediately sighed in disgust. "I'm sure you're not deaf, Nicholas Delano. I'm too lazy to repeat my question."

"Okay, Fine," Nicholas said. "If, for example, I have a stepfather who loves me, then suddenly he was killed by my biological father, then I do not immediately choose one. But rather to investigate until it is clear what the motive behind the murder is. Second, no matter what the reason is later, my biological father still has to be held accountable for his actions. Because here he has made a mistake to kill other people."

Tristan nodded. "Nice answer," he said. Not long after, the man grabbed the bottle of whiskey in front of him. Not poured into a glass; instead, try to drink straight from the place. Inevitably some of the whiskey water in the bottle spilled a little, soaking the man's clothes. "Jesus, Tristan," Nicholas exclaimed at his best friend's behavior. "Stop it!" He had to get up. Grabbed the bottle in Tristan's hand forcefully.

Then pulled the body of the man in front of him to stand. He was later holding on for seconds, trying to bring him slowly to the car.

"What a hassle. If I had told Edward, he might have killed you right now."

While nagging all the way, Nicholas drove slowly and very carefully. Until 10 minutes later, the red Porsche he was driving arrived in the courtyard of Tristan's house in the Kensington area. Assisted by security, Nicholas led Tristan, who was already heavily drunk, to enter the house immediately.

Luckily, Aurora was inside, whose position at that time had just finished watching television. Seeing Nicholas bringing Tristan home drunk, he hastily directed him to be taken directly to the man's room on the second floor.

"Thanks for bringing Tristan home, Rich. I'm sorry if he bothered you."

Nicholas nodded in understanding. While descending the stairs, he answered Aurora's words.

"Relax, Aurora. I don't mind at all. You'd better change into the clothes Tristan is wearing. His shirt looks wet from drinking."

"Yeah, I'll replace it after this. Thanks again very much for your help."

"You're welcome. Then I'll go first. Poor Claire is waiting for me." After Nicholas left, Aurora took a big step after Tristan, who was in his room. When he entered, he found the man lying down with his mouth constantly babbling.

"Tristan, wake up!" asked Aurora. "You have to change first." Aurora then tried her best to pull Tristan's body back upright. Leaning the man's shoulder on the headboard of the mattress, then slowly removed all the clothes attached to Tristan's body.

"You're really crazy! Why do you continue to be drunk like this? I told you if there was a problem, solve it with a cool head," said Aurora. After successfully removing Tristan's clothes, he then went to the bathroom to get a wet towel to wipe Tristan's body.

"Why are you like this, Tristan. You're only ruining your body if you keep getting drunk every night."

Again, Aurora kept nagging as she wiped Tristan's body with a wet towel. When he was done, he intended to put pajamas on the man. However, before the pajamas were put on, Tristan suddenly pulled Aurora. He grabbed her body and hugged her tightly.

"I miss being able to touch you this close. I miss being able to hug and breathe in your scent like now," Tristan whispered.

Meanwhile, Aurora, who was in Tristan's arms, was silent. Felt how the man next to him continued to hug and even occasionally stroked his hair. Until not long after, Tristan stretched his arms, then cupped both of Aurora's cheeks.

"Don't you miss me?" he asked curiously.

"I-me?"

Tristan nodded.

"Yeah, you didn't miss me?"

"Tristan what are you talking about?"

"Or maybe you don't love me anymore?" Tristan asked then.

"Of course I love you," said Aurora earnestly.

"Ah, fine then." Tristan smiled. "I thought you had forgotten about me, Sophia."

"Sophia?"

Aurora gasped when the name of another woman Tristan called after. He finally understood. Maybe because he was drunk, the man in front of him assumed he was Sophia. Trying to ignore it, Aurora put on an attitude of not caring. He thought it was up to Tristan to think of him now. The important thing is that now she can be alone with the man she loves.

"Yes, of course I can't forget you, honey," Aurora whispered as she brought her hand to caress the surface of Tristan's skin.

"Don't you miss me? Or don't you have the slightest desire to touch me?"

Tristan laughed. He pushed Aurora's body right then and there until she lay on the bed. Impatiently, the man pulled the knot of the attached dress until it finally came off. Slowly but surely, Tristan crawled up onto Aurora's body. He was choosing to point his nose at the woman's long neck. Inhale the scent of the perfume Aurora sincerely is wearing.

Satisfied, he brought his face to his lips. He was gently kissing and then biting deeply. Aurora, of course, immediately replied. They even pulled Tristan's body to stick to him even more. But, before he had the chance to feel pleasure, Tristan, for the umpteenth time, let go of their lips. Then he inched his way down as if he had just tasted something different.

"You're not Sophia," he said firmly.

"Tristan, what do you mean? I'm Sophia," Aurora bragged. He kept trying to hold Tristan's body from getting further away.

"No! Sophia's lips are even more supple and sweet. You're definitely not Sophia." Tristan immediately shook his head.

With a staggering motion soon, his body just collapsed on the bed. At the same time, Aurora did not count the swearing because, for the umpteenth time, she had to be played again by Tristan.

***

Tristan's life has been chaotic and increasingly uncertain this past week. After knowing the remarkable fact that he was Raphael's biological son, until this moment, he still didn't want to admit it until this moment.

Raphael had tried many times to get close. He also tried many times to provide clarification, but still, Tristan didn't care. Even though they were still standing in the same building, Tristan had closed all access for Raphael to meet him. Busy with his thoughts, suddenly, a knock came on the door.

A few seconds later, Mario's figure and another figure that Tristan had been waiting for all this time.

"Detective Joseph." Tristan immediately stood up. He stretched out his hand, inviting Joseph to shake hands. "Please have a seat. I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Joseph sat down quickly. The middle-aged man immediately opened the bag he was carrying to take out a folder, then handed it over to Tristan immediately.

"This is a summary of the reports I've collected over the last few weeks," he said. "What about Uncle Raphael? Did Detective Joseph find a case that led to strange behavior or a secret plan that Uncle Raphael had with my Papa?"

Joseph shook his head. "During the investigation, I did not find a single crime that led to him. It's just that I have something you need or don't need to look into."

Tristan frowned. Putting on a questioning expression, he could see how Joseph returned to handing him a sheet of paper that he didn't know what it contained.

"This is a list of Raphael's businesses that he developed outside of Foxtail. All of his assets are written in the names of Tristan Quartararo's heirs and Aurora Smith. The 70% share will go to you, while the remaining 30% goes to Aurora."

Not long after, without Tristan interrupting, Joseph took another piece of paper and read it. "In fact, in an inter-company journal that I recently obtained, it was mentioned that Raphael had donated funds several times when Foxtail was in a slump. This is also what was allegedly the main spearhead of why Foxtail was able to change its name from Holding to Corporation."

Tristan was shocked to hear this one fact. If Raphael had so much service to the company, there was no way he would have ambitions to own a Foxtail, as Alfonso said. But, it's not wrong if he killed Andrew based on revenge. The woman he loved was taken on purpose. "You must be thinking right now that Raphael might be doing something bad because Andrew took Gracia from his side, right?" guessed Josep when Tristan was silent for a while.

"Yes," he said, nodding. "I was thinking, what is the most plausible reason for Uncle Raphael to kill Papa."

"But judging by the number of times Raphael had put himself together when Foxtail was down, it seems impossible that he is the antagonist in this case. I even found out yesterday, the day after tomorrow, that Raphael consciously donated almost all of his assets to help Foxtail get back up again. And that's what he did when Gracia gave birth and joined Alfonso's place. If he has a grudge, he should just let Foxtail go bankrupt. After all, apart from Foxtail, he already has other companies to develop."

Tristan nodded. Agree with Joseph's thoughts. But this just made him even dizzier. If it wasn't Raphael who killed Andrew, then who? Or is this all nothing more than a misunderstanding? Andrew lost his life because of an ordinary accident like an average person.

"But ..." continued Joseph. "You also need to know this one report."

This time Joseph grabbed the folder that Tristan had been holding and had not had time to read. I opened it slowly, then pointed to one of the sheets to examine.

"You remember, don't you? I told you the reason before about Alfonso being fired by Andrew? Which man dared to sell some of the company's shares without the commissioners knowing."

"I know this," Tristan said. "Didn't you say that a while ago?"

Joseph nodded. "But did you ever know that Alfonso once sent a young woman to flirt and set Andrew up for one of those dinners?"

"Hah?" Tristan was taken aback by this news. "I've never heard the slightest bit of this rumor."

Joseph smiled and then went back to explaining.

"So Alfonso purposely sent a woman named Mariana, who represented his company, to greet Andrew at a dinner. Mariana, who, At that time, was about to go home, made a drama that his car was breaking down and asked for help to be brought home. Andrew, who didn't suspect the slightest bit, finally agreed. But when she arrived, Mariana deliberately teased her, even forcing a kiss and then acting as if Andrew had sexually assaulted her."

"Then suddenly there were paparazzi capturing the moment? Then the next day, news of Papa being involved in a scandal immediately resonated throughout the London media?" Tristan guessed as if he knew the storyline that Joseph was about to explain.

"Exactly," said Joseph, nodding. "Because of this scandal, Foxtail's stock has dropped significantly. According to news circulating, Raphael even painstakingly directed people to silence the media, then pulled all the news circulating to save Andrew. So far, I have concluded that Raphael is unlikely to have any malicious intent to kill Andrew. What we have to watch out for now is Alfonso."

Tristan understood. While listening to the explanation, his mind went back to remembering Raphael's words all this time. The man who turned out to be his real father from the start always warned to be careful with the figure of a man named Alfonso. used to be famous for being ambitious and even very cunning.

"At the beginning of the investigation, I did not find any destructive actions in Alfonso. But from the internal journal I got, there are many irregularities in your in-laws," said Joseph later. "What kind of oddities?" Tristan asked curiously.

"Do you remember the smart city project initiated by Emaar Properties?"

"Yes." Tristan nodded. "Alfonso even cheated by bribing one person to get into the ranks of the vendors handling this mega project.

"Did you know? If actually Alfonso's goal wasn't to make a lot of money from this project." Tristan's twelve eyebrows immediately knit together. Not finished with the previous questions answered, now detective Joseph is back to add to the list of other questions that he must find the truth.

"Then for what purpose?"

"Of course to approach Foxtail," Joseph answered quickly. "Looking for loopholes and weaknesses, then seizing them. That also seems to be the reason why he agreed to marry your daughter off to you. There must be some ulterior motive."

Tristan took a deep breath. Dizziness itself unraveled the tangled threads that he was currently facing. "But isn't there any clear evidence that points to Alfonso's crime? Honestly, I feel really annoyed with his actions," Tristan complained to detective Joseph.

"If he didn't kill my Papa, at least we still have to prove his crimes for repeatedly making Foxtail's position unsafe."

Joseph nodded in agreement. While tidying up his bag, he again responded to Tristan's words. "I've looked into it. In the next few days, I'll be back with a report."

Joseph prepared to leave. Before actually leaving the room, the middle-aged man handed something to Tristan.

"This is Raphael's deposit. Just before entering your room, he asked me to give it directly. He gave a message for you to check it as soon as possible."

Tristan accepted another folder Joseph had handed him, then put it on the table. After the senior detective left, he seemed to sit still. While continuing to think about one by one the series of events that occurred in his life, Tristan suddenly remembered something.

This morning, before leaving for work, he, looking for a pen, accidentally found Sophia's jewelry box. He saw a paper in it. Curious, Tristan deliberately brought the object to the office and currently intends to re-examine it.

Slowly but surely, Tristan opened the box. Reaching for the white paper inside, seconds later read carefully what is written there. . When I leave this time, I can't say anything but thank you for making me the luckiest woman in this world. I know you never thought I existed. But that's okay. Let me keep this love for myself. I am also aware that there are many reasons why we can never be together forever.

As a farewell gift, I entrust one small black object for you to hear. What's wrong is still wrong, Tristan. Either way, I can't selfishly cover up the truth for whatever reason. That's why just take what I'm giving you as my apology. Even though I realize this is not enough to make up for all the past mistakes, Sophia Walters Adelaide Tristan crumpled the paper she was reading, quickly searching for the black object Sophia had written in the letter. After finding what he was looking for, Tristan opened his laptop. Insert the micro memory into the adapter and then try to see what's there.

The first time it was played, Tristan could view the footage containing the figure of Alfonso Adelaide. The man seemed to be in a serious conversation with someone, one of which made Tristan's blood boil right away.

"Even looking to the ends of the world, no one can prove that I caused the accident, Adrian. I have lost the only eye witness. There is also no authentic evidence that points to sabotage. Everything has been designed in such a way. Except for you. deliberately recorded our conversation, then reported it to the police."