The tension that had occurred earlier subsided as Seno and an unknown man eventually left Bi Yani's rented house.Lara still felt the heat of her husband's slap landing on her left cheek, along with the pain in her heart and the shame that permeated her dignity. Lara felt like a weak woman who surrendered to her husband's oppression. Was that what people around her thought?"Mrs. Lara...." Bi Yani, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, accompanied by the faint whispers of her mother, who was still in shock from all the commotion."I'm fine," Lara wiped her tear-stained face. Meanwhile, Andre dragged her out of that cramped room and began to talk to her."What kind of treatment has your husband given you all this time, Lara? Answer me!" Andre's eyes gleamed with anger. His jaw tightened as if holding back something that couldn't be expressed. Andre was so upset with everything that had happened, but... what right did he have?"No, Ndre. He only slapped me this time.""And then?"
Lara was startled by the voice. It seemed familiar, but who was it?"I'll open the door," Andre said, walking swiftly towards the living room and opening it immediately.Lara hid behind the partition wall, trying to avoid being seen by the mysterious woman.She didn't even get a chance to see her face. Or rather, she didn't dare. Somehow, she suddenly felt afraid. The events of last night were still vivid in her memory. She didn't want Seno to come back here with another henchman."What are you doing here?" Andre asked curtly to the woman in front of him. It seemed like he knew her."Andre! Where have you been?""What's your business with him?"Lara heard them arguing. It seemed like she wasn't one of Seno's henchmen. She was someone Andre knew. Lara became curious ... who was that woman?"Dr. Miriam?" Lara widened her eyes. She didn't expect that person to be someone she knew. Suddenly, she emerged and approached her to intervene in the situation."We've been looking everywhere for yo
The day had turned into evening. Unconsciously, Lara fell asleep on the sofa. It seemed like she was very tired. Melati approached her cautiously, probably so as not to wake her up from her deep sleep."What's wrong, Mela?" Lara asked softly as she quickly sat up and straightened her back, although it felt a bit stiff.Melati approached her slowly, looking concerned about Lara's condition just waking up from a nap on the sofa."Ma'am, how are you feeling?" she asked gently.Lara smiled at her, feeling grateful to have Melati as a caring servant. "I'm fine, Mela. Is there something you want to say?""Um ... it's about Mr. Seno, ma'am."Lara frowned, feeling that something was wrong with his behavior. "What about Mr. Seno?""Mr. Seno hasn't come home as long as you're not here. I don't know if he'll come home tonight or not," Melati said fearfully. Maybe she felt sorry for Lara. But strangely ... Lara was used to it."Just let him be, Mela. Maybe there's unfinished business at the office
Night fell as silently as the dark corridors of the abandoned building located on the border of Jakarta and Bekasi. No one would have suspected that within its walls lay a laboratory operating with sophisticated facilities.Footsteps echoed along with the swing of a flashlight beam from the building's guard. A bespectacled man in a neatly tailored suit walked alongside the guard toward a secret door on the third floor."New cologne, sir?" the guard casually remarked, knowing today was payday. If only his boss wasn't in a bad mood, his salary might not be delayed. The stout man in his early fifties didn't want his family to suffer hunger like African children.Nevertheless, his salary had to be paid today."Hmm. Can you smell it?" replied the boss, starting to remove his sunglasses. The area was sufficiently dark, and the eyes of uninvited guests were unlikely to penetrate the double security of this mysterious building.The man reverted to his true identity and discarded his disguise.
Delighted to see promising results, Seno observed with passion the exotic plants flourishing in the cultivation area. "You're so beautiful...." The ultraviolet rays gave a magical touch to the vibrant leaves. Joy and hope bloomed in Seno's heart. This was the turning point he had been waiting for in his project. "You will prove it to the world, Dolalopa!" Seno exclaimed with enthusiasm, calling out the secret name of his project. He hoped to change the world with this discovery. While Seno celebrated his success, in the futuristic laboratory, Dr. Hanung tried to catch up with Seno, who was walking so fast. "Boss, wait! We need to detail the data further. There are some things we need to make sure of..." However, Seno's determination was unshakeable. He was truly satisfied with this promising progress. "We can discuss it later. Right now, I want to take a closer look at our hard work." They stepped out of the glass room into the laboratory. Seno's shouts of joy had spread to all t
Seno and the bald-headed man exchanged looks, shocked to hear the news. The joy after the meeting with Madam X instantly disappeared, replaced by tension. "How could this happen?" Seno asked anxiously. He looked at the control screen, which was suddenly filled with warnings and unfamiliar codes. "It seems to be a cyber attack, Boss. They managed to breach our security layers," explained the bald-headed man, trying to identify the source of the problem. Seno immediately took action. "Shut down all systems, isolate the laboratory. We can't take any risks!" Technicians and security experts quickly followed Seno's instructions. The room was filled with busyness and tension. This situation posed a serious threat to the secret project they were developing. "They've stolen too much information. What should we do, Boss?" the bald-headed man asked with concern. Seno pondered for a moment. "We need a reliable IT security expert to handle this situation. Contact the security team and ask fo
Days passed quickly without Seno's presence. The house felt so empty. Lara didn't even leave the house because Melati was always taking care of her needs. For two days now, Lara had just been inside the house without wanting to go anywhere. This progressing pregnancy also limited her movements. "Are you ready to take a bath, Ma'am?" Suddenly, Melati interrupted Lara's reverie. Lara was watering the flowers in the pots. She didn't know why, but she felt like doing it. Usually, she was lazy to take care of these plants. "What time is it?" "It's 8 in the morning, Ma'am. Let's have breakfast." "Oh!" Lara was surprised. She thought it was still 7 in the morning. "Okay," she agreed. Lara quickly cleaned up the gardening tools and started washing her hands. Melati opened the bathroom door, Lara entered, and began to clean herself. After that, a delicious aroma wafted as soon as Lara stepped out of the bathroom. "What's cooking?" "Beef soup, Ma'am, and potato patties," Melati replie
Lara shook her head, not wanting Melati to know about her husband's depravity. "It's okay, Ma'am. You can go," Lara said. Melati nodded and then left. Lara resumed her halted crying. Then, she scrolled through her phone screen to find 'Seno's' name there. At first glance, she couldn't see clearly. These teardrops blurred her vision. She was still sobbing while trying to press the 'call' button but failed. The wet screen was the cause. Lara quickly wiped the screen and tried again. This time, she found a busy tone. "Seno, damn it! Where has that man gone? Why hasn't he even once informed me?" She pressed the 'call' button again and tried to contact Seno's phone, which was still busy with another call. Suddenly, the call was cut off. She felt even more despondent. Why didn't Seno answer her call? What was really happening out there? Those questions kept spinning in her mind without clear answers. Lara tried to gather courage and call Seno's number again. The busy tone sounded, in