"What are you saying?!"
The furious voice of the tall figure asked his men to repeat what they just said.
"Er, she's escaped, boss."
James answered sheepishly. They both were making sure to keep away from the big boss as much as possible while reporting the incident.
Stefan stood still when hearing the news. His handsome face was grim. There was anger splashed from his dark eyes. For Ben and James, The boss looked like the master of hell who had a ruddy scowling face and fire in his angry eyes, ready to burn everything that came on his path.
"How did you let this happen?! I did warn you, didn't I, huh?!!! How come the big bodyguards like you, two idiots, let a small woman slip away. Damn it!"
Stefan was so angry with what he had just heard. He should have trusted his own instincts, he should have known that he couldn't trust her! She was very daring to escape him in front of his men like this!
"She ...Er, She's very smart." James said. Ben sent a signal to his friend, telling him to shut up, but James felt the need to speak and that made their boss get angrier.
"You don't have to tell me!" Stefan snarled fiercely. He felt so mad and it made his head hurt. Stefan walked to the bar and poured the whiskey in a glass, washed the liquid down his throat, put the glass down on the counter harshly.
"I still can't believe it. How did it happen?! What had she done to you two to make you so careless and to forget my order and my warning?! Did she allure you with her pretty face or charm you with her beautiful smile, huh?!!"
Stefan asked his men sarcastically. James and Ben glanced at each other, who's gonna dare to say it was the image of the Pat Thai with big king prawns on the dining table that did the trick on them. If the boss knew, it's a death sentence!
"Er, she wanted to cook for... you. So we stopped at the supermarket."
James continued, sending Ben a daggered look that his friend didn't help to answer at all.
"Where did she go?" Stefan grumbled under his breath shoved his hand in his hair. His anger level went up sky high, the highest level that must be released by punching and kicking something otherwise, he wouldn't be able to think or do anything else.
He wondered if she would go to Bernardo to make a deal as she had agreed to have dinner with the bastard before. She must like him. And Bernardo definitely was interested in her, no doubt about that!
"We are going to Grand Costa, get everything and everyone ready in five minutes. Send some men to the airport and the bus station."
The orders came. Jame and Ben bowed and then hurried to call the team. Stefan's bodyguards were always alert and ready for an urgent situation which happened often than they wished for.
*******
At Casino Grand Costa. The luxurious casino and hotel belonged to the Costa family.
Stefan was at the lobby pressing his phone button to call Bernardo. Yep! They did have each other's phone number, very strange but these two godfathers were quite well-organized about their meeting each time. Most of it, just to fight. To release their negative force of anger and depress. They seemed to think the same in this case that kicking each other's ass was better than kicking a sandbag.
"I dare you to come down to talk to me now! You, son of a bitch!"
Stefan snapped the voice on the phone. The staff at the "lobby A" had watched Stefan and his men paraded in with a frightened expression. They were well-trained to cope with this kind of situation. So the staff hurriedly invited the customer to the next room which was the "lobby B" then close all doors connected to the lobby A.
This was not the first time so they had learned from the previous experience! Their boss seemed to know himself so well. He made the layout of the downstairs reception area to welcome both friendly customers and angry enemies as known "Lobby A for enemies" and "Lobby B for friends".
Bernardo's minions quickly came to control the situation at the lobby A. So at this moment, the big tall men in the suit were gathering and glaring at each other. Two opposite sides were ready to fight, only waiting for the orders from their bosses.
"Who is that? Aw, is that the loser from Grand MC?"
Bernardo pretended not to recognize Stefan's voice.
"Wow! Amazing that you know I kinda feel like kicking somebody's ass today. Oh, and just to let you know it's only my father who can order me like that. Not any loser!"
Bernardo continued with a smooth voice.
"I'm not here for a shitty talk, you come down, or I will go up!"
Stefan made it short with a dark voice, trying to control his mood. After last night that they had encountered Stefan needed to make sure Bernardo understood the boundary.
"Alright. since you are here, it saves my time a lot. See you at the old abandoned factory You prepare your ass to get kicked, loser."
Bernardo replied fearlessly, didn't bother to ask to waste his time on the matters. It must be a big deal because he had noticed from the voice that Stefan was very angry.
Bernardo didn't know what had tickled Stefan this time, he hadn't ordered anybody to harass him at the moment, was busy with his own work schedule.
"And don't forget to bring my woman!"
Stefan filled the silence. Bernardo immediately frowned. Woman? What woman?!
"Who?"
"Wirata. She is with you, isn't she?"
Stefan used a tactic called throwing a stone to ask a path, meaning, he wanted to try Bernardo if he knew anything about it.
Bernardo was silent to think for a minute then the handsome face of the Grand Costa godfather lit up a smirk. He still had a clear picture of last night. Wirata, the pretty Asian woman. Stefan had played a dirty trick by stolen her from him, right under his nose.
Now she had run away. ... Haha. So that's the reason the loser had become a mad dog right now. Good! So now the loser had learned what it felt like when the little bird in his cage had flown away without his permission!
Bernardo did not know where Stefan's little bird had gone. But of course, he would not tell the loser that, let Stefan think he had her. That would definitely make the bastard go crazy and it would be fun for him to see the mad dog Stefan go banana!
"Ah, I see. Well, Wirata doesn't want to be with you. As you see last night. She was willing to have dinner with me, not you."
Bernardo's words were like the oil pouring on the fire. Stefan had gritted his teeth.
"Don't go anywhere! I am going up to you now!"
Stefan scowled with furious. The tall figure moved and his men moved. Bernardo's men also moved, ready to fight, too.
Bernardo sprang up from his seat and called to order his bodyguards to blockade Stefan and his men.
Two subordinates leaped to each other as if they were mad dogs. Ben and James fought alongside Stefan to the elevator to go up to Bernardo. But then the elevator opened Bernado's masculine body immediately appeared and he had to duck down to avoid Stefan's heavy fist.
"Okay, bastard. Order your followers to stop now. Let's just make it man to man, only you and me as usual." Bernardo shouted. Stefan nodded in agreement then the two bosses shouted to break their men apart at the same time.
"STOP!"
And that was it. The big and tall bodyguards of both sides stopped immediately, feeling a bit disappointed once again just like last night when the two bosses kept the fun to themselves.
Bernardo threw his fist directly to Stephan's face. But Stefan stepped aside to avoid the heavy punch and then sent his kick bang on Bernardo's abdomen. Both exchanged their fists and kicks, having the bodyguards watching closely.
The tall and well-built men leaping and punching each other for the second consecutive time in two days. Their faces had evidence from the fighting all over. This time, they would add more creases and broken lips.
Until the two men kicked each other to the opposite corners, breathing quickly and raised their hands to wipe the blood at a corner of their mouth. They eyed each other and that was the sign to stop fighting when there was bleeding enough.
"You are the crazy son of a bitch!"
Bernardo cursed Stefan, spat the blood on the floor.
Stefan shoved his hand in his fussy hair and arranged clothes. The tall body stretched up and stood upright. Feeling anguish and sore when doing so, but his face showed only an indifferent expression, couldn't let the bastard Bernardo see that he got him a little. But for his mood, Stefan felt better after releasing his anger by giving his enemy some good punches.
"So, you don't have her here huh! Stupid bastard!"
Stefan knew now it was only a bluff Bernardo gave him. The jackass did not have her. He felt better to know that and was calm down a little after venting his temper by kicking the jackass, Bernardo.
The brain was now working better when he rid of the anger. Stefan was trying to imagine a woman like Wirata, where would she go? Where was she?
"Let's go!"
Stefan shouted to his followers. He did not care to say anything to Bernardo.
"Till next time!" Bernardo shouted back. They eyed each other for two seconds then separated. Everything back to normal at the casino again.
****
Back to the penthouse. Ben brought out first aid equipment. The three of them sat and managed their own wounds. They were familiar with the job because they did it often. The rest of the bodyguards, all of them were young and single. Stefan had an apartment building for his people in the compound behind the Grand MC. He looked after them well. There were facilities there, such as a swimming pool, fitness rooms, and games rooms.
But for Ben and James, they were the heads of the bodyguards and were Stefan's close men so they had their own suite rooms the floor below the penthouse. And the whole floor was kept for the family and close friends only.
"Bring all of her stuff up here."
Stefan told his men after each of them finished nursing themselves. Ben and James followed the instructions. They went down to the car full of Wirata's things and brought every piece up to the penthouse.
"Where would you like me to put her suitcases, boss?"
James had two suitcases from the apartment.
"In my room." The voice answered. James hurried to do so. Wow... in the boss's room!
Ben wheeled the cart full of the pots in.
"Take it to the garden"
The boss ordered in a calm voice, different from three hours ago when he could throw a dagger to kill.
The penthouse has a large balcony at the back, it set a well-designed garden which was very beautiful. Stefan hired the garden expert to do it for his mother.
It was a rooftop garden but sometimes they called it the floating garden or terrace garden or sky garden. There was a beautiful artificial waterfall at the far corner with a set of seats. nearby, there were lots of flowers from his mother's house.
The flowers were in plots hanging on the wooden wall, there were roses, red, pink, white and yellow planted in nice heart-shape blocks, which of course, definitely wasn't Stefan's idea. But it's his mother's. And this place made complete by a nice swimming pool on the right when coming out from the back doors of the penthouse.
"She also bought food."
Ben and James finished the pots, so they now transported the shopping bags to the penthouse. There were lots of boxes, fresh food, and ingredients.
The boss was standing at the bar with a whiskey glass in his hand. His face was smooth but Ben and James could see the storm building underneath his quiet posture. So it meant he was back to business. The business of finding Miss pretty Wirata.
"Put it in the kitchen you know where they should be."
Stefan said to his bodyguards. He was thinking where she went. His men who went to the airport and the bus station reported in, she wasn't there.
But Stefan doubted if they really looked carefully for her. Well, they might have been. But this woman she wasn't like others, she was crafty so she wouldn't be standing and waiting for his men to see and catch her, would she?
Stefan glanced at the food bags Ben and James carried to the kitchen. His eyes went dark. She dared to challenge his power. He didn't know why she thought she could escape from him. He didn't like anybody to challenge his power, never got used to the idea and Wirata would learn her lessons when he had her back!
"A lot of fresh food, boss. It's a pity she...Er, not here." Jame said to his boss when both of them came out of the kitchen. That made the boss's face turn sulky immediately. He turned to the bodyguards.
"You watch and remember my words. I will drag her back here in ten days! To cook what she bought!... She will be responsible for her unacceptable acts!" The dark voice made a promise to himself and his men.
"From now on you two go to her apartment and keep eyes on it every day. Put two people to watch at her house and the other two to watch the restaurant."
Ben and James bowed to the command. Stefan was thinking hard, his head hurt like hell, his face frowned. He felt aching all over his body but couldn't rest until he could get something out of his head.
Her mother might know about it. People who close to her. Who were they?... Stefan was using his knowledge about Wirata which didn't have much at all. She wasn't in his interest for over four years. Because she made him think that she was Sam's girlfriend.
Sam!
Stefan's heart was quickening when he started to see the ways to find her!