Mag-log in“Assassinate the Alpha.” His instructions were clear and easy. Easy because it was me. I had taken down strong men and powerful women. Men who never thought they could be taken down. Taking them down was not easy either but again it was because it is me. Men stood no chance where I stood. There are older men and even women in our club. Yet I joined six months ago and I have taken down more than each has in the last thirty years since my father founded the organization. I overheard people in the organization murmur and gossip among themselves that my father trained me differently, but that was where they missed it. My father never trained me. In fact he did not want me anywhere close to the organization. He said multiple times that he wanted a normal life for me. That I am a happy girl with the nature of a sunflower – I was always happy. Which is an absolute contrast to my name if you take out the two latter words.
view more"Wah, pantas Pak Gunawan selalu bawa bekal, masakan istrinya ternyata luar biasa rasanya, enak banget! ngalahin masakan resto yang biasa saya makan." puji Farhan teman Mas Gunawan yang kebetulan malam ini makan bersama dengan kami.
Wajah Mas Gunawan pucat, matanya menatapku takut-takut. Selama ini Mas Gunawan tak pernah mau jika kutawarkan membawa bekal dari rumah.
"Ah, Bapak bisa saja. Ini hanya masakan sederhana."
"Beneran lho, Bu Alina. Ikan bakar ini enak sekali. Saya suka ngiler melihat bekal Pak Gunawan. Dari wanginya saja sudah menggoda. Baru kali ini saya dapat merasakan rasanya." laki-laki itu terkekeh.
Suapannya makin lahap, sangat berbeda dengan Mas Gunawan yang terlihat salah tingkah. Dia makan Ikan bakar kesukaannya itu tak berselera, tak seperti biasanya.
"Memang Bapak tak pernah di ajak makan bareng sama Mas Gunawan?" pancingku.
"Walah, ga pernah, Bu. Dia lahap aja sendiri. Lagi pula sepertinya memang porsi untuk makan sendiri, hehe. Beruntung Pak Gunawan memiliki istri seperti Ibu."
Aku tersenyum getir. Bagaimana tidak, sak prasangka mulai menyelimuti hati.
"Hayo lah, Pak. Tak usah bahas yang di kantor, mumpung bisa makan masakan istri saya, hayo kita nikmati" potong Mas Gunawan, dengan wajah canggung.
"Ha ha ha iya, Pak. Seharusnya saya bawa istri ke sini. Sayang, istri saya sedang sibuk banyak urusan." sahut Pak Farhan tanpa curiga, jika di antara Mas Gunawan denganku sedang ada perang mata yang sedang membara.
"Bekal Mas Gunawan selalu habis kah, Pak? kadang saya suka curiga makanannya dibuang, karena kotaknya selalu kosong sampai dirumah." pancingku lagi.
Mas Gunawan menatapku, tapi aku pura-pura tak peduli.
"Wah, mesti habis, Bu. Kotak biru yang selalu dia bawa emang tak pernah menyisakan makanan." sahutnya semangat.
Aku ber-oh ria. Padahal hati ini makin tak karuan. Berarti jelas jika makanan itu memang bekal dari rumah bukan dibeli dijalan, tapi, rumah siapa? siapa yang membuatku makanan itu untuknya? berbagai pertanyaan memenuhi pikiranku.
Usai makan malam itu, Pak Farhan masih tetap ngobrol diluar bersama Mas Gunawan. Sedangkan aku memilih dikamar. Mencoba mencari tahu tentang kotak makanan dan bekal yang dikatakan oleh Pak Farhan.
[Rin, apa kabar?]
Pesan kukirim ke Rina. Teman kantor Mas Gunawan yang aku kenal saat ada acara gathering di kantornya.
[Baik, Mbak Alina. Mbak sendiri apa kabar?" balasnya cepat, Sepertinya Rina memang sedang memegang ponselnya sehingga pesanku cepat terbalas.
[Kabar baik, Rin. Oh ya Rin, di kantin biasanya ada masakan apa saja, Rin? saya bingung mau bawain bekal apa buat Mas Gunawan, nanti biar makan di kantin saja.]
[Wah, bukannya Pak Gunawan ga mau makan masakan di kantin, Bu? setiap hari kan bawa bekal, yang Ibu siapkan? ]
Berarti benar kata Pak Farhan, kalau Mas Gunawan selalu bawa bekal yang katanya aku siapkan. Padahal sebenarnya masakan itu bukan aku yang masak.
[Iya, Rin. Saya bingung harus masak ikan bakar terus, takut Pak Gunawan bosan.]
[Biasanya kan selang-seling, Bu. Ayam penyet, rendang, ikan bakar dan ibu pasti paham, kan ibu yang menyiapkan, bukan?]
Aku terdiam. Masakan yang disebutkan Rina memang masakan kesukaan Mas Gunawan. Tapi, aku sama sekali tak pernah membawakan untuknya. Karena Mas Gunawan selalu menolak.
[Oh, ya sudah Rin. Makasih ya.] Ketikku mengakhiri chatting itu.
Suara mobil Pak Farhan terdengar menjauh sepertinya dia sudah pulang. Sebentar lagi Mas Gunawan pasti akan masuk ke kamar ini. Aku menyimpan ponselku dibawah bantal lalu mematikan lampu, hingga hanya tersisa temaram cahaya dari luar.
Gegas aku tidur dengan posisi menghadap tembok, agar Mas Gunawan tidak curiga jika aku masih terjaga..
Suara pintu terbuka terdengar jelas, diiringi langkah kaki yang mendekat dan gerakan tubuh yang naik ke atas ranjang. Aku memejamkan mata, tak lama sebuah kecupan hangat mendarat di puncak kepalaku. Lalu sosok itu kembali menuruni ranjang. Dan pintu kembali tertutup.
Aku menghela napas dalam-dalam, selama ini aku tak pernah mencurigai Mas Gunawan. Setiap malam memang dia akan menghabiskan waktu di ruang kerjan sebelum tidur bersamaku. Tapi, kali ini aku merasakan ada sesuatu yang harus aku selidiki.
Perlahan aku menurunkan kaki dan berjalan menuju pintu, dengan sangat hati-hati aku membukanya. Agar tak mengeluarkan suara. Cahaya diluar sudah gelap, hanya kamar sebelah dimana, ruangan itu disulap menjadi ruang kerja Mas Gunawan yang masih menyala lampunya.
"Besok tak usah bawain bekal dulu, ya."
" ......"
Sepertinya Mas Gunawan sedang melakukan panggilan telepon.
"Lusa aja, siapkan ikan bakar lagi."
"....."
"Sabar, ya ..."
Dadaku terasa sesak mendengar pembicaraan itu. Dengan siapa Mas Gunawan bicara. Tak dapat aku pendam lagi.
Brak!
Pintu terbuka lebar, wajah Mas Gunawan pias. Dia bergegas mematikan ponselnya dan berdiri menghampiriku. Air mata yang berusaha kutahan luruh sudah.
"Sayang, belum tidur? kenapa menangis?"
Wajahnya yang tadi pucat tampak biasa lagi. Malah terlihat mengkhawatirkan diriku.
"Mas, siapa yang membawakan bekal untukmu? masakan siapa itu, Mas?" suaraku bergetar menahan tangis.
"Bekal? oh bekal yang tadi Pak Farhan bilang?" dia terkekeh.
"Itu masakan Mama, Sayang. Mama yang menyiapkan makanan itu untuk Mas."
Mas Farhan menarik kepalaku ke dadanya. Apakah kau jujur, Mas? kenapa hatiku belum bisa menerima.
"Kamu yakin, Mas? bukan perempuan lain kan, Mas?"
Mas Gunawan membingkai wajahku dengan kedua tangannya.
"Tak ada wanita lain di hati Mas, selain kamu, Sayang. Only you!"
Aku menangis terisak. Sejak dua tahun pernikahan kami, belum pernah ada pertengkaran hebat terjadi. Mas Gunawan selalu memberikan apa yang kupinta. Mama mertua juga sangat sayang, rasanya tak ada alasan untukku mencurigainya.
"Jangan menangis lagi, tadi Mas menelpon Mama, agar Mama tak perlu menyiapkan bekal untuk Mas besok. Mas mau makan masakan istri Mas yang tercinta."
Hatiku menghangat.
"Aku akan masak untuk Mas besok, aku janji masak yang enak."
Mas Gunawan kembali memelukku erat, lalu perlahan mengajakku ke kamar.
"Mas ga jadi kerja?"
"Ga. Malam ini Mas sangat rindu sama kamu, Sayang."
Wajahku bersemu, meski kami belum dikaruniai
anak, Mas Gunawan tak pernah mempermasalahkan. Dan malam itu kami pun melebur menjadi satu, berharap ada cinta yang tumbuh disana.
****
Sebelum subuh aku selesai mandi, mengeluarkan ikan yang berada di freezer agar esnya mencair untuk kumasak sebagai bekal makan siang Mas Gunawan. Adzan subuh belum lah berkumandang, aku memilih merapikan rumah, menyapu dan memilih pakaian kotor yang hendak kucuci.
Saat mau meraih tas kerja Mas Gunawan, tiba-tiba kotak makanan berwarna biru jatuh ke lantai. Kotak makanan siapa ini? Aku tak merasa tak pernah membeli kotak ini? Apa punya Mama, seperti yang Mas Gunawan katakan?
EMMETT.Shell is deeply asleep, and from the door, I can see my mate cosied up on the sofa. She looks so peaceful, like she has no worries at all; it kind of steadies my mind. My feet are unmoving. I know the moment I open the door, I might wake her.Moving into another apartment is a great idea. The thought of any other person getting to watch her sleep makes the almost non-existent hairs at the back of my neck stand. I love the way she appears mean to everyone.Only I get to see her this way frequently.I linger at the door, unwilling to disturb the rare calm that settles over her. The world outside is different—colder, harsher. The rain pounds against my skin like a cold shower, the chill seeping through my clothes. But none of it matters as long as she gets her beauty sleep.“Shit,” I mutter as she raises her head, her eyes narrowed as her hand moves over the sofa until she grabs her phone.“You’re late,” she yawns, sitting up as I walk in, my clothes heavier than normal.“The mee
SADIE.I should have known he wouldn't keep such documents at home. What if the records aren’t even in a file? What if he has them backed up on a storage device or cloud?Striding out of his office, I unbutton my shirt. The dog barks repeatedly, hopping so I see him, and when I glance his way, he calms down.“Can you talk?” I ask, making a face at the dog, and it shakes its head.Okay, he understands. I know to be quiet around him now. I’m sure Emmett won’t have a useless pet.“Do you think he’s going to return home tonight?” I ask, and he barks.I don't know if that bark means yes or no.“Let’s do it like this: if you think he's coming back home tonight, hop to the left. If he won’t be returning home tonight, hop forward. Do you understand?” I ask, pressing my palms to my waist as I move closer to the door.It barks.Okay.“Hop left!” He does. “Now, right!” He does.Okay, cool!“Is he coming back home tonight?” I ask, and he makes a whistling sound before hopping to the left.Okie.“
EMMETT. “Hold on,” I say to Cullen, taking my phone off my ear as I open the door.I can almost swear that someone touched this handle. I am not wrong—Qet’s peach scent wafts through my senses. She’s here.The lights come on, and of course, she is nowhere in sight.“I will be with you all shortly. I forgot the flash drive,” I return the phone to my ear.“We are waiting. Liam has a lot of complaints to pass across. Whatever Jasmine did to have him as a puppy rather than the Gamma that he is...” Liam is forever hating on people in relationships.At this point, the pack needs to find him a wife.“I smell jealousy,” I remark, inching closer to my desk.She’s either beneath the desk or hiding behind the swivel chair.“I don’t care enough to be jealous. I am hanging up.” He ends the call as he has said.The drive is in the drawer. If I get to the drawer, I will blow up her little stunt. I want to tell her to breathe, but I can leave so she breathes. Walking out of the office, I saunter towa
SADIECullen leaves, not bothering to bid Emmett goodbye as I return to the living room, cradling my hand against my chest. But Emmett’s sharp eyes catch the crimson seeping through my finger before I can put my hand behind me.In an instant, he’s in front of me, his drink abandoned on the table, his hands reaching out for mine.“What happened?” His voice is low, but the unmistakable edge beneath reveals he has an idea of who might have hurt me.Cullen is a heartless fool. He feigned the oversight. He certainly saw my finger bleed, but he can’t acknowledge it. Maybe Emmett will kill him.“It’s not a big deal,” I respond, trying to pull away.“Don’t,” he murmurs, his grip firm yet gentle as he opens my hand. His jaw tightens at the sight. “Cullen?”It’s as deep as it hurts.My decided silence ticks a muscle in his perfect jaw, but he refrains from the anger, inhaling slowly, controlling it. Without another word, I allow him to lead me to the couch.He pulls me down beside him, his movem
SADIE.I still feel drowsy from the kiss—my mind hazy and my heart racing. I wouldn’t mind a few minutes more, but the sharp sound of my father’s voice cuts through the air like a blade. “Sadie,” he orders, his tone as stern as ever. “Come with me. Now!”“Go,” Emmett says, a smile lurking on his lips
SADIE.“Your mother and I have been best friends since elementary school. Our moms made sure of it,” says the prime minister’s wife, Margo, who has corrected me a few times.“And my father is friends with the prime minister?” I just want to confirm my assumptions.“Same old cliché. My husband and your
EMMETT.The moon will be way less than half tonight, and will leave the sky darker than it should. No one will lose control. Everyone will feel as the society expects of us, turning our norms into abnormalities, and making theirs the standard. It is accepted—for now.Why have just a meeting when the e
SADIE.I know my father’s car when I see it. My mouth drapes open slightly as realization dawns on me that he drove himself here, and not only that, he is rounding the car to open the door for the little bitch—not little since she is slightly older than me—but seeing him be such a gentleman? I was ri






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