Virardo Nugraha was chosen as the next winner of the lottery. He had been busy in the editing room for the past two hours. Everyone had left, and Priska was alone in the living room, lost in her own thoughts.
Priska was furious when she thought about Rey. She had believed that the man who had coincidentally appeared and helped her at the mall was a good person. But it turned out that he was Rey Hutomo, also a member of Indra’s gang. Pretending to be kind while actually deceiving and trapping her.
Not long after, Ardo approached Priska, carrying a photo album and a tray of food. He placed the dark green-covered album in front of her.
“If I hadn’t made an album like this, our photos would’ve been lost. Oh, by the way, I’m Ardo.”
Priska hesitated before shaking his hand. But Ardo gave her a small smile and waited. Anything related to Aldo and Indra was a nightmare for her. Everyone was evil. No one could be trusted, including Virardo Nugraha.
“Since there’s a six-year age gap between us, you can call me ‘Kak’ or ‘Mas,’ whichever you prefer. That means when you were in elementary school, I was already a first-year university student,” Ardo said, trying to build a friendly atmosphere.
They only stared at each other awkwardly. Then Ardo reached for his phone, busy searching for something.
“Okay, hold on a second.” Ardo scrolled through his phone and then showed Priska his bank transaction history. It displayed that Indra Hendrawan had transferred a significant amount of money to him.
“What’s that?” Priska asked hesitantly.
“Eighty percent of my total lottery savings until today. After thinking it through, I realized there’s no point in sleeping with you. Several of my motorcycles are badly damaged from rough terrain, and the repair costs aren’t cheap,” Ardo explained, still trying to earn Priska’s trust.
“I don’t believe you,” Priska replied.
Ardo then showed her repair receipts for all his vehicles from his own workshop, along with the price list of the damaged spare parts. “Here, didn’t you read Indra’s note on the transaction history?”
[ Don’t touch Priska, or you’ll have to pay 300 million! ]
Priska read it, stunned. Meanwhile, Ardo chuckled, realizing how possessive Indra was.
“Damn, that’s expensive! I’d rather buy a car. So, let’s just be friends, Pris.”
Ardo opened the first page of the photo album. It showed the five of them in high school, playing in a waterfall while still wearing their white-and-gray uniforms. In Priska’s eyes, they seemed normal back then—far different from the depraved five they had become at twenty-seven. Now, they were nothing but devils.
“Were you all in the same class, Mas?” Priska asked curiously.
Ardo smirked slightly, signaling that Priska was starting to accept him since he had promised not to harm her.
“Only in our final year,” Ardo replied.
Priska flipped through the pages, examining the photos of their youthful moments. Not all the pictures had good resolution—perhaps some were taken with old phones—but some were sharp, likely from a digital camera.
“What were you guys like in high school?” Priska became intrigued by their past, as they all seemed like rebellious teenagers.
“Hm, that’s a long story.”
Ardo began recounting in detail how he met Rey, who had looked oddly thoughtful while eating in the cafeteria, as if analyzing the ingredients of the food.
“In the first semester of eleventh grade, Tomi and Indra invited me to play basketball in the court, but I wasn’t interested. To avoid them, I took a detour to the cafeteria near the library. That’s when I saw Aldo snacking while reading a comic. In the end, the five of us ended up playing basketball together,” Ardo said.
“Was Aldo already wearing glasses back then?”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t actually have bad eyesight. He just pretends. Those are only anti-radiation glasses, and he’s been wearing them ever since.”
Priska chuckled, finding it amusing. All this time, she had assumed Aldo needed glasses.
“Aldo was often asked to join the student council, but he never wanted to. His excuse was that he wanted to focus on his studies. In reality, he was just lazy. Indra was actually our class president,” Ardo revealed.
“What?” Priska was shocked. She couldn’t believe that the arrogant and cruel Indra had once been a class leader.
“He was even an activist in university, despite acting like a pompous overlord now,” Ardo teased. But Priska still found it hard to believe. The Indra she knew now was a complete contrast.
“Unfortunately, our school didn’t support student bands, so Tomi couldn’t fully pursue his music. Every time there was a festival or event, Tomi would always drag us into forming a band.”
“What about you, Mas? What’s been your passion since back then?”
“Me?” Ardo chuckled.
Priska nodded. “Yeah.”
“Automotive. Riding motorcycles like a racer and all that.”
Priska recalled how dull her childhood had been in comparison. Seeing Indra and his gang so full of life and memories during high school made her feel envious. She kept flipping through the pages of Ardo’s album. There were also photos of the five of them in their university jackets, as well as professional studio pictures.
Ardo pulled out another album filled with memories of receiving their first paychecks. Some pictures captured the affectionate moments of certain gang members with their partners—at least they looked like couples. Priska wasn’t entirely sure and didn’t dare to ask.
“Who do you think will get married first among you guys?” Priska asked curiously. Their ages were more than mature enough for marriage.
For a moment, Priska tried to ignore the fact that all five of them were terrible people. Ardo rolled his eyes and grinned widely, as if the answer was obvious.
“Aldo,” he answered casually.
At that moment, Ardo flipped to the last page of the album, showing pictures of the five attending Giska’s graduation. There was also a solo picture of Giska and Aldo together—so intimate and perfectly matched. She was the one who had truly won Aldo’s heart all along, and Priska had to come to terms with it. Seeing this made her heart ache.
“Cum laude,” Priska muttered sadly, feeling envious.
“Yeah, Giska is really smart,” Ardo replied.