Chapter 34 #2
He gave me a slight smile, leaning closer and closer until his nose brushed mine, pulling the breath from my lungs. “Golden can come too,” he whispered.
“Zioh—”
“Yes?” He tilted his face, left to right, checking each part of my face one by one.
Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart hammered against my ribs, threatening to burst. “I have to—”
“You have to?” His eyes returned to meet mine again, lingering. He tilted his head toward the curve of my neck, inhaling a long, deep breath.
“Hhh…” My hair stood on end, and I shook my head. “I-I mean, I should—”
Ding.
The lift chimed, and the doors slid open to reveal the hall. Without hesitation, Zioh smiled and brushed my cheek before striding out first, leaving me rooted in place behind him.
“Can I take it as a yes?” he threw over his shoulder, grinned.
I let out a shaky breath. Was I just tricked into agreeing?
Wait—Tsabinu didn’t even know about us, about how close we’d grown again lately. I hadn’t agreed to anything, and yet—
Flustered, I hurried out of the lift, trying to catch up with his long strides. He paused to hand the drinks to a passing security guard, then turned back to me.
“I have to go for a bit,” he said, glancing away, then back at me. “After the press conference, straight to the parking lot. My car’s in the VIP section.”
Before I could speak, he gave his damn smile again, then walked off. He was talking into his AirPods, but his expression was sharp and tense. It changed in an instant, like flipping a switch.
By the way…
Why had he arrived so early? Shouldn’t he have come with his dad and Zaeem? Even Tsabinu wasn’t here yet. What had made him rush?
“Ma’am, where should I put these drinks?” The guard’s question snapped me from my thoughts. I pointed to my seat near the front. “Ah… yes, over there, please.”
After thanking him, I settled the cups beside my chair. I checked my watch, and it was only one o’clock. The conference wouldn’t start until three. Guests and executives slowly trickled in, filling the room.
I adjusted my camera again, ensuring every detail was ready, before finally sitting with my orange americano. I liked drinking it while working, though I had once hated anything that wasn’t sweet or spicy.
“Mbak…? Are you busy? Could we talk for a moment?”
The sound drew my attention, made me turn around.
It was Ribka. One of my division teammates, and one of the people who had mocked me behind my back when I was on the phone with Andi.
The moment I’d heard the voices that insulted me back then, I knew exactly who they belonged to.
I had memorized every voice in my division, so even though Andi never told me who they were, I could recognize them immediately.
I looked at her and nodded in response, prompting Ribka to take one of the empty chairs beside me. She looked at me with trembling in her eyes, her movements slow and restless.
“I… I want to apologize again, Mbak,” she murmured, twisting her fingers and lowering her head. “I… I went too far that time.” Her voice was quiet, almost shaking, and not just regret but fear laced in it.
I let out a short sigh and nodded, my fists clenched tight. The truth was, I had been deeply hurt by what had happened. I remembered how many tears I’d shed because of their words. But at the same time, Ribka was a colleague in my division, and holding grudges would only worsen our teamwork.
Her lips curved into a small, relieved smile when she saw me nod.
“It’s alright,” I replied, returning her smile.
“But please, from now on, let’s try to respect each other more and watch what we say, alright?
I want to give my best to this team and our company; there’s no other intention behind it. ” My tone was soft but firm.
Ribka nodded. “Yes, Mbak.” She looked at me, but then her expression froze as her gaze shifted to something behind me. Strangely, her face was tense, and her eyes widened.
Curious, I turned to follow her line of sight, and my eyes immediately caught who she looked at.
Zioh?
When I turned to her again, Ribka had gone rigid, staring at Zioh, or perhaps at the men in black suits standing a short distance behind him. Oddly, those men weren’t watching Zioh.
They were watching Ribka.
I looked back at Zioh. He spoke, but not with them. He pressed his AirPods tighter and snapped at them. His face was flushed, his eyes sharpened, and his body stiff with tension.
“Shut the fuck up!”
I jolted at the sound of him shouting. He had realized, too, because his wide eyes darted around, left, right, even upward.
His face went flat, but I could see his breath growing uneven, and his jaw tightened as he clenched his fist with force.
It repeated again and again until finally, one of the men in suits touched his shoulder and whispered something to him.
He shook his head. Exhaled hard.
Now I remembered, those men were the ones who always followed Mas Zaeem. I’d often seen them, with the same appearance whenever he was around. And Tsabinu had spoken to them before as well.
Zioh steadied his breathing and turned. His red flushed face and sharp gaze swept towards us, landing on me.
I wasn’t sure if he looked directly at Ribka or me, but the sight of his stiff, lost expression startled me. It was the same, just like that day in the park.
My heart raced, but only for a moment, because he quickly shook his head, avoided my eyes, and the connection broke as Ribka stood up and excused herself.
“O-once again, I really am sorry, Mbak,” she stammered, swallowing hard.
“I’ll go join the others.” Then she rushed off without waiting for a reply.
Zioh was already farther away when I turned back, and Tsabinu was beside him.
Wait… when had Tsabinu arrived?
And why were they walking side by side, talking?
What were they discussing?
I shook my head, forcing myself to stand. I needed to refocus on my task, but I kept turning back to watch Zioh and Tsabinu disappear together.