A black CR-V stopped in front of a grayish-white three-story building. Shortly after, a man in his forties got out of the car. He wore sunglasses and walked into the building in front of him.His feet stepped firmly. His loafers clicked to a rhythm. At twelve o'clock, there was a staircase that would lead him to the second floor.He climbed the stairs. Arriving at the top, his eyes scanned the row of room doors visible from the front of the corridor, where he was currently standing. His gaze fell on the room on the right side of the third row.A moment later, he approached the room and knocked on the door several times."Andy, can we talk?" the man said. His ears perked up, trying to hear a voice from inside but he heard none.Inside, the occupant of the boarding room would have heard. He had no intention of opening the door. If he stayed a moment longer, the man would surely leave.The man knocked again. He was sure that someone had heard him inside."I know you're inside."In his ro
"Uncle, I don't want to go home!" Andini said to the adult man standing in front of her. She hated the man's presence. No matter how far she stayed away, she would eventually be overpowered.Without her permission, he had given orders to some of her bodyguards to clear out her belongings. Andini felt defeated, she had no power and no strength to fight back. What should she do now? Was there anyone else willing to help her? There was no one who could help her in this country. Aunt was dead. The only person who could protect her was gone from this world."You should go home, Andini." The man with square glasses was no less firm in his answer. There was no uncertainty in his eyes. "There are no exceptions. I have orders to take you home.""What if I don't want to?" challenged Andini without a hint of fear in her eyes."Don't blame me for being rude to you.""Do you want to kill me? Go ahead. I have no more purpose to live. Please kill me, Uncle. Is that what you want? To you, I'm just a
At exactly eleven o'clock, as the sun began to move upwards, Mr. Leo arrived without his uniform. He wore a baseball cap, a plain zipper, and jeans. His outfit was certainly not his everyday style. He immediately sat at the corner table facing the highway.The corners of her eyes kept flicking outward, as if waiting for someone to arrive. The atmosphere in this cafe was unable to attract her attention. It appeared from the look on his face that he was expecting someone to come. Someone who would determine his mission in the near future.The heat of the sun today was able to penetrate the dark glass next to Mr. Leo. Mr. Leo's arrival was noticed by the café owner who was none other than one of his subordinates in the force.Mr. Leo gives Max the freedom to do his work wherever he wants, considering that his work portion does not require him to always be in the office and he needs internet access and qualified IT equipment, which is why he opened the café. Duty will not always be there,
Four o'clock in the morning.Andy packed up. Everything he needed was stuffed into a medium-sized backpack. He left the useless items behind. Before actually leaving, Andy combed his eyes all over his room. This room had become his home for the past few years. There was something lingering in his mind as he fully realized that today was his last day here.The cell phone in his pocket vibrated. There was an incoming call from Mr. Leo."Ready?" he asked on the other side."Hmm.""In that case, you can come down now. I'm already downstairs."She quickly locked the door and put it down and wrote a letter to the boarding house manager.The items inside can be used by the next tenant. AndyWhen he went downstairs, a black car with its engine running was waiting for him. "We have to go to A&B Guard first. Mr. Hasan is waiting there. There are three guards who will go with you," Mr. Leo explained as he star
Soekarno-Hatta Airport is never quiet. People pass by and are busy looking for what they don't need to look for. From Liam's perspective, the majority of those here intended to travel. His mouth unintentionally hissed softly, life is indeed unfair. Those who have family stay away, those who don't have family look for those who have left.But isn't life unfair? There are many people who have lost no one. Meanwhile, those who are surrounded by loved ones want to leave because they feel the need to have time alone."Remember, when Miss Andini arrives, tighten security!" said Sardi, the head of the Adimas family bodyguards. Sardi's words snapped Liam out of his reverie."Yes." replied all his subordinates in unison.Together with six other people, Liam waited for the arrival of Andini and her entourage at the front of the airport. Liam's eyes continued to observe those who came in and out of the airport. Not infrequently, he saw people's smiles expand when they realized that someone was w
Adimas received news from Lukman that Andini had run away when she arrived at the airport. There was a sense of dread, after eight years of not seeing his only child, Lukman thought that Adimas would be furious. His negligence in carrying out his duties would not keep him out of trouble."Hahaha," Adimas laughed on the other end of the line. A smile appeared on his lips as he heard Lukman's explanation of what happened. "Mothers and children are the same. Since they're of the same nature, I think you should let them be once in a while.""But, Bang," Lukman cut in. "I don't think we can let her. Surely Andini will do more than this next time. With her behavior, she has to be disciplined once in a while. You know that Eka spoiled her while she was in Singapore. She didn't even finish her studies."Adimas sighed. His memories of his only child came back to play in his head. Their life used to be fine. Much different after Melisa's death. That incident was his fault. In business, he shoul
"How was your first day, Liam?" A crisp timbre sounded on the other end of the line. No need to ask, Mr. Leo should already know by tracking the GPS on Liam's phone."Quite entertaining, Captain." Liam replied simply. He didn't want to say much or conclude anything for the shady-eyed man yet."That's quite a distance, isn't it, the chase? If I look at the distance from the airport, it's more than 6 kilometers.""Yes.""Where are you now?" Mr. Leo diverted the conversation. This was because he knew that Liam wouldn't be able to talk any further on the topic."Can't the captain track me?" Liam asked back."Max is away on a date. So, I can't monitor you at the moment." Max was a hacker and also the mainstay of Mr. Leo's team. So apart from Barry Cafe's great tasting food, Mr. Leo and the team had another work-related agenda. Mr. Leo is a figure who upholds the principle of the proverb once rowed, two or three islands are surpassed. "I'm looking for a fitness center.""Oh, I see. Okay,
At five in the morning, the alarm on Liam's phone rang. With a half-drowsy look, he got out of bed without any prompting or relaxing his body. He reached for the glass of water that he had prepared before going to bed last night. In less than ten seconds, he gulped down the water.She hurried. His hand reached for the plain ash-colored zipper hanging on the stock hood behind his door. Afterward, he made a tight knot on his shoes. This morning was the start of him gathering strength.His breathing was ragged, his life seemed to be on the line. After completing his daily goal of running, he walked around his neighborhood at a leisurely pace while catching his breath that had just made him almost die from not running for a long time.She glanced at the watch on her wrist. It was almost six o'clock. The glow of the city that he had seen earlier in the morning was slowly disappearing. The sun was beginning to appear on the eastern horizon. A sign for her to go home immediately and prepare
Samuel was quite surprised to see that the room Adimas entrusted him to live in was occupied by someone else when he returned home to take care of some business. He saw Liam's condition, whose body was wrapped in bandages."What are you doing here?" asked Samuel."Rest. What else?" Liam replied. He was still quite upset with the first meeting that happened that time. This person in front of him was someone who judged someone based on physicality, not competence."But, this room was entrusted to me by Om Adimas." "So?" asked Liam with his innocent face.Samuel looked at the man in front of him in surprise. Annoyance began to rise in his mind, but once again he tried to explain. "You need to get out of this room because this room is mine.""You should also know that I'm not here on my own. You can ask Bang Sardi directly."Samuel rushed out of the room. Through the connection door in the garage, he approached Lukman who was enjoying his breakfast. This morning, he had an egg omlet and
Tonight's horizon is very black. Not a single star shows a speck of light. Adimas and his troops were on standby in their respective places. This time, he would be the one to take the life of the person who had dared to approach Andini.Bara's hideout was quite far from the residential area. It took about fifteen minutes on foot to get there. There is no way for vehicles to enter."In 10 minutes we will be entering, please be ready! Everyone must be on standby!" Adimas ordered.Once everything was ready, the ambush was set in motion. They walked slowly with barely audible steps. Adimas took the lead, being at the forefront of this attack. Adimas's body was covered in a bulletproof vest. His favorite revolver was hanging from his waistband.The sound of crickets became the background music of their journey. There were no people passing by, only reeds and trees growing in a messy manner. Each of them had worn night vision goggles. An old hut made of mahogany was visible from thirty me
Doctor Anthony brought Liam's x-ray file to Adimas' residence. There, he explained that Liam's ribs were broken. Doctor Anthony is Adimas' family doctor who has been serving the family since Andini was a toddler.Now, he owns a sizable hospital, with patients from wealthy families, including Adimas'."So, what about the treatment?" asked Adimas after listening to Dr. Anthony's explanation."It takes about 1 to 2 months to recover. It depends on the condition of the body. Every body has a different recovery process.""Isn't it necessary to do something like surgery or something like that?""So far there is no need, Bang. The condition of the bone has not shifted and moved from its place, so it is very safe to do treatment at home."Their conversation about Liam was also heard by Andini. She eavesdropped on her father and Dr. Anthony's conversation from the lip of the stairs not far from her room."What should be done to make the recovery process faster than expected?""Just rest complet
Liam parked his car in the front yard of a small shop not far from the cemetery. It was the first coffee shop they came across on the way home.As he was about to open the car door to order coffee inside, Andini stopped him. "Let me do it. You can sit here. What do you want, Liam?""Black coffee.""Espresso or americano?""Anything."Andini got out of the car. A male barista was seen brewing coffee for a customer who was already inside. He pushed open the glass door that was always wiped and cleaned, proving that there were no spots or marks on it.As Andini stepped her right foot inside, a small bell above her head rang. The barista finally lifted her head and greeted her and showed a very friendly face."Good morning, sis. What would you like to order?" greeted the barista."Any recommendations?" Andini asked as her eyes scanned the menu.The male barista pointed to the name of the coffee shop's signature menu. "We hav
Lukman and his entourage arrived at Adimas' house close to midnight. The journey they had made earlier in the day was quite tiring for them. Fortunately, there was no significant traffic jam.Lukman got out of his car. Liam and Sardi also got out of the car right behind Lukman. Their eyes met, Sardi gave Lukman the code to say something to Liam.Lukman winked once at Sardi. He walked over to Liam, who was still standing next to the car he was in earlier. Sardi forbade Liam to carry the goods because she knew that Liam was injured."Liam, you can sleep in the room next to the garage. Samuel isn't coming because he has some family business to attend to." Lukman offered as a token of his gratitude for saving Sardi.Unbeknownst to him, Sardi had told Lukman that Liam had bruises on his left side via text message before they arrived at Adimas' residence."No, sir. I'm going straight home tonight," Liam respectfully declined. His expression looked sincere and appreciative of Lukman's
The portal successfully opened after a long fight Fighting in the real world is not like a movie where the main character defeats dozens of enemies in a few minutes. This is the real world. To get to that point, one must be tempered daily and even yearly.They managed to escape before the enemy on the tugboat landed."Are you okay, Liam?" asked Sardi as her eyes stared focused ahead. On Sardi's face, there were several bruises as a memento of the fight."It's okay, sir.""Don't call me sir. Just call me Brother. We don't seem to be that far apart in age. I'm 35 years old. How old are you?""27 years old, sir. Uh, Bang," Liam corrected his words."Our plan fell apart. We went home without capturing Bara and killing him. Among us, someone must have leaked this plan, or... there are traitors trying to destroy us from within."Liam did not answer. Regarding the plan to arrest Bara, he did inform Mr. Leo before acting. However, Mr. Leo has
This harbor area is never quiet. There are no rules. There is no fear. There is only fun and pleasure. Port Pajang is surrounded by several locales with best-in-class ducks.In addition, the population density in the area makes economic activity seem to never die. Food vendors sell until the early morning because of the crowds of buyers.Lukman and his entourage arrived in Pajang early this morning. They decided to rest in one of the inns while making a plan."We'll divide the team into two groups. Sardi, you can choose some bodyguards to accompany you on duty," Lukman said.Sardi chose Liam and five other bodyguards to be her team. The fourteen bodyguards were divided into two teams. Lukman's team amounted to eight people including himself, Sardi's team amounted to seven people."First of all," Lukman began to explain his strategy. He made a simple floor plan based on the branch roads around the harbor that might be an alternative escape route for
Lukman readied his troops. The bodyguards he brought to attack Benny numbered thirty. Each of them carried weapons such as batons, stun guns and blunt-edged swords. Lukman entrusted his troops to Sardi, the head of the bodyguards.The thirty people split up around one of the old buildings that had been abandoned. In that area, there were several old factory buildings that had been vacant for about ten years. The buildings were the former operations of a bicycle factory that was once prosperous in its time.The black Rubicon stopped a kilometer from the building they were about to attack. There, a man dressed in all black was waiting on his motorcycle."Are you sure this is the place, Li?" asked Adimas as he exited the Rubicon."I'm sure, Mr. Adimas." A flash of memory popped into Ali's head as he saw the black Rubicon in front of him. Some time ago, he had been held captive with eight corpses who had been his coworkers at the time. Suddenly there was fear
At four in the morning, the alarm went off. Liam swiped the screen on his phone and turned off the alarm. He got ready for his workout.To restore his consciousness and get rid of drowsiness, he washed his face and gulped down two glasses of water. After that, he stretched for about ten minutes. Once his body started to feel hot, he started.For almost an hour, with his breath hitching, he combined intensive training, doing push ups a hundred times, sit ups a hundred times, and squats fifty times.The sound of her breathing could be heard filling the twelve square meter room. She was sweating from head to toe. Her clothes were soaked and her face was flushed. After his workout, he drinks whey protein isolate so that the muscle building in his body will be processed faster. He combines a scoop of protein isolate with creatine powder.&n