They arrived safely in Jakarta. Damar kept his promise to take Ezra all the way to his parents' home in the elite Bintaro residential district.
There, Damar witnessed Ezra's family's reaction. His mother immediately hugged her son tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. Meanwhile, his father, Arga Jayantaka, immediately made it clear that he intended to hire a personal bodyguard to protect his youngest son around the clock.
"Dad, I've already found a bodyguard who's going to protect me," Ezra cut in, showing off Damar. "His name is Damar."
"Where did you meet him?" Arga asked, his eyes sizing Damar up from head to toe.
"He saved me, fed me, and stayed with me all the way to Bintaro. Let him protect me, okay, Dad?" Ezra pleaded.
Arga immediately shook his head firmly. A brief argument broke out between father and son before his mother intervened.
"Honey, this young man helped our son. Ezra came home safe and sound. There's no harm in giving him a chance first."
Arga fell silent for a moment, staring sharply at Damar before clearing his throat loudly. "Three months. I'll evaluate his performance for three months," he said coldly to Damar, who had been standing stiffly the whole time.
"Thanks, Dad!" Ezra smiled with satisfaction.
Ezra's parents then went inside their luxurious home, leaving Ezra and Damar on the porch.
"You can stay here for now if you haven't found a place to rent," Ezra offered.
Damar didn't respond to the offer. "I've brought you home. Don't forget to send me my two hundred million rupiah."
"Give me your bank account number. I'll transfer it first thing tomorrow morning, along with your five-million-rupiah salary, paid upfront."
"I never said I agreed to be your bodyguard."
"Then who else?"
"Your dad can find someone with more experience. Not an ex-con like me."
Ezra gave a small laugh. He assumed the confession was just an excuse Damar had made up so he could run away.
"That joke isn't funny."
Damar stared at Ezra without smiling. "I spent ten years in prison. Do you know what the charge was?" He paused briefly. "Murder."
Ezra's laughter vanished instantly. His body went rigid.
"Do you still want to hire me?"
Damar smiled faintly, having already expected that reaction. He turned around to leave, deciding he would never send Ezra his bank account number.
Besides, what was the point of going to all that trouble to find Ajeng? To force her back to Indonesia to testify? The ten years of his youth that had vanished could never be returned. Erin would never live again, either.
Damar kept walking. He was already tired of being dragged back into a courtroom—a place where everyone looked at him as if he were the most despicable monster alive. Back then, not a single person had believed him.
Except Erin.
He still remembered the day Erin had visited him at the detention center, full of excitement, telling him she'd found evidence that Damar had only been framed. Tragically, after that day, Erin disappeared forever.
Just before Damar passed through the gate, a hand clutched his arm.
"You saved me, fed me, and stayed with me all the way home. That's proof enough that you're a good person!"
"Anyone would do that if they were promised two hundred million rupiah," Damar replied coldly.
"I caught a glimpse of the kidnapper's face..." Ezra's voice suddenly grew softer and began to tremble. "They might come looking for me again. Since you saw their faces too, I thought... you could protect me." Ezra looked at him pleadingly. "So what if you've been to prison? Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?"
Damar was stunned. The words "second chance" were the exact same words Adi had once said to him.
Seeing Damar remain silent, a faint smile appeared on Ezra's lips. "You'll do it, right? Be my bodyguard?"
"You can sleep in this room," Ezra said as he opened the door to an empty bedroom in the back.
"Only until I find a place of my own," Damar cut in as he set down his backpack.
"Yeah, easy." Ezra answered quickly. "Once things are safe, we'll move to my apartment."
Damar furrowed his brow.
"My apartment is really close to the office," Ezra explained.
Damar rubbed the back of his neck. "You can just stay there by yourself. Or invite a friend to spend the night."
"Who?" Ezra snorted. "Gading? He's insanely busy, always working late. Farel? He's an actor. He's always off filming somewhere and rarely home."
"A coworker?"
Ezra shook his head dejectedly. "I don't have any."
"Find a live-in housekeeper," Damar suggested again.
"These days, it's hard to find someone you can truly trust."
Damar turned around and stared straight at Ezra. "Trusting me is risky too."
"But I choose to trust the person who saved my life."
Damar took one step toward Ezra. "The person who saved you could stab you in the back at any moment."
Ezra's relaxed expression suddenly tightened.
"I'm sure... you won't waste your second chance," Ezra whispered, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice.
"That sure?" Damar gave a faint, intimidating smirk, making Ezra freeze in place.