CHAPTER 51: PRS 51

At a small food stall, hidden in the middle of town, lined with rice fields on either side of the road, foreman Dito got off his motorcycle and glanced left and right, making sure no one he knew was there. His trembling hands gripped his helmet slightly before he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

Inside the stall, two of his men were already waiting: Karman and Karmin, his two trusted right-hand men. The two sat in a corner with anxious faces, occasionally glancing at each other nervously.

"What’s this, boss? All our efforts have failed because of that girl," Karman groaned, rubbing his pale face. "We’ve tried so hard, but it’s all in vain. She’s too smart and always one step ahead of us."

"Yes, boss. Besides failing, we’re also in danger of being kicked off the project," Karmin added, his voice trembling. "If we lose this project, what will happen to us? This is the biggest project we’ve ever handled."

Foreman Dito twirled his mustache with one hand as his nose flared, suppressing the anger he harbored. His jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed sharply as if he were contemplating something very serious.

"Calm down, we haven’t lost yet," Dito muttered softly but with emphasis. "There’s still another way. We just need a more cunning strategy."

Not far from where the three were, Siva, disguised in a jacket he found on a motorcycle seat and his shoulder-length black hair loose, partially covering his face, sat in a corner of the food stall, munching on the fried food in front of him. He listened intently to catch the three men’s conversation, occasionally pretending to be busy with his cell phone to avoid raising suspicion.

Because they arrived after lunchtime, although it wasn’t crowded, there were still many people buying rujak uleg (a type of fruit salad) and some still drinking coffee and chatting casually with their friends afterward, making Siva’s presence perfectly disguised.

About five minutes after foreman Dito entered, a handsome man dressed neatly, his shirt rolled up halfway to reveal his toned muscles, and sunglasses entered the stall. His aura was so powerful that several customers glanced over briefly before returning to their activities.

Watching the stall owner interact with the thirty-something man, Siva was certain they already knew each other and that the man was a regular at the establishment, so she began to be wary of the stall owner, who was currently delivering her order.

"You’re new, aren’t you, Miss? How come I’ve only just seen you?" the stall owner asked kindly, placing a plate of rujak in front of Siva.

"Yes, ma’am. It just so happens that a relative who lives nearby told me the rujak here is delicious, so I stopped by," Siva replied, flashing her neat, pearly white teeth. "Besides, I was looking for a comfortable and quiet place to eat like this."

Hearing Siva’s words, the middle-aged woman smiled broadly, clearly pleased with the compliment.

"Please eat, and I hope it suits you, Miss. If it’s not sweet enough or spicy enough, just tell me, and I’ll add more," she said politely, returning to her seat as a customer entered the stall and ordered two hot coffees with milk.

While enjoying the rujak uleg (a type of fruit salad) in front of her, Siva’s ears were wide open, occasionally glancing at the four men sitting two tables across from her. Her hand holding the spoon moved slowly, as if savoring the food, but her focus was actually on their conversation.

While Siva was able to enter, Alexo remained outside, observing the situation, continuing to report his monitoring progress to Alesio Xander after he saw Harry Armada’s youngest son enter the rujak stall.

After his black coffee arrived, Galih stared at the three men in front of him with a frown, creating firm lines on his forehead that added to his intimidating impression.

"What’s wrong with your faces? Is it that bad?" he asked casually, pouring the hot black coffee served in front of him into cups with slow, calculated movements. "Or are you saying there’s another problem you can’t solve?"

Behind his sunglasses, a glint of anger shimmered, invisible to the three men before him. However, the aura he radiated was enough to make them feel suffocated.

Foreman Dito felt threatened; the calmer the man before him, the more dangerous the situation. He knew all too well how Galih worked—the calmer he was, the more terrifying his anger would be.

Seeing the three men remain silent, their faces ashen, the man slammed the cup down on the table, startling them all.

Tak!

"You know best that I don’t like being lied to, so tell me what’s wrong," he asked sharply in a low, piercing voice. "I don’t have time to play riddles with you. Speak now, or you know the consequences."

Despite his fear, foreman Dito, feeling he could no longer conceal everything, haltingly recounted the situation on the project. He explained how all their plans were foiled, how the girl was always one step ahead, and how a project that should have gone smoothly had instead become a complete mess.

Galih listened calmly to foreman Dito’s story, but his grip on the cup of hot coffee in his hand tightened until it began to crack, nearly making Saipul faint in fear as he watched his boss’s knuckles turn white from the pressure.

"Who is that girl?" he asked inquisitively, his voice dropping an octave. "Give me all the information you have. All of it. Don’t hide anything."

"If I’m not mistaken, her name is Isabella Clark, a beautiful girl who recently went viral on social media as a young entrepreneur from XX City, the owner of the Lura Estate land," explained foreman Dito carefully, choosing every word with great precision. "She’s only 22 years old, but she’s already very influential in the business world. Many big businessmen respect her."

After foreman Dito finished explaining, the coffee cup in Galih’s hand shattered, the hot coffee spilling all over the table and onto his hand. Galih ignored his reddened hand from the spill, because his heart was burning and hurting more than the spilled coffee. Her name was... Isabella Clark. The same girl who acquired his family’s company.

The shop owner, accustomed to such scenes, could only take a few deep breaths before coming over with a tablecloth.

"You guys move to the next table first, I’ll clean this one," he said resignedly, as if familiar with similar incidents.

He wiped the spilled coffee off the table and carefully picked up the broken glass. "Huh, I guess I’ll have to stock up on new glasses tomorrow," he muttered to himself, shaking his head slowly.

Galih’s bad mood due to his family’s situation meant that every time the handsome man came to the shop, one or two glasses would be smashed in his anger. It had become an unpleasant routine for the shop owner.

Although all the damaged items were replaced with more money, that didn’t comfort the shop owner, who feared that if the man couldn’t control his anger at any moment, his shop would be targeted and destroyed.

After the table was cleared, the four men, who had moved tables randomly, returned to their original table to resume the conversation interrupted by the incident. The tension between them was still thick in the air.

Karman and Karmin sat, trembling with fear, their clothes soaked with cold sweat from the pressure Galih was exerting. They didn’t dare look their boss in the eye, only occasionally glancing quickly.

Galih had no idea that the girl working with Alesio Xander was the same person who had just acquired his family’s company. Fate was truly ironic.

"How beautiful is that girl?" he asked suddenly, causing foreman Dito to look up eagerly, as if finding a way to remedy the situation.

"Very beautiful, boss. Even more beautiful than the city’s student belle who is your current girlfriend," said foreman Dito enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling. "Her beauty isn’t just physical, but also the way she carries herself. Everyone who meets her is sure to be impressed."

Although Galih had seen photos of Isabella online, hearing foreman Dito say that she was even more beautiful than she really was made his passion surge. A plan began to form in his mind.

Seeing that his boss seemed to have calmed down a bit, to make up for his failure, foreman Dito tried to curry favor with him by offering what he considered a brilliant suggestion.

"It seems like Mr. Alesio Xander likes that girl, but she doesn’t respond. The boss is younger and more handsome than Mr. Alesio," whispered foreman Dito, leaning forward. "If the boss can get Miss Isabella and make her side with us, besides getting benefits, we can also get her to help us destroy Lulas Corporation. Moreover, I heard, the girl is very rich. With her, wouldn’t the Armada family be helped too? This is a golden opportunity, boss."

Hearing foreman Dito’s whisper, Galih smiled faintly. In his heart, he confirmed the fat man with the thick mustache’s words. The plan sounded perfect, too perfect to pass up.

If he succeeded in getting Isabella, the Armada Group would return to him. And, he could also use the beautiful girl to deceive Alesio Xander, if he truly liked her.

Wasn’t this like killing two enemies in one fell swoop? How brilliant! Galih almost laughed, feeling like he had found the perfect solution.

With him and Isabella, who was currently on the rise, his family’s reputation would gradually recover, thanks to the positive image she had built. The media would surely cover their relationship, and all the Armada family scandals would be forgotten.

With such a sinister thought in mind, Galih began formulating a new plan with a sly smile on his face.

"This time, I won’t punish you, but you know what to do, right?" he said with a sly smile, making foreman Dito and his two men nod obediently with relief and fear.

"Of course, boss, we understand. We’ll do whatever you order," foreman Dito replied quickly, trying to demonstrate his loyalty and sincerity.

Having worked closely with Galih for so long, foreman Dito had a deep understanding of Harry Armada’s son, so he quickly devised a master plan to trap Isabella and end up with his boss. In his mind, various scenarios began to form, from arranging seemingly coincidental meetings to creating situations where Isabella would need Galih’s help.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the cafe, Siva meticulously recorded the entire conversation. He knew this information was invaluable and had to be reported to Isabella immediately before it was too late. His fingers itched to send a message, but he had to be patient enough to leave the place without arousing suspicion.

"Perfect," Galih muttered softly as he lit a cigarette, the smoke curling slowly into the air. "We’ll start tomorrow. Find out everything about Isabella Clark—her habits, the places she frequents, the people she’s closest to. I want to know everything."

The four men then continued their discussion in hushed tones, planning detailed steps to ensnare Isabella into their web, unaware that their evil plan had already been perfectly recorded by Siva’s sharp ears.