Chapter 81: Chapter 81

The sound of the glass hitting the nearby wall was really loud. The pieces shattered and fell with a pretty loud noise, causing a few people in the dimly lit room to shudder. The guy who threw the glass earlier is still standing there, breathing heavily. He's like a bull ready to charge at anything in front of him. He's tried to calm himself down multiple times, but he couldn't manage it.

His anger completely takes over. The rage just won't subside that easily. Even his trusted people, who often reminded him not to hold onto anger too much, can't do anything. They're standing by his side. They stay quiet, occasionally trying to warn him, but they give up when he starts shouting louder than usual.

"How could all of our plans fail, Lan?" the middle-aged man asks. His eyes shoot a sharp glare at Alan, who's quite calm facing him. If it weren't for Alan being his confidant, he might have taken matters into his own hands and dealt with everyone responsible for his failure.

Especially the issue at the factory he's building in the southeastern part of Metropolis.

"Patience, sir. You'll be able to release all the blocked funds soon. You're about to own Group Azure, right? Why worry about the factory matter?"

Damn it! Instead of calming his anger, Alan is reminding him of Group Azure. Every time he hears the name Group Azure, the image of Alvin happily smiling with Rossie resurfaces. It hits him mercilessly, leaving him unable to rise due to his despair. For years, he's tried to forget, push away, and even learn to accept it, as his beloved woman had asked him to.

But he's never found the strength in all his efforts. Especially when Rossie casually mentioned that she had loved Alvin. How disrespectful of her! And to top it off, Rossie has a child with Alvin? Oh, God!

"Did you forget?" Alef hisses, like a whisper that's so terrifying. Especially the sharp gaze fixed on Alan. No mercy. "I built that factory there for you and your family to live. Without me, you're all trash."

Alan nodded slowly, taking in what had just come out of the old man's lips. He didn't use his eyes to challenge Alef. For him, it was enough to just be patient, even though his annoyance and anger were at their peak. He was ready to spit it all out at the right target: the boss.

"But you're right. Group Azure will be in my hands soon. And Sailendra has prepared himself to devour it when I say collapse. We just need to run the factory and many important projects that Group Azure knows nothing about," Alef rubbed his chin, leaning back in his big chair. His eyes wandered through the course of the carefully laid plan.

The only obstacle left was the sudden halt of funds by Sebastian. That guy. Oh God! When could he finally get rid of him? Ah... patience. That's what he's chanting in his heart now.

He didn't care what Group Azure would become later. He wanted to be just a step away from reaching a hundred percent success. Couldn't have Rossie? Then Alvin was guaranteed not to have her either. As for the afterlife? That wasn't his concern anymore. The sweet memories of his love for Rossie, he buried them as deep as a coffin, still reigning in his heart. Full of hatred, he didn't even feel remorse when he saw for the last time, before Rossie was laid to rest.

Even at the funeral, when he saw tears streaming down the youngest child, whom Alvin always protected, Alef had aimed again. No protection at all until the ridiculous will was read out. For whatever reason, it was ridiculous to hand over Group Azure to outsiders. But no. Alef kept quiet. He chose silence, letting Alvin's other siblings speak. Even threatened his wife, Larasati, poor thing, to silence her.

His love shattered, and what about him? He was left with nothing but a witness to Alvin's happiness whenever Rossie was involved. All his feelings turned into boundless vengeance. What he wanted was for everything related to Rossie to crumble to pieces. No matter how it happened, because to him, any means were fair in destroying her.

And the moments when everything was in his grasp flashed before his eyes. Group Azure. Slowly but surely, he had been nibbling away at it, unconsciously, until... Sebastian knew a lot about his moves. Damn, this time Alef was rendered speechless and cornered, unable to talk or press him mercilessly. Sebastian simply shrugged off his threats. So later, that guy would feel the consequences for interfering too much.

Alef would make sure of it.

"Sir, Mrs. Laras is calling."

His reverie broke. He immediately looked at Alan, who handed him his phone. He hesitated for a moment. "Tell her I'm in a meeting. Probably just asking for money. Give her whatever she wants. Such a bother." As he finished saying that, he shifted his seat, stood up, and quickly took the cane that Alan promptly handed over. He walked without any fear of the glass shards scattered around him.

Quickly, Alan followed suit. He asked one of the people there to tidy up the traces of his boss's anger. Once they reached the doorway, his boss paused. "Call Kenzo. I need to talk to him. If possible, set up a meeting for us. That kid too. Such a bother."

Alan didn't object. Following Alef's orders promptly was the right thing to do now.

"Prepare my car too. We're going to Danson Street, Sailendra's office."

"Yes, sir."

Being accustomed to receiving numerous orders made Alan agile in carrying them out. Maybe this is why Alef still kept a guy much younger than him around. Not to mention, Alan's calmness was commendable. When Alef found him, he was just an ordinary thug.

Clearing a piece of land where Alan's life with his family was the goal back then. Giving the impression that Alef was supporting Group Azure at the time was what he did, although it was risky. But everything could be silenced with the amount of money he brought there. Including taking down a few people who didn't like how he operated.

Alef was used to executing his actions without remorse. Letting his desires reign until now. One thing he promised, Alan's family would be safe as long as he cooperated. And what did he find? Complete loyalty from a guy three years older than his son.

Ah... son? Kenzo Walker was a mistake. Not to mention, that kid always managed to be the most rebellious figure at home. Defending his mother constantly, even though Laras had made him sick. If it weren't for the arranged marriage, Alef was sure Laras and Kenzo wouldn't be in his life. He would have been happy with Rossie. And everything was shattered by Bryce, his father. Who foolishly arranged a marriage between him and the eldest daughter of Bruce Claire. Supposedly to support each other.

Damn his life up to this moment.

The door of his SUV opened. Before he actually got in, Alef glanced briefly at the building he always referred to as 'home.' Where many memories with Rossie were there. His unfortunate Rossie. His foolish Rossie.

He quickly pushed the overly intense thoughts out of his mind now. "What did Kenzo say?" he asked Alan, settling into the passenger seat with the expensive leather cushion.

"Kenzo said he's at the office. There's a meeting with the marketing department."

Alef grunted in dislike. "That kid's always hard to manage."

"Once Kenzo knows about your struggle, I'm sure a hundred percent that he'll support you."

A thin grin appeared as Alef's response. "Hopefully."

****

Laras sighed deeply. Once again, her call was rejected. She didn't need Alef's money to support herself. She needed to talk about her son. Since Fathia's fake death, Kenzo had been pulled from abroad, where he was living with a little peace, though still under Alef's control. It didn't matter that Laras was far away. The most important thing was that Kenzo was okay there.

No, communication between Laras and Kenzo was very good. Her pride and joy spoke almost every day. Whether about his busy work under Sebastian's direction or talking about... oh, Laras somewhat forgot the name of the woman he mentioned. Because Kenzo always referred to her as "Ms. Clumsy." Whatever. She could deal with that later.

There were more important things than this. Including the big plan, she and Sebastian, along with the people behind them, had put together. Exposing all of Alef Walker's crimes. And on that day, Laras would be there as a witness. It didn't matter. She had gathered all the courage within her. She also didn't want Alef to act too aggressively. Especially when Kenzo was involved.

There was a sudden fear haunting her lately. If she became an easy target of Alef's anger, it was fine as long as everything was revealed. But she was afraid that Alef's filthy mouth would state completely false facts about Kenzo's existence as his eldest son. Making her son doubt even more the love of the father he should have received long ago.

She had always shielded Kenzo so he wouldn't be influenced by his father's actions. Luckily, so luckily, Kenzo followed her lead. Laras just wasn't ready for Kenzo, who until now still hoped that his father would look at him even for a moment, to know for sure the real villainy of Alef.

What Alef wanted, Kenzo had already done. Living in Alvin's legacy house. That was after Laras pushed him so that Kenzo wouldn't continue receiving insults and curses from his father. Kenzo's voice often echoed when he had reached his limit, "Dad never loved me. Right, Mom?"

All Laras could do was hug him. Shed tears to soothe Kenzo's anger. Their resemblance was actually quite strong. The only difference was that Kenzo's facial expression was more dominated by himself.

"He loved you, Kenzo." Those were the words that managed to dim Kenzo's uncertainty. Not to mention if Alef intentionally used his mother as a threat; all Kenzo could do was kneel at his mother's feet. Pleading for mercy from his father, so his anger wouldn't keep falling on his mother. Also, promptly complying with his father's demands.

For years, they lived under the grip of Alef Walker. No one defended them. Everything was suppressed to look perfect by Alef, regardless of how much imperfection had settled into his grand mansion.

She quickly grabbed the phone next to her. She touched the last call she had made yesterday afternoon with her son. It didn't take long for her to get a response to that call.

"Mama?"

"Mama bothering you, kiddo?" Laras asked while calming herself.

"No, Mom. What's up, Mom? Still having a headache? Tell Rani to call Dr. Anton for me. You make me worried, actually. I'll be home this evening, okay, Mom?"

Laras was touched. Her heart warmed because her son always managed to bring back her happiness. "No, sweetie. Mama's headache has reduced a lot."

"Mama doesn't need to worry about me here. But I'll be home this evening. Miss you, Mom."

The middle-aged woman wasn't ready to wipe away her bright smile. As bright as the afternoon sun that had been keeping her company as she enjoyed her cup of tea, even though her heart was in turmoil. But hearing her son's voice from the other end, sounding perfectly fine, brought a relief she could feel at this moment.

"Don't you want a girlfriend yet, Kenzo? So, you don't keep missing Mom."

There, her son sighed. "Women are confusing. I'd rather go on a date with you, Mom."

Laras burst into laughter. "Hasn't Sebastian sent you on a business trip? This past week?"

"No, Mom. We're really busy preparing for a big meeting next week. Sebastian is also surprisingly gathering all the executives of Group Azure. What do you think might be going on, Mom?"

A sharp thorn stabbed Laras' throat. Her son already knew when the meeting was scheduled. Avoiding Kenzo from that meeting was clearly no longer an option.

"I think Sebastian might be in a hurry to let go of Group Azure," her son said softly, laden with a sense of loss.

"You don't like that?"

There was a chuckle on the other end that Laras could catch. "When Sebastian Sachdev works, he's a perfectionist, Mom. Even my small mistakes are visible to him. It's just a pity if he steps down from leading Group Azure."

"And... what would you do if Dad leads, like the board's decision a few months ago?"

There's a fairly long pause before Kenzo lets out a long exhale. "I'll just go back to Malaysia. I don't want to work under Dad."

A certain relief forms in Laras' mind. At least Kenzo's choice is something his son likes. She won't hinder it anyway... the chance of her son working under Alef is small. Extremely slim, given the many legal entanglements that would ensnare her husband.

She has to be strong. For Kenzo, she can't let Alef's cruelty touch him.

"Mom supports you if that's what you want, kiddo."

"Really, Mom?" There's a touch of happiness there, spoken from Kenzo's lips. In her mind, she envisions a bright smile on her only son's face.

"Yes. I'm serious."

"Or we could move there, Mom. So, you can have peace. Not constantly oppressed by Dad."

The cheerfulness in Laras' face vanishes just like that.

"I know Dad never loved you, Mom. I'll give you as much love as possible. I don't need women who make things complicated. Just you, Mom, that I cherish, love, admire, and emulate."

Tears fall freely from his eyes.

"Because of you, Kenzo can be like this. Wait for me to succeed without Dad's name behind me, okay? Just wait, Mom. I’m promises."