Bitter Reality
Darian planned to go outside to get some fresh air. The desire to rest had disappeared due to his increasingly chaotic thoughts. His intuition led his steps towards the garden. A smile instantly blossomed on Darian’s face as he saw his beloved woman, Fahira, enjoying the beauty of various blooming flowers in the garden. Fahira was inhaling the scent of freshly picked white roses.
“No flower can match your beauty, my love!” Darian whispered, now standing behind Fahira. Her body tensed as Darian’s strong hands encircled her waist.
“Are you sure I’m beautiful?” Fahira asked, feeling a warm sensation spreading through her heart due to Darian’s tender gesture.
“There is no beauty in this world like you, honey!” Darian replied, while savoring the scent of Fahira’s body that always intoxicated him.
Fahira untangled Darian’s hands from her body and looked at the dark-skinned man with a gaze full of love. “Thank you for all your love, dear,” Fahira said, her eyes welling up with tears.
Darian’s hand gently caressed Fahira’s cheek as he lovingly gazed at her. “Of course, my love. You mean everything to me,” he said tenderly.
Darian then took Fahira on a stroll around the rather spacious garden. The late Fatimah, the deceased, was a flower enthusiast. Out of love for Fatimah, Pram built this beautiful and extensive garden next to their house according to Fatimah’s wishes. Pram even bought various types of flowers directly from Malang every time he visited his tea plantation. In addition to the house and assets, Pram also inherited a tea plantation located in Malang, East Java.
From the window on the second floor, two women observed Darian and Fahira with hatred in their eyes.
“How did this happen, Mommy? It’s clear that the accident claimed the lives of Pram, Fatimah, and their two children. Then whose bodies were sent from the hospital?” Ambar asked Maheswari with an inquiring tone. Her mother-in-law and husband were conspiring to get rid of the entire Pram’s family just for the inheritance.
“Be quiet! I don’t understand it either,” Maheswari replied, clenching her fists.
“Now what should we do, Mom? The man with Fahira is not an ordinary person. He owns one of the largest companies in Jakarta. I’m afraid he will become suspicious and investigate the accident involving Uncle Pram and Aunt Fatimah! We might end up in jail; I don’t want that,” Ambar said anxiously.
“Calm down! I’m sure Fahira won’t bring up the inheritance issue if we don’t mention it. So we need to come up with a plan to get them to leave our house as soon as possible!” Maheswari said cynically, never taking her eyes off Darian and Fahira.
“Or we could just kill them, like our original plan!” Ambar suggested.
The door suddenly slammed open. Maheswari and Ambar were startled, turning their heads towards the commotion. Bisma walked in with red eyes, looking at the two women in front of him with disbelief.
“Brother Bisma!” Ambar murmured, reaching out to grab Bisma’s arm, but he pushed her away.
“I never thought you could be this despicable. You’re willing to kill our family for the sake of inheritance!” Bisma exclaimed, his eyes sharp as he stared at Maheswari, while the old woman merely smiled sardonically without any sense of guilt.
“You think all of this is for you, huh! I did it all for you and my grandchildren. You never understood how I felt because you were always hiding behind Fatimah’s shadow. That wretched woman stole what was rightfully mine,” Maheswari shouted with frustration before getting up from her seat and locking gazes with Bisma.
“You were the one who became the third party between Father and Mother Fatimah. You were always harsh to Mother Fatimah, even though she treated us well,” Bisma responded, clenching his fists and jaw, while Maheswari’s eyes showed pain.
“And now you defend them after what I did for you? I only wanted justice because your father left all his wealth to Pram. And we only received a house not much bigger than this one and a small piece of land. Mommy didn’t receive a single share of the tea plantation in Malang,” Maheswari explained, leaving Bisma shaking his head in disbelief. It was hard for him to accept the truth that his own mother was behind all of this.
Bisma’s body slumped to the floor, resting on his knees. Tears streamed down his face as he recalled the beautiful memories he shared with his older brother, Pram. He pounded his chest hard to suppress the overwhelming pain that engulfed him.
“Now it’s up to you. If you want to report Mama’s actions to Fahira and the police, I’m willing to accept it if it makes you happy!” Maheswari said sarcastically. Bisma got up from his place and left his mother’s room with a broken heart. He couldn’t bring himself to report Maheswari and her wife, two women he loved dearly. How could he bear to see Maheswari spend her remaining years behind bars?
Both Darian and Fahira felt somewhat relieved after spending a long time talking in the garden. At least, they could share their feelings with each other. Unbeknownst to anyone, David began to carry out his actions following Delon’s instructions. There was no more time to waste; everything had to be revealed as soon as possible. According to the plan, Delon had gathered the names of the culprits along with the evidence for their arrest in the planned murders of Fahira’s parents.
***
“Boss, tomorrow Mr. Delon and his team will make the arrests of all the culprits. I hope you can calm Fahira and Ariel down. It’s not easy for them to accept all this,” David explained to Darian, who remained gazing at the ceiling with a series of deep sighs.
If there was an option, Darian would choose to take Fahira and Ariel far away right now. He could no longer bear to see the suffering that befell his beloved and younger sister. Darian couldn’t fathom why someone would be so heartless as to harm and even kill their own family.
“I never expected this, Darian. Fahira’s life is so complicated. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t let her go no matter what. I would make her happy for the rest of my life!” Darian turned to look at David, who also stared at the ceiling of the room.
“Are you alright, David?” Darian inquired, surprised by David’s strange demeanor.
“I’m serious, the only woman I never want to sleep with is Fahira. I admire her so much,” David confessed, causing Darian to sit up and stare sharply at him.
“Watch yourself, or if you dare do anything to my future wife!” Darian threatened seriously.
“Hahahah… I see Fahira like my own little sister. Honestly, Darian, ever since I first met Fahira, I felt a connection with her. I don’t know, she feels different and special to me. So, you don’t need to be jealous, but if you ever hurt her, I’ll be the first one to beat you up! I don’t care even if I get fired,” David replied nonchalantly.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Darian’s smile diminished as he lay back down next to David. The conversation continued into the late night until eventually, sleep overtook their consciousness, and the two close friends dozed off together.
***
This morning, everyone gathered in the dining room for breakfast. Unlike yesterday, the atmosphere today felt tense and uneasy. Everyone chose to remain silent and focused on their food, although they seemed to have no appetite. Only the clinking of forks and spoons broke the silence of the grand house until the breakfast session ended, and everyone dispersed.
Ariel was seen walking towards the courtyard and then turning towards the garage door. His sports motorcycle was neatly parked there, next to his father’s Vespa. Ariel’s mournful gaze turned cynical as Arya entered through the garage door. He quickly left before his emotions were provoked again. He didn’t want his brother to worry about him anymore.
Ariel started walking around the spacious courtyard surrounded by pine trees, reminiscing about all the beautiful memories he shared with his parents. His lips formed a smile as he remembered the past, like when he and Fahira used to plant flowers together with their mother. Ariel used to playfully disturb them whenever the two women he cherished were busy gardening. However, Ariel’s joy was interrupted when two cars, which he recognized as police vehicles, stopped in the front yard. They weren’t the usual white and blue sedans with flashing red lights on the roof, but Ariel knew that these two Jeep-like vehicles were commonly used by intelligence agencies.
Ariel’s estimation turned out to be correct when four men in all-black clothing got out of the cars. One of them looked fierce and intimidating.
“Is Mrs. Maheswari here?” the most intimidating man asked.
“She’s inside. Allow me to take you there,” Ariel replied politely, showing the four men into the house. Ariel immediately informed his grandmother, uncle, and aunts about the arrival of the four guests.
Darian, David, and Fahira, who were in the living room, quickly got up from the sofa to see who had come. Thud… Darian and David exchanged glances.
“What’s going on, Sister Fahira?” Ariel whispered as he stood beside Fahira.
“Good morning,” one of the men greeted.
“Please have a seat,” Maheswari said with a tense expression. She suddenly felt uneasy. Ambar, who was sitting next to her mother-in-law, looked restless with a pale face, while Bisma appeared calm but puzzled.
“We apologize for disturbing your time. Our purpose for coming here is this.” The fierce-looking man, Delon, handed a letter to Maheswari.
The old woman looked at Delon briefly before opening the envelope. Her eyes widened as she shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but you must be mistaken. The contents of this letter are not true. Someone must be trying to frame me.” Maheswari put the piece of paper back into the envelope, then stood up and ushered the four men to leave.
“We don’t want to act forcefully. So, we hope that Mrs. Maheswari and Mrs. Ambar will come with us to the police station for further investigation!” Delon replied calmly.
Maheswari and Ambar looked at Bisma simultaneously.
“Did you do this, Bisma?” Maheswari said with teary eyes.
“What do you mean, Mommy? I really don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Bisma replied, looking panicky.
“Excuse me, but what is going on here?” Fahira interrupted, approaching Delon to ask for an explanation. Darian immediately held Fahira’s shoulder with an uncertain feeling.
“You must be Miss Fahira Ramadhani and this is your brother, Nazriel Ramadhan, right?” Fahira and Ariel nodded simultaneously.
“We will also need information from both of you!” Delon added.
“I still don’t understand. What is this all about?” Fahira let go of Darian’s hand and approached Delon.
Delon glanced at David before explaining everything.
“So, I was assigned by Mr. David to investigate the case of your parents’ accident three years ago, at the order of Mr. Darian! It turns out that the fatal accident was planned by your grandmother and aunt themselves.”
Shock washed over Fahira and Ariel.
“Fahira!” Darian cried out, quickly catching Fahira’s collapsing body, while Ariel sank to the ground, tears flowing freely.
David immediately ordered Delon to take Maheswari and Ambar away. He then led Ariel to sit on the sofa, while Bisma could only watch helplessly as his mother and wife were taken away by the police, feeling utterly shattered.