That evening, at the Holland residence. The crystal chandelier in the living room blazed, but the atmosphere underneath it was dark and suffocating. Holland sat in his armchair, the cold sweat glistening at his temples impossible to hide. Beside him, his mother-in-law sat rigid with tension, while Aluna had done herself up to the nines — hoping this esteemed visitor's arrival might change her fortunes.
The growl of a luxury engine dying in the front driveway sounded like a death knell to Holland. The grand doors swung open and Kalendra strode in, carrying an aura that could intimidate anyone who breathed the same air. Beside him, Rayden walked with small, measured steps, his eyes sweeping the room in quiet assessment.
"Mr. Kalendra! What an honor to have you grace our home," Holland greeted, trying his best to sound friendly.
Kalendra didn't return the smile. He sat directly on the main sofa while his son took the seat beside him, immediately producing a wet wipe from his jacket pocket to sanitize the table surface before placing his tablet on it.
"We're not here to toast to anyone's honor, Holland," Kalendra said coldly. His voice was low but carried an edge. "I'm here to collect. Your casino debt is past due, and the interest on the bank loans you took out using my guarantee has ballooned."
Holland swallowed. "I understand, sir. But the hotel project in Bali has hit some technical snags. If you could give me just one more month—"
"One month?" Kalendra's hawk-like eyes fixed on Holland.
"In one month, the interest alone could buy this entire house and everything in it. I didn't come here to listen to excuses."
Rayden looked up from his tablet and fixed Holland with a stare far too shrewd for a child his age. "Mister, your accounts are nothing but red numbers. You can't pay back a month's worth. You can't run anymore. Pay now before my father gets angry."
Holland flinched, staring at the boy in bewilderment. "Who... is this child?"
"My future asset," Kalendra answered curtly. "And he's right. I have no choice but to seize all your hotel properties in Jakarta."
"Sir, please wait!" Marisa cut in, her voice pleading. "Isn't there another way? We're a respected family. If those assets are seized, our reputation—"
"Reputation doesn't pay interest, ma'am," Kalendra said without mercy.
Aluna, who had been biding her time in silence, made her approach with a smile so sweet it dripped. "Mr. Kalendra, perhaps we could discuss this in a more... relaxed setting? I'm Aluna, the daughter of this household. Maybe I could keep you company—"
Kalendra's gaze flicked to Aluna for a single second. The temperature of that look vaporized her smile on contact. He turned back to Holland.
"I hear you have another daughter. Sienna. Where is she?"
The tension in the room, already thick, curdled into something else entirely when Kalendra said that name. Holland and Marisa exchanged pale-faced glances. They were baffled — how did the head of Black Lotus know the name of the stepdaughter they'd written off as dead five years ago, or at least prayed would never return?
"Sienna?" Holland cleared his throat, fighting to steady his breathing. "Why would you be looking for... my stepdaughter, sir?"
"That's not a question you need to ask back, Holland," Kalendra replied.
Aluna, feeling increasingly sidelined, forced another tinkling laugh. She stepped closer, moving in what she believed was an irresistibly seductive manner.
"Oh, sir, someone's given you bad information," Aluna cooed, trailing her fingers along the back of the sofa near Kalendra. "The woman you're asking about died a long time ago. An accident overseas, a few years back. So tragic."
Aluna heaved a dramatic sigh, as though genuinely grief-stricken. "So the only daughter left in the Holland family is me. If you need a different kind of... collateral, or just a companion for some more intimate business discussions, I'm far more useful."
Kalendra stared at Aluna with the kind of flatness that made ordinary people want to sink through the floor. But Aluna's confidence was bulletproof. She shifted her attention to Rayden, seated next to his father.
"Oh my, this must be your son from your late wife!" Aluna crouched in front of Rayden, reaching for his hand. "Hi there, sweetie. Your name's Eden, right? Want to play with Auntie Aluna? I've got tons of expensive toys in my room."
Rayden snatched his hand away as though she were a pile of biohazardous waste.
"First, don't call me 'sweetie.' We share no blood relation," Rayden said crisply. He regarded Aluna through narrowed eyes above his mask. "Second, your perfume is overpowering. It's giving me a headache and making me want to throw up."
Aluna recoiled, her face flushing scarlet from humiliation and fury. She forced herself to keep smiling. "Oh my, what a smart little boy. I'd love to be his mommy."
But as Aluna held Rayden's gaze a moment longer, she froze. A strange sense of deja vu crept over her. Those eyes... the shape of his brows... the way this child looked at her with pure contempt...
Why does this kid... look more and more like that jinx Sienna? Aluna shuddered internally.
She shook her head, banishing the thought. Impossible. Sienna ran away alone. No way she has a kid who looks like a mafia boss's son.
Kalendra stood. He'd wasted enough time. "Tomorrow morning. Ten o'clock. Bring proof of death if she's really dead. If you're lying, Holland... you know what happens."
"O-of course, sir," Holland stammered.
The moment Kalendra and Rayden were out the door, Aluna exploded. "Dad! Why is that bitch suddenly being hunted down? And why was that kid so cold? His face looked just like... ugh, forget it!" She stamped her foot and stormed off to her room, fury etched across her face.
Meanwhile, in a much quieter part of the city, a car pulled up outside Harris's modest house. Sienna stepped inside carefully, both arms locked around a sleeping Rayna draped over her shoulder. The little girl's breathing was steady — she was truly knocked out after a full day of visiting graves and touring Jakarta.
"I'm going to put her down, Harris. Poor thing's exhausted," Sienna said softly, nodding toward one of the bedroom doors.
"Hold on a sec, Si." Harris gently caught her arm.
Sienna stopped, letting Rayna stay nestled against her shoulder as she absently stroked her daughter's hair.
"What is it?"
Harris hesitated. His eyes lingered on his niece's peaceful face. The resemblance to Sienna was strong, but there were features in Rayna's face that didn't belong to anyone he knew — and it was starting to nag at him.
"About Rayna's father... you really have no idea who he is?" Harris asked, keeping his voice low so as not to wake her.
Sienna let out a long breath and shook her head weakly. "No clue. I picked at random back then — I didn't pay attention to the donor profile. I just wanted to get out of there. Why do you ask?"
"No reason. I was just thinking about Rayna's feelings. Has she ever asked about her dad?"
Sienna dropped her gaze. The memory of Rayna asking about her father surfaced again.
"She asked once. I told her that her dad left a long time ago. What I actually said was... that he'd passed away."
Harris nodded in understanding. He reached over and placed his palm gently on Rayna's head.
"I hope she grows up to be an amazing kid here. Don't worry, Si. I'm not going to let you carry Rayna's life on your own. She's our gem — we protect her together."
Sienna's eyes welled up. In a world that had been nothing but cruel, full of threats from the family that was supposed to protect her, Harris was the only person she could lean on.
"Thank you so much. You're always so good to me."
"You're my sister, Si. Of course this is my responsibility too — that's what family is," Harris said, wiping the corner of Sienna's eye before a tear could fall.
"All right. I'll go put her to bed."
Sienna slipped into the small but cozy bedroom. With the gentlest movements, she laid Rayna on the bed, pulled off her tiny shoes, and drew the blanket up to her chest. She sat on the edge of the mattress, watching Rayna's face for a long time before leaning down to press a kiss to her daughter's forehead.
"Good night, sweetheart. Mommy will do whatever it takes so you never have to know how bitter the world out there really is," she whispered.
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