"Oh my, aunt. Anyway, Lea doesn't want to be dressed up like that, ah. Mom, please tell Aunt Dina. I just want flawless makeup, like Grace usually has. That's my final decision!" Lea said emphatically. She had yet to expect that there would still be complicated problems on the wedding day."But this is a good MUA, you know, Se. As a bride, you can't have flawless makeup makeup, it can be less amazing later. Oh my, Grace. Here, tell your sister!" Mrs. Anna called to her youngest child, who was busy with some bridal accessories for her sister."Sizt Lea, please, no need to protest here and there. Just accept it. It will be good." Grace said, reassuring her sister, who did not like makeup at all. All her life, she only wanted to be made up by Grace, and that, too, with many demands, must be subtle, not be minor, and must be as natural as possible.Lea took a deep breath and let it out harshly. The MUA seemed indifferent and continued preparing all her equipment, which had been thoroughly
"Don't run around, darling. You'll fall."Lea tried to catch up with Gina who was running around in the middle of the yard; although it was a little tricky because of her bulging belly, she still tried to catch up with the princess. Shane, who saw this from inside the house, immediately ran out and approached them in a hurry."Honey, don't bother Mommy," Shane said as he grabbed Gina and carried her in his arms."Dad, how come the others haven't come yet? It's been a long time," Gina said playfully.At only five years old, Gina is already brilliant. Neither Lea nor Shane expected their first daughter to be as talkative as her mother, but as wise as her father."Later, soon the others will come. That's why Gina must be a good girl. Don't be naughty and don't run around, poor mama," Shane continued, pointing at Lea.Lea smiled back as she stroked her growing belly. She was truly thankful that her second pregnancy had not been like her first. Even though it was her second pregnancy, Lea
"Come on, Lea. Let's have a double date for once," Grace whined, repeating her request. What was her reason for forcing her sister to come along? Their mother forbade her to go out without Lea. Oh, oh ... what the hell, Lea thought irritably. "Who else should I bring, Grace? You're being ridiculous!" "Whoever, office friends, hangout friends. Isn't there anyone? Come on, please," Grace whined pleadingly to Lea. Lea, who, even though she often fought with Grace, couldn't bear to make her sister disappointed. Finally, she relented by obeying her sister to go to the movies even though she had to be alone. Who else would she want to invite? "Oh, wait, then how about you watch it with Freddie's friends? Who is the same age as you, and single of course, so who knows while getting to know each other, something more going to happen, hehe...," suggested Grace, thinking of another possibility so that her sister would not end up being cheated on. The siblings, two years apart in age, looke
"Let's finish the food quickly. After this, the movie starts." Shane ordered suddenly after he glanced at the watch on his wrist. Lea pushed aside her plate, which was only reduced by a few mouthfuls. She couldn't eat in such an uncomfortable state of mind. For her, eating with an ice block with a blind date theme that would hopefully change her single status into having a partner was the most uncomfortable thing. Grey glanced at the contents of Lea's plate. Compared with his plate, which was also still filled. "You also have no appetite, huh? Or did you eat at home earlier?" he asked just to make small talk. "I ate earlier," Lea replied quickly to avoid further discussion. "Freddie said that his girlfriend's brother was okay, so I'm fine with setting up a blind date with you. But...." Shane paused his sentence a little. "But I'm so far from your expectations that you lost your appetite, huh? Do you want us to go home now? Sure, let's say goodbye to Freddie and Grace." Lea cut i
Lea stopped her steps but reluctantly turned around. And a moment later, someone suddenly grasped her fingers from behind."I’m sorry ...," Shane said while looking at her seriously."Let's try watching the movie first," the man continued in a persuasive tone.Lea no longer knew how to answer. She obeyed as Shane guided her towards Grace and Freddie and walked hand in hand into the movie theatre.It was already crowded inside. The big screen was already playing the opening commercial. Shane still held Lea's hand while walking along the rows of seats to find the seat number matching their tickets.After finding the place, Shane invited Lea to sit down, and he sat next to her. Lea looked around for Grace and Freddie but couldn't find them because the lights had been turned off. Only the light from the projector was the only source of illumination.Shane, who seemed to be ignorant and cold, was also caring. He still thought of bringing a big box of popcorn and two cups of drinks. Lea rece
Without realizing it, Lea slipped behind Shane's giant body. Wow, this man is quite tall and well-built, typical of a bodyguard, she thought, affected by the momentum at that time, which seemed to be Shane protecting her from the threat of an angry man.The fierce man who glared at Lea just left without forgetting to throw his piercing gaze back at Lea, who had hidden herself behind Shane. He must have been eager to at least cuss Lea out, but he didn't want to mess with Shane.Lea breathed a sigh of relief when the man had passed from there."Huff... thank you so much," she said later as she sat back in her chair.Shane also sat before Lea and looked at the celebrity girl before him with a knowing look. Lea, who felt his gaze, immediately scanned Shane's eyes, wondering what the man wanted to discuss."What?" asked Lea finally when Shane said nothing."Nothing," Shane replied quickly. Too quickly, and it only made Lea more curious."When people say thank you, they'll usually say you're
Realizing her umpteenth fatal mistake that night, Lea spontaneously covered her mouth."Oops...," she said with a mixed expression, a combination of fear, amusement, and frustration.Unexpectedly, Shane grunted in annoyance and didn't utter a single word. He immediately turned away and walked towards his parked car.Lea, who didn't expect to escape the incident without serious injury to his head or at least a slap on the face from Shane for her recent words, followed him with a distant gaze. It seemed like she wanted to stop Shane momentarily to apologize.However, memories of Shane's annoying behavior towards her throughout the night made Lea suppress the urge and try to console herself that her words were polite enough to describe Shane."Bad, seriously," Grace finally said. The girl shook her head in frustration, looking at her silent sister. Freddie scratched his non-itchy head, unsure of how to react. Shane was his close friend, and he was the one who suggested—even forced—Lea to
The following day, Lea decided to forget everything about the disastrous blind date and the fact that she had just overlooked a handsome cop. Now, Lea chooses to be more open towards men, not to be consistently aloof and indifferent as she usually portrays. She had heard complaints from Grace that Lea shouldn't keep such a distance from them.According to Grace, if she wanted to have a relationship, the first thing she needed to do was to improve her attitude. And Lea agreed with her younger sister's advice, who somehow appeared more mature than her."Do you understand, sis?" Grace asked her sister as they were having breakfast."Yeah, yeah...!" Lea replied half-heartedly, picking at the toast with sausage, lettuce, and corned beef filling in annoyance. It seemed like she was venting her frustration at her food."What's going on here?" Mr. Adam looked at his two daughters alternately. They were having breakfast together as a family, sharing stories as usual at the breakfast table.Mrs
"Don't run around, darling. You'll fall."Lea tried to catch up with Gina who was running around in the middle of the yard; although it was a little tricky because of her bulging belly, she still tried to catch up with the princess. Shane, who saw this from inside the house, immediately ran out and approached them in a hurry."Honey, don't bother Mommy," Shane said as he grabbed Gina and carried her in his arms."Dad, how come the others haven't come yet? It's been a long time," Gina said playfully.At only five years old, Gina is already brilliant. Neither Lea nor Shane expected their first daughter to be as talkative as her mother, but as wise as her father."Later, soon the others will come. That's why Gina must be a good girl. Don't be naughty and don't run around, poor mama," Shane continued, pointing at Lea.Lea smiled back as she stroked her growing belly. She was truly thankful that her second pregnancy had not been like her first. Even though it was her second pregnancy, Lea
"Oh my, aunt. Anyway, Lea doesn't want to be dressed up like that, ah. Mom, please tell Aunt Dina. I just want flawless makeup, like Grace usually has. That's my final decision!" Lea said emphatically. She had yet to expect that there would still be complicated problems on the wedding day."But this is a good MUA, you know, Se. As a bride, you can't have flawless makeup makeup, it can be less amazing later. Oh my, Grace. Here, tell your sister!" Mrs. Anna called to her youngest child, who was busy with some bridal accessories for her sister."Sizt Lea, please, no need to protest here and there. Just accept it. It will be good." Grace said, reassuring her sister, who did not like makeup at all. All her life, she only wanted to be made up by Grace, and that, too, with many demands, must be subtle, not be minor, and must be as natural as possible.Lea took a deep breath and let it out harshly. The MUA seemed indifferent and continued preparing all her equipment, which had been thoroughly
"So what's the date?" asked Lea on the other end of the line."The 25th," replied Shane, looking at the calendar he was holding.Shane's extended family on his mother's grandmother's side, had many customs and beliefs in the village. They asked for Shane's and Lea's birth dates and then calculated the most appropriate wedding day, which they believed would guarantee the couple's happiness.At first, Shane and Lea laughed it off, but thanks to Mrs. Kate's coercion not to disappoint the elders, they agreed when she said the twenty-fifth of April was their wedding date."That's exactly one month from now, isn't it?" asked Lea. There was both excitement and fear in her voice. Excited because the time was getting closer for her to be side by side with Shane. But she was also afraid because she still had a lot of preparation to do.Lea and Shane agreed not to use a wedding planner because they wanted to care for everything themselves. From choosing the decor for their reception room in the
"Mommy's sick. So I'm out of the office today," Shane told Lea, who immediately became anxious in her office."Duh, what's wrong with Aunty?""Meriang malarindu, wkwkwk. Papa left her with Grandma two days ago. I had to stay there and meet some distant family." Shane explained the chronology."How come Auntie didn't come?""Mom wasn't feeling well before Dad left. That's why she decided to go alone. Eh, Daddy made her even more sick.""Hmm ... then I'll stop by on my way home. What does Aunty usually like to eat? Let me bring it with me."Lea offered. "That's okay. You don't have to bring food. Mommy's the type who doesn't like to eat out anyway. You'd better cook for her here. It'll be more special. Uh, but if you're not tired. I just got off work." Shane replied as he was."Hmm ... never mind. I'll think about it while I'm there. Okay, I'll go to work first. It's already the bell," Lea said, although it wasn't yet. It's still a while. It's just that she hung
After expressing their feelings to each other, Shane and Lea finally stop lying about their feelings. Yes, they are getting married!A chat message that came to Lea's phone that night spontaneously kept her awake all night.It was a poem from Daniel that read beautifully, he said,Dissolved in an increasingly entangling lonelinessWhen your body can no longer be held tightlyDark shadows in the futureAs if the promise of wounds of despair will unfold aloneFor without you, oh idol...Maybe it's good for me to goRelease the weariness that reignsFor there seems to be no place hereWhere no shadow of you is always clearJust a shadow, without a body, without a soul..."Lea squeezed her cell phone, trying to feel the man's heartache on the other side. Then, she could not answer anything. Just an apology with a crying emoticon, which she sent as a form of regret.Amanda had called him earlier in the day and told him that Daniel was planning to go abroad after his time in the city jail t
Meanwhile, Lea, who had been grabbed again by the tall, bald man with many tattoos on his arms, tried to escape but could not move at all. He knew that the thug's strength was no match for him."Go after him! Martin's son can't escape!" The heavy baritone voice of the thug blocked Lea's movements by twisting her hands behind her back. His voice was grim and sinister. Lea shuddered at the sound.When she saw Shane running away, she also understood that this was Shane's attempt to survive and that he would surely come back to save her somehow."Ah, shit!" Lea cursed as she was pushed into the black APV and locked from the outside. Meanwhile, the thugs seemed to be helping to chase Shane."What did he say? Martin's son?" Lea thought, alone in the car.Who is Martin? Is that the name of Shane's father? Is that why they were kidnapped? Does it have something to do with Shane's father? There were many questions in Lea's mind, but she couldn't find any answers.She was surprised when a phone
All these instructions rang in Lea's ears. The tension was overwhelming, making it difficult for her mind to work. All she could do was nod her head uncertainly.Shane looked at Lea and hissed softly, "Take your shoes off. Hurry up. You can't run fast in those heels!"Lea immediately obeyed Shane and took off her shoes, now standing barefoot. Oh, how strange she must look. A balloon dress underneath with bare feet. Damn it! It was good that the dress was short and allowed her to run fast and unhindered.Then things got out of control again. The sound of footsteps and shoes rubbing on the tiled floor began. Racing against her heart, which seemed pounding, Lea tried to focus her ears. She had to gather her strength in one place, in both hands, which were in a pose ready to swing the chair leg forcefully at the neck of the first person to enter later.One--two--hears the jingle of keys being inserted, then the doorknob is turned, and jeglekk, the door opens. Shane's eyes signalled as if
81. Getting closerTheir eyes met. Lea's brown irises met Shane's bluish irises, which stared at Lea's two thick eyebrows, which, even with makeup, seemed to be connected in the middle."When you wear makeup, don't you have to shave that middle eyebrow?" Shane's index finger stroked the middle of Lea's eyebrow above her nose. There was a fine line of hair that met there. It was very special to him.Mubarak! Lea pushed Shane's body away spontaneously."Okee... your comment ruined the atmosphere! That's annoying! You can't be so insulting about everything I do, huh?" Suddenly angry because, for a moment, she thought Shane was going to say something cute or at least not absurd. But he did!Shane gasped in shock. Even though he made a typical comment, that's a fair question, isn't it? She wondered."What the hell? Why the sudden anger? Who insulted you?" Shane protested, not understanding."Ish! What a block of ice!" Lea swore as she turned to face Shane. She crossed her arms over her che
80. Escape PlanShane turned to the girl who was scowling behind his back."Duh, sorry..." he said later, realizing that his words were a bit inappropriate for their situation."Tumbenan can apologize? Kesambet, huh?" said Lea with a smile."Oh my God! It's hard to talk to you. I'm as stiff as a block of ice. If I soften, you'll say it's kesambet. What do you want?" Shane shook his head, unable to understand the mindset of a girl who, unfortunately, no matter how complicated, still filled so much space in his heart that it left no room for other girls.For a moment, their eyes met. If only silence could solve it. Lea wanted them both to shut up and understand each other's feelings. After all, every time they argued, the result was always an endless, heated debate."I think it's better if we don't talk to each other," Lea replied sceptically.Shane spontaneously frowned and stared at Lea's two thick eyebrows, which she liked because they seemed to be set in the middle. Lea was unlike o