Zioh:Quit acting like an idiot and stop crawling back to Dad.
Mas Zaeem:Yeah, I know. But this is important to me too.
Zioh:Again? Seriously, Mas?
Mas Zaeem:Thank you. Also, send my regards to Biba and Bibu. You’ll be seeing them around a lot more from now on.
Mas Zaeem:I know, I’ll stay out of it, like you wanted. But listen to me for a sec, Zi.
A raw emotion coursed hot through my blood.
Mas Zaeem:Don’t be too hard on them. They’ve suffered as much as you have from everything that happened. And I know you know it wasn’t their fault. Especially Tshabina.
I read it at a slow pace, and each word crawled into me like a sting. My fingers moved with unease.
Dad’s voice broke in again, grating against my skin. “See Tsabinu for all legal matters, and to consult on this project. If you need anything else, ask him. He’s exceptionally talented.”
Phone. Door. Handle.
Dragging in a rough breath, I forced it out again.
Metal—harsh, burning—
Bitter. Salty. Iron—
Shit.
Golden.
“Tsabinu… Bibu…”
6
Tshabina
I woke up as my alarm rang at five in the morning. Today was a public holiday, so I had the day off, but my body still woke up this early because my ridiculous best friend had been terrorizing me since yesterday, demanding I be ready by six sharp. He claimed I had promised to accompany him to buy Labubu, and we had to queue to get that blasted doll.
After washing up, I slipped into a cardigan that hugged my figure and a pair of jeans. I left my room with a portable hairdryer in hand, craving a cup of hot chocolate.
As I reached the first step of the staircase, I halted. Voices drifted up from the dining table below—two voices I knew too well.
Tsabinu and Andi.
That weird guy was serious about this, passionate about trivialities, yet indifferent to the things that actually mattered.
I was about to head down when I stopped again, ears catching their words.
“While Biba isn’t here,” Andi coaxed. “We can’t fucking talk about the Z brothers if that girl’s around. She even hears the letter ‘Z,’ and she freaks out.”
Z brothers. That was the pet name Andi had given the Danudara siblings.
Tsabinu let out a heavy sigh, while Andi pressed on with his silver tongue. “Just one question, and leave my sister alone after this, Andi. You know how she gets every—”
“Fuck yeah. That’s exactly why I’m asking you,” Andi cut in, clearing his throat before lowering his voice. When he spoke again, the humor was gone. “I’ve always wondered, why the hell didn’t Zioh and Zeraiah join their dad’s company? A business like that is a silver platter. They’dhave been given positions straight away. But only Mas Zaeem took over. Why’s that, Bibu?”
There was silence, long enough for me to picture Tsabinu weighing his words, sorting out what could be spoken and what was left unspoken. Finally, my brother’s deep voice came:
“Because they didn’t want to, and Mr. Bakti ran out of ways to convince them. Zioh never wanted anything to do with the company; he’d been saying that since we were kids.” There was a brief pause. When my brother continued, his voice had lowered. “He was always the artsy one, always drawing. That was his thing.” Silence again. Then a long exhale. “Zeraiah used to be different. He did want to join the company. He even thought about taking business or management. But something happened… and he changed his mind.” He cleared his throat, and his voice steadied again. “Still, they both grew up around business. Mr. Bakti and their grandpa taught them everything. But in the end, only Mas Zaeem took over.”
