
Byan was still sitting on the dining table chair while looking at the chair that was left behind by his stepmother, Maureen.
There was a sense of unease in his heart when he saw that chair. Still fresh in the memory that the chair used to be occupied by his mother every time they ate together. The shadow of a warm interaction began to fill Byan's mind.
His mother's laughter, Anggoro's joke that teases Andini to Andini's gentle kiss on the top of Byan's head, is still so pronounced.
“This is for brother, special omelette made by mamih.” Said the late Andini who currently can only make Byan smile poignantly.
The shadows even made Byan feel tight and disappointed at the same time. It is true that humans cannot always be together. But why should this be the end of his separation with his parents?
He could understand the annoyance of Ruwina and Edwin because he also felt the feeling of jogging when he saw the woman sitting on a throne that he should not have occupied. He felt that he could not let his mother's position continue to be occupied by foreigners who should not enter his family.
Pause lunch that is not too delicious and like being in a foreign right, Byan did by finding information about who his stepmother really is.
Jill Maureen Emrys, age twenty-four was the first information she got. From his social media accounts.
Byan smiled cynically, it turned out that his stepmother's age was much younger than her age. It is true that young leaves are always more attractive to many male eyes.
He became curious, the complete identity of the woman who had become the last port of Anggoro the Casanova who used to play around and change female partners like changing clothes. He wanted to know what the woman had until Anggoro decided to marry her.
Byan took his cell phone, then contacted someone.
“Lo is busy?” ask her, when the call is connected.
“Gue would like to ask for help, find someone's full identity. The data will be sent.” That's just a brief request byan.
In a few moments he sends two main identities Maureen, namely name and age. Just let her confidant find out about the woman.
While waiting, Byan continued his lunch. Although not so delicious, but he needs to fill his stomach rumbling. After a few years, he finally met again with rice grains. A considerable longing for these filling white granules.
“Tring!” a message went to Byan's phone.
“Cakepp wooyy... This is your stepdaughter right? Hahahaha..” Once the contents of the message sent by his friend and confidant, Vishnu.
Byan screeched when it turned out that Vishnu's ability was only limited to looking for photos of Maureen.
“Gue didn't tell you to take a picture. Find the full data.” Reply Byan with annoyance.
“Practice me a drink, later I give you complete info.” Nego Vishnu's.
Byan can only shake his head, sometimes his best friend is not reliable.
“Send me the location. I love you drink sampe lo stomach as hard as jidat!” reply Byan who smiled annoyedly.
It seemed like he did need a friend to talk to and make a plan to destroy his stepmother.
“Okey, I wait. I'm ready also the pere, where do you need caresses. Huh!” reply Vishnu with his special laughter.
Byan no longer replied. He put his cell phone in his pocket and sipped a drink.
“Huwek!” suddenly Byan spewed out his drink.
“This crazy girl. Watch sugly wine.” His grunt while putting his glass roughly. He thought it was ordinary mineral water turned out to be an alcoholic beverage.
“There are traces of his lips again.” Byan rubbed his own lips violently when he realized there were traces of lipstick in the glass he was wearing.
“This house does not accept me. Look, I will definitely take this house again and it will all be back to how it was.” He muttered, as he passed away leaving the luxurious and magnificent house that had been his residence since childhood.
****
In her room, Maureen is enjoying a gentle massage from a therapist. His face was covered in an organic mask while his eyes were closed enjoying the soothing sensation of massage. She did deliberately relax herself because according to her, there is no point she continues to be dissolved in grief over the death of her husband.
He needs to continue his life. Reorganizing the dreams he had to achieve that were stalled and more difficult to achieve after Anggoro died. He must strengthen his heart from the scathing insinuations Ruwina also decisively denotes Edwin's hostile confidants.
After this, shouldn't he be preparing for a bigger war? His enemy grew as Byan returned to this house.
Right now, beside Maureen was a servant whom she was interrogating. He swore the servant to be honest. There's a lot he needs to know.
“When does he leave for overseas?” Maureen asked the servant who she said had been working for this family for fifteen years.
“Eight years ago mistress. Precisely, one month after the death of the late great mistress.” Without hesitation the servant replied.
“Why did he go abroad?” Maureen with her enormous curiosity at the annoying figure who a moment ago lowered her.
“After the great mistress dies, the young master always blames the great lord and assumes the death of the great mistress because of the great master. They often quarrel, storm every day until the big master had slapped the young master and beat him to pieces.”
“Young master went abroad without a penny capital from a big master. He started his own business from zero.”
“I-iya, I mean he did not bring capital money to start his business.” The waiter was correcting his sentence.
“Then, where did he eat at the beginning of his stay abroad? He also needs a fare to get there.” Usut Maureen who is not satisfied with the answer of his servant.
“Young master a painter miss. He sold all his paintings for living abroad. He even refused the money given by Miss Ruwina. Her,”
“Is he married?” Maureen immediately asked the important thing only.
“Had he had a lover. He's a famous singer. Him too,”
“My question, is she married?” Maureen repeated her question. I don't like unimportant answers.
“Oh, not yet a mistress.” Answer the waiter.
“You can go. Don't interrupt my time.” Maureen said, shaking her hand, gesturing the servant to leave. To him, the info he needed about Byan was already complete.
After the waiter left Maureen took her phone and searched for information about Byan in the search field.
“Byantara Ethan Anggoro,” murmured Maureen while typing the man's name.
His name is unique enough that his search is directly specific to the Byan figure he refers to.
“Wah, medsosnya update also.” Praise Maureen. Many photos of Byan are displayed in cyberspace.
But just going to click on his profile, his fingers immediately stopped.
“Hey, do you have a medsos account?” maureen asked the young therapist.
"A-no mistress.” The therapist's.
“I borrow for a moment. I will pay per minute fifty thousand.” Maureen Pinta.
The girl was silent, hesitant to agree or reject Maureen's request.
“I won't do anything weird. I just need to see someone's profile.” Of course, he did not want any notification on Byan medsos if Maureen visited his profile.
“Bby?” emphatically.
“Oh, please mistress.” The therapist happily gave her cell phone.
Maureen fell down comfortably. He used a goose feather pillow to support his chest. He calmly started surfing in cyberspace, finding out Byan's social media accounts and seeing what was there.
“Hahahaha...he never sealay this.” Not nothing Maureen has laughed at the photo Byan punk style, all-black clothes, sagging pants, leather jacket, hair puffed, thin body not taken care of and take pictures while sticking out his tongue.
“Wah, this accessory what is bulldog chain?” Maureen muttered that chuckled as she looked at the large chain that became the accessories of Byan's pants.
“Other times, choose the photos you will post yes son so as not to be a laughing stock in the future.” Maureen's advice on the photo of teenager Byan that made her amused herself.
Many photos of Byan's past made him laugh. But there is one photo that makes his laughter immediately stopped, namely the photo of Byan with Anggoro and Andini. Maybe at that time Byan was still a teenager. Where he thinks only about school peers and how to ask for more pocket money, not about the complicated problems he faces now.
“Mas, why did you leave a naughty stepchild? Can I flick it occasionally?” Maureen spoke to herself on the therapist's phone screen.
He could imagine how the life of Byan was once very free. And now, that little boy is growing up. He hit the drums of war and made Maureen his real enemy. He believes the return of Byan from abroad is not without reason.
Then about her lover, there is not a single photo of the woman in Byan's post.
“Akh, he's the same as the other men. She doesn't like to post about the woman she's dating. Coward!” decik Maureen's. For Maureen, only a person who honors her commitment and is brave can publicize her relationship with the opposite sex.
The reason for fear of his partner in other people's puja, only a stupid reason that shows that in fact he wants to hide his relationship. Cowardly right?
But something then flashed through his mind.
“She's a weathered bujang, it will be very easy to get rid of her.” Maureen muttered while chuckling to herself.
Various ways have been directly arranged in his head. One by one he would do to protect what should be his.
“Sorry son, this time we can not be harmonious as a child and stepmother in general. Now we're rivals... hem?” mumbling Maureen while rubbing a photo of Byan in the present who is taking pictures with his painting.
A painting of a woman with many faces. It might be one of the premonitions that Byan will meet a Maureen who has many faces.
He smiled for a while until his face turned cold. He looked at another photo on his phone. A couple with a daughter.
"Patience, your departure will no longer be in vain." He said with anger.
****