The Enemy

Aura left Axel, who remained stunned in the living room. The ring of his phone snapped Axel back to reality, and he opened the incoming message. Message from Aura.

"Come home. No need to come tomorrow because I won't be going anywhere."

That was Aura's message. Whether she genuinely didn't want to leave or deliberately wanted to avoid Axel because of tonight's happens, who knows? It could be either.

"Alright, Miss," was all Axel could reply. What else? Axel couldn't insist on coming if not required, right? Reluctantly, Axel headed home with a troubled heart.

Even though it was just for a moment, Axel had seen a glimpse of sadness on Aura's face, and it overwhelmed him with guilt. But thinking it over, it wasn't entirely Axel's fault, was it? Aura came to his room that night, and the procurer also stated that Aura was a woman provided for him!

‘I need to find out how Aura ended up in my room!’ Axel decided and immediately contacted the procurer, who picked up on the second ring.

"Do you need another woman tonight, Sir?"

"Yes, but I have a condition."

"What condition?"

"I want the same woman as two nights ago at Hotel X!" Axel said, making Madame Cha, as the procurer was commonly called, fall silent, not immediately responding to his condition. Making Axel more suspicious. Axel waited patiently, wanting to hear what Madame Cha would say to him. Honesty or a lie? We’ll see!

"Unfortunately, that woman has quit, and I don't know where she is now," Madame Cha lied after a few seconds of silence.

"Is that so? How could you let your workers go so easily?"

"I don't want to hinder their choices. After all, I have many sex worker, it’s not a problem to lose one person."

Axel clenched his fists, realizing that every word coming out of Madame Cha's mouth was a lie, especially her tone seemed unstable. Not as firm as usual. So strange!

"Alright then, no need. I'm not interested in any other woman!" Axel snapped and immediately hung up without waiting for Madame Cha's response.

He wasn't a fool. Axel realized that someone had intentionally set a trap for Aura that night, with Madame Cha as the intermediary. Who and what their motives were, Axel didn't know yet, but from now on, he would start investigating! Axel couldn't stay silent after realizing that he had taken away a girl's virginity.

He might not be a good person and had slept with many women, but among them, none were virgins, and they were all professional women meant to satisfy their clients.

And Axel wasn't the type of guy to remain silent after realizing that he had taken Aura's virginity without her consent! No, Axel would find out until everything was clear. Axel didn't like being used, and it was the same this time!

Axel tousled his still-damp hair, the effect of just finishing a shower. His hand picked up the phone, and he called Clay's number, hoping he could rely on the guy again. Unfortunately, Axel had to bite his lip as his calls were consistently redirected to voicemail! No idea where the guy was!

Axel didn't know that Clay was having a good time at the bar with many women. The loud noise made him unaware that his phone had been ringing since a while ago!

***

Aura sprawled her tired body, though she hadn't engaged in any strenuous activities today. Just a leisurely walk in the garden, enjoying the solitude that brought peace to her heart and mind. So, what made her tired?

Ah! Aura shouldn't have asked such a foolish question! Of course, it was because of the presence of a man named Axel! Max's replacement! The man who was now her bodyguard, assigned to protect Aura!

Since seeing him appear before her today, Aura's heart hadn't stopped pounding. Anxious and afraid. Aura feared her secret would be exposed.

What if he told the public what happened two nights ago?

‘It's impossible! Wouldn't Axel also get into problems, right?’ Aura tried to deny her worries internally. But what if it was possible? Aura's career would crumble in an instant! And certainly, Aura didn't want that to happen!

"Ugh! It's annoying! How can coincidences like this happen?!" grumbled Aura in frustration. A very unpleasant coincidence!

‘Calm down, Aura. Don't think too much. Act normal. Everything will be fine! And most importantly, you've taken the pill, so Axel's words won't come true!’ Aura spoke as if reciting a prayer. Hoping that her wish comes true.

With that thought in mind, Aura closed her eyes, hoping that all the problems and worries in her mind would vanish when she woke up tomorrow. Aura even wished that Axel's presence was just a bad dream!

Meanwhile, in a different place, a woman was listening to every report from her henchmen, her hands clenched tightly. Appearing upset.

"Is there no other information you can get about Ae Ra? How can you only give me trash information like this? I've paid you a considerable amount, and I don't need reports about her daily life! I only need information that can ruin her career in an instant!" the woman ranted, staring sharply at her paid informant.

"Sorry, Miss. We've tried our best, but as far as we can see, there's nothing unusual about Miss Ae Ra activities!" the informant replied, bowing, afraid to meet the fiery gaze of their boss. Truly frightening.

"If there isn't, then you must create it yourselves! In any way possible, I don't care! What matters is I want that woman to fall as soon as possible! I want to see her career crumble! I want to see her suffer! I want to see her hated by everyone!" the woman raged again.

"Alright, Miss. We understand. Please give us some time."

"Two weeks! If within two weeks you can't get any information to ruin Ae Ra, then I will settle the score with you! I won’t let you go easily. Understand?!"

The two informants exchanged terrified glances, not daring to imagine what punishment awaited them if they failed to carry out their assigned task. But they had no other choice! They need to gather information that can satisfy their boss!

"Alright, Miss!"

"Now you can go! Don't come back until you find information that can ruin Ae Ra, understood?!"

"Understood, Miss!"

After her two informants left the room, the woman muttered softly through gritted teeth, a sign of her deep hatred for Aura.

"I didn't expect that bringing you down would be this difficult, even though yesterday you fell into my trap! But it doesn't matter, I'm confident that I'll be able to erase you soon! I will make you crumble!"

Yes, a few nights ago, she had successfully lured Aura into coming to room 2522. Unfortunately, the plan had to be ruined because Aura left that room without her knowledge! She had been ready to catch Aura leaving room 2522 before sunrise, hoping to immediately spread photos of Aura to a gossip journalist!

But it didn't matter, this time she was sure not to miss out again.

Soon, Aura's skyrocketing music career would surely dim in an instant, making it easier for her to become number one in the entertainment industry! She was tired and fed up with being constantly compared to Aura, who always gained popularity for her achievements. No wonder her hatred is so intense!

"This time, I swear to destroy your life! I don't want your existence to be an obstacle or a threat to my career!" the woman muttered with a face full of hatred.