Mag-log in"Kamu milikku, Vanya, ha-hanya kamu yang bisa buat aku seperti ini, aahh!" Demi melunasi hutang dan nyawanya, Vanya dijual tunangannya kepada Jay, seorang bos mafia yang dingin. Tanpa Vanya sadari pula, tubuhnya memancarkan feromon alami yang langka. Di tengah gairah yang membara, feromon alami Vanya bekerja secara ajaib. Untuk pertama kalinya dalam hidup, Jay mencapai klimaks yang intens dan hampir mustahil—sensasi yang selama ini hanya ia anggap mitos. Vanya kini menjadi satu-satunya kelemahan Jay, yang harus dimiliki dan dilindungi sepenuhnya dari dunia mafia gelap yang terus mengancamnya. (+21)
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“Shit!” Arielle Lawson cursed under her breath as her bag slipped off the bar counter, spilling its entire contents across the floor for the uninterested crowd of Midnight Halo Lounge, Manhattan to see.
She stared at the mess absentmindedly through her increasingly blurry vision, wondering how she was supposed to gather whatever remained of her dignity. A part of her knew that if she stood up too quickly, she’d land face-first on the cold, filthy tiled floor. Her legs were already betraying her, softened by whisky and regret.
Before she could attempt standing, the familiar bartender, Mick, stepped forward and crouched to help her scoop her belongings back into her bag.
“Are you about to leave, ma’am?” he asked politely as he handed it to her, but Arielle caught the disguised relief in his eyes.
After all, she was the woman who had walked in wearing corporate attire, ordered whisky shots, and spent the last four and a half hours mumbling and sobbing.
Was she embarrassed? Of course. She wanted to sprint out of the club and never return.
This—this right here—was why she always despised alcohol. She could never understand the joy people claimed to find in those terrible-tasting liquids that turned them into sloppy caricatures of themselves, only to reward them with migraines and shame the next morning.
She had spent 26 years avoiding even a gulp of the vile poison… until six months ago. Now it was the tool she used to smother her thoughts, fears, and emotions, enveloping her in a cocoon that protected her from having to think about what had happened.
“Ma’am? Ma’am!” Mick’s voice sliced through her spiraling thoughts.
She stared blankly at him for a few seconds before mumbling, “Mmm?” Her head swayed gently as she tried to gather the remnants of her fogged brain. If she hoped to make it back to her apartment alive, she needed to at least be able to walk in a straight line.
What had she been thinking? Coming alone to a nightclub in the middle of Manhattan at this hour?
Chloe and Daniella would finish her when she got home.
They had been worried about her drinking ever since her insane breakup. Arielle had tried—truly—to get herself together for the sake of her job. She had even stayed sober for two months. But today had been… disastrous.
First was the early morning call from her mother asking, yet again, when her “supposed wedding” would finally hold. A topic Arielle had been running from. Her mother kept pressing, insisting she and Daniel should have finalized a new date by now. She’d already informed nearly everyone they knew about the upcoming wedding.
That alone nearly triggered Arielle into a panic attack at 6 a.m.
Then, during lunch break, Instagram—armed with its usual cruelty—that damned, no-good app—did its bit in taunting her with pictures of Daniel and Miss Right on their fifth trip together.
Yes, she had been counting.
What broke her wasn’t even the trip. It was the location.
Greece.
Their planned honeymoon destination.
But instead of crying at work, she had powered through her tasks, held herself together, and slipped into Midnight Halo immediately after closing hours.
“I asked if you’re ready to leave. I could help you book an Uber,” Mick repeated, eyeing her as though she might crumble off the stool.
Arielle took her bag and gave him a lazy smile. “Thank you. Don’t worry, I’ll call someone to pick me up.”
Relieved, he returned to his post.
She stared at the blank screen of her phone for ten minutes. She knew she should call her roommates—who were probably panicking by now. But she also knew she wouldn’t.
Her drunk self had one instinct. One terrible, humiliating instinct.
She was going to call Daniel.
After four years of dating and three years of engagement, she still hoped—pathetically—that maybe he’d pick up. Maybe he’d listen. Maybe if he heard how unsafe she felt… how terrified she was of telling her mother the truth… how broken she felt since he left just two weeks before their white wedding—even after they had legally registered the marriage.
Just maybe, he’d hear her out.
It was her self-sabotaging, alcohol-induced ritual. The venomous habit that bit her every time she tried to bury it. Chloe once called it a masochistic addiction. Embarrassing. Painful. Demeaning. And she always woke up the next day questioning her self-worth.
“Fuck,” she whispered harshly, attracting a nearby couple as she scrolled frantically for his number. Had she renamed it out of anger and forgotten?
Then it clicked.
This was definitely Daniella’s work. That girl had threatened to delete his number during one of Arielle’s drunken episodes back at their apartment.
A frustrated sob escaped her lips.
Vanya beserta Ibu dan adiknya berjalan mengitari setiap lantai di mal besar. Ia tanpa ragu membayar setiap belanjaan pakaian yang menurutnya menarik perhatiannya demi menghibur dirinya sendiri tanpa melihat harga. Semua itu berkat kartu kredit milik Jay yang masih ada di tangannya. Meski begitu, setiap gesekan kartu itu mengingatkannya—bahwa bahkan kebebasan kecil ini pun masih berasal dari pria yang mengikatnya. Perasaan yang sejak tadi berkecamuk akhirnya mereda perlahan, karena perhatiannya teralihkan pada aktivitas yang selama ini sangat jarang untuk dilakukan selama masih di bangku kuliah. Bahkan, selama ia masih bersama Jordan, ia hanya pergi kencan beberapa kali dalam sebulan. Di salah satu toko pakaian, ada sebuah gaun menarik perhatiannya hingga Vanya melirik sekilas. Gaun itu berwarna pastel lembut dengan desain sederhana, dihiasi detail brokat berlipat yang memberi kesan anggun tanpa berlebihan. Kontras dengan gaun-gaun yang selama ini memenuhi lemarinya di mansion Jay—
Vanya membeku saat ia membaca isi pesan singkat suaminya. Tanpa sadar, tangannya yang menggenggam ponselnya mengerat hingga buku-buku jari memutih. Campuran kesal sekaligus muak mengendap di dadanya. Betapa tidak, pria itu masih saja mengontrolnya dari jarak jauh meski keberadaannya sudah tidak ada. Tapi bayang-bayang pria dingin yang tak tahu cara bagaimana berekspresi masih hadir di kepalanya. “Sialan,” gumam Vanya mengumpat pelan. Varsha yang duduk di tengah di antara dirinya dan ibunya langsung menoleh cepat, sebelum menutup kedua telinganya dengan tangan kecilnya. Suaranya terdengar pelan, namun sarat protes dan kekesalan yang begitu jelas. “Kak, ngomongnya jangan kasar.” Vanya tersentak dan menoleh cepat pada adiknya sebelum akhirnya ia merengkuh tubuh kecilnya dan mencium puncak kepalanya. Tangan satunya memasukkan ponselnya ke dalam tas kecilnya. “Maafin Kakak ya. Kakak nggak sengaja ngomong kasar.” Varsha hanya mengerucut bibirnya dan menjawab. “Nanti beliin aku es kri
Violet menatap putrinya lama sekali sebelum ia tersenyum kecil sambil mengangguk pelan. “Baik. Ibu ikut.” Varsha bertepuk tangan kecil. “Jalan-jalan! Aku mau beli es krim!” Vanya tertawa kecil dan memeluk adiknya lagi. “Kalau begitu, aku pakai baju dulu.” Violet mengangguk. “Ibu akan siap-siap bareng Varsha.” Vanya berbalik menuju kamar utama dengan langkah cepat. Di dalam kamar, ia membuka lemari besar dan memilih dress sederhana berwarna krem panjang selutut, cardigan tipis, dan flat shoes yang nyaman. Rambutnya ia keringkan cepat dan diikat ponytail tinggi. Sebelum keluar, ia menatap cermin sekali lagi. Ia memandang wajahnya dengan tajam dan penuh keyakinan. Dibenaknya ia terus meyakinkan diri sendiri, bahwa ia bisa hidup tanpa suaminya yang selalu mengatur hidupnya. Lantas Vanya mengambil tas kecil dan memasukkan Black Card ke dalamnya, lalu keluar kamar. Di koridor, ia bertemu Violet dan Varsha yang sudah siap. Varsha memegang tangan ibunya dengan wajah yang cerah. “Kak
Jay menatap telapak tangan itu lama sekali. Rahangnya mengeras tipis, matanya menyipit.“Kamu mau kemana memang?” tanyanya rendah, nada suaranya datar tapi ada tekanan halus di dalamnya.Vanya mengangkat dagu sedikit. Matanya tidak berkedip.“Kamu nggak perlu tahu.”Kata-kata itu keluar pelan, tapi menusuk. Sebuah cerminan yang nyaris sempurna dari apa yang selama ini selalu Jay ucapkan setiap kali Vanya mencoba menyinggung soal ‘urusan kerjaan’-nya.Jay terdiam. Matanya semakin gelap.“Vanya.”Vanya melipat tangan di dada, bibirnya mengerucut tipis. “Kenapa? Mau marah?”Jay tidak menjawab langsung. Ia hanya menatap Vanya dengan tatapan yang sulit dibaca—campuran antara dingin, lelah, dan sesuatu yang lebih dalam yang jarang ia tunjukkan.Vanya melanjutkan, suaranya lebih tajam tapi tetap terkendali.“Itu yang selalu kamu bilang tiap aku tanya. ‘Nggak usah tahu detailnya sekarang’. ‘Ini urusan
Mata Violet sedikit melebar dan mengangguk cepat. “Ibu ikut.” Varsha memeluk ibunya erat. “Aku juga mau ikut cari Kak Vanya.” Jay tidak melarang. Ia berjalan lebih cepat, langkahnya tetap tenang tapi ada urgensi yang tidak bisa disembunyikan lagi. Mereka bertiga sampai di pintu ruang membac
Malam sudah larut di kediaman utama Silvia Russell. Ruang kerja pribadinya terasa lebih dingin dari biasanya, hanya diterangi lampu meja kuning redup. Silvia duduk tegak di kursi kulit hitam besar, jari-jarinya bertaut di atas meja. Di depannya, layar monitor besar menampilkan panggilan video
Vanya berjalan cepat menyusuri koridor panjang mansion. Air matanya masih mengalir pelan, tapi ia tidak lagi menangis tersedu. Hanya sesak yang semakin menekan dada, napasnya pendek-pendek, dan tiba-tiba .… Tubuhnya terasa panas. Bukan panas seperti bara yang membakar seperti dulu, tapi hangat
Vanya duduk di ranjang kamar utama mansion, selimut tebal masih melorot di pinggangnya. Matanya kosong menatap lantai marmer yang dingin, tapi pikirannya melayang jauh. Pantai putih itu … ombak kecil yang menyapa kaki … angin laut yang lembut mengusap rambut … Jay yang tersenyum tipis saat ia meny
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