In the spacious, minimalist living room, the calm atmosphere that had once been present has now shifted into one of tension. Mister Nicole, with his sharp eyes and stern expression, sat upright on the sofa, while Silvia stood facing him, slightly hunched, but showing no signs of backing down. Waksi, who had been sitting in the corner of the room, tense and uncomfortable, could only watch, feeling the weight of the situation.
"Silvia, listen carefully," Mister Nicole said in a deep, authoritative voice. "I won't let you enter that world. The modeling industry is full of manipulation, and you're too young and inexperienced to understand it."
Silvia met his gaze with determination. "I've heard enough of that. I've thought this through, Sir. I won't back down now just because you or Waksi don't agree. This is my decision, and I will follow through."
"Don't be reckless, Silvia. You have no idea what you're walking into," Mister Nicole's voice grew louder, filled with frustration. "The choice is clear: you can either stay on the safe path, or you can become a pawn in a game played by powerful people who only want to profit."
Silvia's expression remained unwavering. "With all due respect, sir, I don't think you have the right to control my life choices like this. Your son and I may be in a romantic relationship, but that doesn't mean you should control my life."
Waksi furrowed his brows, sitting more upright in his corner, torn between his conflicting feelings. He knew exactly what would happen if Silvia continued to oppose his father's decision. But his heart was in turmoil. He knew who to side with, but somehow at that moment he couldn't get the words out to defend his own father in front of a naive girl like Silvia.
Mister Nicole looked at his son for a moment, then turned his sharp gaze back to Silvia. "You think I don't understand? I've been in this world long enough to know exactly how tough it is. Don't think you can just waltz in and out without consequences."
Silvia clenched her jaw. "I'm ready to face whatever comes. You don't need to worry about that, Sir."
Waksi finally stood up and walked toward them, trying to mediate. "Silvia, I think you should put your ego down and just do what my father said. It's all for your own good too."
"No, I won't just give up. I signed an employment contract with a company just now. It would be unprofessional of me to just cancel it right away. My name and my family's name would be tarnished." Steadfastly, Silvia defended what she thought was right without flinching.
To be honest, it's not because she wants to be a model, or has dreams of becoming a famous model, but it's more like a form of resistance from Silvia to Waksi's father. If she continued to go against what her boyfriend's father wanted, their relationship could end and Mister Nicole's company would fall into the hands of Silvia's father.
"Let me make things clear," Mister Nicole said firmly, not taking his eyes off Silvia. "Silvia, are you really going down this path? Once you choose, there will be no turning back."
"Of course, I'm ready to accept any consequences." Silvia replied with sincerity.
Mister Nicole sighed heavily and said, "Your ego is as big as your father. So stubborn. Fine, if that's your decision. But I can't let you go down this path without some supervision. I'll agree to let you pursue modeling, but there's one condition you can't refuse."
Silvia's eyes widened. "A condition?"
"Yes, a condition. Waksi must always accompany you. Wherever you go, wherever and whenever you go to take pictures, Waksi will be there. As your boyfriend, as your protector. No other man is allowed to get close or interfere with your relationship." Mister Nicole replied, staring intently at his son at the other end of the room.
Silvia furrowed her brow, taken aback. "What do you mean, Sir? You want Waksi to oversee every step I take?"
"Exactly," Mister Nicole replied, his voice unyielding. "That's the only way I'll allow it. The world is full of dangers. You might be manipulated by people who don't have your best interests at heart. I can't let that happen to you. Most importantly, I must protect your relationship with my son."
Silvia looked at Waksi, who now appeared even more uneasy. He was anxious, unsure of how to respond to his father's firm stance. Waksi himself couldn't hide his frustration. He didn't like the idea of being forced into this position.
"This is unfair!" Waksi finally spoke up, his voice rising in frustration. "You want me to always be watching over Silvia, like a guard? This isn't a relationship anymore; it's confinement!"
Mister Nicole glared at him with eyes full of authority. "You don't have a choice, Waksi. This is for both your sake and Silvia's. You can't let her wander into that world alone. I know exactly what happens to young women who are too confident in that modeling industry."
Waksi clenched his teeth. "But I can't just follow her around all the time, Dad. That's too much."
Mister Nicole didn't flinch. "You don't have a choice. If you truly care about Silvia, you'll do this. Besides, you're already with her. This is your responsibility too."
Though Waksi wanted to argue more, he knew that his father's words couldn't be easily dismissed. His father wasn't just authoritative in this matter; he held immense influence over every family decision. No one could change his mind once he had made up his mind.
With a heavy sigh, Waksi finally lowered his gaze. He just looked at Silvia with a pleading face, "don't just stand there, say something!"
Silvia stared back, but was confused at the same time. "I don't know what to say. I honestly don't approve of it either. But there's no way your father will listen to what I have to say."
Waksi exhaled deeply. "You're so useless." He looked at his father with a mixture of frustration, but there were no words left to argue.
Mister Nicole then stood and turned back to Silvia. "Enough of the debate. Silvia, If you want to continue with modeling, you'll do it with Waksi's supervision or never do it at all."
"But Sir, I can't be completely sure of your decision. I'll have to negotiate with my father about all this first. However, his decision is just as important as yours." Silvia said in a very careful tone for fear of offending Mister Nicole.
"Of course. Now, if you have nothing else to say, you'd better go home. It's getting late. Waksi, take Silvia to her house right now."
Without a word and mixed feelings, Waksi stood and walked toward the door. Silvia politely bowed her head briefly and then waltzed away behind her boyfriend.
They both exited Mister Nicole's house and headed toward the car. Waksi opened the car door with an expression that was far from happy, and they drove toward Silvia's house in silence, the weight of the situation lingering between them.
In the car, only the hum of the engine could be heard as they both sank into their thoughts. But in Silvia's heart, she felt that she had won two things: the victory in making a stand against Waksi's father and the victory in the model search competition this afternoon.
There were butterflies flying around in her stomach. Perhaps she also didn't realize that during the journey, Waksi had seen her smiling to herself with a strange look. After about half an hour of driving on the night roads, they finally arrived at Silvia's house. In front of the gate there was a strange sight: A motorcycle was parked there. From the appearance of the vehicle and the type of helmet that was attached to it, Silvia could tell that the owner was a woman.
"Looks like there's a guest in the house." Waksi said in response to the scene in front of him.
"Yes, it looks like a woman. Is that my father's business partner?" Silvia replied as she opened the car door.
They both got out of the car immediately. Waksi, who usually didn't want to linger in front of his girlfriend's house, now decided to follow her into the house. He seemed to be curious about the identity of this strange guest.
When the front door was opened, both of their eyes were wide open. Silvia and Waksi didn't expect to find the most random person to come to this house. She was a young doctor, the same doctor who examined Silvia's body a few days ago at the hospital.
What's she doing here?