Chapter 02

I wanted to skip breakfast, but it was impossible to sneak out of the Lestari mansion because there are mobsters everywhere with their machine guns. And I spent part of the night trying to figure out where they were staying, if any of them could end up leaving the post, but they don't even blink when they are on alert.  Which is all the time.

I heard that Daud made the head of the Maurino family, Joni Segundo, very angry recently, which left the whole family in a very annoying situation. Can you imagine, going to live in a house that could be invaded at any moment? Well, maybe not so much, because I heard Devi explaining to Mom - who was not at all scared about all this shit - that his men cannot come and go as they please through that region, because the whole East belongs to the Lestari Family. And I didn't want to admit it, but I felt calmer after I heard this.

I try to curl up as much as I can inside my newest room - which is twice as big as the old apartment I lived in with my mother - since I just wanted to go straight to school, maybe eat something there. But I can't, because I now go to school by car, with our private driver. I hear a knock on the door and then it opens, revealing my mother, totally renewed, with big rings on her fingers, gold rings, pure gold necklace. An expensive outfit that Daud gave her as part of the wedding present.

"Honey, it's your first day of school, and I don't want you to make another mess with me. I've come to pick you up for coffee with the rest of my family."'

"They're not my family, Mom." I say, starting to get annoyed again. "And why do I have to go to the same school as Lanton and Devi? I can still go to public school."

"Stop being so annoying, Luk!" she says, pulling me by the shoulders and straightening the tie of that red and yellow uniform. What a terrible color combination! "You look beautiful in that uniform, and Daud made sure to enroll you in such a good and expensive school, since he now considers you a son."

"Yeah, but I don't think of him as a father. He's a long way from being my father.

"Whether you like it or not, we are part of the Lestari family, Lukman. And you will get over it for better or worse, now finish getting ready and come down for breakfast. That's an order." She says, swallowing the cigarette she had between her fingers and leaving my room.

I roll my eyes and take a deep breath. I look at myself in the mirror again, despising that uniform. Rivach is only the most expensive school in the state and I don't understand why Daud wants me to integrate into his family so badly, since he already has what he wanted: my mother, who is already madly in love with him and can go to hell if he tells her to.

"You look great in your uniform." I am startled by the voice and through the reflection I can see Lanton standing in the doorway, his hands inside his pants pocket.

"I can't say the same for you."

"Oh, yes you can." He smiles. Damn, he knows he's got it all, because I've told him countless times that he looks really cute and sexy in that stupid uniform. "You've said several times that you love to see me in uniform."

"That was a long time ago, now you just look... stupid."

He snorts in a cynical laugh.

"If you'll be nice to me, I'll give you a private tour of the school. I know several secret places."

"Fuck you, Lanton," I say, grabbing my purse and showing him my finger until I leave the room, closing the door tightly.

"Now that we're going to the same school, you won't be able to get away from me."

"Ah, don't count on it, Lanton Lestari. I may have liked you once, but I'm over it. To me, you're just another number in that shitty school and-"

Lanton is faster than I am as he pulls me by the arm and presses me against the wall. Not that one, he is close, very close! My heart races when his mouth is inches from mine, it's been a long time since I was last this close to him.

"You won't run away from me, Luk."

"It's Lukman, you idiot." I repeat and will repeat as many times as necessary.

"You are mine." I can smell his toothpaste breath, as well as the perfume he likes to wear, the perfume I gave him after months of work. "It may take a while, but I'll have you in my arms again."

"No you won't, you know why?" I ask, getting some courage to push him away. "You're my brother now. And that's going to be our only connection from now on."

I finally manage to get rid of him and go downstairs. The house is ridiculously big for five people, I wonder when it was just the three of them, how lonely it must have been to be there. In the end, there are many more servants in the house, apart from the mobsters outside, there are twelve hired help.

The breakfast table there is always something spectacular. There's everything, there's various fruits, coffee, milk, different juices, breads, toast, cakes, hard boiled eggs, and various other things, sometimes I don't even know exactly what to eat.

"Good morning," I say, trying to at least show some politeness, although I rarely address Daud, he is fully aware that I don't like him, but he doesn't seem to mind that.

"Luk! How nice of you to join us today!" He seems more excited than ever. "Looking forward to your first day of class at the Academy?"

"Actually, my name is Lukman, if you don't mind," I reply, somewhat rudely and opting for a coffee with toast and cheese. "And I'm okay with it, although I didn't have to incur that expense. I liked public school."

"You are my son now, just like Lanny and Devi. I'm going to pay for all your education, and the best education there is," he says, looking away from the paper and smiling at me.

What a jerk! He only wants to please my mother, he doesn't like me either! That damn criminal!

"Oh dear," my mother begins; probably trying to get me to shut up, "I thank you so much for this, for all you are doing for us.

They hold each other's hands and start exchanging love vows again, I roll my eyes and Devi is coming down the stairs in the company of Lanton, who annoyingly sits next to me, winking at me. God, is he really not going to give this up?

I grab an apple and throw it in my purse to eat later. Daud gives me some money and I only accept because I really don't have any, although I know very well that money is dirty. My goal is to get him and his henchmen sent to jail, but for that, I need enough evidence to send to the police. Although everyone knows that he is a gangster, there has never been any concrete evidence that could send him to jail, so he is not afraid of public appearances. Moreover, his biggest fear today is not the police, but the other Mafia families in town.

The driver is already in place. It is a beautiful car, a Mercedes. Black, armored, impossible to see inside; I blink a few times trying to accept that I will be riding in it from now on. The tall man in the suit opens the door Devi is the first to enter, followed by Lanton, who disappears inside the car soon after.

"Good first day of school, Luk," my mom says, super excited. She gives me a kiss on the cheek, but I let go soon after, too irritated for any prolonged interaction with her.

I get into the car and Devi is messing around on her cell phone. Devi is young, but super smart. She is also a bit of a show-off, if you ask me; she loves to act like an intellectual fashionista, but she dresses as if she is going to perform as a clown in a circus. She has this air of superiority and I already know she doesn't like me.

"Have you told him yet?" Devi asks as I frown, wondering if this has anything to do with it.

"Oh, right," Lanton says, straightening up and coming face to face with me, "At school, we are not Lestari. We are Lanton and Devi Susanto. You can't forget that."

"Yeah, I know. That's how you introduced yourself to me, you lying piece of shit."

"Relax, I just wanted to remind you."

"Besides, I have two things to make clear to you, Lestari," I say seriously, without taking my eyes off his face. "Number one: we're not friends. Don't tell anyone we're together."

"We're together now?" He teases, smiling. God, I swear I'm going to punch him.

"You don't tell anyone that we live together or that our parents are married, understand?" I rephrase. "Number two: stay more than a hundred yards away from me at school. I don't like lying assholes like you."

After that, I put on my headphones and focus on the buildings outside, taking a deep breath, because his scent is strong and it's starting to throw me off.