Chapter 4 A Plan of Revenge

California, America

One of Nora's biggest concerns was the condition of Ariwijaya, her father.

After getting the news that Ariwijaya's condition had drastically declined, Nora immediately booked a return ticket to Jakarta. She canceled all scheduled meetings in Surabaya. Nora rushed to the hospital where Ariwijaya was being treated. She had been feeling anxious since she was on the plane. There was no peace until she saw Ariwijaya's figure.

The sound of a loud electrocardiograph filling the room was the first thing that greeted Nora's arrival. As she stood in the doorway, Nora saw Halsyi's mother looking pityingly at the man lying helplessly on the hospital bed.

Nora walked slowly towards the hospital bed. Ariwijaya's figure glanced at her. In the past, Nora remembers her father still standing tall and laughing loudly. But now she saw that he was having trouble moving even his head. Ariwijaya was about to raise his hand, but only his index finger could move.

"Hello, Father," Nora greeted with a sweet smile on her face. She held Ariwijaya's hand, which seemed to be struggling to lift up. "Already, Father, don't push it."

Nora knew Ariwijaya would be upset. Ariwijaya was not the type of person who liked to stay still, and tried his best to move his entire body until he was exhausted. Of course, facing a condition that requires him to stay still and have difficulty moving will make Ariwijaya burdened. Nora couldn't imagine how painful it would be to be in her father's shoes.

The smile on Nora's face turned into a chuckle. She reached into her goodie bag and pulled out a keychain with a picture of a soldier. "Dad, look what I brought," Nora said as she held up the keychain in front of Ariwijaya.

Ariwijaya noticed. He wasn't smiling, but Nora could tell that he wanted to laugh from the way his eyes narrowed, a distinctive feature when he laughed. Nora took a chair and sat next to Ariwijaya's bed.

"I'm giving this to you, but you have to promise me one thing..." Nora placed the keychain next to Ariwijaya, then looked at her father carefully. "You have to get well. Even if you can't stand up and run around, it's okay. You're still a cool father to Nora."

Ariwijaya watched Nora with a gaze that implied sadness. Struggling, Ariwijaya said, "I... know... k-you're definitely... coming."

Nora nodded her head. "Of course! Father used to come whenever Nora needed something or was stuck in a problem."

"Your daughter is very tough, dear. So if something happens to you or me, she'll come right away without a care in the world," Halsyi said with a chuckle at the end of his sentence.

Nora chuckled, then turned to Ariwijaya. "That's why, don't hesitate to say if something happens. Even now... Nora is still looking for who made father like this."

Hearing that, Ariwijaya's glowing face gradually faded. Halsyi was instantly rooted to the spot, looking at Nora who had suddenly turned furious. But realizing that she had said something out of control, Nora immediately raised her face after gasping. She realized her own words as she saw Ariwijaya start to stiffen.

"Dad..." Nora looked panicked, feeling guilty. Talking about the incident would obviously trigger Ariwijaya's memories. And once memories were triggered, anger was inevitable.

"Nora... I have something to say." Halsyi's soft voice reached Nora's ears. She signaled Nora to follow her when Nora was worried about Ariwijaya.

Nora finally followed Halsyi. They moved to the sofa. Halsyi reached for one of the black document bags, making Nora's brow furrow. Halsyi grabbed a brown envelope of documents from inside the bag and held it out to Nora.

"One of your father's loyal confidants found this a few days ago. I wanted to tell you, but you were busy with your work."

Nora raised an eyebrow with a tinge of astonishment. She opened the envelope and took out a long piece of paper. There were a bunch of sentences on the paper, but Nora's eyes were immediately drawn to the bold caption with capital letters as the title.

"An agreement between two parties?" Nora muttered, reading the title. Out of curiosity, her body began to trace the other sentences. "I hereby agree to cooperate in destroying Ariwijaya's Company. I, Pablo Abraham, agree that all my actions will be subject to criminal punishment. Signed, Pablo Abraham and..."

Nora's sentence trailed off as her lips parted to read the other name under the second signature. Nora raised her face in disbelief, but Halsyi nodded his head. As if he understood what Nora was questioning at that moment.

"The culprit..."

"Yes, him," Halsyi replied. "He made your father like that."

Exactly a second after Halsyi said that, Nora's cell phone rang with an incoming notification. Nora snapped out of her reverie, looking into her pants pocket.

Nora immediately grabbed her phone and noticed the notification on the screen that automatically lit up. Nora frowned when she saw the number. The message was immediately opened until the screen now showed a chat room. A message not too long but not too short was displayed.

'Good morning, Miss Nora. I am Keano Putra Adirga, CEO of Adirga's Company, requesting that you come to the address I provided to discuss the customer satisfaction levels that have been soaring lately.'

Then below the message was an address.

Nora grinned at the address. She quickly opened it, and it linked to a map of a large, luxurious building. It seemed to belong to the Adirga family.

"So... can I ask you something?"

Nora looked up. Halsyi's gaze shone straight into her eyes with hope and pain. Nora's chest ached. Even after all these years, Halsyi still harbored that pain, and it made something in Nora's chest stir. Halsyi slowly took one of Nora's hands, sighing heavily.

"You must avenge what they did to our family, Nora," Halsyi said with emphasis on every word. His eyes were serious.

Nora's body was transfixed by the look in Halsyi's eyes. There were many feelings there: sadness, anger, pain, disappointment, and hope for Nora. All of them seemed to radiate into Nora's heart. Something lit up in her chest, like anger and ambition that suddenly grew.

Nora answered Halsyi's request with a firm nod. "I'll do it, Mama. They can't be happy on top of the pain you're feeling."

Without waiting for long, Nora immediately left the room with a hasty little trot. Her face showed great enthusiasm. The message that came on her cell phone earlier seemed to be a miracle. Nora thought she wouldn't be able to find the CEO of Adirga's Company, the company she worked for. But suddenly, the impossible happened.

Now Nora can't miss the golden opportunity. They must bear the consequences of what Ariwijaya has experienced so far.