lk shirt hanging open, looking at the hollow imprint on the bed where the girl had been just an hour ago. The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by t

cks plummeted or when a factory burned down. But this? This was a different kind of

he call button for his head of security, but then he paused. If he called the team now, there would be a paper tra

biting into his palm. It was delicate, cheap compared to the jewelry the women in his circle wore, but it felt heavy with the weight of what he had done. He didn't even kn

skipped a beat as he opened it. There it was. A grainy photo of him entering the room, and another of a girl-her face blurred but her

e of nausea. This wasn't just a prank. This

oreign in his mouth-but because he needed to shut her up. He needed to buy her silence, her life, whatever it took to keep the Wijaya name from drag

n lights and the smell of stale tobacco. When she finally stepped out in front of her family's house, the sight of the white marquee and the flow

or, hoping to slip upstairs,

have yo

rple with rage. Behind him, her mother was clutching a handkerchief, sobbing sof

r voice cracking. She looked at Intan, waiting for her si

al whimper. "Oh, Zara... how could you? Dion is upsta

ictures?" Zara fe

hoto of her, looking disheveled and broken, leaving the hotel. To anyone else, it looked like a

hoing through the house. "Intan, tell them! You gav

but your room was empty. I thought you went to see Dion for one last talk before the wedding. I

her sister, but her father grab

-the man who is trying to bankrupt our family's textile business-

ison. She didn't care about his money or his empire. She

ase in hand. He didn't look at Zara. He looked at the floor, his jaw set in a hard lin

her father. "Look at me. Look at my eyes. I was

nly a cold, shimmering disgust. "I saw the photo, Zara. You

trayal was complete. Her sister had sold her, her father

her said, his voic

Zara b

merger, you've ruined our name, and you've ruined your sister's reputation by associati

Zara stumbled onto the porch, the very porch that was decorated with symbols of her supposed happ

! I have now

med shut. The

hat had been ripped into a thousand pieces. She looked down at the gravel driveway. The e

ldn't stay. Every step hurt. Every breath felt like inhaling broken glass. S

She put her head in her hands and finally let the tears come. They were

h mor

was wearing a dark hoodie and sunglasses, but she recognized the silhouette. T

as h

o see the drama on the porch. He had watched her get thrown out like trash. A part of him felt

ashing with a sudden, viol

glasses. His eyes were tired, but they were s

d. "You raped me. You destroyed my life. My family just disow

" he said, his voice tight. "Just like you. I did

r 'I was drugged' excuse get me my wedding back? Does it get me my home back? You're

e talking. You have nothing. I have everything. And right now, the press is ab

u going to d

h the smeared makeup and the raw, red eyes. There was a fire in her that most women in h

rld seemed to stop

married, the night at the hotel isn't a scandal. It's a 'passionate secret affair'. The investo

her head. "I hate you. I want to s

an record or the girl whose own family called her a liar. You'll spend years in court, and you'll end up with nothing but more s

now offering her a golden cage. She thought about Intan's smirk. She

ght never even like him. But

trembling but steady. "I'm not your w

sn't a happy smile. It was the smile of a man who

from the world, Zara looked out the window one last time at the direction of her old li

se entirely. Someone who was going to make sure that if she had t

a storm into his house. But as the car sped away, he realized he didn't c

ob. The city of Jakarta blurred past, a concrete jungle where two b

Zara said suddenl

turn his h

who had a hand in this night... th

Rudi Wijaya, who probably had a hand in Bram's plan just

t done," Ar

would leave no one standing. They weren't a couple. They were two survivors of

hought they could play with Arga Putra Wijaya's life and get away with it. But as Arga looked a

cluded mansion, he realized he was no longer the one in control. The girl next to him

the house wait