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"I haven't been able to figure out the purpose of that loan yet. Even up to this moment, I don't know what kind of business our fathers were involved in. As far as I know, your father helped my dad find companies or individuals to use their services or buy heavy equipment. And just so you know, my father couldn't have casually used the house as collateral without my consent."

Nicholas rubbed his chin. "And one more thing, Al. It wasn't me who saved you, but Bryan."

"Bryan?" Alesya repeated, afraid she might have misunderstood the information.

"Yes, Bryan. He asked me to come. If he hadn't come here, I can guarantee that I wouldn't have been able to save you because I was still quite far from here. But Bryan, he found you undressed. That means he had a legitimate reason to come here, not just to save you."

"Wait!" Alesya threw back the blanket and jumped out of bed. Ignoring her still-aching body, she rushed to her father's room.

"Why, Al?"

Nicholas followed her, startled by the sight of scattered documents and files.

"He took all the important documents. I remember clearly, everything was neatly organized before leaving this house." She checked the scattered papers again.

"None of them are here!" Alesya spoke softly. She felt weak. She sat down on the floor. All the crucial documents, including her diploma, were gone. There was nothing left.

However, Alesya felt a small sense of relief. Her family photo album was still intact. It hadn't been touched.

"I'm sorry, Nik. I can't believe any of this. I feel like your father has destroyed my family."

"I feel the same way, ever since Bryan married you," Nicholas joined Alesya on the floor, leaning her head against his arm. "Even though it's not certain if I can handle it, I promise I'll find out what's behind all of this."

"Are you sure you want to confront your father about this?"

"I'm sure."

"Why?"

Nicholas turned to look at her.

"I mean, why are you on my side? After all, I'm just a stranger you barely know."

Alesya added her explanation.

"Don't ask why because I don't even know why I'm on your side, even though we just met as you said."

"Mmm, I see..." Alesya squeezed her fingers, no longer saying anything. She chose to remain silent, savoring the feelings that arose when she was with Nicholas.

"Oh, Al, may I know who hurt you yesterday? The sun is rising, it's time for me to meet that person."

Alesya shook her head.

"Why? Are you afraid?"

"No, I'm just lazy to deal with him. Let's just leave it at this, I don't want to bring it up again."

"But I'm not okay with that, Al."

"I don't want you to get into trouble because of me, Nik. He's not just an ordinary person here, and what about us?"

"But, Al..."

"It's okay. What's important is that I'm okay."

"Okay in what way?" Nicholas touched Alesya's cheek. "There are wounds that guy left behind, including the ones in your heart."

"But those wounds have disappeared since you came, Nik," Alesya brushed it off in her heart. She wanted to say it out loud, but it felt impossible, so it echoed only in her heart. "I'm sure he'll get what he deserves without me pushing this matter further. And besides, I don't know the potential harm to Bryan if I pursue this. I don't want this problem to spread everywhere. Bryan might get angry with me because this is like a scandal." Alesya honestly explained her reasons for not wanting to go any further.

"So, you're covering all of this because of Bryan?"

"No. It's because I don't want this problem to escalate. You know how the business world works; the more bad scandals, the lower the company's stock price goes. I don't want to find new problems when this one is already too heavy for me."

Nicholas wasn't satisfied, but it felt useless to press Alesya to tell him the identity of the jerk who dared to hurt her. Nevertheless, Nicholas would still find out who Diki, the influential man in the village, was.

"Now go back to sleep, okay? I'll take care of all this."

"Nicholas!" Alesya exclaimed. Suddenly, he had picked her up and placed her on the bed. He guided her to lie down and tucked her in.

Only then did Nicholas start organizing and rearranging the contents of the closet as usual, hoping to find some clue.

However, unfortunately, despite everything returning to its original position, Nicholas couldn't find a single clue, as Bryan had already taken care of everything.

After finishing with the room and the closet, Nicholas now turned his attention to the outside of the house. The house caught his attention because it was surrounded by fields. In his heart, he understood that no one would have heard Alesya's cries for help, as the distance between houses was quite far.

Nicholas took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The fresh village air was truly a treat for his lungs, which had been contaminated by vehicle exhaust.

While waiting for Alesya to wake up, Nicholas decided to go for a morning run. He didn't need to leave the yard; simply walking around the yard and the house was enough to pamper his muscles and eyes.

"Wait, whose pants are these?" Nicholas quickened his pace as he saw a pair of men's pants on the back porch.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she examined the jeans. A smile appeared on Nicholas's lips as he discovered a wallet and a cellphone in the pants pocket.

"Diki Hariadi." A name on an ID card. Nicholas now had the full name and face of the man who had been disrespectful to Alesya.

The identity was found, and evidence was in hand; now, it was a matter of considering how to seek revenge without involving Alesya's name.

"I might end up staying here for a while, Al." Nicholas stretched his muscles before sitting down at the neatly set dining table for breakfast. There was warm rice, an omelet, and sambal, accompanied by cucumber slices as their vegetable. For drinks, Alesya had prepared two glasses of warm water. After making sure Nicholas's plate was filled, she joined him to enjoy breakfast.

"If you want to stay here, you'll have to find a local girl to marry so that you have a reason to stay," Alesya replied, inadvertently stopping Nicholas who was about to start his meal.

Likewise, she stopped herself because of the words she had just spoken.

"Here, there are many beautiful single girls, Nik."

Alesya tried to redirect the conversation, although she secretly hoped she would be that girl. However, Alesya forgot that she was already married, and Nicholas was her brother-in-law. So there was no way their relationship could go that far, especially since Nicholas had never shown any interest in women.

"Don't say that. I have different tastes, Al. So whether there are many or few girls here, it won't change anything. I can only love one of God's creatures who is very special. Even though it's impossible for me to have her because there's a big wall separating us. I wish I could be daring, but the family's reputation is at stake here. I also don't want to involve her in this mess," Nicholas explained, looking deep into Alesya's eyes.