Novels by DELEPU

"Is that really possible?" Alina whispered, her hand trembling as she gripped Adrian's arm to steady herself."With all the consents we've already secured," Adrian answered, a wide smile starting to form on his tired face, "and strong evidence that Junior's wellbeing is at risk under any other care, the judge has very solid legal grounds to make a final decision today."They walked toward the courtroom with steps that felt lighter than before, though nervousness still accompanied every second of the walk.The courtroom was smaller than Alina had imagined, its atmosphere more personal than the courtroom dramas she'd often seen in movies. Judge Simmons sat in her chair, her expression firm but not cold, her eyes sweeping the room with a reassuring professionalism.Daniel sat on one side with his lawyer, while Alina and Adrian sat on the other. Clarissa, appearing via video call since she was still going through her own legal process, showed up on a large screen mounted on the wall."We'

Fresh tension crept into what had been a calm room."What does he want to tell me?" Alina asked, her voice wary even as curiosity began to outweigh her exhaustion.Adrian read further into the message, his finger scrolling quickly across the screen. "His lawyer wants to meet with you in person, tomorrow morning before the hearing starts. He says it's too sensitive to convey through a message or a phone call.""Is it safe?" Renee asked, having just joined them, catching part of the conversation from the hallway."The meeting will be held at the courthouse itself," Adrian answered. "With full security. I don't think this is a trap—especially after everything that's happened, Daniel has no reason left to play games."Alina took a long breath, trying to grasp what Daniel might want to convey that was so important it had to be said in person."Alright," she said finally. "I'll meet him tomorrow morning."---Morning arrived sooner than Alina expected, the sun just rising as their car sped

"Tomorrow morning?" Alina repeated, her voice full of surprise. "That soon?""It seems Judge Simmons wants to resolve this case as quickly as possible given the urgency of the situation," Adrian answered, still reading the incoming message closely. "Especially after last night's attempted kidnapping incident."Renee nodded, adding information from her own report. "That makes sense. Courts usually expedite the process when there's evidence of a direct threat to a child's safety."Junior, still sitting in Alina's lap, looked at the adults' faces around him in confusion. "What does that mean, Mommy?"Alina stroked his hair gently, trying to explain in a way a child his age could understand. "It means tomorrow there'll be an important meeting that will decide where you'll live, sweetheart.""With Mommy?" Junior asked, his eyes full of hope."That's what we're working toward," Alina answered carefully, not wanting to make a firm promise she might not be able to keep.Adrian set down his ph

Nora and Thomas had arrived since dawn, insisting on checking Alina and Junior's condition with their own eyes after hearing about everything that had happened the night before."You look exhausted," Nora said, setting a warm cup of tea in front of Alina. "You need rest.""I couldn't sleep," Alina answered honestly, her eyes still red from lack of rest. "Every time I closed my eyes, I kept imagining what could have happened last night."Thomas sat in the chair across from her, his face full of concern. "But it didn't happen. Junior's safe. You're both alive."Alina nodded, trying to convince herself with that reality, though shadows of fear still clung to her mind.The sound of small footsteps came from the hallway, and Junior appeared in the doorway, still wearing the pajamas the security team had lent him the night before, his eyes sleepy but immediately searching out Alina."Mommy," he called, his voice still hoarse from sleep.Alina stood quickly, opening her arms, and Junior ran

Alina looked at Salvatore for a long moment, trying to grasp the implications of this unexpected request."What does he want to say?" she asked, wariness taking hold of her again even though the night had already run far too long for any new drama."He wouldn't explain in detail through a message," Salvatore answered. "But he says it's connected to documents his team just found—something to do with Margaret's past, before she married Daniel's father."Adrian frowned. "Is this another trap?""I doubt it," Salvatore answered. "Daniel's been fully cooperating with the investigation since his plea deal. And with Margaret now in custody, he no longer has any reason to protect his family's secrets."Alina let out a long breath, trying to gather whatever energy she had left after such an exhausting night."Alright," she said finally. "I'll talk to him. But over the phone only. I can't handle seeing him in person tonight."Salvatore nodded, setting up a secure video call over an encrypted cha

The news sent the tension that had just begun to ease surging right back up."Where is she?" Adrian asked, his voice tense with fresh alertness.Salvatore checked his phone screen once more before answering. "At a small hotel not far from this airport. It looks like she planned to wait for word that the kidnapping succeeded before moving forward with the rest of her plan.""What plan?" Alina pressed, her hands still clutching Junior tightly."We don't know for sure yet," Salvatore answered. "But our team reports she seemed panicked after hearing the airport operation had failed. She's been trying to reach her contacts, probably looking for another escape route."Marco, driving their car, glanced back for a moment. "Are we going after her now?"Salvatore paused, weighing the situation with the kind of calculation he'd grown used to making in critical moments."Junior needs to get somewhere safe right away," he said finally. "But we also can't let Margaret slip away again. She's already

Arvan's POV I hung up the phone, but Lara's words kept echoing in my head. I heard you two even shared a room last night. I stared at the phone in my hand, trying to untangle feelings that had suddenly become mixed without clear reason. Last night had felt different. Honest, somehow lighter than

Lara's POV I walked quickly out of the Hargrove family home, my hands trembling with anger that had been burning in my chest for the past several minutes. 'Consequences for those who don't know their place.' Nenek Margaretha's words kept echoing, sharp and insulting, as if she already knew everyt

Reyna's POV That name instantly changed the entire atmosphere of the room. Arvan tensed, his face turning pale. "Lara? How does she know I'm here?" The servant shook her head, having no answer. "She only said it was important, sir. She's waiting in the main living room now." Grandmother Margaret

"Arvan?" The name left my mouth in disbelief, my mind refusing to process yet another impossible revelation in the span of a single night. "How did he find the facility?" "We don't know yet," Cassius's voice crackled through the speaker, tension evident in every word. "But he was there, Aldric. Try

The world stopped moving. Sound disappeared first—the hum of the engine, the rush of wind against the windows, even my own heartbeat seemed to fade into distant static. "What did you say?" My voice came out as barely a whisper, breath catching painfully in my throat. Aldric's eyes stayed fixed on

"The clinic?" My voice came out sharper than I intended, panic threading through every syllable. "What clinic? Aldric, what's happening?" He didn't answer immediately, already moving toward the door, phone pressed to his ear. "Cassius, slow down. What happened?" His voice carried an edge I'd never

"Nyonya Alea?" Kening Alea mengernyit. Mendengar seseorang memanggil namanya. Dia perlahan membuka mata, kemudian memutar sedikit kepala untuk melihat orang yang memanggilnya. Alea terkesiap melihat sosok pria yang semalam ditemuinya. Bibir Alea seketika tersenyum, lalu mengedarkan pandangan. Mencari keberadaan anak laki-laki yang semalam sudah berhasil mencuri hatinya. 'Akhirnya, kamu datang juga,' batin Alea. Tanpa mengindahkan keberadaan Liam.Liam mengeratkan rahang begitu melihat senyum di bibir Alea. Reaksi Alea yang tiba-tiba terlihat senang memberitahu Liam tentang Alea yang ingin kembali bertemu Ansel. Liam pun mendengus. Merutuki perbuatan licik yang Alea lakukan. Liam yakin, Alea memang sudah mengambil gantungan kalung milik putranya. "Anda tidak akan mendapatkan apa yang anda inginkan dengan mudah, nyonya," tutur Liam dengan nada dingin. Senyum di wajah Alea memudar. Tatapannya tertuju pada liam yang menatap datar dirinya. Alea sadar, anak laki-laki yang dari semalam

"Siapkan pesawat! Kita pergi menyusul mereka." "Apa?!" Darvin tercengang mendengar perintah atasannya. Tidak menyangka Liam akan repot-repot menyusul Alea dan keluarganya. Padahal, pekerjaan pria itu sangat banyak. Dan tidak biasanya Liam pergi meninggalkan pekerjaannya."Maaf tuan, apa maksud anda kita akan pergi menyusul Nyonya Alea?" tanya Darvin dengan hati-hati. Memastikan perintah yang baru saja didengarnya. Liam melayangkan tatapan dinginnya. "Apa perintahku kurang jelas? Aku tidak suka mengulang perintah." "Ma-maaf Tuan! Saya akan segera menyiapkan pesawat," sahut Darvin seraya menegakkan badan. Gugup mendapatkan tatapan dingin dari Liam. Meski atasannya tersebut tidak terlihat marah, tapi Darvin tahu Liam bukan pria yang banyak berkata. Dia tidak suka menunggu atau mengulang perintah. Pria itu lebih baik kehilangan bawahan dari pada harus mengulang perkataannya. Tidak mau kehilangan pekerjaan yang sudah lima tahun ini dijabatnya, Darvin pun segera undur diri dari hadapa

"Tangisanmu tidak akan berpengaruh pada papah, Ansel. Jangan harap Papah akan memaafkanmu begitu saja." Liam menolak permohonan putranya dengan tegas. Ansel merapatkan bibir. Menahan isakannya agar tidak keluar. Takut Liam akan semakin marah. Aliana menatap kakak dan keponakannya bergantian. Merasa iba pada Ansel. Dia ingin membela keponakannya, namun takut Liam akan berbalik marah padanya. Aliana pun hanya diam tanpa mampu berbuat apa-apa. "Sekarang katakan! Kenapa semalam kamu membuat masalah?" Liam mempertanyakan alasan Ansel kabur dari pesta. Dengan tangan bergetar, Ansel mengambil buku tulisnya dari tangan Liam, lalu mengambil pulpen dari Aliana. Ansel menuliskan sesuatu pada kertas yang terbuka dihadapannya. 'Maaf!' Ansel menunduk seraya memperlihatkan tulisan tersebut. Liam menatap putranya dalam-dalam, jika kata maaf sudah keluar, artinya Ansel tidak akan memberikan penjelasan apapun. "Papah khawatir!" Ansel mendongak mendengar dua kata yang ayahnya ucapkan. Matanya be

Keesokan harinya, terjadi kerusuhan di rumah keluarga Abraham. Ansel, cucu tunggal keluarga Abraham, mogok makan dan tidak mau membuka mulut sedikit pun. Aliana yang sudah Liam percaya untuk menjaga Ansel pun bingung. Dia tidak mau Liam menjauhkan Ansel darinya. "Ansel, tolong jangan membuatku susah. Ayahmu sudah marah padaku karena kejadian semalam, buka mulutmu dan makanlah!" pinta Aliana setengah memelas. Takut kondisi Ansel kembali drop hingga Liam menyalahkannya. Selama ini, Liam sangat protektif pada putranya. Dia tidak membiarkan siapapun berdekatan dengan Ansel, termasuk orangtua dan adiknya. Liam tidak mempercayakan pengawasan Ansel pada orang lain. Namun dua tahun lalu, setelah Aliana membujuk Liam dengan menjanjikan akan membuat Ansel sembuh dari speech delaynya dan tidak akan membiarkan Ansel kekurangan kasih sayang seorang ibu, Liam pun akhirnya mempercayakan pengawasan Ansel pada adiknya, mengingat dirinya yang memang tidak bisa berceloteh banyak seperti yang Aliana l

Beberapa jam berlalu. Begitu Calros dan Fiona pergi ke kamar mandi, Alea membuka mata. Tadi, dia hanya berpura-pura tidur untuk menghindari Carlos. Alea tidak sudi melayani suaminya. Selama empat tahun ini, Alea harus bertahan dengan Calros dan Fiona yang tidak punya malu berhubung badan dihadapannya. Alea muak. Dia ingin menghentikan mereka, namun tidak ada yang bisa Alea lakukan selain menghindar. Biasanya, Alea pura-pura tidur atau mengamuk histeris untuk menghindari sentuhan Carlos. Namun, hal itu kadang tidak berguna jika Carlos ataupun Fiona menggunakan obat perangsang untuk membuatnya terlibat dalam percintaan. Air mata Alea menetes. Menangis tanpa suara. Tidak mudah bertahan hidup dalam kebobrokan moral yang dilakukan oleh suaminya. Carlos sebagai suami tidak memikirkan perasaan Alea yang harus melihat percintaannya dengan wanita lain. Alea sadar, dirinya mulai gila. Bahkan mungkin sudah gila seperti yang sering Fiona katakan. Tapi sayang, sejak empat tahun lalu, kesadara

Alea berjalan menuju rumah dengan langkah anggun. Senyum manis terukir di wajahnya. Tidak dipedulikannya sepatu dan ujung gaunnya yang kotor terkena lumpur, bahkan pakaiannya pun basah karena air hujan."Alea dari mana saja kamu?"Carlos menghampiri Alea dengan wajah cemas. Dia menilik penampilan istrinya. Carlos terkesiap melihat luka di pergelangan tangan Alea."Alea kamu melukai diri sendiri lagi?" Alea menarik tangannya dari genggaman Carlos. Dia menatapnya dengan tatapan dingin. "Jangan sentuh!" Alea menyembunyikan luka di tangannya.Plak! Tiba-tiba, sebuah tamparan mendarat di wajah Alea. Nampak, Fiona berdiri dihadapannya dengan wajah geram."Dasar wanita gila! Bisa-bisanya kamu pergi di tengah pesta. Kamu hampir menghancurkan pesta ulang tahun putraku," teriak Fiona. Dia hendak melayangkan kembali pukulannya, namun Carlos lebih dulu menahan laju tangannya. "Cukup!" cegah Carlos dengan tegas. "Jangan berlebihan!" Fiona mendelik. "Berlebihan? Dia–." "Oma, aku mengangtuk."