"If I hadn't woken up and checked your laptop, what would've happened?!" Calvin's voice rose, nearly trembling with a mix of anger and fear.
Laura remained silent, but her gaze started to heat up. Her breathing was uneven, not from exhaustion but from the crushing guilt in her chest—especially with Calvin's sharp words that felt like they were piercing her to the bone.
The car sped up, nearly crossing the speed limit. The roar of the engine echoed Calvin's fury, which had yet to subside.
"You think you can face them alone, huh? Do you have any idea what they're capable of, Laura?" Calvin cut himself off, taking a deep breath as he tried to rein in the explosion of emotions that refused to be tamed.
"You are just—" He bit his lip, holding back words he might regret later. In the end, he fell silent, his eyes returning to the road ahead.
Laura glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to say something—but she held back. Not out of fear, but because she knew there were no words that could fix this right now.
That night felt endless, the tension in the air hanging like a heavy storm cloud. The car continued speeding forward, taking them farther from danger… or perhaps closer to an even greater threat.
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Crash! A loud noise echoed through hotel room 4003. Mr. Wirya, seething with rage, hurled the vintage bedside lamp off the nightstand, shattering it into pieces on the floor.
The atmosphere was thick, suffocating with the fury radiating from the headmaster. His fists clenched tightly, his sharp gaze fixed on the floor as if searching for answers within the cracks of the tiles.
"Damn it! She didn't come here!" His voice finally broke the tense silence. He paced back and forth in quick, agitated strides, every movement a clear sign of frustration eating away at him.
Mrs. Marni stood in the corner of the room, anxious but trying to remain composed. She knew that when Mr. Wirya got this angry, anything could happen.
"Mrs. Marni," his voice was lower now, yet it carried an undeniable authority. "Call Brenda. That girl was supposed to be here. She must know something—or at least, she must have seen Laura earlier!"
With trembling fingers, Mrs. Marni fumbled for her phone, dialing Brenda's number. She waited, listening to the ringing tone, only to hear the automated response:
"The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try— Beep…"
Her face turned even paler. "Her number is unavailable, sir," she said quietly, carefully, afraid of provoking an even greater outburst from Mr. Wirya.
The man halted mid-step, narrowing his eyes at her. "Unavailable?"
He let out a sharp breath before pointing toward the door with a quick motion. "Check the lobby. She might still be there!"
Mrs. Marni nodded swiftly and hurried out of the suffocating room, her steps brisk as she made her way to the lobby, her mind racing with possibilities.
Inside the hotel's lobby restroom, an eerie silence lingered. She checked each closed stall one by one until she finally found Brenda. The girl was slumped against a closed toilet seat, unconscious, her face unnervingly pale.
"Oh my God," Mrs. Marni whispered in alarm. She quickly checked Brenda's pulse to confirm she was still alive before attempting to wake her. Brenda let out a faint groan, too weak to respond.
Wasting no time, Mrs. Marni called for hotel staff to help carry Brenda back to room 4003.
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Screech! The sound of Calvin's brakes shattered the silence of the night, echoing down the empty street. The car came to a halt right in front of Laura's house gate. Without hesitation, Calvin stepped out swiftly, yanked open Laura's car door, and firmly grabbed her wrist.
"Get inside!" His command was short, his voice cold and brimming with authority.
Laura lowered her gaze, her steps faltering as she followed Calvin's urgent pull. She didn't resist, didn't protest. Her body was exhausted, her mind in turmoil. A heavy weight pressed against her chest, as if any resistance would be futile before this man—the one who had just saved her from a dangerous situation. As if defying him would be a grave sin.
As soon as they entered the house, Calvin shut the door behind them and, once again, issued a firm command. "Stay here! I'll be back soon."
Before Laura could respond, he grabbed the keys from the table near the door and locked it from the outside. The click of the lock echoed, making Laura hold her breath for a moment.
Calvin's footsteps faded away, followed by the roar of his car engine, which gradually disappeared into the distance.
Laura stood there, unmoving. She knew whatever Calvin was about to do, it was to protect her. Yet, the guilt that enveloped her remained impossible to ignore.
She exhaled deeply, attempting to ease the weight in her chest, then slumped onto a chair. The laptop on the desk was still on, displaying an abstract screensaver that cast a faint glow on her weary face. Her tote bag lay on the floor, slightly open.
Something inside it caught her attention. Brenda's smartphone.
Laura leaned down, carefully picking up the device. She had turned it off earlier while in the hotel elevator. With steady hands, she removed the SIM card and external memory, placing them on the table.
Taking a slow breath, she powered the phone back on. The screen lit up, revealing the home menu. It didn't take long for Laura to begin extracting the data stored within.
Her eyes narrowed as she scrolled through file after file until she finally stumbled upon something that made her pause entirely.
A knowing smirk spread across her lips. A grin filled with satisfaction—tinged with mockery.
"Hmm, so you were messing around with Mr. Wirya too? Figures," Laura murmured as she scanned through the messages she had just uncovered. Messages that contained sultry photos, sent to an unfamiliar number—one Laura was certain belonged to Mr. Wirya, judging by their conversation.
"You actually went for that old bastard." She exhaled in disbelief. Brenda was a year younger than her, still in her second year of high school. And yet, her actions surpassed those of an adult.
Even though the messages had been deleted, Laura had successfully recovered them. But she wasn't done yet. She continued searching—until, suddenly, a photo folder appeared on the screen.
She clicked it, her eyebrows shooting up as she saw its contents.
Photos of Mrs. Marni.
Dozens of images, ranging from formal portraits to candid shots, filled the phone screen. Laura's eyes narrowed as she tried to make sense of why Brenda had saved them.
"What is this for?" she muttered, both confused and suspicious.
Something felt off. Something was off. But she wasn't sure what—yet.
As she continued staring at the phone screen, Laura's thoughts began to race. What other secrets were hidden in Brenda's phone?
The questions danced in her mind, rekindling her excitement to dig deeper.
While one laptop worked automatically, she used another to carry out her next move.
She began editing Mrs. Marni's photos.
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(To be continued)