Far from the bustle of the city, in a back alley behind an old building that was nearly collapsing, the light barely reached the ground. The atmosphere was silent, broken only by the heavy echo of footsteps against the concrete walls. One by one, a line of broad-shouldered men stood along the alley. Their faces were hidden in shadow, their hands clenched tightly at their sides. All of them stood in silence with their heads bowed low, as if they didn't dare look up.
The footsteps stopped in front of them.
They slowly raised their heads. The man stood tall, his face blank and expressionless, his sharp eyes sweeping across the entire area. Andrian Antoni.
Bane stood beside him, his loyal right-hand man who was always one step behind. One of the men stepped forward, his hand trembling slightly as he handed over a report file.
"The conflict is getting worse, sir. The southern gang keeps digging for information. They're starting to trace your family again."
Andrian took the papers and glanced at them before crushing them in his hand. The sound of paper crumpling rang clearly through the silent alley. He let out a low, cold laugh, one that never reached his eyes.
"I knew they'd come looking. And I know why I had to leave that day." His voice was flat, but every word carried a heavy burden. "The day I was supposed to marry Annisa. I had no other choice. If I'd stayed by her side then, they would've attacked her through me. Annisa's safety was worth far more than my own feelings."
He stepped forward, his gaze piercing the darkness at the end of the alley.
"They think they can drive my family out? Let them try. I want to see how far they're willing to go before they destroy themselves."
Andrian threw the file onto the table beside him, scattering the papers across the floor.
"Take care of everything. Silence every mouth that starts talking. Including the chief judge sitting in his honored seat right now. He's not a clean man. Use that."
The subordinate nodded firmly. "Yes, sir."
They turned and left, their synchronized footsteps fading into the darkness. Andrian remained still, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
On the other side of the city, the atmosphere was completely different. In a quiet corner of a café, Salsa sat leaning back in her chair. Two rough-looking men stood across from her, their faces covered in old scars.
Salsa pulled out a thick envelope, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward them. At the same time, she set a photograph on the table. It was a picture of Annisa, taken secretly a few days earlier as she walked out of the office building.
"This is the down payment. You get the rest when the job is done." Salsa fixed them with a sharp stare. "Teach her a lesson she'll remember. Make sure she doesn't dare go near Andrian again. Scare her, but don't kill her. I want her to leave on her own two feet."
The man picked up the photograph and money, then slipped them into his jacket pocket.
"Don't worry, miss. She won't dare show her face in front of anyone after this."
They left the café. Salsa smiled faintly as she stared out the window, where the city lights were beginning to flicker on one by one.
"Your former fiancée is going to leave you, Andrian. She'll run as far away as she can. And when that happens, I'll be the only one left. You won't have any other choice."
She chuckled softly, but the laugh died in her throat when the phone in her hand began to vibrate. A message had come in from an unknown number. There was only one line:
"You think Andrian doesn't know what you're planning?"
Salsa's face instantly went pale. Her hand trembled, and the phone nearly slipped from her grip. She stared at the screen for a long moment, then looked up, breathing hard. Across the table, someone who hadn't been there before was now sitting silently, staring directly into her eyes.
At that same moment, in her modest apartment, Annisa had just finished preparing dinner. She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at a photograph of her grandmother on the small table. Her thoughts returned to Andrian, the contract offer, and her grandmother's need for medical expenses. She let out a long sigh and reached for the phone beside her.
But before her fingers could touch the screen, someone pounded on the door of her apartment again and again.