It wasn't the morning sun that woke Kenan up every morning these days, but the alarm he had set on his cell phone. The phone continued to ring, while one hand fumbled on the table where it was placed. Kenan found it a little difficult to reach for his cell phone as his eyes were still closed and his position hadn't changed from when he first regained consciousness as the hated-but-needed sound pierced his eardrums on this quiet morning.
As soon as his hand reached for the cell phone, Kenan turned it off and put it back down a little roughly onto the table. The man stretched his body to ward off the sleepiness that had returned.
No sun?
The sky was swarming with clouds walking in the westward wind, the sky was always showing signs of rain but not a single drop of water fell from the sky. Only the new dominates. Kenan sighed again, it had been several days since the morning sky was like this. He seemed to miss the sunlight that always bothered him in the morning.
Kenan looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror after finishing cleaning himself. Wearing only trousers without a top, drops of water still fell on his wet hair even though it had been dried with a towel. Slowly, but surely, one hand reached out to brush away the dew that clung to the glass of the sink. Once the opaque dew had dissipated somewhat, Kenan looked at himself who was slightly thinner than last month.
"Mas Kenan, eat more! You look thin these past few weeks."
Ersya's words rang in his head again, as her hand grazed the collarbone poking through his white skin, then down again. A bitter smile full of irony stretched across both sides of her lips as her fingers trembled to gently stroke the several burns that were clearly printed on his chest. They were the wounds caused by the cigarette he had lit several times.
Kenan sighed, quickly put on the white short—sleeved T-shirt he had been holding. Then hurried away from there.
"Morning Kenan!" A woman who was the mistress of the owner of the penthouse where he lived greeted him with a friendly smile.
At the dining table, Austin sat casually as he sipped his coffee. There was no desire in his eyes to look at Kenan or greet him like Helena. And Kenan was aware of it, the kind of indifference Austin showed was not in the sense of hate or apathy. However, it was more like avoidance. Austin tried to avoid Kenan, and Kenan realized that. Even the first time they saw each other for the first time in a fraction of a year.
"Good morning," replied Kenan as he walked to the refrigerator to get some bread and a carton of milk. From the looks of things, he was clearly in a hurry. He had a bite of bread in his mouth as he closed the refrigerator door with one hand, while his other hand was busy holding the milk box.
At the dining table, Helena sat next to Austin—as one of the housekeepers placed some food on the table. "Kenan, join us!" Helena invited.
Kenan who heard her invitation took a bite of bread to reply, "Thank you, but I have to hurry this time." Then took a sip of his milk.
"Where are you going?" Austin, who had been silent like a statue resembling a Greek god, finally opened his voice.
"You just want to know," Kenan stuck his tongue out at Austin, and was greeted with a light laugh by the woman beside him.
Austin narrowed his eyes in distaste at Kenan, along with the answer he didn't want. His mouth, which had been closed for a moment, said, "Father told me to tell you to come to his office this evening." Her voice was emotionless, and only Kenan noticed. It was clear Austin still continued to make Helena think of their relationship as that of ordinary brothers.
Kenan looked at Austin fiercely, before finally replying, "Alright, I'll be there in the evening." After saying that, Kenan left without making eye contact with Austin.
The man slung his sling bag over his right shoulder, then continued his walk outside. Before that, her irises still managed to catch a glimpse of Austin. According to Kenan, Helena was a good woman. She wasn't like Freya and the other bitches he knew. Indeed, his thoughts on the saying; a soul mate is a reflection of ourselves, had been shattered by seeing who the man who had become her husband was.
***
"Cheers!"
The four toasted to a big celebration called 'Kenan Pradipta's Return to the Keano Family'. At first Kenan refused to celebrate this celebration, but because of the pleading moves issued by Ersya and Bisma he finally just complied, just like Ivan who joined in on the request.
"Great, I didn't realize that Kenan is the son of the CEO of the Keano Hotel Company," Bisma praised while drinking his beer.
"Only 'adopted son'," corrected Kenan.
Ersya added. "But it's still 'son'." Kenan only smiled slightly in response.
"So what brings you back?" Ivan looked straight at the adopted son of the CEO of Keano Company-after setting down the empty beer glass.
Kenan sighed softly and said, "Just to let go of homesickness." A meaningful smile spread across his lips for a moment as Austin's image flashed briefly in his mind.
"Ivan," Kenan held the man's left wrist. Ivan turned his head. "There's something I want to talk to you about," he continued.
Ivan blinked when he saw the serious expression of Kenan who was still holding his arm. He had never seen Kenan's expression as serious as it was now after a few years ago. Suddenly his heart told him that something was wrong, he returned Kenan's gaze seriously.
"I have something to talk to you about," he repeated, Kenan immediately released his grip and turned to leave.
Without asking any questions, Ivan followed behind.
-
"Freya set you up by embezzling Markus' money? How could you?" Ivan's eyes were rounded with emotion welling up through his eyes.
"I don't know either, everything just happened. After I left her at the hotel, she didn't plead like she did at the beginning of my stay." His jaw hardened. "I think she had already planned that before she asked to meet. No wonder she let me go like that."
"How much was it?"
"IDR 7.5 billion,"
"That woman is crazy."
Kenan snorted. "Damn that asshole Markus wants the money back within two months," his eyes flashed sarcastically, "If it wasn't that much, I wouldn't want to come back either."
"Because of Austin, you don't want to come back?" Ivan guessed. Kenan nodded in confirmation. Ivan asked again, "What about Freya? Are you going to teach her a lesson?"
"Put that bitch aside for a minute, I have something more interesting to do."
"What's that?" Ivan raised one eyebrow in curiosity.
"Austin still hasn't fully accepted me, but even so, Monsieur Serge has always made room for me at his side. I always asked him what made him so good to me. And yet... every time I want to ask, for some reason it feels so heavy. I thought I didn't need a reason to earn his affection."
"So, what do you plan to do next?" Ivan asked curiously.
Kenan grinned slightly. "Seize the power that belongs to the lion."
"Become the next CEO of Keano Hotel Company? Aren't you dreaming too high?"
"I know it's impossible, but if Austin has already secured the position of CEO and general manager, I might be able to overthrow him. I have a way." Kenan smiled at Ivan, a smile full of a thousand and one meanings. However, it was met with a dismissive smile by the man next to him.
"How?" Now Ivan was curious.
"I will approach Austin, I will bring him to his knees until he gives his heart to me...."
Before Kenan could finish his sentence he was cut off, "Kenan, have you forgotten that you're a man?"
Kenan had expected Ivan to ask that, so he emphasized, "I don't need to be a girl to be his girlfriend,"
"So ... that Austin ..." Ivan wondered.
"No, your guess is wrong. He's straight, but if someone once made him gay for someone then it's possible that that person could make him gay again."
"Don't tell me you're the one."
"Unfortunately that's true."
Ivan shook his head as he said, "Kenan, you're really ..."
"Crazy?"
"Yeah, I really didn't expect your past relationship to be like that."
"Believe me, it was not a pleasant experience." Kenan smiled bitterly, before Ivan asked, "What if Helena finds out?"
Kenan's face went flat for a moment, before replying, "That's right, she's a good woman. It's a shame she had to get caught up in my and Austin's circle."
Ivan gave Kenan a serious look when Helena's name was mentioned, it seemed he hadn't completely forgotten about her. After all, Ivan Northman had feelings for Helena Rei Surendra when he was in middle school and it seemed that those feelings had not completely disappeared.
"Do you still have feelings for her?" Ivan gasped in shock. Kenan continued, "When I succeed in getting Austin, he will definitely abandon his wife, even if Helena still wants to stay by his side. Until then, the opportunity for you to get her is wide open. After all, she must need an escape from her heartache."
"So you want to make me an escape for Helena?" Ivan said, between agreeing and disagreeing.
Kenan sighed. "Trust me, coming back to Austin's side isn't always fun. He's a real restrainer, once he wants something, he'll do whatever it takes to get it. That's precisely his weakness, will do anything will definitely give anything. Even if it's power."
"So what are you going to do after you get everything that belongs to him?"
"Leave him," Kenan replied carefree, "I left he once, and I'll do it again, and of course this time with all that I've taken from him."
***
"Père!"Austin greeted, as he walked into the family room located in his father's villa. "Calling me?"
Monsieur Serge, who was sitting on the sofa pouring green tea into a glass, raised his head and nodded, "I have something to talk to you about."
Without responding, Austin walked over to the sofa and sat opposite his father.
"Want some tea?" the middle-aged man asked his son. He wanted this conversation to take place during their tea time. Austin shook his head softly.
Now only silence dominated the room, neither father nor son wanting to say anything first. Monsieur Serge was still busy with his tea brewing equipment, while Austin just stared at the hot water vapor coming out of the small hole in the porcelain pot.
Clearing his throat to break the silence, Monsieur Serge then asked a simple question, "How is your relationship with Kenan?"
"The usual," Austin replied simply, his gaze still glued to the steam that danced in the air before disappearing.
Monsieur Serge smiled slightly, thrusting a glass of tea in front of Austin. The man blinked slightly as he stared at the green tea his father had given him.
"Stop drinking alcohol! Tea is much better."
And only got a quiet nod from the boy.
"Can I ask you a question?" asked Austin without looking at his father, his attention focused only on the faint image of himself reflected in the glass.
"About Kenan?" he guessed.
Austin nodded. He raised his head with a serious expression and said, "What does Kenan have that makes him so precious to you?"
His father paused, he seemed to be struggling to come up with an answer.
"He has no family bloodline, comes and goes as he pleases, and now Dad wants him to be ..." Austin couldn't continue. He couldn't understand the mindset of the middle-aged man who was looking at him.
Monsieur Serge sighed. "Austin, do you think that if we are to consider someone valuable in our lives, that person must have the conditions you mentioned?" This time it was Austin who was silent, and his father continued, "You are my son, whatever I have given you is infinite. So, you don't have to envy Kenan if I notice him—"
Austin interrupted, "I'm not envy."
His father snickered for a second before saying, "Don't lie! I know that, after all, I'm the one who raised you all these years."
"If so, just give me one reasonable reason."
At this moment, Austin could no longer suppress his curiosity. He looked into his father's eyes—with a gaze that revealed jealousy. For a few seconds the father and son's gazes met, then three seconds later, he finally got his father's answer.
"I have a debt of gratitude to Kenan's father, a great debt of gratitude."
Austin's eyes narrowed. "How big?"
"Very big."
"How much? Is it money—"
"It's not a debt that can be paid with money. Stop thinking everything can be repaid with money. Austin, no matter how much money we have, it will never pay." Monsieur Serge cut off his son's question.
Austin's mouth was shut, while his hands were clenched tightly at his sides. When he looked back at his father, Monsieur Serge's gaze had softened. There was a look of regret he saw, and that was not a good thing.
"Drink it before it gets cold," his father said, keeping the tension from escalating.
Slowly, Austin's hand reached out to take the tea. He brought it to his mouth and took a few sips. A warm, refreshing taste flooded his throat that had been dry a moment ago. There was a bitter taste he found, but not as bitter as the alcoholic beverages he consumed every time when he was depressed.
"Tomorrow night is your inauguration party as CEO and general manager, so prepare yourself mentally from now on, you'll be carrying a heavy burden forever."
"Tomorrow?"
"Fast-forward two weeks, désolé."
"Pas de souci," Austin didn't respond much.
"I just want to retire two weeks earlier than originally planned."
"Okay," Austin replied with a resigned sigh.
"After this, all the responsibilities of the company are in your hands. Manage it well. What we have won't be ours forever if you're always frivolous and take things for granted, I hope you understand that."
The middle-aged man went back to drinking his tea with Austin. Afterwards there was silence, only the sound of steeping water accompanied by the soft clinking of glasses.
***
On Monday morning, the sun was shining on the skyscraper, which was entirely covered in glass, and with its elegant architectural style, the concrete building always got the attention of road users even if it was just a glimpse. Surrounding it were large trees, some of their leaves dry, flying in the wind.
"Wow ... that's a big building." Ersya said with sparkling eyes, looking up to follow the direction of the towering glass, concrete and steel building once the black sedan she was riding in stopped in front of the building.
"Congratulations, you're a rich man," Ivan said.
The man who had just been congratulated just smiled slightly and asked someone sitting in the back seat, "Bisma, have you made the file?"
"Already done," said Bisma. The man sat in the back seat with Ersya. Then he handed a folder to Kenan who was sitting in the front seat on Ivan's right. Kenan accepted it happily after finally getting out of the car.
"I'll leave the rest to you guys."
"Mas Kenan, don't worry, we'll take care of it," Ersya said while pointing her finger in an O shape.
Kenan smiled, closed the car door and walked towards the building, the building that housed the Keano Company Hotel, its branches spread across several major cities. His eyes narrowed as he gazed up at the sun-studded building above. It was like looking into the future-so bright.
Unconsciously, the corners of Kenan's lips carved a smile.
"Austin, I'll show you how, when a cat overthrows a lion," Kenan said with determination.
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