“Did you manage to get what I asked for?”
A middle-aged man in a neatly tailored suit sat in his grand chair, staring at his trusted subordinate with sharp eyes.
“Yes, sir. He’s a business major in his final semester and will be graduating soon. He has an extraordinary mind.”
His trusted subordinate explained while flipping through the red folder in his hands.
“Anything else?” he asked coldly.
“His name is Galaksi Bimantara. He’s just an orphanage kid. There’s no questioning his intelligence. In my opinion, he’s perfect for becoming what you want,” he explained further.
“Give me the documents. You may leave!” he dismissed him without another word.
Aldez Zefrino, a wealthy businessman known for his cold and untouchable demeanor, studied the folder in his hands.
He read every letter inside it without skipping a single one.
“Galaksi Bimantara. He has an impressive list of achievements and is known as a genius.” His thin lips curved slightly into a faint smile.
“Very interesting. He’s suitable for me to recruit as a manager first after he graduates. After that, I’ll make him just like me.”
Mr. Aldez set the folder down and reached for a small photo frame containing a picture of a woman cradling a baby boy.
Mr. Aldez’s eyes suddenly reddened. “Where are you two? If only you hadn’t left with our son, I wouldn’t be having such a hard time finding an interim leader for this company.”
Mr. Aldez closed his eyes. He had given up searching for his wife and son, who had disappeared decades ago.
Mr. Aldez wasn’t sure whether his wife and son were still alive, considering they had left under such unusual circumstances.
“Dad, Tari begs you, please don’t kick Tari out! Dad, don’t throw Tari away!”
Galaksi frowned when he heard the whimpering voice of a woman beside him.
“Wait! Why do I hear a woman’s voice?” Gala mumbled hoarsely, his eyes still barely open in the haze of waking up.
Maybe Gala’s brain hadn’t started working yet, and he still hadn’t remembered that he wasn’t sleeping alone anymore.
Now Gala had a body pillow that could move.
Wait... was that even a body pillow?
“Mom, come get Tari! Take Tari away with you, Mom! Tari can’t stand living in this world anymore. Dad doesn’t love Tari anymore.”
Thump.
Galaksi turned over and found Mentari talking in her sleep.
“Menteri?” Gala mumbled, still not fully awake.
Gala tried to remember what had happened until he smacked his own forehead. “Gala... Gala, how could you forget that you have a wife now?” he scolded himself.
“Mom, come get Tari! Tari can’t go on living anymore.”
Gala shook his head hard as he listened to every sentence that came from his wife’s lips.
“Sweetheart, what are you talking about? I don’t like hearing you say things like that. Do you want to leave me when I’ve only just experienced having a family for the first time?”
“Dad, don’t kick Tari out!”
Mentari continued babbling with her eyes closed. The girl’s sleep looked restless, her head moving from side to side as sweat the size of corn kernels soaked her entire body.
“Is she sleep-talking?” Gala carefully watched his wife, who looked so restless in her sleep.
“They broke you all over again, even in your dreams, sweetheart,” Gala murmured, remembering how cruelly Marwan had driven Mentari out of the home where his wife had grown up.
“Tari, sweetheart! Hey, wake up! Don’t worry me, sweetheart!”
Gala decided to sit up since dawn seemed to have arrived.
“Wake up, come on! Let’s pray the dawn prayer together. I can’t wait to lead you.” Gala smiled faintly as he imagined truly becoming the prayer leader for the girl he loved, who was now his wife.
“Tariii!” Gala called once more, because his wife still wouldn’t wake up.
A bad feeling came over him, so Gala turned on the light in their small bedroom. He was shocked to see Mentari’s pale lips and the deep furrows in his wife’s forehead.
“Astagfirullah, Tari. What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Gala cried as he sat beside Mentari.
Gala raised his right hand and placed the back of it against Mentari’s forehead.
“THIS IS REALLY HOT, OH MY GOD!”