36. Red Flash of Light
A pair of a handsome man and a pretty woman were coming out of a famous branded cosmetic outlet. Walking side by side. Both of them were carrying their shopping bags.
Hendra and the secretary, Nana.
That unexpected sigh rattled deeply, rendering Herry frozen in place.
Suddenly, the shopping bags in his hands were snatched away, grabbed by the tiny woman who was his lady boss. Who then ran to the elevator, leaving him under the bright mall lights. Internally panicking, Herry must choose a side. Running after the lady whose elevator door was starting to close. Or tell his boss who was walking on the other side of the mall.
It was a last-second decision. Herry desperately ran after the lady boss, hoping he could sneak past the closing elevator door before the young woman disappeared from him. Hand reaching out, he managed to slip it, making the elevator open again. He was met with Aruna's startled gaze.
Inside the elevator, Herry stood a little behind the lady boss. Secretly, he typed a message on his phone.
[Sir, we just saw you walk with secretary Nana. I'm sorry to say this, but Lady Aruna seems to be upset about it]
Sending it to his boss, Herry felt like a little elementary student who tattled about his cheating classmate after a test on his teacher.
There was no reply from his boss. He didn't even read it.
The elevator door opened once again in the underground parking lot, and his boss' wife rushed out. hurrying after her, Herry quickly said, "My Lady, let me carry the bags."
Herry was ignored.
.
Women, the bloodcurdling creatures when poison of envy had spread within.
A red flash of light called wrath, burning in their eyes.
Thousands of words crammed into one, uttered without a sound.
Still, a symbol of madness grazed their face.
Subtle stroke that told their screaming heart.
Wildfire, leaving scorching land in their wake.
Not of hatred, it was a ballad of disappointment.
.
.
Pensive, a young woman sat looking away. Both hands covered her face. Lost in her own turmoil, lamenting. It was a touchless punch. Weird, wasn't it?
It hurt, either way.
"Argh!" she cursed to the air.
Beep.
A message. Once again ignored.
Beep beep beep.
Not the sound of another incoming message. It was a call, now. Screen lit up, urging her to pick up the call from one named 'Super Busy Husband'.
Useless!
She had already passed the bar of disappointment. Let's just say, the busy busy one still had time to walk with a pretty woman, that definitely called for some heavy punishment.
Whatever. She was burning inside out, ignited by someone with the audacity.
***
Suddenly thrown in a tight corner, the blue eyed man felt like he was losing his head.
He was hoping to search for some other things he wanted to gift his wife. Alas, his plan was halted when he received a message from Herry.
Another misunderstanding.
He hastily asked for the key car currently being held by his bodyguard. Throwing the shopping bags to the car trunk, Hendra quickly sent a chat to Herry.
[Where are you going?]
It was unanswered.
***
Herry was driving at the moment, unable to send back a reply to his boss. Unease, he was forced to make a secret call.
[Yo, what's up? I'm taking my boss out]
It was said in a less polite tone. Noticeably without any greeting whatsoever. And 'bro', really? Did he have a death wish?
[My wife's still angry, huh?] Hendra's voice smoothly responded.
[You got it, then? Good. Said wanna teach some kids]
It was truly terrifying, talking like that with one's own boss. Herry didn't want to be left in this position again in the future. Stuck between the husband and the wife while they have a big trouble sitting heavy on him.
[The usual place, right?]
[It's my first time taking the lady, um, the boss there. Ugh, you know what I mean, bro. Cool?]
Hendra's chuckle at Herry's noticeable unease was heard before he ended the call.
***
Seeing as Hendra had his own agenda for the rest of the day, Nana went back to the hospital. She wanted to convey the tidbit of information she obtained from Hendra and Andos' conversation earlier in the day. It was quite alarming. The man currently hospitalized could be in danger because of his own recklessness.
Carefully, she snuck back in the hospital. In one of the patient rooms, there was a man laying on the hospital bed with a bandage on his arm. A burn injury.
Nana told him the reason for her second visit today.
Hearing that, the man hastily tried to sit on his bed. He knew how screwed he was going to be. It would be a disaster. His own destruction.
"What do I do now?" he groaned, fingers clenched on his hair, pulling it hard.
"Go abroad, I'll facilitate you in our country," Nana suggested.
"What if they still catch me?" he pulled down his blanket then, showing his bandaged leg. Most likely burned with the same degree. He brought down his feet, grimacing when they touched the cold hard floor.
"Sit down, will you?" Nana was quite concerned with his pitiful state.
"How can I sit down when my life will end anytime now?!" and that was not an unbased assumption. It could be a mere hour before they find out and catch him.
"Just get away from here, go somewhere far," she suggested.
"I grew up in the Wenceslas Group. I grew up there, serving them for all my life. Don't you think I know what they'll do to me when they find out? Even if I run away to the edge of the world, they'll find me! Maybe, if I run to the jungle …" restraining a frustrated scream, he balled his fist.
At some point, Nana could understand the tough position he was in. She stared off at the wall, for a while ignoring the man who struggled to pack his spare clothes into a bag.
"How about the elder chief? Maybe he'll forgive you if you confess?" they shared a glance, mulling it over their head before Nana continued, "He's our father, right? He'll punish, but he'll also forgive his children."
Slumping down, the bandaged man wearily sat on the bed again. His usually stern and very masculine face was nonexistent when he finally opened his mouth, "On one condition. I cannot save my face again after this. For that–"
"Let's talk in the car,"
***
"Herry, is the car behind us?" Aruna glanced over her shoulder through the back window. A seemingly familiar sports car tailing them. She noticed it for quite some time.
"Ah, must be your feeling," Herry assured. It could be his boss' car, as earlier he said he wanted to follow his wife.
Glancing back again, the car was slowing down, as if the person driving it could feel her suspicion. Soon, it disappeared behind other passing cars. Aruna breathed out and caese her worry.
.
.
The sun was still shining crazily, making heat even though the shadow of his body was not centered directly. He closed the car's door, straightening his suit jacket as his blue eyes roamed the courtyard in front of a building he deliberately built as a wedding gift for his wife. There, standing mighty and proudly, was a two story building on marble foundation, giving it a natural impression.
A gift that was never delivered straight away, an anonymous offering for his precious person.
The blue eyed man pulled a wide smile, showing his dimples as he watched kids running around, happy grins and cheerful yells. A stray ball rolled to his feet.
"Excuse me, Sir!" one of the boys shouted loudly, "Can you kick the ball to us, please?"
"Okay," he said, drawing back his foot before he gave a moderate kick and the ball crossed to the boys who kept looking at him quite pointedly.
"I think I've seen you before," one of them said.
Hendra brought a finger to his lips, and the little boy nodded.
Directing his eyes back to the building, Hendra paced forwards. Feet walking down the no longer creaking floor. The hallway in front of him leading to some closed space where they held classes. The place only opened in the afternoon. Adjusting the children's time, as they were helping their parents with work in the morning through noon.
He already passed two classes. From the window, he did not find the real reason he was here. Nearing the class towards the end of the hallway, he was pretty annoyed with the riotous noises of cheering children. So awfully different from the previous two classes. Decidedly curious, he peeked through the opened clear window.
He hummed proudly, somehow liking the fact that the kids were incredibly ecstatic because of whatever it was his wife did.
The tiny figure of his wife was standing in front of the class. Repeatedly clapping her hands to draw some attention from the boisterous children. A tough feat, seeing as the kids were busy getting their hands on the bags full of things. Who knows what on the inside.
"I'm just going home then!" she declared playfully, faking a hurt.
The raucous children instantaneously quieted. Slowly backing down and sat in their respective seats.
Aruna was truly charming, like she could enchanted people with her magic, Hendra thought. But, that was a biased opinion. Moreover, he was already in love with her. Totally subjective and out of proportion.
He was clearly captivated by her … that he wasn't even aware of Aruna looking at him now.