The night sky seemed to understand the chaos burning inside Alaska Bumi Arganta.
Amid the loud music of the bar one of the many establishments under his control he sat in the VIP booth. Beside him was Kenan Ardion, his right-hand man and childhood friend, the only person who could keep him grounded.
"You look like a hungry lion, Boss," Kenan muttered, sipping his whiskey.
"What exactly are you waiting for?"
Alaska didn't answer. He only raised an eyebrow, his cold eyes fixed on one direction a long haired brunette laughing with her friends at a corner table.
Alana Arasya.
A name he had just heard from the bartender. Nineteen. Fresh graduate. A girl who shouldn't stand out in a place like this, yet somehow burned brighter than the neon lights around her.
"She's different, Ken," Alaska finally said, voice flat yet carrying something rare interest.
"Look at how she laughs. The way she looks at the world without fear."
Kenan chuckled under his breath.
"Are you saying that because you're impressed… or did your obsession relapse again?"
Alaska straightened, setting his glass on the marble table with a soft click.
"This isn't obsession, Ken. This is,"
His gaze didn't move from Alana as she stood up and lit a cigarette.
"Addiction."
Meanwhile…
"Eca, Vina, Manda! Look at that guy in the VIP section damn, he's crazy hot!" Manda squealed.
"He looks super rich," Vina added. "But his stare is scary, I swear. Like he could make you forget how to breathe."
Alana glanced over for a second. Their eyes met.
A moment too short to be real, yet too long to pretend she didn't feel something shift.
"Why is he staring like that? Ugh. Weird," Alana muttered, turning away quickly even though her heart thumped harder than normal.
"He's been watching you all night," Eca whispered.
"You really didn't notice?"
"I don't care," Alana scoffed, playing it cool.
"Guys like him only play around. I'm not interested."
But fate didn't care what she wanted.
When Alana stepped out of the bar toward the parking lot, heavy footsteps echoed behind her.
She turned. He was there. Only a few steps away.
"You're Alana Arasya?"
His voice was deep. Commanding. Yet strangely soft in her ears.
"And if I am, so what?" Alana folded her arms.
"Following someone isn't exactly polite, you know."
Alaska smirked, slow and dangerous.
"I'm not following you. I'm just… confirming the person who made me lose control tonight."
"Control?" Alana scoffed. "Guys who act dominant like you are everywhere. I'm not interested in being someone's game."
"Game?" Alaska took one step forward, then another until he stood inches away.
"If this is a game, then you've already won, Alana."
She swallowed but refused to back down.
"I'm not scared of you."
"You should be," Alaska whispered.
"Because I'm not a good man. I own half this city… and I run something you can't even imagine."
"Mafia?" Alana smirked.
"Funny. People with real power don't need to brag."
Alaska held back a laugh, clearly entertained.
"Feisty, aren't you? I like that."
"I don't need you to like anything about me," Alana snapped.
"Just stop looking at me like I'm an item you're trying to buy."
Silence fell.
Kenan, who had been lingering behind them, exhaled sharply.
He knew this look. He knew his boss. And he knew exactly what this meant.
"She's not someone you can control, Al," Kenan murmured.
Alaska glanced at him, then returned his attention to the girl in front of him this time with a tilted smile.
"Maybe. But when I want something… I never stop until it's mine."
Alana turned away, starting her motorbike. The engine roared, slicing through the quiet night.
But in her side mirror, she caught one last glimpse of him.
That gaze.
The gaze of Alaska Bumi Arganta.
Not the gaze of a man who wanted to possess…
But to claim.
To bind.
To ruin anything that stood between them.