Novel-novel oleh Gafa author

A light rain drizzled down on the sidewalk that night. Deviana stood in front of an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city—the very place mentioned in the anonymous message. Her hand gripped her phone tightly, her heartbeat erratic.Lila had warned her firmly earlier. “Dev, this is too dangerous! It could be a trap!”“But if I don’t go, we may never find out who’s behind all these lies,” Deviana had replied, her voice steady even though fear gnawed at her chest.She stepped inside. The iron door creaked loudly, the sound scraping against her nerves. Rust and dust filled the air. A flickering neon light hung overhead, adding to the oppressive atmosphere.“Deviana.”The low voice emerged from a dark corner.Deviana turned sharply, her eyes narrowing. From the shadows, a man in a black cap stepped out. His face was half-covered by a mask, leaving only his eyes visible—cold, filled with secrets.“Who are you?” Deviana demanded.The man didn’t answer. Instead, he tossed an envelope ont

“Deviana, was that really you in the video just now?!”A journalist’s voice cut through the chaos of the ballroom, followed by camera lenses zeroing in on her face.Deviana stood frozen on stage, the hand holding the microphone trembling violently. Her breath came short, her chest tight. Every gaze pierced her like a thousand knives.“I… it’s not true!” her voice cracked, barely audible. “That video is manipulated! Everything you saw—”“But the witness claimed she worked directly with you! She said you once ordered her to forge documents!” another reporter shot back.The ballroom erupted into a tribunal. Lila, standing beside Deviana, tried to intervene. “Enough! This is not a courtroom, stop interrogating her here!”But the cameras kept flashing, the lights exploding around them.---Across the room, Leviana sipped champagne with a satisfied smile. She watched Deviana falter on stage, her frame collapsing under invisible weight. “Finally,” she whispered.---Deviana staggered down fr

“If that attack the other night wasn’t enough, we need to launch something bigger.”Leviana narrowed her eyes, her voice icy as she looked at Rendra and Kavin, seated across from her in her office. On the glass table lay printed articles, event schedules, and a list of names that needed to be “handled.” The city lights outside reflected her face on the window like the shadow of someone merciless.Rendra nodded quickly. “We’ve already lost one flash drive, Miss. The physical attack did rattle them, but if we really want to silence her, we need a narrative that can’t be questioned.”Kavin added, his tone low, almost like a threat: “And that evidence has to appear in front of the camera. The public doesn’t trust words anymore—they trust visuals. We’ll set up a scene that can’t be explained away.”Leviana’s lips curved into a thin smile. “Good. I want three stages: first, destroy Deviana’s professional backing—make her clients pull away. Second, produce a so-called ‘reliable witness’ who

“Dev, are you sure you want to work late again tonight?”Lila’s worried voice filled the studio as she prepared coffee.Deviana’s eyes stayed on her laptop screen, where the recovery bar had reached almost 90%. “I can’t stop now, Lil. If I leave this, all the data could be corrupted. This evidence is too important.”Lila bit her lip. “But after yesterday’s threat… I’m scared something might happen to you.”Deviana turned and forced a smile. “Don’t worry. They’re just trying to scare me. We can’t let them win.”Before Lila could reply, the sharp sound of shattering glass came from the back of the studio.CRASH!Both of them jumped. The cup in Lila’s hand fell and spilled across the floor. “Oh my God! What was that?”Deviana’s heart pounded as she rushed toward the noise. Shards of glass littered the floor near the back window. A rock with a piece of paper tied around it had smashed through.Her hands trembled as she untied the note. The crude handwriting was unmistakable:“STOP, OR YOU

“Deviana Pramesti?”The deep voice made Deviana, who had just closed her studio door, spin around.A man in a black suit stood under the streetlight, his face half-hidden by the shadow of a hat. His gaze was sharp, threatening—like a blade aimed straight at her heart.Deviana took a step back, her body rigid. “Who are you? What do you want?”The man walked closer with slow, measured steps. “I’m just a messenger. A message from someone who doesn’t want you poking around anymore.”“A message?” Deviana lifted her chin, trying to hide her fear. “If you’re Leviana’s stooge, just say so! I’m not afraid of her.”He gave a short, cold laugh. “You should be. People who oppose her… don’t usually last long.”---Deviana clenched her fists. “I won’t back down. If she tries to ruin me with lies, I’ll fight back with the truth.”The man stopped a meter away. “Truth? The world doesn’t care about truth, Deviana. The world cares about who controls the story. And right now… that’s not you.”“If you thi

That night, Leviana’s luxurious apartment hummed with tension. She paced back and forth, phone clutched in her hand. Her gaze was sharp, a restless edge hidden beneath the icy persona she always maintained.“How could you be so careless?!” Leviana snapped into the phone. “That flash drive should have been secured, not dropped right in front of Deviana!”A nervous male voice stammered from the other end. “Miss, I didn’t mean to… she just showed up at the apartment, I panicked.”“Stupid excuse!” Leviana stamped her foot against the marble floor. “If Deviana manages to open that flash drive, our whole operation is finished.”---Shortly after, the apartment door opened. A sharply dressed man known as Rendra—the brain Leviana had hired to manipulate social media—entered and bowed respectfully.“Miss Leviana, I’ve heard about the problem. Don’t worry, we still have time to erase every trace. I can make the flash drive read as empty or corrupted.”Leviana fixed him with a hard look. “Are yo

That morning in Paris, the sky was a pale blue. The sunlight filtered through the windows of Evelyn’s new gallery, softly reflecting off the glass walls and light gray marble. The sound of footsteps echoed quietly through the rooms, now filled with works of art, most of them centered around the theme of "the journey home"—to oneself, to hope, to the courage to love.Evelyn stood in the center of the main exhibition hall. A simple white dress wrapped her body, her hair casually pinned up. She stared at one of the large pieces she had titled "The Step Home", an abstract painting of textures made from layers of earth, water, and fragments of dark blue that evaporated into light."Why has your work become softer lately?" a voice came from behind.Evelyn turned and smiled. William stood there, wearing a light gray suit and a thin scarf around his neck."Because I've finally stopped painting from the wounds," Evelyn replied quietly. "I’ve started painting from peace."William walked closer

"This chair is still about to break," William muttered, tapping the creaky wooden armrest.Evelyn chuckled softly, sitting beside him on the balcony of their old apartment, now empty. The only light came from the moon filtering through the open curtains, casting a gentle glow on the dusty floor and peeling walls."I always loved sitting here," Evelyn said as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the wind gently brushing past them. "Back then, whenever the world felt too heavy, this balcony became our quiet escape."William glanced at her."And sometimes the place where we argued too.""Especially when you claimed your espresso was better than my tea," Evelyn replied with a teasing smile.The Parisian night air was soft, carrying the scent of recent rain. In the distance, the city traffic hummed like a lullaby. Above them, a rare spread of stars glimmered faintly—seldom seen in the city, but tonight it felt as if the universe itself had made room.The apartment was being cl

"Are you sure you want to use this color?" Evelyn pointed at the half-finished painting displayed in the center of the gallery. Faded blue and muted gold stood out among the otherwise warm palette.William, holding a brush, turned and raised an eyebrow."Blue is the wound. Gold is the healing. We're talking about reconstruction, aren’t we? We have to be brave enough to place the wound at the center."Evelyn paused for a moment, then nodded."You're right. You’ve finally learned art well."William gave a crooked smile."I learned from the best."They were inside a contemporary art hall on the outskirts of Paris, the venue for a charity exhibition titled “Reconstruction and Forgiveness.” The event was initiated by an international art foundation to raise funds for a floating gallery for victims of natural disasters. Evelyn had been appointed as creative director—and, surprisingly, she suggested William’s name as co-curator.Though many were shocked by their collaboration, no one could d

"I want you to hear this not as someone who loves me, but as someone I once hurt," Evelyn said quietly, her eyes fixed on the cup of tea cooling in front of her.They were sitting in a small garden behind the gallery where they'd spent the afternoon. The Paris air was overcast but warm, as if the city itself understood that this conversation wasn’t an ordinary one. Sparrows flew low between the trees, and the wind carried whispers that sounded almost like prayers.William simply nodded, giving space. No pressure. No interruptions."I once chose to walk away... not because I didn’t love you. But because I thought loving meant letting go," Evelyn continued, her raspy voice nearly swallowed by the breeze. "And when Haruki came along, I didn’t know whether I was trying to heal… or just erase your traces."William watched her silently. There was no anger, only a sadness long settled—like ripples on a lake long after the stone has sunk."I’ll never forgive myself for letting Haruki get so c

"You're still walking too fast," William muttered, half-jogging to catch up with Evelyn along the narrow sidewalk.Evelyn turned her head, half-smiling. "You were the one who invited me, and now you're falling behind."The Parisian sky that afternoon was gray but dry. A cool breeze slipped through the falling leaves. They stopped in front of an old building with large windows and a classic wooden door.Evelyn paused, her gaze falling on the small sign above the door: Galerie Lumière."This place..." she whispered, the words catching on a memory that pressed sharply against her chest.William nodded. "My first exhibition. And… the first time I realized that art means nothing if I can't share it with someone."Evelyn stepped inside slowly. The gallery was quiet, filled only with the soft sounds of shoes against wooden floors and the glow of warm hanging lights.There were no visitors. William had arranged for a private viewing, just for the two of them.On the walls hung photos from yea

“The direction to the exhibition earlier… we passed this street, right?”William’s voice held a trace of uncertainty as they walked along a narrow cobblestone path on the outskirts of Paris. The rain was light, not heavy, but enough to overwhelm Evelyn’s small umbrella as droplets began to slip through her hair and the edge of her jacket.Evelyn sighed, glancing around. No taxis. No phone signal.“We’re… lost, aren’t we?” she asked calmly, though her tone carried a hint of tired laughter.William turned to her and chuckled. “Lost—in the most literal and cinematic sense.”The rain fell harder. The narrow street shimmered, and the old hanging lamps between buildings cast shadows that made the scene feel like a noir film—unscripted, moody, real.Evelyn moved closer, trying to fit under William’s umbrella as hers had already been ruined by the wind.“Do you still wander aimlessly like this?” she asked, eyes on the wet stones beneath their feet.William took a beat before replying, “No. Th