CHAPTER 10 — Regret and Threats
After seeing the photo sent from an anonymous number, Lintang's heart truly shattered. Not because she regretted seeing the photo, but because she realized that she had merely been used as a tool for Indra Laksono's interests.
Who knew what other devious plan the man with a mountain of secrets—secrets Lintang was investigating—had come up with?
Lintang didn't reply to the message or have any intention of going wherever it told her to go. She didn't want to feel even the slightest bit of pity for someone who had never respected her from the start, let alone shown any basic courtesy toward women.
That man had shown his true colors from the very beginning, and to Lintang, that was already proof that their arranged marriage was solely for business.
Remembering Selvi's message, Lintang decided to look up information about Argan Wicaksono on her phone.
She began typing the man's name into an internet search.
And boom!
Argan Wicaksono, the eldest son of the CEO of Sanjaya Group. The thirty-year-old man was known to be a businessman with a temper and a love of clubbing. Even so, he was fairly well-known among businesspeople, just like his father.
Argan currently wasn't dating any women from the business world or the entertainment industry. However, he was quite familiar to women in the nightlife scene.
“W-what? Nightlife?”
Once again, Lintang was stunned as she read a snippet of the biography of the man whose photos were in her phone gallery.
“Does Indra Laksono know about this man's nightlife? What was he thinking, choosing him as my future husband? This makes absolutely no sense!” Lintang clenched her fist, sensing that something was wrong with her stepfather's decision.
For a moment, Lintang stared at the phone screen, which still displayed articles and photos of Argan from various angles and events.
The man really was handsome and could be considered just as good-looking as Kevin. The only obvious difference was their position and social status.
Still, Kevin had more manners than Argan, whose behavior Lintang was learning about piece by piece.
“Selvi needs to know about this. But… can Selvi keep it from Kevin?”
Once again, Lintang was torn over whether to tell Selvi. She knew how much her only friend cared about and supported her relationship with Kevin.
“Aaah! Should I hide it from Selvi? But either way, Selvi is bound to attend the marriage ceremony later.”
Even more conflicted, Lintang sat on the edge of the queen-size bed, weighing whether she should tell Selvi what she had discovered.
After considering the pros and cons, she finally decided to message Selvi without telling her about the photo from the anonymous number that had sent the message.
[The guy Indra Laksono picked as my future husband is named Argan Wicaksono, Sel. Sorry, I fell asleep earlier and forgot to let you know. I have a ton of work at the office—I have to finish the end-of-month report. Let's meet at Mpok Siti's food stall tomorrow afternoon, okay?]
After sending the message to Selvi and making sure it had gone through, even though Selvi hadn't replied yet, Lintang chose to go back to sleep. Her body was already exhausted from working on Mr. Daud's assignment at the office from noon until late afternoon. On top of that, there was the problem with Argan at the restaurant. Lintang didn't want to stress herself out thinking about all of it.
Would Kevin really just stay silent about my one-sided decision to end our relationship?
That question tormented Lintang's thoughts as she lay back down. Eventually, she slowly forgot everything.
Ding!
Kevin quickly pulled the phone from his slacks pocket. His fingers deftly unlocked the device in his hand.
SELVI FREN LINTANG: [Kevin, can we meet at my house tonight?]
“Selvi wants to meet? What could be wrong?”
Kevin fell silent for a moment. Selvi's message was ambiguous to him.
[What time, Sel? I have something to take care of after work. How about we meet over lunch instead?]
Kevin quickly checked his schedule for the day. The watch on his wrist showed 9:30 a.m., which meant he still had several hours before his lunch break.
Ding!
Another message from Selvi appeared.
SELVI FREN LINTANG: [No! Lintang also asked to meet me this afternoon at our usual food stall. Tonight, Kevin. That way Lintang won't recklessly come to my house at night.]
Kevin's brow furrowed even more when he read the news about Lintang.
“Is Selvi going to give me an update about Lintang? About her marriage?”
Kevin grew curious and replied to Selvi's message.
[All right. I'll come to your house at 9:00 p.m., Sel. Sorry, I won't be free until then. We'd better not meet at our house so your parents don't get suspicious. How about I pick you up near the minimarket across from your neighborhood? We can talk somewhere safe afterward.]
Kevin then contacted someone he could work with.
“Hey, is your place safe for me to talk with my friend?”
[“It's safe, boss. What time are you coming?”]
“9:30 p.m. This seems to be connected to our investigation.”
[“All right, boss. Everything's clear and secure. Let me know when you're on your way.”]
The conversation over the phone ended. Not long afterward, Selvi replied to his message.
SELVI FREN LINTANG: [Okay, Kevin. I'll let you know when I'm leaving.]
Kevin nodded silently after reading Selvi's message. He put the phone back in his slacks pocket and stared at the screen in front of him.
Hmm, it looks like Selvi has news about Lintang, so she chose to meet with Lintang first and then see me. Does Selvi already know who the man marrying Lintang is?
Growing even more curious, Kevin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Lintang's situation mattered deeply to him because his relationship with her had begun long ago, back when they were still in school.
He knew the obstacle in their relationship was that Lintang didn't want her family to know about their romance. She said her father was devious enough to cause trouble if he found out Lintang was involved with a man who didn't share their status.
Kevin understood how wealthy people thought when they found out their child was dating someone outside their social circle.
It would only bring more shame, and marriage would be out of the question.
Ding!
The sound of an incoming message made Kevin hurriedly grab the phone from where he had put it.
0895XXXXXXX: [DON'T YOU EVER THINK ABOUT CAUSING TROUBLE FOR LINTANG'S MARRIAGE. KNOW YOUR PLACE AS A POOR MAN, KEVIN LAKSAMANA!]