LOGINWhen Naomi Sullivan married me, she was already ten million dollars in debt. I spent the last five years working three jobs to help her pay off her "debts" while providing for her as well as our son, Shane Lewis. Not once did I ever complain about anything. All along, I firmly believed that my efforts would pay off, and we would eventually lead a good life together. Last week, our company finally secured a massive investment. Naomi and I hugged as we celebrated the occasion. I thought that the hard times were finally over. Today, I ended up seeing Naomi featured in the financial news. Dressed in a formal gown, she was hailed as the sole heiress to a multi-billion-dollar empire. She was shown engaged in an animated conversation with her "investor", Jared Lewis. The news headline read, "Naomi Sullivan Completes Five-Year Adversity Trial, Proves Her Ability to Build from Scratch to the Board of Directors". I trudge home in a daze. When I get there, the five-year-old Shane is playing with the latest limited-edition toy robot. He looks at me with a frosty, distant expression that bears an uncanny resemblance to his mother's. "Mommy told me everything. You failed the trial, Daddy. You care too much about money."
View MoreNamaku Ilham Alfarizi. Aku lahir di desa terpencil lebih tepatnya di desa Sukamakmur, kecamatan Ajung. Sejak lulus SD, Abi sama Umi memintaku tinggal di pesantren untuk memperdalam ilmu agama karena aku tak mau membuat mereka kecewa. Aku pun menuruti keinginan mereka, di sana aku tidak hanya menuntut ilmu agama, tapi juga ilmu umum.
Enam tahun aku hidup di pesantren hingga aku tamat SMA. Dan sejak itu, aku memutuskan untuk berhenti mondok karena aku ingin pergi ke kota, melanjutkan pendidikanku di sana sekalian ingin mencari kerja. Aku ingin hidup mandiri dan tidak melulu bergantung pada orang tua.
"Abi, Umi, izinkan aku pergi ke kota ya," pintaku memohon.
"Kenapa harus ke kota, Nak? Di sini banyak kampus-kampus yang mumpuni," ucap Umiku, beliau adalah seorang ibu yang rela mempertaruhkan nyawanya demi melahirkanku ke dunia.
"Aku ingin mencari pengalaman, Umi. Aku mohon, izinkan anakmu ini mencari ilmu di Kota Surabaya." Aku terus memohon karena kuliah di kota adalah keinginanku sejak dulu.
"Dek, izinkan anakmu pergi ke kota. Selama 6 tahun, dia berada di lingkungan pondok pesantren. InsyaAllah dia bisa jaga diri baik-baik di sana. Mas percaya putra kita tak akan membuat kita kecewa, dia sudah bisa membedakan mana yang baik dan tidak baik untuknya, untuk agamanya. Toh, selama ini dia tak pernah meminta apapun dari kita, dia selalu menuruti keinginan kita. Dan sekarang, di saat dia menginginkan sesuatu, tegakah kita menolaknya. Mungkin kuliah di kota adalah keinginan dia sejak lama, jangan biarkan keegoisan kita, malah menghambat dia untuk merain apa yang ia impikan," ucap Abiku yang berusaha menasehati Umi.
Umi hanya diam mendengarkan ucapan Abi. Lalu Umi melihat ke arahku, dan aku hanya bisa menunduk tak berani menatap wajah Umi.
Dalam hati, aku hanya berharap izin dari Umi. Kudengar Umi seperti menghela nafas, lalu Umi pun membuka suara, "Baiklah umi izinkan, tapi seminggu sekali, kamu harus kasih kabar ya sama Umi. Jaga diri baik-baik disana, jangan sampai membuat Abi dan Umi kecewa di sini,"
"Baik, Umi. InsyaAllah, aku akan jaga diri baik-baik dan aku tak akan mengecewakan Umi." Akhirnya izin dari Umi dan Abi sudah aku dapatkan dan aku sudah gak sabar untuk segera pergi ke kota.
"Lalu kapan kamu akan berangkat, Nak?" tanya Abi.
"InsyaAllah besok, Abi," jawabku tersenyum.
"Kenapa mendadak, Ham?" tanya Umi kaget.
"Lebih cepat lebih baik Umi, aku sudah tak sabar menginjakkan kakiku di kota," jawabku jujur.
"Tapi kamu di sana gak punya siapa-siapa. Lalu kamu akan tidur dimana, Nak?" tanya Umi lagi.
"Ada Allah yang jaga dan lindungi Ilham, Umi. Dan masalah aku tinggal dimana, aku bisa ngekost Umi, aku mau kuliah di Universitas Terbuka Surabaya dan aku akan cari kos-kosan yang tak jauh dari sana," tuturku berusaha agar Umi mengerti dan tak mencemaskan putra satu-satunya ini.
"Baiklah, asal kamu berjanji kamu baik baik saja di sana, Umi izinkan,"
"Terima kasih Umi, terima kasih Abi. Izin dari kalian adalah hal yang aku harapkan dari dulu. Kalau gitu, aku akan ke kamar dulu, aku akan bersiap-siap," ucapku semangat.
"Biar Umi bantu,"
"Iya, Umi."
Lalu aku pun segera pergi ke kamarku, tak luas tapi juga tak sempit, aku mengambil tas yang cukup besar untuk memasukkan baju-baju dan barang-barang yang akan aku perlukan selama di sana. Dengan di bantu Umi menatanya sehingga terlihat rapi, beda denganku yang menaruh asal-asalan. Sedangkan Abi, ia memilih diam memperhatikan aku. Aku tau, berat buat Abi dan Umi memberikan izin tapi ini adalah keinginanku, impianku.
Setelah selesai, aku memutuskan untuk istirahat, aku sudah tak sabar menunggu hari esok tiba sedangkan Abi dan Umi, mereka pergi ke luar, entah mau kemana.
Keesokan harinya, sehabis sholat shubuh, aku langsung bersiap-siap. Sungguh, hati ini sudah tak sabar untuk melihat indahnya Kota Surabaya. Umi dan Abi juga sudah siap untuk mengantarkanku ke terminal. Aku menggunakan celana jeans, sepatu sneakers warna hitam dengan baju kaos warna putih, di padukan dengan jaket warna hitam, aku juga menggunakan topi warna hitam untuk menutupi kepalaku serta jam tangan yang aku taruh di pergelangan tangan kiriku. Untunglah beberapa hari yang lalu, aku pergi ke toko baju untu mempersiapkan semuanya, tak sia-sia aku menghabiskan uang sebesar 500 ribu lebih untuk membeli baju, celana, topi, baju kaos, sepatu dan juga jam tangan agar terlihat menarik.
Umi dan Abi yang melihatku dengan tampilan berbeda pun merasa terpukau. Kulitku emang putih, mungkin karena aku jarang keluar dari pondok pesantren membuat kulitku yang dulu sedikit coklat menjadi putih. Dan tubuhku yang sedikit kekar membuatku sedikit percaya diri. Tak sia-sia saat di pondok aku ikut pelajaran basket sehingga membuat tubuhku sedikit terbentuk.
"Ya Tuhan, ini beneran anak umi, kenapa cakep gini," puji Umi membuatku tersenyum.
"Iya dong Umi, aku mah aslinya ganteng Umi, asal di rawat aja apalagi memakai baju yang bagus, makin cakeplah aku," tuturku tersenyum.
"Adek, gak sia-sia dulu kita buat siang malam ya, akhirnya anak kita bisa seganteng ini," goda Abi membuat pipi Umi bersemu merah menahan rasa malu.
"Apaan sih Mas, malah bahas itu," ucap Umi sambil melihat ke lain arah.
"Emang kenyataannya, Dek," balas Abi. "Iya sudah, ayo kita berangkat sekarang, biar nanti kamu sampai Surabaya gak kesiangan," ucap Abi serius.
"Iya, Abi."
Lalu aku,Umi dan Abi pun berangkat menggunakan becak motor yang di singkat menjadi bentor, Abi sendiri yang mengemudi sepeda motornya sedangkan aku dan Umi duduk manis sambil lihat pemandangan di sekiling jalan.
"Nak, sesampai di sana, jangan lupa sholat ya, jangan sampai membuat Allah marah dengan melakukan hal-hal yang Allah benci," ucap Umi saat kami dalam perjalanan menuju terminal.
"Iya Umi, pasti. Sholat adalah tiang agama, lalu bagaimana mungkin aku sampai melalaikannya Umi," ucapku sambil menoleh ke arah Umi.
"Syukurlah Umi hanya takut karena kesibukan kamu disana, kamu melalaikan kewajiban kamu, Nak."
"InsyaAllah aku gak akan lalai, Umi. Doakan aku ya Umi, agar aku bisa menggapai impianku disana,"
"Pasti, doa Umi selalu menyertai kamu, tampa kamu minta pun, Umi akan selalu mendoakan kamu di setiap sholat Umi,"
"Makasih, Umi."
Tak terasa aku dan kedua orang tuaku pun sampai di terminal, aku dan Umi segera turun dari bentor, begitupun dengan Abi.
"Nak, ini ada uang buat kamu selama di sana," ucap Abi sambil memberikan aku uang sebesar tiga juta.
"Makasih, Abi. Maaf jika selama ini, aku sering merepotkan Abi sama Umi," ucapku sambil menerima uang tersebut.
"Jangan bilang seperti itu, kamu tanggung jawab Abi sama Umi, tentu Abi dan Umi akan melakukan apapun demi kebahagian kamu, lagian Abi dan Umi bekerja juga buat kamu Nak, karena kamu adalah anak satu satunya Abi dan Umi,"
"Sekali lagi, makasih ya Umi, Abi. Aku bersyukur bisa di lahirkan menjadi anak Abi dan Umi, kalian adalah panutan untukku,"
"Kami juga bersyukur Allah memberikan kami amanah untuk menjadi orang tua kamu, Nak. Sekarang naiklah ke bus, ingat sebelum berangkat, jangan lupa berdoa dulu,"
"Baik, Abi."
Setelah itu, aku langsung mencium tangan punggung Abi dan Umi, lalu mereka menghadiahkan aku dengan pelukan hangat mereka.
"Aku berangkat dulu, jika sudah sampai, aku akan memberi kabar, Assalamualaikum,"
"Waalaikumsalam."
Lalu dengan langkah yang pasti, aku pun melangkahkan kakiku menuju bus yang sudah siap berangkat menuju kota Surabaya, sesekali kulihat Umi yang menghapus air matanya yang menetes, "Maafkan aku sudah membuat Umi sedih, maaf jika pilihanku membuat Umi sampai menangis seperti ini," gumamku dalam hati.
Three years later, Naomi was released from prison.I heard she'd gotten into a scuffle with another inmate and ended up breaking her leg during a fall. When she came out, she walked with a limp. She got a job as a dishwasher at a small restaurant and lived a miserable life in destitution.After Jared's family went bankrupt, he fled abroad and married a foreign woman who was over 30 years older than him. He was never heard from again.As for me, I used the huge compensation and the EverTrace technology Dad left to me to create a tech firm that I named Paladin.The company's business operations were fairly simple.It provided a blockchain-based platform for people who were in the same position I used to be in. Those who engaged in informal employment, gig work, and part-time jobs could use this platform to log their working hours. This gave them the means of preserving evidence and protecting their rights.The company also provided integrated legal support services.In just three
The final court verdict came faster than I'd expected.Sullivan Group's legal team couldn't mount any defense against the evidence Yvette presented in court. She'd submitted the five-year records that had been documented using blockchain technology, which meant that they couldn't have been falsified or tampered with. She also submitted a few key audio recordings as evidence.In the end, the court ruled that both Sullivan Group and Naomi, as an individual, were guilty of committing illegal labor practices and commercial fraud against me.Sullivan Group was ordered to provide full compensation for five years of labor, including the value of benefits owed, such as insurance and pension fund contributions, as well as triple overtime pay.Aside from that, they also had to provide an astronomical nine-figure sum in compensation for other non-financial damages and emotional distress.As for Naomi, due to her involvement in commercial fraud, and with the conclusive evidence of her activ
One by one, the dominoes fell, and the first to go down was Sullivan Group's share prices.The moment trading opened after the press conference, Sullivan Group's share prices plummeted. Keywords like "successor trial", "audiogate", and "high-society frauds" were the top searches, trending across every social media platform.I once had to pinch every penny, even when buying groceries. Now, I'd personally made them lose over ten billion dollars in a single day.It certainly was ironic.The next domino to fall was the reaction from the business world.Several of Sullivan Group's key partners swiftly put out emergency press releases. They announced the suspension of all cooperation with Sullivan Group and declared that they would be re-evaluating Sullivan Group's commercial credibility.The once-bustling Sullivan Tower, the headquarters for Sullivan Group, was now besieged by furious shareholders and reporters.Naomi went from being the enviable heiress of an elite family to a socia
While not exactly a tsunami, my lawsuit caused significant waves among the financial and legal circles."High-Society Scandal! Naomi Sullivan of Sullivan Group Sued by Husband Over Illegal Labor Practices!"A headline like that was enough to grab everyone's attention.Naomi and Jared clearly hadn't expected me to come at them in this manner. After two days of radio silence, they chose an arrogant and foolish way to respond to the lawsuit. They held a press conference.I sat on the couch in Yvette's office, watching the live broadcast. Through the screen, I stared at the impeccably dressed Jared."I feel both deeply hurt and confused by Mr. Ian Lewis' actions," Naomi said to the camera, looking like someone who'd loved deeply but had suffered a great betrayal."I admit that I designed a trial with the intention of testing human nature. However, my original intention was simply to find a partner who could share both joys and hardships with me. I was never looking for an employee












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