MasukIn my past life, my entire family doted on Lilith Hale, the adopted daughter they had cherished since she was a little girl. And me? I was Nora Hale, the Alpha's biological daughter. I had gone missing as a child and grown up away from them. But when I finally came home, they treated me like a stranger. My fated mate, Oakley Grant, said, "Lilith is the only one in my heart. You're nothing but a tool for this arranged bonding." My brothers, Matthew and Adam Hale, said, "Lilith is our only sister. You don't deserve that title." My birth parents, Jackson and Sara Hale, said, "Lilith has always been frail. Can't you just let her have her way?" In my past life, I did everything I could to please them, hoping they would help pay for my foster mother, Vivian Moore's treatment. I swallowed every insult and gave up my dignity. But in the end, the only person who ever loved me still died in that hospital because I couldn't pay her medical bills. After that, I was sent to a psychiatric hospital. In the end, I took my own life. Then I woke up on the day of my marking ceremony. A voice rang in my head. "Mayhem System activated. Cause mayhem, and the Host can earn up to ten billion dollars in rewards!" I smiled and kicked over the champagne pyramid beside me. Glass shattered, and wine splashed everywhere. Raising hell? That's my specialty.
Lihat lebih banyakPonsel di sebuah meja berukuran lebar terus bergetar. Sedikit menyita perhatian seorang pria yang duduk di balik meja tersebut. Hanya sebuah lirikan kecil tidak berarti dari sepasang iris cokelat itu, lantas dia cuek lagi.
Penanya terus bergoyang di atas berlembar-lembar kertas. Beberapa dokumen baru selesai ditandatangani, dan dia harus menyelesaikan setumpuk dokumen lainnya.
"Ponselnya nggak diangkat dulu aja, Pak?" tanya seorang wanita cantik yang berdiri di hadapan pria itu.
"Biarkan saja," sahut pria itu terlalu irit membuat si wanita sedikit mengerutkan bibir.
"Pak Gavin nggak lupa, kan kalau malam ini ada makan malam di Sarinah?" Wanita itu mengingatkan dan cukup membuat perhatian pria yang disebut Gavin itu teralihkan dari lembar kertas.
"Kamu jadi alarm ibu saya atau gimana?" tanya Gavin tak suka. "Saya sudah cukup pusing dapat pesan reminder dari ibu saya. Jadi, kamu nggak perlu memberi saya peringatan lagi. Ngerti?"
Wanita dengan setelan blazer di hadapan Gavin meringis. "Maaf, Pak. Sudah tugas saya sebagai sekretaris untuk—"
"Tidak untuk mengingatkan makan malam nggak penting yang diatur ibu saya. Masih belum paham, Vania?" potong Gavin tegas. Mata cokelatnya menyorot tajam sekretaris bernama Vania itu.
"Baik, Pak. Maaf."
Setelah menandatangani dokumen penting, Gavin keluar dari ruangan mewah itu. Dia bergerak cepat di koridor kantornya menuju lift. Hari ni dia akan menyibukkan diri meskipun jadwalnya tidak terlalu padat. Bahkan dia berniat melakukan kunjungan di departemen produksi jika memungkinkan.
Kembali Gavin merasakan getar ponsel di saku jasnya. Napas lelahnya berembus, dan dengan malas meraih ponsel itu. Dugaannya tepat, telepon dari mama. Dia yakin panggilan-panggilan sebelumnya juga dari wanita itu.
"Gavin, kamu ke mana aja, sih? Pasti sengaja nggak angkat telepon mama kan? Kebiasaan banget kamu ya. Mama kan cuma mau ingetin, takutnya kamu lupa. Sekarang sudah pukul empat sore. Kamu harus siap-siap biar nggak kena macet. Kasian kan kalau Talia nungguin lama."
Gavin belum sempat mengucapkan salam, tapi mamanya langsung nyerocos seperti petasan imlek.
"Kamu bawa hadiah ya buat Talia, bunga atau cokelat kek. Bikin kesan pertama yang istimewa."
Pria 33 tahun itu menghela napas. Harusnya memang tadi deringan ponsel itu dibiarkan saja.
"Gavin, kamu dengar mama ngomong, kan?"
"Iya, Ma. Aku dengar." Untuk pertama kalinya Gavin bersuara.
"Bagus, pokoknya kali ini harus berhasil."
"Oke. Kalau gitu aku tutup dulu, sebentar lagi aku harus keluar."
Di sana sang mama terdengar heboh. "Keluar ke mana lagi? Ini sudah pukul empat, kamu jangan ke mana-mana lagi, nanti—"
"Cari hadiah yang seperti mama bilang," sela Gavin sebelum sang ibu menyerocos panjang lebar lagi.
"Ooh, ya udah oke, Mama tutup ya. Selamat berkencan, Sayang."
Embusan napas kasar keluar dari mulut lelaki dengan tinggi 183 cm itu saat panggilan itu berakhir. Ocehan mama membuat kepalanya sedikit berdenyut. Entah dia harus melalui kencan buta berapa kali lagi setelah sebelum-sebelumnya tidak berhasil.
Gavin capek. Bukannya apa, semua wanita yang ikut kencan buta itu tidak ada satu pun yang bisa menggetarkan hati pria itu. Dia tidak merasa pilih-pilih, tapi terkadang ada saja hal yang tidak cocok, yang bisa membuat Gavin menolak pertemuan kedua dan seterusnya.
"Nggak cuma kamu yang capek, memangnya mama nggak capek milihin kamu calon istri," omel mama saat Gavin melayangkan protes terkait kencan buta itu.
"Kalau mama capek, kenapa masih aja terus lanjut? Mama nggak perlu repot-repot mencarikan aku jodoh. Kalau Tuhan udah nentuin waktunya, jodoh juga akan datang sendiri."
Ada tatap terkejut yang bisa Gavin tangkap dari wanita paruh baya itu. Bukan hanya itu wajah wanita yang sudah melahirkannya itu juga terlihat gelisah tiba-tiba. Seperti ada sesuatu yang disembunyikan.
"Pokoknya tahun ini, mama ingin lihat kamu duduk di pelaminan," pungkas mama sebelum akhirnya meninggalkan sang anak.
Mengingat itu hanya membuat Gavin menghela napas. Siapa sih yang tidak ingin menikah dan memiliki keluarga bahagia? Gavin juga ingin. Namun, memang belum ketemu jodoh saja.
Matanya terpejam sesaat, kembali bayangan gadis cantik yang tersenyum malu-malu padanya berkelebat. Lalu tiba-tiba sebuah perasaan nyeri mencubit hatinya. Gavin menggeleng cepat, membuang bayangan itu. Lalu dirinya yang saat ini sudah berada di balik kemudi, menekan tombol start, menyalakan mesin mobil.
Mobil mewahnya keluar dari halaman kantor perusahaan, dan bergabung dengan pengendara lain di jalan raya. Gavin melajukan dengan kecepatan sedang. Jalan raya belum terlalu padat. Dia masih bisa berkendara dengan santai.
Melewati sebuah traffic light, mobilnya bergerak melambat, dan dengan pelan dia menginjak rem ketika menempati posisi yang pas. Lampu merah menyala, dan kesempatan itu digunakan para pedagang asongan menawarkan dagangan kepada para pengendara yang terjebak lampu merah.
Gavin tampak tak peduli. Dia sedang tidak ingin membeli apa pun. Tisu yang dia borong dari pedagang asongan masih banyak di bagasi belakang. Namun, saat tatapnya melihat seorang gadis penjual bunga tangkai, dia refleks menurunkan kaca jendela.
Gadis itu berjalan mendekat ke arah mobilnya. Dari balik kemudi Gavin terus memperhatikan gadis penjual bunga yang mengenakan topi terbalik. Awalnya dia memang berniat membeli bunganya saja. Namun, ketika gadis itu makin dekat, dia malah terpana. Wajah gadis itu terlihat familier, bahkan Gavin terkesima selama beberapa saat.
"Mau beli bunga, Om. Ini bisa buat hadiah istri atau pacar Om. Murah kok. Cuma 20 ribu."
Gavin terkesiap saat tahu-tahu gadis itu sudah berada di dekatnya. Dan entah bagaimana ceritanya, dia malah memborong bunga itu. Ada sekitar sepuluh bunga di keranjang milik gadis itu.
"Om serius mau memborong bunga saya?" tanya gadis itu dengan mata berbinar.
Pria berkulit pucat itu mengangguk dan tersenyum. Dia baru sadar ternyata gadis itu memiliki warna iris mata yang sama dengannya, cokelat terang.
"Iya, jadi berapa semuanya?" tanya Gavin, seraya mengambil dompet di dasbor.
"Jadi 200 ribu, Om."
"Oke." Gavin menyodorkan dua lembar uang seratus ribuan, dan ditukar dengan sepuluh tangkai bunga mawar yang terbungkus rapi dengan plastik bening.
"Makasih banyak, ya, Om. Kalau begini saya jadi bisa cepat pulang ke rumah." Deretan gigi mungil terlihat ketika gadis itu tersenyum lebar. "Mau buat istrinya, ya, Om?"
Gavin menggeleng seraya tersenyum.
"Oh, pasti pacar. Semoga pacarnya makin cinta sama Om ganteng."
Kekehan kecil meluncur dari bibir penuh Gavin. "Kamu bisa aja."
Keduanya berpisah ketika lampu lalu lintas kembali berwarna hijau. Mobilnya merambat pelan. Sempat dia memperhatikan gadis kecil penjual bunga yang sudah kembali ke trotoar dari kaca spion. Senyum gadis itu tak asing. Gavin merasa akrab dengan senyum itu.
"Revita, ada kamu di wajah gadis itu," gumam Gavin, lalu menggeleng. Dia berusaha tak peduli dan terus melajukan kendaraannya menuju apartemen.
***
I was still watching Dr. Carter's video when someone knocked on my door.I opened it and saw Oakley outside.I raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here? This isn't a dump."Oakley held back his anger and forced a smile. "Nora, I was wrong before. I've thought it over, and I finally realized you're the one I really care about. Can we start over? I promise I'll make you my Luna."I pressed a hand to my chest in fake surprise. "Oh my God, what could you possibly like about me? Don't tell me it's my mines!"Oakley's smile faltered."Oh, wait. It's my money, isn't it?" I smiled sweetly and patted his cheek like a dog. "Sorry, but I'm not interested in you anymore."Oakley's face darkened. "Don't push it, Nora! I'm the Alpha of the Gale Pack. With that temper and those average looks, you think you can find a better mate than me?"I crossed my arms, my smile disappearing."Jackson was an Alpha too. A few words from me put him behind bars. What makes you think you're any better?"And stop y
The report was unambiguous. Jackson was Lilith's biological father!Sara stared at the report, then turned to Jackson, trembling with rage."You lied to me! You said you'd found Lilith and brought her home. How could you do this to me?!"No wonder you kept delaying our marking ceremony. You were out there with that bitch!"Jackson looked away and stammered, unable to answer.Sara screamed and threw herself at him, pulling his hair and clothes. "Who is that bitch?! I'll kill her!"They started fighting right there in front of everyone. Matthew and Adam rushed over and tried to pull them apart.More people gathered around, eager to watch the drama.I'd seen enough. I turned and left.The system chimed in my head again."Host made the malicious brother reap what he sowed, sent the biased mother into meltdown, and exposed the greedy father's scandal. Mayhem Rating: five stars. Reward: one rare metal mine!"Later, I heard that Sara had gone straight to the Elder Council that night. Furious
"Stop it! Haven't you embarrassed this family enough?!"Jackson suddenly appeared and slapped Matthew across the face. Adam knew they couldn't make a scene here, so he quickly held Matthew back.But it was too late. The nearby reporters smelled a scandal and rushed over with their cameras.This news would be all over the place within the hour. The thought alone put me in a great mood.Too bad Lilith had gone to the Gale Pack to celebrate her birthday with Oakley. Otherwise, she could've made the headlines too.Jackson turned to me. "Nora, Matthew is your brother. Did you really have to go this far?"I crossed my arms and scoffed. "He raised the paddle and made those bids himself. I didn't force him. How is this my fault?"Matthew sputtered, "If you hadn't had people spreading those rumors to throw me off, I never would've bid that high!"My eyes went cold. "You knew I wanted the Heart of the Ocean, so you kept raising the price just to spite me. You brought this on yourself. Don't blam
A charity auction was underway in a luxurious hotel ballroom, packed with powerful figures from packs across the region."Have you heard? They're auctioning off an incredible treasure tonight.""Yeah. The legendary Heart of the Ocean.""I heard Nora came just for it.""Nora? The Silver Moon Pack Alpha's daughter? Isn't she on bad terms with her family? Can she even afford it?""Who knows? She's been throwing money around lately. Maybe she can.""I heard her say yesterday that she had to have the Heart of the Ocean. She'll pay up to two hundred million for it.""Two hundred million! Where did she get that kind of money?""Imagine if she wins and can't pay. That would be hilarious."Matthew and Adam heard every word. They exchanged a look, clearly plotting something.Soon, the auction began.The first few items were unremarkable. I ignored them.But the moment the Heart of the Ocean was brought out, I sat up straight, my eyes fixed on it.Matthew and Adam had been watching me. My reactio












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