Sebastian sat on the balcony of the hotel. It was where he would be for the next week, as the next filming site would be at the foot of the hill park nearby. While he was scouting the site today upon arrival, it dawned on him about Violet's and his ambiguous relationship.
Now, with Janice's text pestering him to meet up, he was even more in a dilemma. As much as he wanted to be an item with Violet, he couldn't help but be afraid of hurting her even more than she already had been.
From the day he first met her free-spirited self till the day he learnt of her trapped past, with his current situation of unstable career and love life, he knew he would only destroy her happiness. He couldn't accept that he was repeating what he did with Janice.
He would always put Violet in dangerous situations, and the one who would be blamed for his downfall or negative news would always be her. Coupled with her baby steps coming into the industry, he would only bring her downfall.
He alone had prepared himself mentally for the industry, but he didn't feel like Violet should ever step into it. Her genuine talent and character would only be dampened and further taken advantage of in the industry.
He paced more on the balcony, trying to fight himself to gain the courage to end things with her when she returned the next day, but each time he tried imagining it, his eyes reddened as he forced away the tears. Deep down, he knew he couldn't. He didn't have the heart to hurt her that way, though it was for the sake of protecting her.
Sam, who stepped out from the washroom, noticed Sebastian's restless self as he approached him. Sebastian was startled the moment he opened his eyes.
"Bro, you're alright?" Sam asked, and Sebastian nodded, trying to calm himself by sitting down.
But the more he forced himself to be composed, the more restless he got as he held his head in his hand, closing his eyes, trying to force his mind to be quiet.
"What's up? You know it's just us now… You can speak." Sam indicated that he had checked the room, and it was safe as Sebastian met Sam's gaze.
"What's it like when Vi was growing up?" Sebastian's question made Sam understand his frustration and the direction of their conversation.
"She was… exactly what you saw her to be now." Sam nodded while studying Sebastian's reaction, who was struggling to get clarity from him.
"But… the marriage…" Sebastian didn't know how to ask Sam why Violet's marriage had led to the change in her personality.
"Yes, she was technically forced into the marriage if that's what you are trying to ask?" Sam asked as Sebastian nodded.
"What changed her?" Sebastian asked gently as Sam sighed.
"Lifestyle…" Sam looked away.
"Dexter, as you know, came from a rich family, but from a young age, he had no siblings. He practically grew up with Vi and me. Vi was very vocal and can be physical, especially when Dexter gets bullied by his cousin. You saw them that night, too... With all this protection, it's no wonder they would end up together. But in love, bro, we all change as we age. Despite the bond, despite the promise and relationship you promise each other when you're young, as you grow older, each of our directions changes. Our responsibilities change. If neither of you in the relationship wants to yield, then it's just a broken relationship." Sam explained with disappointment, which made Sebastian even more guilty.
"That's how their marriage was… Vi tried yielding. That's also the reason she left her career; she tried to build it to match where Dexter was, the CEO of his father's company. The only problem was that his father left too early and left him with all the responsibilities he wasn't ready to accept, but was forced into.
He basically was defending a war daily with so many hawk relatives. Every aspect of his life became an attention. The only reason they both stayed on was because of his mother. But as time passed, all these affected their relationship, and it ran too deeply. Although Vi could understand… She went into the marriage knowing she needed to be supportive cause he was constantly busy…" Sam shook his head as his voice cracked before pausing.
"His family was the cause of it?" Sebastian clarified as Sam met his gaze and sighed.
"I have known she was treated that way ever since her father-in-law passed on. They had no time for each other. Why would it make any sense to have kids? Trust me, many times I felt like pulling her home… Just anywhere but there, but…" Sam paused, trying to stop his tears. Sebastian looked away, understanding how he felt.
"That girl is so stubborn and has such a strong will. No one can force her away except herself… She reminded me of my mother's undying love for my useless father…" Sam sighed heavily.
"That's why you didn't want us to continue whatever relationship we had previously, right…" Sebastian said quietly when Sam shot him a glare.
Sebastian's eyes blinked nervously, but Sam's glare soon turned into a defeated drop of shoulders.
"Both of you have a unique support relationship… At first, I really thought it was wrong because you would only hurt her more, especially when your situation is still in a mess. Besides, in the industry we are…" Sam paused as Sebastian took a deep breath.
"I understand. The complicated agency. The toxic industry and fans. The mental breakdowns. The exhausting workload and conditions. The prices to pay for fame…" Sebastian looked up at the sky as he forced away his tears.
I'm already losing myself… Who am I to protect and care for her? Who am I to even give her a safe haven? Sebastian told himself.
"I'm sorry, bro, but could you do me a favour?" Sebastian asked as Sam raised a questioning eyebrow.
"She's coming in tomorrow, isn't she?" Sebastian clarified as Sam nodded slowly.
"I will make it clear with her tomorrow about our relationship. She might not be able to accept it so suddenly, especially after her recent events. I'm sorry, but could you look after her? And yes, if I have to, find me a new replacement as my assistant? Anyone but not from the agency…" Sebastian requested in a serious manner, which left Sam a little taken aback.
Some matters crossed his mind, and he suspected the agency must have come up with trouble.
"Are you sure about this?" Sam asked as he shifted himself in the chair to face Sebastian more closely. Sebastian nodded firmly.
"Is this about the recent schedule?" Sam prompted as Sebastian averted his gaze.
"And something else…" Sebastian admitted with a heavy sigh. "What?" Sam pestered him to tell.
"She is pestering me to meet up, and nothing good will come out of this. On the verge of divorcing, but she refuses to, what would you expect that woman to play?" Sebastian's eyes grew darker as though danger was lurking.
Sam squinted, understanding the seriousness of the matter.
"What's the plan?" Sam asked, knowing that after working for quite some time with Sebastian, he definitely had something in mind worked out.
"I haven't thought of it that far. Would you go meet her, if you were me?" Sebastian questioned back.
Sam's thought ran through the risk of paparazzi filming them, or even Janice could set it up and propagate it to prolong the process of divorcing.
"So you plan to meet her after making things clear with Vi?" Sam was trying to follow Sebastian's train of thought.
Sebastian sighed. "I know I should before all hell breaks loose, but…Even if I were to meet her, all hell would still break loose. Just, it would be under control if I met her. I have no idea anymore…"
"How's the lawyer side doing?" Sam asked as Sebastian shook his head.
"Deadlock. She refuses to negotiate… I was told to negotiate with her separately, but…" Sebastian cupped his face in his palm.
"Alright. Then, I will handle Vi. You handle her and try to settle things quickly." Sam said as Sebastian gave him a surprised look.
"It's not going to be quick, Sam. She is very stubborn. Is there a way to trap her to sign off?" Sebastian looked away at his disgusting tactic.
Sam knows it was Sebastian's last resort. "Whatever it is, don't let it impact your filming and also for the agency to grab the chance and squeeze more out of you since your contract is ending. They are already packing you up with so much, especially during the last month. Do you think we should drop the camping show?" Sam asked as Sebastian shook his head.
"We are heading for that. The cooking show we last filmed is coming up. The camping show would boost our next direction when I leave… In fact, the commercials are equally important. We should proceed as planned. They may earn, but we gain something else in return. The main issue now is that assistant… I could foresee she would impose more danger, especially with Wayne's situation." Sebastian explained in a lower voice as he sat closer to Sam.
"I will think of a way for that…" With that conclusion, both their phones rang with a notification. It was Violet's channel going live as they both smiled at each other, as they listened to Violet's podcast.