“What precisely do you mean by 'a bit more’?” Melati demanded icily, her voice laced with suspicion as she suddenly seized Felzein’s left arm in a grip that brooked no argument.
Felzein stiffened, clearly caught off guard, “I-It’s nothing... truly, it’s of no consequence,” he stammered, eyes flickering uncertainly to where her fingers curled around his sleeve.
He barely had time to exhale before Rosa swept in from the opposite side, her steps light but laden with intent, eyes narrowing with quiet interrogation.
“Of no consequence, you say?” she echoed softly, yet with unmistakable weight, as she slid her hand around his right arm, fastening her hold with delicate firmness.
Felzein’s entire frame tensed, a nervous swallow betraying the storm within, “Ahem…”
Now, he stood as a man captured.
Both arms ensnared by two women whose stares alone might rend heavens and summon lightning.
"Melati on the left, and Rosa on the right," he thought, the words echoing like a prayer in a silent cathedral. "Dear heavens, my heart beats like a battle drum…"
He dared not turn his head, dared not move a muscle.
He stared forward with all the stillness of a soldier awaiting the first volley, trapped upon the quietest battlefield of all, the unspoken war between two hearts.
Cherlyn regarded Felzein, Rosa, and Melati with wide, astonished eyes.
“Do they truly have no idea how dangerous Doctor Vradistza is?” she murmured under her breath.
A moment later, she exhaled softly, “It should have been me by his side,” she thought mournfully, nursing the ache in silence.
Elsewhere, Heru and Ibrahim exchanged a glance, a faint, knowing smile playing at their lips.
Not far off, Vania and Vera simmered with quiet, burning jealousy.
“Bloody hell,” Vania muttered inwardly, her jaw tightening with restrained fury.
“I deserve to be at his side too,” Vera thought, her eyes glinting with a mix of ambition and wounded pride.
Dewi, Rasya, and Wina simply shook their heads in quiet resignation as they observed the unfolding scene.
“Do you think we’ll ever have a chance like Melati and Ocha?” Wina whispered, hope flickering in her voice.
“Of course. It’s only a matter of time,” Rasya replied, smiling gently, though in her heart, the same longing stirred.
Dewi, though married, could not entirely suppress the faint envy rising within her.
“If only my husband were as handsome as Felzein…” she murmured with a wistful sigh.
“Life isn’t exactly fair, is it?” she added, half-jesting, half-resigned.
“Ahem!” Felzein cleared his throat, attempting to redirect their focus. “So… what now?” he asked, looking around at each of them.
“We go home,” Heru replied firmly, stepping forward with earnest eyes.
“Mate… thank you. Honestly. You’ve helped me more than I can ever repay. KobaNews has a future now, and it’s all thanks to you. This story, this moment, changes everything.”
His voice wavered slightly, thick with emotion.
Felzein offered a soft smile and clapped a hand on Heru’s shoulder, “No thank you. You trusted me from the start. We’ve come all this way together.”
No further words were needed. The two shook hands firmly, then embraced like brothers returning from a long and weary war.
The others watched in silence, their expressions warm.
A quiet peace settled over the room, as if the day had finally drawn to a close, and all that remained was stillness and gratitude.
One by one, they began to bid their farewells. Heru, Ibrahim, Vania, and Vera readied themselves to depart.
Just before leaving, Vania leaned in towards Felzein, her voice a silken thread as she whispered into his ear, “Let’s go out sometime, just the two of us.”
Yet her tone was pitched just high enough to carry deliberately towards the two figures flanking him.
“That is quite out of the question!” Rosa and Melati exclaimed in perfect synchrony, their eyes flashing with matching indignation.
Not to be eclipsed, Vera sauntered closer, a playful smirk curling at her lips, “And when you tire of those two, you’ll know where to find me.” She spoke clearly, deliberately, letting the words hang provocatively in the air.
“Nooo!!”
Rosa and Melati cried again, their voices cracking with a mixture of alarm and fury.
What followed was pandemonium. The kind born of envy, tension, and a shared affection that refused to stay silent.
Laughter, however, soon bubbled to the surface, erupting from everyone present, unable to resist the absurd theatre of it all.
Felzein merely stood amidst the whirlwind, a helpless smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“Utterly maddening, and yet, somehow, oddly charming.” The thought crossed his mind like a whispered confession, tinged with reluctant amusement.
With the moment settling into soft chuckles and knowing glances, Heru, Ibrahim, Vania, and Vera at last took their leave from Koba Baru Pharmacy, returning to the newsroom to file their day’s revelations.
The gathering shrank, now comprising only Felzein, Rosa, Melati, Cherlyn, Rasya, Dewi, and Wina.
“So... what now?” Felzein asked, his gaze sweeping the group.
“No idea,” Melati replied nonchalantly, lifting her shoulders with the ease of someone unfazed by indecision.
“Shall we all go out somewhere? For a bit of air and perhaps a warm drink?” Rosa offered, her smile radiant.
“Yes, let’s!” Dewi, Rasya, and Wina chimed in unison, their faces bright with anticipation.
Yet amidst the newfound cheer, Cherlyn stood still. Her expression unreadable, her eyes distant.
“But...” she said at last, her voice scarcely more than a breath.
“What is it, Doctor?” Dewi inquired gently.
Cherlyn hesitated, then turned to face Rosa and Melati with a composure both respectful and quietly firm.
“I’d like a moment alone with Doctor Vradistza,” she said, her voice steady.
“Would that be all right?” she added, as though acknowledging the silent authority of the two who lingered closest to him.
Rosa and Melati exchanged a glance, something unspoken passing between them.
Then both nodded.
“There’s no need to ask, Doctor,” Rosa replied, her smile tinged with something knowing.
“Of course. Go ahead,” Melati added, her voice soft, her eyes understanding yet vigilant, like a quiet sentinel.
Cherlyn inclined her head gently, her gaze drifting to Felzein with a quiet intensity.
"Doctor Vradistza... I’ve just received a message," she said, her voice carrying a sudden gravity that seemed to shift the air around them.
Felzein’s brow furrowed at once, instinct bristling. He sensed, without doubt, that this was no ordinary news.
"A message? What kind?" he asked sharply, his eyes narrowing, poised as if bracing for impact.
"It concerns Ryu," Cherlyn murmured softly, yet with enough weight to crack the calm that lingered on Felzein’s face.
His eyes flew wide. A taut silence fell over him, his posture stiffening like a wire drawn tight.
"Come inside. Now," he said, voice clipped, already moving towards the door and pulling it open in one smooth, urgent motion.
Cherlyn followed without question, her steps swift but silent, vanishing into the room behind him, leaving the others caught in the aftershock.
Rosa, Melati, Dewi, Rasya, and Wina stood frozen in a quiet tableau, glancing at one another with shared unease.
Not a word passed between them.
Only the hush remained, thick with unspoken thoughts, and one collective question hanging in the air like a blade, "What, in heaven’s name, has just begun?"
"Felzein and Doctor Cherlyn’s past remains a mystery we have yet to unravel," Dewi whispered, her voice gently piercing the stillness.
The others nodded in quiet accord, their eyes reflecting a shared hunger for truth.
“Clearly, they are no ordinary folk like ourselves...” Rasya murmured, her gaze deep and unwavering.
“They are indeed anything but...” came the calm affirmation from Wina, the youngest pharmacist, newly joined yet unusually perceptive.
Rosa, Melati, Dewi, and Rasya exchanged glances, unspoken understanding passing between them.
None dared to dispute Wina’s keen insight.
“You speak true, Wina,” Melati breathed softly. “Last night, I stayed over at Mas Felzein’s. So many things, unexpected, bewildering, came to light.”
Rosa gave a subtle nod, a silent testament to Melati’s words.
“What sort of unexpected things, Mel?” Dewi inquired, stepping closer, her curiosity barely contained.
Melati’s eyes flickered with hesitation before she spoke, “Too many to name, including the secret laboratory.”
“A secret laboratory?!” The exclamations of Dewi, Rasya, and Wina rose in stunned chorus, their eyes wide with disbelief.
“Hold on!” Dewi’s voice sharpened suddenly, suspicion tightening her features.
“You stayed over last night?” she asked, her gaze darting between Rosa and Melati, as though the simple truth had just unearthed a profound and troubling revelation.