Haisley raised her hand and then gently rubbed Nathan's face with her fingers. The girl's index and middle fingers touched Nathan's forehead, tracing down his nose to the tip. "You're handsome, very handsome," she whispered. Her eyes blinked slowly, as if holding back sleep. Nathan knew the girl sitting on his lap was now intoxicated, and he chose to let her be. "You have a nice nose. Well-shaped," she chuckled. Then her fingers touched Nathan's closed eyes. "You also have long and curly eyelashes. You know, I'm always jealous when I see them," she continued. Nathan opened his eyes again and saw Haisley looking at him with her half-closed eyes. "But unfortunately, your eyes always stare at me sharply. Sarcastic. You always look at me with accusing eyes," she said with a sad smile on her face. "And yet, I always want you to look at me, Nath," she sighed softly. The girl's eyes then moved towards Nathan's lips. Her fingers touched his thin lips and lowered his bottom lip. "I'm always c
"Dean?" the man asked with a soft chuckle. Haisley nodded. "Yes, Dean," she said, still smiling. "You don't love him," Nathan said coldly. "A woman can't do that unless it's with a man she loves," he continued with a mocking smile. Haisley shrugged, her face still smiling. "You said if it's not done with love, it's called sex. So, Dean and I can do that because even if I don't love him, he loves me," she continued. "You also do it without feeling love for me, Nath. So, I'm sure I can do it too," she added. Haisley then chuckled. "If I had known the pleasure from earlier, I would have gladly accepted Dean's proposal from the other day." She laughed again. "What does that mean?" Nathaniel asked with narrowed eyes. Haisley shrugged. "It doesn't mean anything. Dean just said he loves me. And he wants to be with me. You know, he said he could be your replacement," she said again. "And although I reluctantly admit it, Dean is the best option I have right now." Nathan stood up instantly
The throbbing sensation returned to Haisley's head. She opened her eyes and blinked to ward off the light emanating from the ceiling above her.. Where is this? The question immediately popped into her head. Slowly, Haisley got up and sat. Her eyes scanned the surroundings. Isn't this her old room? Why is she here? Haisley stood up and felt a queasiness in her stomach, then the girl ran to the bathroom and emptied whatever was writhing in her throat. Nausea, heat in her stomach, and a burning sensation in her throat made Haisley shed tears, the effects of everything she felt. Haisley rinsed her mouth and then sat on the closed toilet. The dizziness pierced her head more and her vision seemed to shimmer because of it. What happened? The question without an answer once again filled her head. She tried to remember what happened last night. She danced with Steven and afterward, she drank the juice on the bar table, then she felt dizzy. And after that? She forgot. Her mind was complete
A few hours earlier. The party had ended, some of Gilbert's friends had already returned to their respective homes, and Gilbert himself was tired and eager to drop his body onto the bed. The tall and big-bodied man then went up to his room, but his steps stopped when he passed Haisley's room. Gilbert was surprised because the door to the room was open. As far as he remembered, he had closed it before going back downstairs. Gilbert walked closer and peeked inside. The room's lights were still off, and he opened the door wider. Haisley, the girl he had left behind, was not there. Quickly, Gilbert headed to the bathroom whose door was closed and knocked. He felt afraid that, because of her drunken state, Haisley might be drowning herself in the bathtub. "Haisley!" Gilbert pounded on the door while calling her name. Silence. No answer, no sound of water. "Haisley, are you in there?!" He asked louder, but still, Gilbert didn't get any response. "Haisley?!" Gilbert grabbed the doorknob,
"Love is just a camouflage, G. In fact, love won't last if we don't give women what they need. The main source of love is money and power. Will your woman stick with you just because you shower her with words of love? Can she buy designer clothes or collect diamonds with love? No, she won't be able to." "And also, what I felt for Crystal back then can't be called love," Nathan answered flatly. "Just consider it as an adrenaline trigger because I wanted to compete with Juan. Then I lost. And it's all over." Nathan spoke without expression. "Is that so? So you consider your feelings for Crystal just some kind of intense competition? Whoever she chooses is the winner?" "Yes, and I lost," Nathan replied without a hint of sadness. "So, what are you doing with Haisley now? Is this also your game? You act reluctant to accept her but take advantage of her innocence. You play with her feelings. Who's challenging you this time? Steven? Dean?" Nathan looked at Gilbert coldly. "I never played
Haisley nodded with a smile on her face. Mrs. Monica had extended her hand, calling for Haisley. The girl nodded and approached her, wrapping her hand around the arm of the woman she considered her own mother. Once on the plane, Haisley sat separately. Of course, their seating classes were clearly different. Haisley bought an economy class ticket, while Mrs. Monica purchased a first-class ticket. However, to Haisley's surprise, just before the plane was about to take off, Mrs. Monica walked into her class and asked the woman sitting next to her to change seats. "Aunt, why?" Haisley asked, confused. "I can't sit quietly alone for hours. It annoys Haisley," Mrs. Monica replied casually. They fastened their seatbelts, and the journey began. Haisley chatted during the trip, and when sleep came, both of them slept. Upon arriving in America, a driver was already waiting for them at the airport. Fortunately, Haisley hadn't asked Juan to pick her up because Mrs. Monica had instructed he
"I can't say you're already an adult, but you're not a child anymore who needs guidance and is confused in making decisions. Papa knows you've considered everything thoroughly, but does it really have to be like this? "Papa can't blame you; from the beginning, Papa didn't agree with your intention to study in England just because you wanted to be with Nathan. Papa has also been young, fallen in love, and been obsessed with the feelings Papa had. But Papa doesn't want to sacrifice Papa's future for those uncertain feelings. Papa doesn't want you to experience that." Haisley lowered her head and twiddled her fingers. She knew, very well, that her actions from the beginning could be considered impulsive. She was too confident. She was too sure that her past actions could stir Nathan's heart. But the reality was different. "Now, what do you want to do here?" Haisley lifted her head and looked at her father. "Haisley will work while studying to enter university next year," she said earn
Miami. Haisley took a deep breath, catching the penetrating scent of salt in the air. The hot weather immediately penetrated her skin, and then she smiled. Tomorrow or the day after, whenever she arrived in Bandung, her somewhat yellowish skin tone would undoubtedly turn into a shade of brown. But that was fine; change was occasionally necessary. She had also seen her place of residence. The roommates shared by two people, equipped with an en-suite bathroom and a small kitchen containing a single-door refrigerator, a stove, and some essential kitchen utensils. Her roommate, a 25-year-old girl named Astrid, seemed like a mature and friendly person. Haisley had also visited the hotel where she would be working. The hotel staff mentioned that for the next week, someone would provide her with training before she would eventually work independently. Considering Haisley was not a graduate of a tourism or hotel school, she had to truly learn about attitude and her job as a restaurant wait
A few years later, shouts were heard in the backyard of Chayton's residence. A heavily pregnant woman sat on a chair, watching her children jumping on the four-meter-diameter round trampoline, laughing. Occasionally, she yelled, asking her kids to be careful and not to fall. She felt the side of her seat compress and saw her mother-in-law sitting there, placing warm milk in front of her. "G said he's going to fly straight to America," the woman whispered. Haisley turned to her mother-in-law and smiled. Since her brother-in-law made the startling announcement about his choice to convert, she knew her mother-in-law was disappointed. Although in the end, her mother-in-law accepted her son's decision. "Gilbert is an adult; he knows what he's chosen," said his father-in-law in support of his youngest son who chose to convert. "You must be confident in your choice, G. You're not doing it just for a woman, right?" the father asked. Gilbert looked at his family and shook his head. "G has
Haisley fell silent again. She and Nathan had discussed this before the kidnapping happened, but they hadn't informed their families yet. "Nathan asked me to live in England and continue my studies," Haisley said, making Abigail furrow her brow. "Nathan will support me because, clearly, my scholarship can't be used anymore since I've left campus. At first, I said I didn't want to, what's the point of studying if, in the end, I stay at home taking care of the kids. But Nathan said that 'no one regrets having learned', so yeah, I'm starting over." Haisley explained, looking at Abigail with curiosity. "You still don't want to continue your studies? Your brain is clearly smarter than mine, Abby." Abigail shrugged. "I also have plans to go there. I'm just not sure which major to take. I haven't found a passion that drives me to choose a specific field. Maybe later, I'll consult with Itan." Haisley chuckled at her friend's words. "Why are you laughing?" Abigail asked curtly. "I don't know
The next day, Nathan and Haisley's families were planning to return to the hospital. Still, Gilbert objected because Nathan wanted to go home since he opened his eyes in the early morning. Nathan told Gilbert that he didn't want to make Haisley wait for him at the hospital for too long and preferred to rest at home. Gilbert eventually conveyed his brother's request to the morning visiting doctor. Fortunately, the doctor agreed, and in the morning, after completing the paperwork, Nathan, Gilbert, and Haisley returned to Flavia's villa. They received a warm welcome at the villa owned by Haisley's friend. Her family was just as enthusiastic as they were the night before when they gathered at the hospital. If the previous night they allowed Nathan and Haisley to rest, this time they didn't. Everyone was clearly very curious about what Nathan experienced during the abduction. With Haisley sitting by his side and their hands intertwined, Nathan recounted the entire ordeal to his family.
"Both of you, come with me," he said with a nod of his head, walking towards another black Jeep Gladiator, as dark as the other two jeeps that had roared away, leaving their tire tracks in the sand. Clasping each other, with Nathan limping, they entered the leader's car. "You were never part of this capture," the man said with his deep voice, immediately nodded by Haisley and Nathan. "You never met us," he continued, receiving another nod from Haisley and Nathan. After that, no one spoke. Haisley and Nathan's hands were intertwined, their bodies swaying with the car's movements on the uneven roads. Haisley looked out the window. Although she didn't pay much attention to the road when they departed, she knew that the path they were on now was different. And actually, the dock they had just left wasn't the same as when Haisley departed. Was this a secret route? A path known only to a few? Were the people who just saved her elite forces? Were they government troops? Or special forces
"They will take you to the dock, which will then take you to where Loretta is. The man who will pick you up later is not my henchman. So, you have to be cautious," Antony warned. "The two men with you now will give you some items." The man next to him then took out a small box from his shirt pocket, opened it, and took out a small round object about the size of a headset's knob, no bigger than a thumb. "This is a GPS and a mic. Place this object where it can't be seen," the henchman said with a mischievous smile. "Maybe in your clothes." He chuckled, making the driver laugh heartily. "And this, although small, is very sharp." The man handed Haisley a metal object. "If you press this," he pressed his thumb on a point, and then a sharp-edged knife quickly appeared. "This knife can accidentally hurt you, so be careful and use it wisely." He said as he placed the object next to the previous black item. "Uncle's people will monitor you. With the GPS, we'll know where that man is taking y
"Wh-who are you?!" Loretta asked in the midst of her pain. "Ramon! Ramon! Where are you, you bastard!" she shouted loudly. Loretta looked at the darkened cabin where Ramon should have been behind the ship's wheel. She trusted the man who had tormented Nathan all day to be the captain of the ship they were on. "We've neutralized Brother Ramon from the beginning!" said the uniformed man, walking closer to Loretta, who had turned pale and looked in pain, taking handcuffs out of his pocket. The other two men working for Loretta had already been instructed to kneel, and the two other men in black uniforms handcuffed their hands behind their backs. "How did you get here?" Loretta asked, trying to buy time as the police put handcuffs on her. Unlike her two henchmen, Loretta's handcuffs were placed in front, allowing her to still hold her bleeding leg. "You'll know the chronology later," the policeman said, pulling Loretta's arm to make her stand. Unbeknownst to Loretta, the ship they had
They walked with firm steps that made the ship's floor creak under the weight of their large bodies. One of the big men grabbed Nathan's arm from behind and made him stand up, causing Nathan to groan in pain. Haisley tried to hold onto Nathan, but her arm was also held by another man whose body was just as large as the one holding Nathan. Nathan appeared to walk with a limp, occasionally hissing in pain. Something was wrong with his leg, and Haisley could sense it even though she didn't know why. "What have you done to Nathan?!" Haisley shouted at Loretta, who stood between her and Nathan. The woman turned, tilting her head and then looking in Nathan's direction. "Nothing," she replied flatly, shaking her head. Then her mouth opened wide, and she looked at Haisley with a guilty expression. "Maybe I've made a few of his ribs move. A little crack in the rib bones, and his leg won't kill him, right?" she asked cheerfully, continuing her steps. Nathan was now at the front of the deck,
Five minutes, could Haisley sneak out of Flavia's villa? What should she say if someone catches her? Haisley shook her head. Quickly, she walked out of the room. Sneaking as she put on her sneakers and headed towards the front gate because the villa didn't have a back gate. A guard seemed to be at his post. Haisley tried to come up with a plan so that the tall, sturdy man wouldn't suspect her. She walked closer and saw the uniformed man immediately stand and inquire about Haisley's needs. "The guest inside is asking for you to come in, he said there are instructions to be given." Haisley said to the man, who she knew was only slightly older than her husband. The man nodded without much suspicion and then left his post. Thus, Haisley could leave the villa without being suspected. She stepped out and chose to hide in a dark area while waiting for the car mentioned by the caller to arrive. The two men who had earlier claimed to be police officers and took Nathan away now stopped the
"We have successfully located his whereabouts." The local man pulled out his phone from his pocket and showed the screen to everyone in the room. "Ramon's gang has a hidden base on a small island. There's a concealed building behind the forest that they've been using as their headquarters. We need to cross the strait to get there, and it will take hours," the informant continued. "We have agreed to raid the base when we are sure that everyone is there. Forces have been mobilized. The police, along with the navy and ground forces, are working together for this massive capture. Pray that your brother Nathan is in good condition." The man said, nodded at by several heads in the room. They intended to share this information with Haisley so that she could be more at ease, knowing at least they had information about Nathan's whereabouts. Gilbert went to the room where he knew Haisley was with her two friends. However, after knocking on the door several times and receiving no response, he c