Nadia had been buried in her new tasks for two days straight. Today, her boss happened to be attending a meeting with a client, leaving her alone in the director's office.
Only the sound of keyboard typing broke the silence. Nadia was completely absorbed in her work, carefully reviewing every piece of data displayed on the monitor. The information she handled was highly confidential, so even the smallest mistake was not allowed.
Ding!
"Huh? What's this?" Nadia startled as a message popped up on the screen, covering the document she was working on. The message had no clear sender, only a small glowing link icon demanding to be opened.
"Better just ignore it," she muttered. She tried pressing the exit button, but the message stubbornly refused to disappear from the screen.
Feeling disturbed, Nadia finally clicked the link. The moment the page opened, her eyes widened in disbelief. A name was clearly displayed on the screen: Banyu Adyatama Atmadja.
"Banyu?!" Nadia almost shouted but quickly covered her mouth. She quickly scanned the information accompanying the name. Banyu's complete profile, including photo and details of his activities, was displayed along with a suspicious note: 'Spy for Governor Valdera's government.'
One of Governor Dante Romano's aides suspected Banyu's movements and was preparing to make him the scapegoat for sabotage in a major event scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday.
"Sabotage?! Thursday?! That's tomorrow!" Nadia panicked. Her mind raced. This information not only threatened Banyu but also the prestigious Atmadja family name. Especially if Macron, the company director, found out about this.
"Come on, Nadia, think!" She bit her fingernails, trying to find a way out. If this information leaked to the wrong hands, Banyu would be in grave danger.
Her eyes glanced at the watch on her wrist. It was noon—she only had half an hour before Macron returned from the meeting.
"All right, I have to act now!" Nadia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She knew the risks of her plan, but this was the only way.
Her fingers danced over the keyboard, navigating the company's security system. She accessed the internal database linked directly to Governor Dante Romano's system. Carefully, she altered the data related to Banyu. The information accusing him of sabotage was replaced with new data, creating fake records proving Banyu wasn't at the suspicious location at the alleged time.
Cold sweat started to bead at her temples as she navigated firewall after firewall, trying to seal important information about Banyu's true identity.
"I won't let this happen," she muttered firmly. Nadia knew who Atmadja really was, and this information must not fall into anyone's hands—especially those intending to bring him down.
-----
"Hmm, very good! I like how you processed and detailed this data. Excellent work, Nadia!"
Macron nodded in satisfaction as he reviewed the report Nadia had submitted. He had never expected the girl he once underestimated to possess such remarkable skills in informatics.
"I heard you once published a novel, didn't you? But…" Macron paused, his eyes observing Nadia's expression as it suddenly turned pale. He knew a bit about her—about her failure in the writing world.
"Err… it didn't end very well, Sir. So… I decided to take a break and pursue my current profession instead," Nadia replied hesitantly. Her voice was faint. Every time someone brought up novels or writing, her chest always tightened. Not because she had stopped loving it, but because she knew she was still far from perfect. Viarra once told her that she still had a lot to learn if she truly wanted to succeed in that field.
Macron simply gave a small nod, choosing not to continue the topic.
"The tasks I gave you were completed much faster than I expected. And oh, I need to review some of these files more thoroughly. So, for the next two days, you may take some rest." Macron looked at Nadia with a blank yet firm expression.
"Understood, Sir. Thank you very much." Nadia let out a relieved sigh. She felt a slight sense of pride that her work was appreciated. After bowing respectfully, she rose from her chair and walked toward the door.
"Nadia—"
Her steps halted. Macron's voice called from behind, heavy and cold, sending a chill down her spine.
"Y-yes, Sir?" Nadia turned slowly, her heart sinking. She gripped her sling bag tightly, her heart pounding rapidly.
"While I was in the meeting earlier, did any messages or calls come through to my phone here?" Macron asked, pointing at the phone lying on his desk.
Nadia swallowed hard. She knew the phone had been there the entire time, but thankfully, it wasn't the thing she had feared that Macron was asking about.
"There were a few incoming calls, Sir. But I didn't dare answer them. If you don't believe me, you can check the CCTV," Nadia responded, trying to sound calm even though anxiety swelled inside her.
Macron picked up his phone and checked it.
"Hmm, you're right. Very well, you may go."
Nadia simply nodded quickly without saying another word. She immediately opened the door and exited the room. Once outside, she walked briskly toward the elevator, her breath still uneasy.
"Huft… finally, I'm safe," she muttered, clutching her sling bag tightly. Her fingers slipped inside the bag, gripping the small flash drive hidden within. Nadia knew that the file sent by the mysterious sender had already been deleted from the system, and she had done something to protect Banyu.
'Ijust hope nothing bad happens like I feared,' she thought anxiously. Her eyes fixed on the changing numbers of the elevator, taking her down to the ground floor.
●●●●●
Sky Café, 3:45 PM
Clang!
Alvian and Lorry jumped in surprise, quickly turning toward the door that had just been flung open violently. Nadia rushed in with hurried steps, her face anxious and her eyes vacant, as if she were desperately searching for something.
"Huh? Sister Nadia? What's wrong?" Alvian asked, breaking the silence. Nadia's panicked expression made him worried.
But Nadia didn't respond.
Alvian and Lorry exchanged confused glances. They noticed how uneasy she looked—her eyes constantly darting toward the kitchen, as if she were hoping someone would come out from there.
"Sis? Are you looking for something or—" Lorry tried to ask again, but her sentence was cut short when Nadia suddenly interrupted.
"Where's Angkasa?!" Nadia asked, her voice filled with panic she couldn't hide. She moved closer to the cashier's counter, staring at Alvian and Lorry with hopeful, desperate eyes.
"Err… Boss said he'd go home for a few days. It's just the three of us here. Do you need something?" Alvian asked, his tone now laced with worry as well.
Nadia immediately lowered her head and banged her forehead against the counter.
Thud!
"Sis! Oh my God!!" Alvian and Lorry were startled. Alvian jumped up from his seat in a panic and ran over to Nadia. He pulled her upright and helped her over to the cashier area.
The commotion drew the attention of several customers in the café that afternoon.
"Gosh, sis! Look, your forehead is turning red already! Hold on…" Lorry hurried to get a cold compress, while Alvian fetched a glass of water for Nadia.
A few moments later…
"When is Angkasa coming back?" Nadia asked softly, still gripping the glass tightly with both hands. Lorry and Alvian exchanged glances, then shook their heads. They had no idea where Angkasa had gone—they only received a message from Darius when they started their shift two days ago.
"We haven't seen the boss either, Sis. That's what the message from Darius said, right, Lorry?" Alvian turned to his coworker, and Lorry nodded in agreement.
Nadia let out a long sigh and leaned back in her chair. Suddenly, her expression changed—as if she had just remembered something.
"Then, where's Darius? I haven't seen him at all," Nadia asked, glancing around the café with searching eyes.
"Oh, no idea where he went, Sis. We haven't seen him since this morning," Lorry replied.
"But Darius is kind of strange, to be honest. When I first started working, he was really close to the boss. He even called him Master," Alvian whispered like he was gossiping, and Lorry nodded in agreement.
Nadia looked at them both, one after the other, her anxiety growing. She couldn't tell them that Darius was actually Angkasa's right-hand man.
"I hope he comes back soon. There's something I need to ask him…" Nadia murmured quietly, leaving Alvian and Lorry exchanging puzzled glances and shrugging, clearly clueless.
-----
6:15 PM Local Time
Sky Café had been closed for fifteen minutes, but Nadia was still firmly waiting for Darius to return. She had to meet him, especially since Angkasa's number had been unreachable all day.
"Sis, please just go home. It's already late," Alvian urged again, but Nadia shook her head firmly, determination clear on her face.
"You two go ahead without me, I'll be fine! I can take care of myself, you know!" Nadia tried to smile reassuringly. Even though she looked fragile, she actually had training in several martial arts, like taekwondo and capoeira.
Alvian and Lorry exchanged glances, clearly hesitant. But in the end, they decided to head home first. They lived quite far away, and they had no choice but to leave Nadia waiting alone in front of the Sky Café.
"Alright, Sis—but please, don't stay out too late, okay? You know the city's curfew rules. After 9 PM—" Alvian reminded her.
Nadia nodded quickly, showing she understood, and eventually, Alvian and Lorry walked off toward the station.
Half an hour later…
Nadia had just ended a phone call with Viarra when suddenly, the wailing of sirens echoed from the distance. The sound of running footsteps sparked commotion. Suddenly, gunshots rang out, followed by flames igniting parts of the city.
"Already?! But it's not even that late yet!" Nadia thought anxiously. This was what the people of Valdera always feared—the group of about seven bandits who frequently caused chaos, which was the reason the curfew was enforced in the first place.
'Tch, I need to find a place to hide!' Nadia scanned her surroundings, desperately searching for shelter, hoping the bandits would pass by without noticing her.
"PLEASE HELP ME! I'M BEGGING YOU!! HELP!!"
Nadia froze. Her eyes locked onto a man collapsed in the middle of the flames. He was surrounded by bandits who were clearly enjoying his suffering. One of them laughed wickedly, lifting a heavy club. It looked like he was about to strike the terrified man.
Images flashed in Nadia's head—someone's scream triggered her instincts.
"NOOOOO!!!"
Thud!
A sharp kick landed directly into the gut of the bandit holding the club. His body was flung backward, and the club dropped from his grasp. The other bandits, stunned, quickly turned their furious gazes toward Nadia.
"Well, well, little girl's got guts, huh? Too bad for you—now feel this!" one of the bandits growled in a gravelly voice, his eyes filled with rage.
Nadia shook her head subtly, signaling the man on the ground to run while she took a fighting stance, ready to defend herself.
"Sorry, sister... looks like I'm gonna have to break my promise this time," Nadia whispered, her eyes burning with determination, locked on the bandits preparing to strike.
Thwack!
Thud!
Crash!!