The main gate to the Bisma family's residence slid open without a sound. Their home stood majestically on thousands of square meters of land in an elite area of South Jakarta—a masterpiece of modern architecture with a minimalist futuristic concept, dominated by obsidian black and titanium white.
Its clean, sharp lines were layered with smart glass that reflected the glow of the city lights, radiating an elegant luxury that never felt excessive.
As the three of them stepped outside toward the main parking courtyard, a security cyborg unit stood at attention to welcome them.
"Good evening, Mr. Bisma, Mrs. Andien, and young master Baim," greeted the two-meter-tall robot guard with a sleek design. Its synthetic voice sounded friendly yet authoritative, while its blue sensor eyes scanned the surrounding area in a slow circle. "The residence's security system has been activated in full-alert mode. Enjoy your dinner."
"Thank you, Unit B-7," Bisma replied warmly, patting the security robot's metal shoulder.
In the courtyard paved with black marble, a luxury vehicle was already hovering smoothly about thirty centimeters above the ground. The pearl-white maglev car—short for magnetic levitation—gleamed enchantingly beneath the garden lights. Its aerodynamic design resembled a wheelless private jet, with smooth curves and strips of dim blue LED lights running along the underside of the vehicle's body.
Bisma didn't get straight into the driver's seat. True to his habit of always putting acts of service first, he strode ahead of his wife and son. With an utterly chivalrous gesture, Bisma opened the car's side door for Andien. His right hand extended gently to hold Andien's fingers and help her climb in, while his left hand hovered over the doorframe to keep his wife's head from hitting it.
"Please, enter, my queen for tonight," Bisma whispered with a charming smile that made Andien's heart flutter again.
"Thank you, my prince," Andien replied coyly as she stepped into the cabin. After adjusting the hem of his wife's dress so it wouldn't get caught, Bisma closed the door with extra gentleness, then opened the rear door for Baim before taking his own seat at the wheel.
The maglev's cabin was the embodiment of timeless luxury. Its interior was upholstered in high-quality cognac-colored synthetic leather, paired with dark teak accents coated in carbon fiber. The roof was made of transparent panoramic glass that could automatically dim when exposed to overly bright light. There was no conventional steering wheel; instead, a floating holographic navigation console responded to voice commands and light touches.
"AURA, display the route to the reservation location," Bisma ordered the vehicle's AI.
A transparent screen appeared in the center of the cabin, displaying a three-dimensional map of twenty-second-century Jakarta complete with uncrowded air-traffic lanes.
"Routing to Le Grand Palais, Contemporary Nusantara Cuisine Restaurant. Estimated travel time: twenty minutes via Skyway 4," the AI hummed softly.
Andien smiled in satisfaction when she saw the restaurant's name on the screen. It was her favorite restaurant.
"See, Dad? Mom's choice won," Andien teased, turning toward Bisma as he activated the vehicle's autopilot system.
Bisma chuckled softly. "Yes, yes... A good husband has to lose at rock-paper-scissors. Especially when his opponent is the most beautiful woman in the world."
Sitting in the back, Baim immediately chimed in excitedly. "But Dad was going to take Baim out for grilled synthetic-meat steak in Senopati! Then Dad threw rock when Mom threw paper! You're terrible at rock-paper-scissors, Dad!"
"Hey, Dad only gave in for Mom's happiness," Bisma shot back in his defense, glancing at Baim through the rearview mirror. "Remember what Dad says, Baim: Happy wife, happy life. If Mom's happy, the two of us are safe."
Andien and Baim's cheerful laughter rose high, filling the beginning of their journey. The white car glided calmly without a harsh rush of wind, cutting through Jakarta's night, filled with neon-lit skyscrapers.
Throughout the twenty-minute trip, Baim never stopped chattering. The boy told them everything, from his school laboratory assignment grade and his annoying desk mate to his plans for assembling a miniature racing drone. Andien listened with complete attention, occasionally responding to her son's ramblings with a mother's warmth.
In the middle of Baim's chatter, Bisma reached his left hand toward the center console. His large, warm, steady fingers slipped between Andien's, clasping his wife's hand with such gentleness.
Andien turned, and their eyes locked. In Bisma's brown eyes, Andien saw the reflection of a love that had never faded in the slightest since the first time they met. Bisma stroked the back of Andien's hand with his thumb, transmitting a comfort that brought the sweetest smile to Andien's lips that night.
But that warm moment was suddenly interrupted.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The holographic navigation screen abruptly turned red and began flashing. AURA's AI voice sounded with a measured emergency warning.
"Traffic alert. A Level Three fire incident has occurred at the AeroTech Drone Technology Development Building, Sector 3. It is ten minutes from your destination restaurant. Skyway 4 is experiencing a partial diversion. Recalculating an alternate route."
On the screen, live footage from an aerial surveillance camera showed a tall glass building belching thick black smoke, flames devouring its upper floors.
At the sight of the fire, Baim's expression instantly turned anxious. The boy leaned forward. "Mom... that drone building is on fire! It's huge! Do you think anyone's trapped inside? Our restaurant is close to there, right, Mom?"
Andien couldn't hide her worry either. Her brows drew tightly together, and she instinctively gripped Bisma's hand a little harder. "Honey... that's the drone company building, right? Is it dangerous if we still go to that restaurant? What if the fire spreads, or there's a Plasma Battery explosion?"
Feeling the sudden tension enveloping his wife and son, Bisma remained calm. He turned slightly, gently stroking Andien's fingers, then looked at Baim in the back through the mirror with a relaxed smile—his signature green-flag smile that could always calm even the fiercest storm.
"Take it easy, champ. Take it easy, sweetheart," Bisma said in a voice so steady and soothing. "Did you forget that firefighters these days use foam-cryo drones? The fire will be frozen within five minutes. And as for the fire... I'm sure it wasn't caused by some massive explosion."
Andien raised one eyebrow, slightly puzzled by her husband's confidence. "How do you know that?"
Bisma gave her a mischievous wink. "I know because the director of AeroTech is a friend of mine. Most likely, the fire started because he tried to make his own coffee at the office and forgot to turn off the induction stove. He's not nearly as smart as your dad when it comes to the kitchen."
Hearing his father's joke, Baim immediately covered his mouth and burst into a small fit of laughter. "Dad's so mean! How can the director of a huge company not know how to make coffee?"
Andien laughed along, shaking her head at her husband's antics. The tension that had gripped the car moments earlier spilled away at once, replaced by a warm, cheerful atmosphere. Bisma always knew how to manage his family's emotions.
After a brief route diversion, the white maglev gradually lowered its altitude and landed with exquisite smoothness in the VIP drop-off area of Le Grand Palais Restaurant.
But the moment the car's hydraulic doors slid open to let them out, something unexpected happened.
BLAST! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!
Blinding bursts of camera flashes suddenly bombarded them from every direction. Dozens of reporters and paparazzi carrying long-range lens-scanning cameras and press drones leaped out from behind the roadside barriers, swarming toward Bisma's car.
"Mr. Bisma! Mr. Bisma! Can you comment on the fire at AeroTech?!"
"Mr. Bisma! Is your secret project with Istana Negara connected to tonight's incident?!"
"Mrs. Andien! Please look at the camera!"
The barrage of flashes made Baim instinctively cover his eyes, which hurt from the glare. Andien was startled and jerked slightly backward.
With extraordinary speed and reflexes, Bisma immediately stepped in front of them. His powerful body moved quickly to shield Andien and Baim from the reporters' cameras. He wrapped one arm around his wife's shoulders and held Baim tightly at his side, protecting his little family from the media's savage assault.
Apparently, a paparazzi fleet had been following them since they left their luxurious residence.
This phenomenon was nothing new for their family over the past year. Beneath his image as a loving husband and humorous father, Bisma was far more than an ordinary rich man.
Bisma was a genius scientist and the most influential young inventor in Southeast Asia. Barely into his early thirties, he already held dozens of patents in renewable energy, quantum-fusion technology, and AI-based defense systems.
His popularity had skyrocketed—and become dangerously intense—over the past year, precisely when the President of the Republic of Indonesia had officially appointed Bisma to lead a secret nationwide research program with the potential to reshape the world's geopolitical landscape. Since then, his private life had never escaped the watchful eyes of the media, admirers, and mysterious parties targeting the results of his inventions.
"Stay close to me, sweetheart. Don't let go," Bisma whispered firmly into Andien's ear, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the crowd of reporters before him, ready to protect his most precious treasure by any means necessary.