"The news of the Sagara Group heir and his wife going missing has sparked huge public speculation: who will take over temporarily? Will the elder sibling—"
Click! Brukh!
A TV remote flew carelessly onto the sofa, followed by a long, frustrated sigh from a girl—none other than Merry. Two days had passed since her older sister and brother-in-law disappeared, and the media kept tossing out pointless questions about who would step in as the company's temporary heir.
"Ckk… do they think my brother-in-law just died just like that?" she muttered, annoyed at all the meaningless narratives flashing across the screen.
Tap…
Merry flinched slightly and turned to see her daddy gently patting her shoulder.
"Dad?" she asked, immediately rising from the sofa.
"H-how's it going? H-have they found sister yet?"
Her dad, Andri, looking worn out with clear lines of exhaustion etched on his face, shook his head slowly.
"I don't know… the search team is still combing the tropical forest down to the cliffs. The strong suspicion is that they might have fallen over the waterfall, but…"
Andri sank onto the sofa, leaning back. He hadn't slept properly in almost two days, helping search for his eldest daughter and his son-in-law.
With a tired sigh, he murmured his thanks as his youngest handed him a cup of warm tea.
"And… your mom?" he asked after taking a sip.
Merry's face fell further. Before she could answer, the bedroom door across the room—the one for her older sister—creaked open.
Drap… drap…
"Honey? Y-you're back? A-and my daughter… D-Dewi is back, right?"
Mira hurried in, her eyes puffy, moving toward her husband. Guilt weighed heavily on her; she had been unconscious at the time, and waking up to the bitter reality that Dewi had gone missing with Topan crushed her heart.
Andri exhaled deeply, stood, and pulled his wife into a tight embrace.
"No news yet, darl. Please be patient—"
"W-WHAT?! W-WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG?!" Mira screamed, unable to hold back. "Why are the rescuers so useless in finding my daughter, huh? I-I'll do it myself… hiks…"
She tried to struggle out of her husband's hold, but she was too weak and broke down crying for Dewi's safety.
Grep!
Merry, the youngest, joined in, hugging her mom. Her tears finally spilled over.
Seeing his two beloved women so helpless, Andri took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. If he gave in to despair, they would all fall apart.
"Ssst… I am sure they'll find Dewi and Topan soon. You both need to stay strong, don't let yourselves get sick. If Dewi knew, she'd scold you one by one, hm?" he said, trying to lighten the mood as he rubbed his wife's and youngest daughter's shoulders.
Merry and Mira let out small chuckles, slowly pulling away. Thinking of their eldest's cheekiness back home warmed their hearts a little.
"I won't cry anymore… uhh, I really misses my chatty eldest, hehee…" Mira said, returning the gentle touch as Merry wiped away her remaining tears.
"My sister will come back, and we'll be like we used to, mom, dad…" Merry nodded confidently at her parents.
●●●
Median Hospital, 5:00 PM
Cklek!
Gamma had just entered the VIP room and saw his friend standing in front of the only large window, staring blankly at the view outside.
Tap… Tap…
"Mother made chicken soup for you. Eat it while it's still warm," he said, placing a packed lunch on the table.
Five minutes… ten minutes passed…
Ryuji didn't move. He didn't even glance at Gamma, who stood quietly a little behind him, watching with concern. What was going through Ryuji's mind during these past two days of being hospitalized? He stayed silent, unresponsive to anyone.
Gamma let out a soft sigh; once again, all he found was silence. He turned, about to leave the VIP room, but Ryuji's hoarse voice stopped him.
"Have they been found?"
Gamma froze. For some reason, Ryuji's tone sounded… worried or maybe it was just his intuition?
He turned fully, looking at Ryuji's back.
"Not yet. The search team is still combing the tropical forest. Strong suspicion is that Topan and Dewi fell from the cliffs and were carried down by the waterfall," he explained.
Silence. No response from Ryuji.
Gamma figured his friend didn't want to be disturbed, so he turned to head for the door again.
Just as his hand reached for the doorknob, Ryuji spoke again.
"Take me to the company tomorrow. Tell Arya to send some important files for me to study… right now."
Ryuji turned and slowly walked toward the sofa, dragging his IV stand along.
Gamma stood dumbfounded, but quickly regained his composure as he saw his friend put on his reading glasses and open his laptop.
A small smirk appeared on Gamma's face. Without hesitation, he dialed Arya's number.
Tut!
"Hello?"
"Arya, it's me, Gamma. Get ready—your master will be making a 'surprise' at the company tomorrow," Gamma replied, a hint of mystery in his voice.
Silence lingered for a moment, then Arya answered.
"Inform Mr. Ryuji that I have sent several important files belonging to Master. Kindly cooperate."
Click!
Gamma's smile widened. He didn't reply to Arya and chose to end the call.
"I think we'll need Agus back, hm?" he said, receiving a short nod from Ryuji.
"He has to 'confess,' since it's over for them all. By the way, what time will Dovic arrive in Florentia, hm?"
Ryuji turned, his gaze flat on Gamma, who just shrugged.
"I hope he can make it here on time," He replied calmly, then left the room.
---
11:00 AM the next day…
Ratna POV
"Now that the president is missing for several days, this vacancy cannot be left unattended. We've agreed to appoint a temporary replacement, Mrs. Sagara."
The meeting room was slightly chaotic. My head tried to stay upright, though I felt my gaze drilling into each of them one by one.
How dare these board members! They think Topan is gone, huh?! I know they're the ones deliberately 'talking' to the media, making it seem like this vacancy could shake the leadership seat.
"The search team is still looking, and stop saying he's gone as if the president is dead!"
My tone sharpened as I shot a piercing glance at the six people sitting across from me.
"Besides, you hold a sudden meeting like this just to appoint a replacement? You've clearly lost your minds," I snapped again.
The six board members in front of me sneered. One of the eldest stood and bowed briefly.
"Mrs. Sagara, you cannot speak like that. We made this decision based on the commissioners' approval. This vacancy cannot be left too long. Referring to two years ago, when your husband passed away, Topan was immediately appointed without RUPS approval."
"Topan Sagara is the rightful heir, as declared by my late husband and Sagara Indrajati from the beginning. Besides, he also holds one of the highest shares and—"
Thud!
I turned as one of the commissioners, who had been watching our debate, interrupted.
"Mrs. Ratna, as a representative of the commissioners, I must interrupt your arrogant attitude in this meeting. We agreed yesterday to hold this meeting today."
I clenched my hands tightly on my lap. That hoarse voice was clearly meant to intimidate. They were united, pushing this!
"Therefore, we, the directors, have agreed to appoint Esther Mayang as the temporary replacement to carry out the president's duties moving forward."
My eyes focused on a woman with black-framed glasses standing before me. She bowed respectfully, then handed me a document to sign.
"Topan trusted you, right? And this is your answer—stabbing him in the back, huh? You're as rotten as your late father, tch…"
I gripped the document tightly, trying to suppress the anger ready to explode at any moment.
The woman in front of me looked slightly surprised but didn't defend herself or speak. Her expression remained blank.
"I'm just the GM. My duty is to follow every decision made by the company, Mrs. Sagara," she said, bowing briefly, then stepped back.
I grew even more furious. My gaze scanned the room, taking in each board member's sly smile.
Back to the document in my hands.
If time could be reversed, I would take them down one by one when Kemal was still around. The structured crimes they committed behind my late husband's back—together with one of Kemal's trusted partners—they were so clever, washing their hands and scapegoating Haris Mayang to take all the blame.
At times like this, Arya was nowhere. No one was on my side, because they were all busy searching for Topan and Dewi.
'God, please… I don't want to do this!' I whispered as I picked up Kemal's stamp.
Ratna POV END
Her middle-aged fingers trembled violently, gripping the company seal tightly.
Running away from this meeting wasn't an option—the board had stationed several bodyguards outside the door.
Just as her fingers were about to stamp the document, a noisy commotion came from the entrance.
Bugh! Bugh!
Brak!
"Oh? Looks like I arrived right on time?"
Tap… Tap…
The sound made Ratna rise from her chair in surprise. She couldn't believe her eyes: her eldest son was walking toward her, Gamma by his side.
The sight of his handsome face smiling at her filled her with an incredible sense of relief.
"R-Ryuji…"
Ryuji, tall and clad in a black suit, nodded with a smile and took his mother's place at the table. He glanced briefly at the document, picked it up, and handed it to his friend Gamma, who immediately set it ablaze. The crackling sound startled the board members.
"What's this about, hm? I thought this paper was just useless trash that needed to be dealt with," he said, grinning at the clearly hostile board. Just wait until he brought two more people in to make them 'burn' on the spot.
"Come in, Arya. Dovic. How long are you going to stay outside, hm?" he commanded firmly.
Drap… drap…
With steady, confident steps, Arya entered, followed by Agus, who walked with his head down, clutching his laptop to his chest. At the very end was Dovic, Arya's elder brother. His face bore bruises here and there, but it didn't diminish the friendly smile he directed at Ryuji.
"Sir, you're back," Dovic greeted cheerfully, met with Ryuji's incredulous shake of the head.
"Must've been tough taking down the hefty one, huh?" Ryuji muttered flatly as he looked at Dovic, who handed him a black flash drive.
"Not really, sir. Master warned me about him beforehand. Sure, the size difference slowed me down a bit, but here I am, aren't I?" Dovic replied casually, standing beside his younger sister Arya.
Ryuji nodded, gesturing for Agus to approach and hand over his laptop.
"Your gravest mistake was holding a meeting without the shareholders' approval, and…"
Ryuji left the sentence hanging, scanning the room with a flat gaze before plugging in the flash drive.
"For the time being, until Topan returns, I will be carrying out his duties."
Tep!
A video played clearly on the large screen in the room, shocking the board. They saw the expressionless face of the president, Topan Sagara, speaking in the recorded footage.
"Today, December 24th, I have resolved the land dispute in Mawa that has been ongoing for the past two years. Bryan has been prosecuted, and I ensure he will never taste the air of freedom again. Moving forward, I am still investigating the matter thoroughly, because he couldn't have acted alone."
Topan paused briefly in the recording as he reached for something.
"This is the original heir signature document from my late father and grandfather. And it clearly states here, if anything should happen to me in the future, the transfer of all authority and assets shall be assigned in the name of Ryuji."
The sound of Topan stamping the seal was heard as he displayed the document on screen, just before the recording ended.
●●●●
The pristine white room was quiet, only the steady hum of a medical device signaling life from someone lying unconscious on the bed.
Cklek!
"Master, Miss Dewi has regained consciousness. Would you like to see her?"
A woman with shoulder-length bright red hair, dressed in a doctor's coat, reported to an elderly man leaning on a cane. He stood with his back to her, staring at his grandson still peacefully asleep.
For a long moment, the doctor was met with silence, but the woman didn't move; she patiently waited for his response.
"Hmm, thank goodness my granddaughter-in-law has finally woken up. I hope Topan will open his eyes soon as well."
The elderly man turned calmly and walked toward the door. As he passed the doctor, he gently tapped her shoulder and said in a flat tone:
"In a week's time, be ready—your right hand will be the guarantee, Miria."
He spoke softly before leaving the room.
Miria drew a deep breath after the tension she had just felt. Her fingers lifted to touch her right eye; her cornea was gone, replaced by a device she had created herself to cover the emptiness. The difference was stark—the left eye's natural pale purple clashed against the plain white of the right.
"This time, I will not fail, master. I'll make sure of it…" she whispered to the silence.
---
Dewi POV
Ukhh…
My whole body felt shattered as I slowly rose from the bed.
"Careful, Miss, you just woke up."
I winced slightly as Ranah leaned on the bed's dashboard, helping me.
My eyes scanned the entire purple-and-gray room, alert, until realization struck:
Topan.
Srek!
"W-where is Topan? I-I need to find him, ukh…" I said, trying to get out of bed.
"Miss! Please don't move too much…" Ranah tried to hold me back, but I couldn't calm down without knowing Topan was safe.
"T-tell me, where is Topan—"
Cklek!
The door opened, and I turned to see the elderly man with a calm expression entering.
"My granddaughter-in-law has finally woken up."
Tap… Tap…
I froze on the edge of the bed as he approached. Ranah immediately excused herself and left the room.
"Mr. Sagara…" My tongue felt frozen under the cold aura of the elderly man now sitting across from me, offering me a cup of drink in his other hand.
"Drink this—it will restore your stamina. You know, you've been asleep for three days, my granddaughter-in-law."
Gulp!
I nearly choked on the warm drink at his words. Three days?! All this time?! And Topan… what about him?
Tak!
"S-sir… uhh… Topan? Where is my husband?" I asked anxiously.
The elderly man slowly gave me a gentle smile. His rough hand stroked the top of my head, and I felt a calmness slowly wash over me.
"Call me grandfather, and before that, can you explain how the two of you ended up here, hm?"
As I look up my face, looking at him, I couldn't resist his gaze. I finally recounted everything that had happened to us before we fell from the waterfall some time ago.
Dewi POV END
TO BE CONTINUED…