Kassan grabbed her wife's waist from behind. Sy gasped, nearly screaming — until she caught Kassan's reflection in her watch. She turned around immediately, blushing. "Why are you always so unpredictable, Honey?"
Kassan leaned over her shoulder, grip tightening, and whispered. "Maybe because my wife loves surprises." Sy laughed quietly. "I love everything you do to me, Honey."
"Really? Everything I do *to* you — or *for* you, my wifey?" Kassan teased. Sy turned red instantly, realizing her slip. "Ah, I— I meant everything you do *for* me, Honey." She stammered. Kassan turned Sy to face her. Sy shivered, locked into her husband's gaze. "But I took the first version seriously, wifey."
Sy's pupils trembled. She had already imagined what the rest of the night was going to look like. A deep blush flooded her face and she escaped her husband's gaze entirely.
Kassan drew her chin closer, thumb brushing slowly across her lips. Sy's breath wavered. Their eyes found each other's — warm, familiar. Sy looped her arms around Kassan's neck. Blueberry fragrance drifted between them.
"Were you making blueberry pie?" Kassan asked, tucking a strand of baby hair behind Sy's ear. "Yes. Your favourite." Sy nudged her with a raised brow. Kassan just smiled, brushing through Sy's hair.
"Hey — do you have any idea how long it takes to set my hair?" Sy protested. Kassan pushed her away with a palm to her face. "You're not going to kiss me?" Kassan smiled to herself when she heard that. She turned and said, "Not without consent."
Sy's head fell back against the cupboard door. Her fingers gripped the counter. She exhaled heavily, glancing at Kassan. "I never expected my decision about you would feel this right, Honey." It came out barely above a whisper.
"Come — let's bathe together." Kassan said, extending her hand. Sy smiled softly, taking it. It was warm and steady, exactly as she always expected it to be. "Why do you love me so much, Honey?" Sy asked.
"Because you were the only one who wanted to see me the way I see myself. You never tried to make me into someone else's version of me. You stood by me regardless of what I was passionate about or how much money I made from it. Everything I have today exists because you believed in my path. Tell me — isn't that enough reason to love you the way I do, wifey?" Kassan's voice softened around every word. Sy's fingers interlocked with hers. Her head came to rest against Kassan's chest and she looked up into her eyes.
"If I hadn't believed in you — if I hadn't stood by you — would you still have chosen to love me, Kassan?" Sy whispered. Kassan's eyes smiled serenely. She kissed her forehead. "I would still choose you, sweetheart. My life is more alive when you're in it."
"I'll forever love only you, Honey. We've been through so much — from falling in love to getting married. What a ride it's been. I love my life. Thank you for saving me that day, Honey." Kassan pulled her into an embrace and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder.
***
Sy's laughter rang out across their lavender garden as she ran through it, carefree. Kassan chased after her, camera in hand — recording, snapping pictures. "Slow down, babe — you'll hurt yourself."
"That's alright. You're with me, Honey." Sy ran without a second thought, trusting completely that Kassan would catch her the moment she needed it.
"Just like your mom says — you really are a spoiled brat." Kassan replied, matter-of-fact. Sy stopped dead and spun around, eyes burning into her. "Say that again. I will break your legs, Kassandreau Dupen-Lee." The words landed straight. Kassan grabbed her own chest and gave a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, my lady."
Sy looked away, savoring her win. "Fine. I forgive you, my hubby." She lit up and launched herself at her — and Kassan never missed the catch. The trust between them was unwavering.
"You really should stop doing that, sweetheart." Sy wrapped her arms around Kassan's neck and whispered, "Dare say that again — I'll shut down your gym." Kassan swallowed hard, pupils wavering. "You shouldn't threaten me, wifey." Her voice dropped low. Sy lifted Kassan's chin and smirked.
"You may be the one who built all of this — but I run it all in your absence. Show a little respect, Honey." Her voice touched every nerve. Goosebumps rose across Kassan's skin. She barely held her ground.
"Uh — Ms. Kassandreau—" Kassan's secretary walked in, completely unaware of what he was about to walk into. His heart lurched and he stopped mid-step. Kassan turned and set her wife down in one smooth motion. "Ah — James. What brings you here?"
What a perfectly timed interruption.
"Ms. Kassandreau, a number of parents are gathered at the company — demanding a refund." Kassan straightened, brows furrowing. "What kind of refund? Did we release a scheme?" She glanced at her wife. Sy was tense and confused, thumbs twisting against each other. Kassan noticed.
"Babe — are we going to the company together?" She kept her voice steady, careful not to make things worse. Sy didn't look at her but gave a short nod. "Prepare the car, James. We'll be out in a minute." James inclined his head and walked away.
Kassan caught Sy's wrist and pulled her inside. She guided her into the living room and then turned, direct and rough. "What did you do while I was away?"
Sy flinched, stepping back. "H— Honey, I didn't do anything wrong. I only launched an advance scheme." She stammered, trying to hold herself steady. Kassan tightened her grip on her wrist and pulled her closer. "How much did you charge those people, Sy? How much?"
"In advance... four thousand, five hundred dollars." Sy gripped Kassan's collar, trying to find somewhere to look that wasn't her eyes. Kassan let go, covering her mouth with her palm, then dragged both hands through her hair. She closed the gap between them and whispered, voice rough and low.
"Why? Why would you do this? Has the wealth gone to your head, Ngawang Sy?"
Sy had no answer. Her fingers fidgeted in silence. Kassan turned away, facing the glass wall and the lavender garden beyond it. Her gaze didn't soften at the sight of her favourite flowers — the anger only deepened.
James appeared at the entrance. He waited there, reading the room. Kassan glanced at him and nodded. Without another word to Sy, she followed James out — and Sy fell into step behind them.
"How long has this demonstration been going on, James?" Kassan asked, scrolling through the company tablet. James met her eyes in the rearview mirror before turning back to the road. "A week now. The company tried to negotiate but it kept escalating, Ms. Kassandreau."
"Are any other companies backing them?" "Yes — VERITAS HARMONY is backing them." Kassan's gaze drifted to the windshield, thoughts moving fast and quiet.
"It started with a handful of parents raising concerns based on student speculation — but within four days it had become a full demonstration," James continued. "VERITAS HARMONY wouldn't touch this unless there was something in it for them. They don't move without a reason." Kassan said, her calm dissolving into something harder.
"Reputation." James said suddenly. Kassan tilted her head, brow arching. "VERITAS HARMONY is going after your reputation. Parents trust institutions through reputation — pull yours down, and VERITAS HARMONY rises to fill the space. It benefits them directly, Ms. Kassandreau." He finished.
Neither Kassan nor Sy said a word. They looked at each other and then lost themselves in thought. That James — quietly picking up what both of them had missed entirely — was almost too much to process.
"James, you're remarkable." Sy whispered, almost to herself. James glanced in the rearview mirror and scoffed. "Was that a compliment, Ms. Ngawang?"
"Obviously, James." Sy replied without hesitation. James smiled. "I'll take it, Ms. Ngawang."
Silence crept between them after that. No one made a sound. The drive was as quiet as the argument still running through Kassan's head. Her eyes moved across the city buzzing past the window, none of it reaching her. Sy stole glances at her, wrestling with her own thoughts. James kept his eyes moving between the road and the rearview mirror.
Kassan stepped out of the car and looked up at her company building. From out here it felt like a living thing slowly suffocating — something polluted beneath its own surface. She walked in through the back entrance. Sy and James felt the same weight but neither said so.
Kassan positioned herself at the front doors, blocked from the crowd outside. She scanned the people holding banners, protesting against her company. Her stomach didn't drop. Her breath didn't hitch. Nothing broke her posture — she was calmer than Sy had expected, or perhaps hoped for.
"Is Honey alright, James?" Sy whispered as they moved toward the media room. "She came here with a plan. That's confidence — not detachment. Don't worry, Ms. Ngawang." James gave a small nod with a quiet smile.
"A plan? What plan?" Her curiosity sharpened. "You'll see soon enough, Ms. Ngawang." James said, and moved to Kassan's side. He leaned in, posture perfect. "Everything is ready, Ms. Kassandreau."
She inclined her head and walked straight to the dais. She settled into the single chair prepared for her, gaze moving across the room — media, parents, students. She took the microphone.
"My greetings to everyone present here. I don't think my introduction is necessary." She began. "I acknowledge the matter circulating regarding AUREXIS and the so-called 'false scheme' conducted by my wife, Ngawang Sy Thanapontharawiset."
"So you admit your company had a hand in this false scheme?" a woman from the media asked. "I acknowledge the public's concern as an allegation. We did conduct a scheme — not a false one, but a beneficial one, specifically designed for students from lower-income backgrounds." Kassan replied.
"Beneficial for indigent students? You say that — yet you haven't delivered the same quality of education as you provide for your privileged students. What do you say to that, Ms. Kassandreau?"
"We promised equal access to education — we never promised identical content. Because the funding is not identical. Privileged students pay in millions. Lower-income students pay a fraction of that — and still arrive with the same expectations. When you want overnight success, it comes with a cost. I'm certain the parents in this room understand that." She gestured toward the front rows — well-dressed, organized, visibly wealthy parents of the so-called privileged students.
"That's fair — it justifies the difference in fees." one of those women said.
The room shifted. "Those who lost money in this scheme are demanding a refund. What is your response?" a reporter pressed.
"I'm genuinely sorry your children felt overlooked for being taught fundamentals. But let me ask you something — when your child enters kindergarten, do you expect the teacher to open with university-level equations? Or do you expect them to start with the basics?" The question shut them down before anyone could form an answer. Glances flew across the room. Whispers broke out, uncertain and uncomfortable.
Then a voice came — not from the media. From a student standing at the back.
"We didn't pay four thousand five hundred dollars just to be taught basics! I want my refund! Your whole scheme was designed to rob us!"
Kassan looked at the student for a moment before responding. A second thought. The kind most people forget to take.
"Did you — or your parents — sign the scheme documents with our manager?" she asked, keeping every trace of anger completely buried.
"Yes. My parents signed them."
"Did your parents read the terms and conditions of the scheme?" Kassan asked.
The student glanced at their parents. The answer was written across their faces. She had what she needed.
"I see. Let me tell you what those terms state. Point five clearly outlines that the advance payment funds the first four months of your child's education — and that if, after those four months, you are unsatisfied, the advance will be refunded with interest. Point eight states that the first month covers foundational skills, and the remaining three months cover the major areas of study. This is what your parents agreed to — without reading it. So tell me: whose fault is this? The parents who didn't read the terms? The students who misread the programme? Or the people bought by VERITAS HARMONY to exaggerate this situation and revoke my wife's licences and my company's reputation?"
The room gasped. Whispers erupted. The tension stretched and didn't ease. Sy stood in the back, further from her own thoughts than anyone else in the room. Kassan, at the center of it, looked entirely settled. If anyone knew what she was about to do next — it was only James.
"What is happening right now, James?" Sy whispered, voice shaking. James chuckled softly. "To be honest, Ms. Kassandreau loves her wife so much that she just flipped the entire scandal on its head." Sy's jaw dropped.
"What exactly are you trying to say, Ms. Kassandreau?" the reporter asked.
"Just watch." The CCTV footage began to play on the projector behind her. Frame by frame, it showed exactly how VERITAS HARMONY had recruited a group of parents from within their own institution to manufacture and spread false claims about Ngawang Sy's scheme — and how that manufactured outrage had made it onto the front page.
Kassan leaned toward the microphone one final time. "You reap what you sow." she whispered — unhurried, unbothered — and stepped down from the dais.
No one chased after her.
She had swatted them away.
Like little mosquitoes.