These traitorous tears fell again. And I stared down at the iPad, my lips trembling as I traced the lines with my eyes:
Bakti Danudara, Chairman of INDTV Group, was spotted in an intimate encounter with a young actress at the Claid Hotel last Friday afternoon.
I could only pray that Zioh, Zeraiah, and Zaeem would find a way through…
« -- * -- »
Today was exactly as I feared: chaos. Several divisions, including ours, held sudden meetings about Uncle Bakti’s issue. I even heard Artamain and INDTV themselves had emergency meetings.
As the team responsible for social media, coverage, and all content, our task was singular: divert the issue from the spotlight and prevent it from affecting the upcoming press conference. The launch of our joint subsidiary with INDTV was imminent, and then this happened.
I finally saw why influential people had to guard their names. Their actions rippled not only upon themselves butupon everyone under their shadow. I still didn’t understand how Uncle Bakti could do this again.
I had expected him to stop, but he kept going. Yet worse than ever, and with someone so young, sparking a scandal…
Andi’s words flashed through my mind. He’d once claimed via his gossip accounts that Uncle Bakti had deviant fetishes, and I’d shut him down immediately. I couldn’t engage in such talk because Uncle Bakti had been kind and caring to my brother and me, like a second father. And he was Zioh and Zeraiah’s dad after all.
By the way, Andi and I reconciled. When I returned his iPad, he treated me to an orange Americano. Though still furious with me, he admitted he felt “settled” now, but I didn’t understand what it meant—I had no desire to unravel it either.
The important thing was that he was trying to move on. Even though he wouldn’t stop warning me to stay away from Zioh.
If only Andi knew that, beyond work, I wanted nothing to do with Zioh. Not out of hatred, though—it should have been that way a long time ago. Now, my body felt weighed down, as if a massive rock had crushed me, leaving me with no strength left to resist. The pain spread through every inch of me, and the cruelest part was knowing I couldn’t heal it with Betadine because there was no blood to be found. Keeping my distance truly was for the best.
Above it all,guilt. For years, even after we reunited after a decade, I had assumed Zioh was fine—more than fine, even perfect—that his life in the UK was flawless and happy.
Then what I saw that day, and this news now, struck me hard.I was all wrong.
A sudden knock tore me from my long thoughts. Even Aditya, speaking beside me, fell silent. Every gaze in the room turned to the open door. I didn’t know how long I’dbeen frozen, but there she was, a blonde woman stepping in, followed by a man behind her.
And somehow, his eyes found mine.
As if he’d come here only to see me.
Our eyes met. That sensation returned, the same as when I’d first looked into his eyes after a long year.
My heartbeat quickened, breath catching in my throat.
The inner turmoil fused again, and looking at him hurt. After what happened days ago, those deep brown eyes pulled me back into his darkness. My eyes stung, and every unpleasant feeling stripped me bare.
I couldn’t even tell which emotion dominated, but one thing was clear. I was in pain.
That pain gave me the strength to break the gaze, stiffly turning away to Aditya, who stood beside me, blocking the massive projector. But I could feel it. Heavy steps approaching. My breath shortened, and I bit the inside of my lip—
I turned, stiff and slow. He was there. Eyes locked on mine as he took his seat directlyacrossfrom me.
A low growl escaped Andi beside me, and as I turned, a fragile smile tugged at my lips when Tsabinu was there, too. He gave me a small, steady smile, and I nodded at him, pretending to be normal. But nothing within me felt that way—not my mind, my heart, my body, my logic. Nothing.
Then the blonde woman, Natasha, stood and introduced herself. Her eyes flicked toward Andi, widening when she saw him. Meanwhile, Andi’s glare stayed locked on Zioh, though ignored because Zioh’s gaze remained fixed… onme.
Natasha’s voice blurred into Tsabinu’s, perhaps explaining steps, directions, or legal codes. His voice filled the room, but drifted to me, thin and distant. Everything blurred as something sharp and burning pierced me, striking from across the distance.
I looked up again, and our eyes collided.
Zioh hadn’t looked away.
What was this look? Sharpness? Hatred? Anger? I didn’t know. I didn’t want to know—
It trembled…
