LOGINOn the night Keyla Tamara was supposed to marry Adrian Churchill, she found him with another woman. Broken, furious, and trapped inside a hotel controlled by his powerful family, Keyla ran before the Churchills could turn her into the scandal. Then she entered the wrong suite. Inside was Draxler Roman Churchill, Adrian’s ruthless older brother, the man everyone feared, and the one person Keyla should never have touched. One forbidden night was supposed to be revenge. By morning, she disappeared with his black cufflink in her hand and left only a torn piece of her wedding veil behind. Five years later, Keyla returns for a funeral with a little boy beside her. Leon Tamara is quiet, cold-eyed, and too observant for a child. He does not trust strangers. He does not like rich men. And when Draxler sees him, the truth hits harder than any confession. Leo is his son. Now Adrian wants Keyla destroyed. Vivienne wants to bury the past before it exposes her. Eleanor Churchill wants the hidden heir under her control, and Draxler wants the family he never knew he had already lost. But Keyla is no longer the humiliated bride who ran. She is a mother who built a life from the wreckage they left behind. She survived without the Churchill name, without their money, and without Draxler’s protection. So if Draxler wants a place beside her and Leo, he cannot demand it as a father, buy it as a billionaire, or claim it as a Churchill. He has to earn it.
View More“Gimana, Abra, enak nggak sup iganya?” suara Riani mengisi ruang makan.
Serayu melirik suaminya yang menjawab singkat, “Enak,” sambil tetap makan. Senyum puas muncul di wajah sang mertua, senyum yang sudah sering Serayu lihat, tapi tak pernah terasa hangat. Abra merangkul bahu Serayu dengan santai. Sentuhan itu membuatnya kaku, bukan karena tidak nyaman, tapi karena ia tahu mata Riani sudah memperhatikan. Dan benar saja, tatapan tajam itu langsung menusuk, seolah menilai bahwa Serayu tak pantas berada di sana. “Ini masakan Aileen,” ucap Riani tiba-tiba. Nama itu menghantam Serayu lebih kuat daripada nada suara yang mengatakannya. Abra tersedak spontan dan saat Serayu hendak memberinya air, Riani menepis tangannya seolah ia hanya gangguan. Sang mertua yang kemudian menyodorkan gelas pada Abra, membuat batas antara mereka semakin jelas, bahwa Serayu tetap orang luar. “Aileen mampir tadi. Sekarang dia pindah tugas ke sini,” lanjut Riani. “Tambah cantik, pintar, karirnya bagus… harusnya dulu kamu sabar nunggu dia S2.” Ucapan itu menusuk, bukan karena Serayu cemburu, tetapi karena ia sudah terlalu sering dibandingkan dengan perempuan yang bahkan belum pernah ia temui. Abra menahan ibunya dengan satu kata, “Mama.” Saat itu juga Serayu tahu makan siang itu sudah berakhir untuknya. “Kenapa, Abra? Nyatanya, sampai detik ini Mama memang tidak pernah merestui pernikahan kalian,” ujar Riani tanpa ragu. Ia menatap Serayu dengan tajam, seperti bagaimana ia selalu menatap menantunya itu. “Ma, sudahlah.” Abra mulai kesal, tapi masih menahan diri. Sementara Serayu, ia hanya bisa menundukkan kepalanya. Ia tahu, ia hanyalah koas dari keluarga sederhana yang masuk rumah sakit itu lewat beasiswa. Hidupnya berubah sejak kecelakaan kecil dengan mobil milik Abra, dokter bedah muda yang arogan dan pewaris rumah sakit. Berniat bertanggung jawab, Serayu menyadari jumlah uang yang dikeluarkan untuk memperbaiki mobil itu cukup besar. Hingga akhirnya, tawaran pernikahan kontrak muncul dari Abra sebagai jalan keluar. Serayu sudah menolaknya, tapi keadaan keluarganya yang serba kekurangan memaksanya menerima. Tak ada yang tahu perjanjian itu, termasuk Riani, yang sejak awal menolaknya. Serayu terlalu “biasa” untuk keluarga besar itu. Apa pun yang Serayu lakukan selalu tampak salah di mata Riani. Bahkan hal sekecil menaruh gelas pun bisa menjadi alasan untuk merendahkannya. “Abra, sampai kapan kamu mau dibutakan oleh istri kecilmu itu? Dia ini hanya mengincar hartamu, memanfaatkan popularitasmu di dunia kedokteran!” seru Riani tak tahan lagi. Tatapannya kembali terarah pada Serayu. “Kamu ini dari keluarga miskin, modal beasiswa, harusnya kamu sadar diri.” Serayu kembali menunduk, tak tahu harus merespon dengan kalimat apa. Ia tahu, pernikahan ini hanya di atas kertas, tapi apa yang ibu mertuanya katakan tentang latar belakang keluarganya benar-benar meluikai hatinya. “Ibu Riani, saya memang dari keluarga miskin, tapi saya nggak pernah punya niatan buruk pada Mas Abra dan keluarga,” lirih Serayu berusaha membela diri. Awalnya, ketika menerima perlakuan buruk dari sang ibu mertua, Serayu tak ingin ambil pusing. Ia hanya perlu bertahan hingga kontrak pernikahannya dengan Abra berakhir. Namun lama-kelamaan, ibu mertuanya semakin keterlaluan. “Di dunia ini tidak ada maling yang mengaku, Serayu! Saya nggak tahu, apa yang sudah kamu perbuat sampai bisa mencuci otak anak saya dan berani melawan ibunya sendiri,” cibir Riani tanpa perasaan. Serayu meremas ujung bajunya di bawah meja. Tatapannya terarah ke arah Riani dengan penuh rasa tidak terima. Abra yang melihat ekspresi Serayu langsung mengulurkan tangannya untuk menggenggam tangan istrinya di bawah meja. Seolah memberi instruksi untuk tidak lagi membalas ucapan ibunya agar suasana tidak semakin keruh. “Sejak awal semua sudah berjalan lancar. Abra hanya tinggal menunggu waktu untuk menikah dengan Aileen, tapi tiba-tiba kamu muncul dan mengacaukan semuanya. Seharusnya kamu nggak usah menampakkan diri di hidup anak saya,” lanjut Riani seolah masih belum puas menyudutkan sang menantu. “Ma, dari awal Abra memang nggak ingin menikah dengan Alieen,” sahut Abra menyanggah. “Iya karena perempuan ini lebih dulu mencuci otakmu, Abra!” seru Riani makin kesal. Serayu makin merasa kesal. Ia tahu, tiap kali kejadian seperti ini datang, Abra memang berusaha membelanya. Entah apa motif sebenarnya, setidaknya Serayu sedikit merasa terbantu meskipun rasanya juga percuma karena ibu mertuanya itu sama sekali tak bisa dibantah. Jika saja Abra bersikap abai, mungkin hidup Serayu akan semakin terasa terperosok. Sudah terjebak dalam pernikahan kontrak, masih juga ditindas di keluarga suaminya tanpa pembelaan sedikitpun. “Sudahlah, Abra antar Mama pulang,” kata Abra pasrah. Ia berdiri dan bersiap untuk pergi dari ruang makan. “Kamu benar-benar berubah semenjak menikah dengannya,” tuduh Riani dengan nada dingin. Abra tidak menanggapi, hanya menghela napas lalu menoleh pada istrinya. “Masuklah dulu, Saya akan antar Mama pulang,” titahnya berbisik, meminta Serayu masuk ke dalam kamar. Serayu menurut, tapi belum genap langkahnya tiba-tiba suara Riani membelah keheningan. “Ceraikan Serayu, Abra!”(Keyla POV) The last person I expected to see was Draxler. He had his key in his hand and he was already in the hallway, and we both stopped at the same time, apparently we'd had the same idea to find the other person three feet away at ten-thirty at night. The silence stretched between us. The hallway was lit by the lamp on the end table — the low, amber kind that Blackthorn used in the residential wings, which cast everything in the specific tone of a house that had been keeping secrets for a long time and had learned to make it look comfortable. He spoke first. "I didn't arrange the rooms," he said. I leaned lightly against the doorframe. "I know." I hadn't said anything, hadn't accused, but he'd read whatever was in my face and answered the question before I asked it, maybe he'd read my face that the same thought had occurred to him. He gave a small shrug. "Eleanor's staff handles room assignments. I had nothing to do with it." He hesitated before finishing "I can move to th
(Draxler POV) Nobody spoke while the archive loaded, old hotel systems were never in a hurry— the interface designed for a generation of IT infrastructure that treated speed as optional, the footage files large and uncompressed, the whole thing running on hardware that predated the renovation. Marcus had sourced the archive through a contact at the hotel's corporate parent rather than through Eleanor's formal request, which meant we had access to the same material Eleanor was waiting on, several hours ahead of her. The advantage was narrow and would close. Marcus clicked through the archive without rushing. Five years condensed into one timestamp. We were in the east study, door closed, Marcus's personal laptop rather than anything networked. The screen showed a grid of camera feeds — stills first, the way these archives presented — and Marcus moved through them methodically, the floor plan of the Aurelia Grand reconstructing itself in my memory as he went. Main entrance. Lobby.
(Keyla POV) The decision had already been made in my head. "We are leaving before dinner." Nora looked up from her phone. Leo, who was already wearing his coat because he'd decided wearing it was easier than packing it, looked up too. "Good," Nora said, and started folding the clothes she'd laid out on her bed. I pushed one last toy car deeper into the corner before pulling the zipper — it took two tries because his toy cars were taking up more space than they should — and set it by the door. We'd been at Blackthorn for two days. In forty-eight hours, Eleanor had already requested hotel security footage. Vivienne had managed to feed a story to the press. My name had made headlines, and Leo had nearly become one too. Blackthorn had already taken more than I intended to give it.She didn't stop folding as she spoke. "We still have the legal meeting tomorrow," Nora said. "Priscilla can handle the preliminary review by video." I checked another pocket. "I'm not required to be phys
(Keyla POV) Leo's excited voice cut through my thoughts. "Mom, is this treasure?" Leo held up the cufflink, tissue paper dangled from his other hand. Anything tiny and mysterious immediately became important to him that were small and interesting and obviously adult — with the combined energy of as far as Leo knew, he'd found a shiny object. I was halfway across the room. My head snapped up. I'd been packing the side pocket of my bag — passport, Leo's documents, the folder Priscilla had given me — and The search had already scattered things across the bed looking for his crayons. Leo trusted his own theories more than my answers were in my bag rather than his own, which they weren't, but convincing him otherwise would've taken longer than simply letting him look. His little hands always found the one thing I didn't want him touching. He'd found the velvet pouch in the outside pocket. I'd stopped keeping it in the inside zip months ago, complacency of a life abroad where no one kne
(Keyla POV) The rain started somewhere around the last mile of private road, and by the time the gate came into view — iron, tall, the kind that seemed designed to remind you whose territory this was — the windows were streaked and the late afternoon light had gone flat and grey. Blackthorn Man
(Keyla POV) Leo never took his eyes off the window. "Are we going to meet the monsters or the family first?" Leo asked this with his face pressed against the airplane window, watching clouds slide past like he'd never seen any before, even though we'd flown twice for client work and he'd been b
(Keyla POV) "You understand reputation collapse better than anyone we've hired." If he'd known why I understood it so well, he probably wouldn't have called it a compliment. The client said it at the end of the call, in the tone of someone delivering a compliment they'd arrived at through experie
(Draxler POV) "What would you do," "if I had?" Augustus said. He wasn't denying it. That was the part that mattered. The dining room had been cleared after breakfast but not reset for lunch, the table bare except for the water glasses Eleanor's staff left out of habit. Augustus was at the far e


















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