"Alright, Ma'am," Adrian said with a slight nod before stepping out of the office building.The evening breeze swept across his face—cold, soft, just enough to loosen the tension that had clung to his shoulders since morning.
His first day at Pranata Group wasn't bad.But it wasn't easy either.Too many eyes. Too many rules. Too many judgments.
As he opened his car door, his phone buzzed.
Lucas: Yo bro, come to the usual bar.Adrian: Okay, on my way.
He exhaled, got into the car, and drove off.
Golden Hour.A small, warm bar—wooden walls, yellow lights, faint slow jazz drifting from the floor below. The air carried a citrus aroma from freshly mixed drinks. A bar born from Lucas's recklessness and a little capital from Adrian's stock-trading wins. A place Lucas built himself… because his family home had never felt like a home.
Golden Hour, the place where Lucas could be himself.
Adrian walked in. The server, who already knew him, smiled politely and guided him to a private room upstairs.
As soon as the door opened, Lucas's laughter burst out. He sat casually, surrounded by two slightly tipsy women. But the moment Adrian appeared, Lucas's laughter faded—replaced by a wide, genuine smile.
"Yo, my friend!" he shouted, getting up.
"Hey, idiot. It's still a weekday. Why the hell are you drinking?" Adrian raised a brow.
"I just had a little while waiting for you," Lucas replied, slinging an arm around him and dragging him to the seat.
Lucas poured whiskey into a clear glass and handed it over."So, how was your first day at Pranata Group?"
Adrian took a sip. His face tightened for a moment before going calm again."Normal. Like working at any big company."
Lucas gave him a mischievous look. "Have you seen her again?"
"I have." He paused for a moment. "But… I don't think she remembers me."
There was a faint bitterness in the sentence—one Adrian himself didn't notice.
Lucas laughed, hitting his shoulder. "Not surprising, bro. You've changed a lot. You used to be a hardcore nerd—now you look like a men's magazine model."
"Yeah, whatever, kid." Adrian tossed a peanut at Lucas. The two women on the sofa giggled before returning to their drinks.
The jazz music from downstairs seeped gently into the room. Golden Hour felt warm.But Adrian… his mind drifted back to that one glance earlier today.
The flicker of Arsyeela's face at the elevator… the way her gaze hardened when her assistant mentioned the family meeting. Like someone marching into a battlefield.
The thought kept circling him.
"Lucas," Adrian leaned forward slightly. "Let me ask you something."
Lucas stopped swirling his glass. "What?"
"You know anything about the internal rumors in the Pranata family?"
Lucas froze. His eyes flicked toward the door, then back at Adrian."Why?"
"I ran into her earlier. Her assistant said there's a big family meeting." Adrian swallowed. "You should've seen her face. Like she was heading to war."
Lucas didn't answer immediately. He closed his eyes briefly, inhaled, then opened them again.That small gesture wasn't normal—Adrian knew.
"Makes sense," Lucas finally said. His voice no longer playful."Their family is a battlefield. Always has been. And as far as I know… the project you're handling is one of the requirements for the heir candidates to move one step closer to becoming the ruler of that business empire."
Adrian blinked, disbelief creeping in."That extreme…?"
Lucas nodded slowly. "That's why I said you're lucky. You and Nathan have a home. Parents who care even if they're busy. My family? Her family?" He stared at his glass for a long moment. "Home is just a concept. The rest… are chains."
Something quietly crumbled beneath his smile.
Adrian slung an arm around his shoulder. "That's why you should come to my place more. My mom keeps asking about you."
Lucas laughed, but the laugh was shorter than usual.
He lifted his glass. "Cheers.""Cheers."
One of the girls beside Lucas suddenly stood and grabbed his arm."Lucas, aren't you coming back to sit with us?"
Lucas gave her a polite smile. "In a bit. I'm talking with my bestie."
She pouted and sat back down. Adrian shook his head.
"If you keep this up, you'll be forty and still unmarried."
Lucas laughed. "That's the goal."
They laughed again. A light moment, but beneath it lay something heavy—because Lucas rarely talked about his family. And when he did… it usually meant he was hiding something.
Adrian stood. "Bro, I'm heading home. I still have work tomorrow."
"Okay. Take care," Lucas waved.
Adrian opened the door, then turned back. "Oh, don't forget my dividend this month."
Lucas gave a thumbs up. "Relax."
The night city passed by his car windows. The lights stretched into long golden trails. The radio played on its own, but Adrian's mind wasn't there.
He still saw that look.The cold, strong gaze of a woman who might be going home tonight with a heart full of wounds.
Without realizing it, his car slowed as he passed a bakery.Warm lights, fogged windows.
Adrian stopped. Walked in. Bought a few pastries.
"For tomorrow," he muttered—whether to himself, or to someone he had been thinking about since leaving the office.
A small smile appeared."Looks like she's gonna need these."
He returned to the car, placed the pastries on the passenger seat.
Then opened his dashboard.
A cigarette box.He had cut down a lot.But tonight felt different.
He lit one. Smoke drifted slowly upward.
Through the haze, his thoughts moved.Back to two years ago.To something he and Nathan once planned—something he buried because the time wasn't right.
But now…
The time might be coming sooner than expected.
He pulled out his phone and dialed.
The call connected.
"Hello, ko? Why are you calling me this late?" Nathan's sleepy voice came through.
"Dek," Adrian took a deep breath. "I think we need to move up our plan."
Silence. One second. Two.
"WHAT? Why? We planned that really carefully two years ago, ko!"
"Let's just say… it's to help your future sister-in-law."
Nathan went silent for quite a while before hissing lightly."Ugh… simp. Fine. I'll tell Mbak Dina. We'll shift everything forward."
"Thanks, dek."
"But remember, you'll owe me big time."
Adrian chuckled softly. "Yeah."
"Oh, one more thing," he added. "Secure the Pranata stocks being released on the market. Use my personal funds."
Nathan let out a long sigh. "Fine…"
The call ended.
Adrian stared straight ahead.The last trail of cigarette smoke faded through the open window.And in his eyes—there was a resolve that wasn't there this morning.
Tomorrow… something would begin.
He started the engine and drove home.With a small bag of pastries on the passenger seat.And a heart quietly waiting for the next day.