Through a flat expression, Kenan observed the meeting in progress. When boredom struck, his pair of eyes quietly stole a glance right at Austin. Trying to look busy, he occasionally looked at the laptop in front of him while reading the proposal listed there and then alternately looked at several board members who were discussing the final sales results seriously.
"All right, let's end the meeting here." Monsieur Serge said as he straightened his belongings. Then he left, followed by Austin and several other members.
Just as Kenan was about to follow, he was stopped in his tracks by a voice calling his name.
"Kenan!"
Kenan turned his head and found a man who had the title of hospitality commissioner walking towards him.
"Uncle Bernardi!" Kenan greeted back.
Uncle Bernardi gave him a big smile. "I'm so glad you're back," he said pleasantly.
"Me too, it's good to see you again. Do you have something to tell me?"
Bernardi nodded. Clearing his throat a little, he said, "I heard that my brother Monsieur Serge has appointed you executive manager."
"It's just a discourse, it's still uncertain."
"I thought so too at first, but it turns out my brother never jokes about his talk. Today he asked me to teach you all about the field of hospitality management, so I purposely took the time to talk to you one-on-one."
"So Monsieur ... is really serious about his plan?" A big surprise for Kenan, he cheered inwardly, as his foster father had inadvertently helped his plan to overthrow the lion.
Bernardi nodded, there was a sigh afterwards. "Monsieur Segre wants me to teach you starting today. Obviously, he doesn't want to get any rejection from you." Kenan did not respond. So, Bernardi continued, "You didn't go to college either, did you?"
Kenan shook his head and smiled blandly. "No."
"Then you should study harder. What will ordinary employees say when their prospective executive managers have less education than ordinary employees?" Bernardi tapped Kenan lightly on the shoulder. "We can start now, follow me!"
Then they went to the room that had been provided.
As he passed through the door, Kenan's eyes caught Austin talking to his father. From where he stood, Kenan could see what Austin was like in front of his father, and what he was like with him.
You haven't changed much, Kenan muttered to himself, before finally walking away following Bernardi.
Speaking of that middle-aged man named Bernardi, he was the younger brother of Kenan's adoptive father, more precisely a younger cousin. His position in hospitality was HRD.
Kenan turned off the stainless steel water faucet while massaging the back of his neck lightly. The warm water eased his fatigue a little after sitting in the office all day, struggling with the lessons Uncle Bernardi had given him all week.
Exiting the bathroom, Kenan's hands trembled slightly as he picked up the towel and wrapped it around his waist. He felt like he was passing a college entrance exam. His fingers had been writing and typing non-stop for almost an entire day.
While making movements to stretch his stiff muscles. Kenan walked out with only a towel around his waist. And just then, someone walked into his room without even saying excuse me.
Kenan jumped in surprise and almost jumped in place, while the person who had just entered was just acting casual, although the surprise did not escape his face.
"Why did you come in without knocking first?" Kenan expressed his displeasure.
"This is my residence, should I do that?" replied the person who entered without permission.
"It's still my room," Kenan replied stomping his foot as he took a step closer to Austin.
Whether he realized it or not, Austin was frozen in place. His eyes stared straight at Kenan with a mesmerized expression. Think about it, who wouldn't be captivated when you're presented with a seductive sight by a handsome man. Austin was indeed a man, and he had touched the man in front of him once.
Kenan, meanwhile, didn't seem to realize that he was being stared at meaningfully by the man in front of him. He asked with both hands on his chest. "Do you have something to say?"
Remembering his original intention, Austin threw something he had been holding onto the mattress. He didn't want to throw it at Kenan directly because it would block his view of the body he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Tomorrow night come wearing that suit, my father has chosen it for you." After saying that, Austin's gaze stopped on the burn on Kenan's chest. His eyes dimmed like a fire doused in ice water. Austin quickly looked away, as if looking at Kenan was like a past regret that had come to haunt him.
Austin's instantaneous change of expression made Kenan feel awkward. He responded with a slow nod. It was a part of Austin's nature that he had never seen before.
Austin smiled faintly before heading out with quick steps carrying unspoken feelings. Leaving Kenan still in his place. After Austin's departure, his eyes caught a suit that was still neatly wrapped in plastic, still with its logo and brand.
Kenan picked it up and looked at it, and the corners of his lips lifted in a faint smile. Kenan knew that this suit was Austin's choice, but he lied and said that it was his father who chose it.
Later that night at the party that the Keano Company Hotel had organized, Kenan couldn't wait for it to end so he could go home and rest. Hanging out with people who liked to flaunt their wealth and power was something he hated the most. To Kenan, people like them if they didn't close down their excessive share of wealth from most people seemed like they would probably just end up on the sidewalk being homeless.
Sitting alone without paying any attention to the people looking at him, Kenan was already tired enough to field their questions. After arriving with Monsieur Serge and Austin holding Helena's hand. Kenan was immediately ambushed by dozens of questions from reporters and media. Not to mention the businessmen who were Monsieur Serge's colleagues. Really, Kenan was not used to this kind of life. Unlike Austin, he always smiled charmingly at the reporters and media, was calm and answered their questions precisely and correctly. Every time he saw that, Kenan just smiled and scoffed inwardly, because the real Austin he knew was a man with a cold and flat expression like a giant chunk of ice floating in the North Pole.
"She's like chewed gum that never wants to come off, why is Ivan attracted to her?" Kenan commented to Helena as he took a glass of wine from the table.
From a distance he saw that she never let go of her grip on Austin's arm. As he sipped his drink, the corner of Kenan's lips turned up in a smile. "At least she's not like that bitch, like the dirt that can't be cleaned off that sticks to footwear." He was referring to Freya.
"Congratulations on your promotion to executive manager."
Kenan gasped as someone spoke softly next to his ear. He turned him head to find a man with a smile that was more like a grin staring back at him.
"How did you get here?" Kenan was startled by Markus' arrival, those were the few syllables that made it past his lips. Kenan's whole body stiffened slightly and blood rushed to his head.
"I was invited, so is there any reason why I shouldn't come?" he asked.
There was a moment of silence as Kenan didn't answer.
"You don't have to worry about my presence, I'm happy for you anyway, that way you can return the money faster."
Kenan remained silent, his hands clenched so tightly that his fingernails turned white. Was money the only thing on that man's mind? It was sickening.
"Follow me!" Markus ordered.
Kenan without protest followed the man behind despite his mind's resistance.
On the other hand, Austin who accidentally saw the incident narrowed his eyes from a distance. The few people who were talking to him were ignored until finally curiosity filled his head, bringing Austin's steps to follow where Kenan disappeared in the crowd along with a man.
"If you want to talk about the money, I can't for now." Kenan glanced at his watch, then looked around. This was the room in the easternmost corner of the building, a quiet place to strategize if one was going to stage a robbery in the middle of a party.
"I have to go back." Kenan turned his body to go back before Markus said, "I know where Freya is."
In an instant, the movement stopped. Kenan quickly turned to look at Markus with an unsure look. "Where did you see her?"
"I saw her in Senayan, New Kby with a guy, if you want to know what apartment she lives in now I'll give you the address." A corner of Markus' lips twitched, "Take it easy, there's still time before this party is over and you can go home with the Keano Family as a good boy, after we've had our fun."
***
Austin Indrayan Keano's entire mind was raging like a storm. It was not because of the position and responsibility he now carried, but rather the incident he saw when he followed Kenan with a man the night of the party.
Time and time again Austin tried to eliminate the fragments of what he saw, but it seemed impossible. It was as if there was a big screen always replaying the events in his mind. And every second of it made his head spin. Austin didn't even realize why he was like this. Why he cared so much about Kenan after he came back into his life. Austin even went so far as to find out who Kenan hung out with, who his friends were, where he lived and what he was doing every second.
Trying to focus on work. Austin looked back at his desk where there were several folders and sheets of paper. The papers were not part of the work notes that he had to sign, but rather papers containing someone's identity. Austin carefully read the person's profile.
Markus Harrison, a manager of a well-known nightspot in Jakarta who has connections with the underworld. That was the information Austin got after one of his trusted subordinates handed over the data a few minutes ago.
Putting the file back on the table, Austin sighed as he leaned back in the executive chair he was sitting in. An unanswered question filled his mind again. What was Kenan's relationship with that man? If traced back, there had been some information Austin received from his subordinates about Kenan having connections with some people from the underworld and some nightlife owners.
***
Kenan returned to the apartment just after one in the morning. When he opened the door, quiet greeted Kenan as he stepped inside. It was completely different from the boarding house where he lived. Usually there was Bisma who stayed up late watching soccer, or Ersya who was addicted to playing games until she forgot to sleep.
The room is lit by chandeliers that glow dimly, while almost all the lights are turned off. Austin should be commended for his energy-efficient lifestyle.
"Are you home?"
The voice entered Kenan's senses as he was about to climb the stairs to his room on the second floor.
Kenan turned his head into the darkness. There, Austin was sitting on the maroon sofa enjoying an alcoholic beverage. It was evident by the strong scent that wafted around him—when Kenan approached the figure of his brother sitting alone at the dark side. Kenan approached his foster brother's figure sitting alone on the dark side.
"Waiting for me?" asked Kenan sarcastically, expecting Austin to answer by saying 'no' with his usual bent face or ice-cold expression, but what he got was bluntness from the man.
"Yes, I'm waiting for you." The familiar voice was so firm and full of emotion, the style of speech was also different.
At first glance, Kenan's sarcastic smile faded.
"Where have you been?" Austin asked as he stood up from his seat.
"None of your business," Kenan replied coldly.
Since when did Austin always want to know what she was doing? Wasn't he always apathetic towards him?
Austin smiled, or rather smirked, "That's not the answer I want to hear."
Kenan didn't respond after that, he just stared at the man in front of him with a cold look.
"You're drunk," Kenan said. Seemingly not wanting to deal with what Austin was going to do after this.
Austin quickly denied. "No, I'm not drunk, I'm just ... reminiscing about the past. It seems to be repeating itself again, ahaha ..."
Seen from any angle, it was clear that this man was heavily intoxicated. Even his steps were a bit staggered as he walked toward Kenan. Austin's gaze seemed to be filled with emotion through the look in his eyes. As he walked closer, the smile on his lips never seemed to come off as he occasionally massaged his temples to ward off the nagging dizziness.
Approached like that, Kenan just stood still, but his expression was flat. He was waiting to see what would happen next.
"Kneel down!" ordered Austin.
"No!" Kenan flatly refused.
"You don't want to obey my orders, huh? Once you're in my family, you're in no more position than when you left. My sweet pet." Austin mused, one corner of his lips lifted while one hand slowly moved, to touch Kenan's right cheek, stroking it.
"You must have missed the old days, to be willing to come back, to even want to stay at my place." Austin's hand came down—stroking Kenan's shoulder, tracing the area around his chest, "You must still remember, how I made a mark on this chest. Is the wound still there today?"
"Enough, stop acting like a child!" Kenan snapped.
"Ah ..., you're starting to reprimand me now?" snapped Austin.
"I'm reprimanding you as your brother!" he snapped.
"My brother?" Austin gave him a scornful look, before going back to erasing the distance between himself and Kenan.
Kenan seemed unwilling to reduce the distance between them, taking steps backward. Every step he took back, Austin would immediately take a step forward until Kenan's movement finally stopped when his foot hit the sofa.
"If you want to reminisce about the past better not now, you're drunk."
Austin chuckled in annoyance that his order was disobeyed, "Don't argue! Behave like you used to." The man pushed Kenan's body hard until he fell on the sofa where Austin had been sitting while waiting for him.
There was a rattling of Kenan's molars as his ass collided roughly with the soft sofa. Not because of the pain, but because of Austin's behavior which he thought was out of control.
In an instant Austin had leaned closer to Kenan. Both of his hands rested on the back of the sofa, blocking Kenan from escaping his restraints. Looking straight into his brown eyes. Whether he realized it or not, Austin's gaze was locked on the older man's pair of dark brown eyes.
"Get lost!" Kenan said, his eyes flashing with anger.
And Austin just stood still in his position not speaking.
Kenan pulled the collar of Austin's shirt tightly, his anger unstoppable. So, he barked, "I said, get lost!"
In less than two seconds, Kenan forcefully kicked Austin in the stomach until the man fell backward in a sitting position. This of course immediately got a strong reaction from Austin.
"How dare you!" he snarled, rising from his position and grabbing both sides of Kenan's shoulders as he stood up to leave. With full force, Austin dropped Kenan to the floor making a thud that filled the room.
Kenan grimaced as he rested on his knees, he was about to stand up. However, Austin quickly pushed him back down. In the ensuing chaos, Kenan didn't even notice when Austin had managed to sit on his stomach, suppressing his movement. Meanwhile, both of Kenan's hands were trying hard to push the chest of the man above him away, but it was not as easy as Kenan had imagined. Just in this struggle, Kenan already realized that the strength and power of the man above him was stronger than before.
"Austin get off!" Kenan shouted.
He intended to stop Austin from this senseless act. Austin didn't let go, instead pressing him further by grabbing one of his hands to press it between the floor and his hand. The pressure was so intense that Kenan felt his wrist dislocate. It seemed like his desire to do something bad to Kenan was so strong.
Enough is enough, however, Kenan is basically someone who has limited patience. His patience was already at an end-when Austin greeted him moments ago in a drunken state.
When Austin managed to catch Kenan's other hand, that very second Kenan summoned all his strength. He slammed Austin to the floor and reversed their positions. His hand quickly picked up a glass bottle from the wine Austin had finished drinking and aimed it at the man's head.
The sound of shattering glass was loud-echoing throughout the room.
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