ALANA'S POV
I tied the blanket near the window bars and threw it down.
I have to get out of here as soon as possible.
I climbed down slowly, gripping the blanket I had turned into a rope as tightly as I could.
"Oh God, why is it so high?" I looked down and realized it was still quite far to the ground—I'd have no choice but to jump.
I had to make sure the coast was clear and no one was guarding the area. Since it was still dawn, they were probably still asleep.
"Oww, shhh…" I hissed in pain as my elbow hit a sharp rock.
"Who's there?!" A guard pointed his flashlight at me. But suddenly, he screamed and fainted. My loose hair covered my face, and I was wearing a white dress with a knitted cardigan—he must've thought I was a ghost. Good. That means I can escape without being noticed.
I had to climb over the back wall of the house. Thankfully, there were no guards there. I tried several times until my dress tore a little. Finally, on the fourth attempt, I made it over.
Dirgantara had just shut his laptop and turned off the light in his office. Lately, he'd been working overtime until dawn for his investigation.
He stretched his arms after getting into his car.
"Why do I keep thinking about you, Alana… are you okay now?" He looked at the photo of little Alana he had hanging in his car.
Rain was pouring heavily now. Dirgantara yawned occasionally, his drowsiness setting in. He gasped and slammed on the brakes when he nearly hit someone. He quickly got out and checked.
"I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Let me take you to the hospital," he said in a panic as the soaking wet girl kept her head down.
Dirgantara flinched when the girl slowly looked up—and suddenly fainted.
"Alana!" Dirgantara picked her up and rushed her into the car. He grabbed a blanket from the trunk and wrapped it around her. Her face looked deathly pale.
He kept glancing at her, placing his fingers near her nose just to make sure she was still breathing.
"I'm taking you to the hospital now. Hang in there, Alana."
Sean suddenly woke up from a nightmare—he'd dreamed of Alana crying and then shooting herself. His breath was ragged, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Alana…" Sean quickly got up and rushed to the room where Alana was staying. At first, he wanted to knock, but an unsettling feeling made him burst in.
Empty! The room was completely empty. Sean ran to the window and saw a blanket dangling down.
"Why did you run away from me, Alana? You should've stayed here with me!" Sean gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with rage. He stormed downstairs, shouting, waking everyone in the house. All the servants quickly lined up before him, trembling in fear at their master's fury.
"Ben, deploy all my men and search for Alana in every corner of this city. Leave no place unchecked—motels, hospitals, even the forest!"
"Yes, sir." Ben nodded and left immediately.
"All of you guards, come here!" Sean waved the guards over.
**BUGHH! BUGHH! BUGHH!**
Sean punched each of them in the gut. "This is your warning for your carelessness. If it happens again, you'll suffer the consequences!"
He was furious and smashed a flower vase nearby into pieces.
"You're awake?" A voice made me turn to see a man smiling as he walked toward me.
"Alana, it's me—Dirgantara," he said, sitting next to me and handing me a cup of warm tea.
"I'm sorry. I should've taken you to the hospital, but I thought it'd be safer to bring you here for now. Are you running away from someone?"
I shook my head slowly. "I'll tell you later, big brother. It's a long story. May I rest here for a while?"
Dirgantara nodded and helped me with the blanket. "You should change your clothes first. They're still damp." He handed me a black t-shirt and training pants.
"They might be a bit too big, but it's better than catching a cold. I'll dry your clothes for you," he added.
"Thank you, big brother. You've always been kind to me." I smiled warmly, genuinely happy to see the man I've liked since I was little.
**ALANA'S POV**
I saw big brother Dirgantara focused on his laptop. I couldn't believe it—he was the same Dirgantara I knew. He used to be chubby, but now he'd grown into such a handsome man.
He closed his laptop as I walked over. He smiled and chuckled softly when he saw me wearing his oversized clothes.
"Are you hungry? I'll make you some instant noodles. Sorry, that's all I can cook for breakfast—I'm not very good in the kitchen," he said, scratching his head.
I nodded. "That's fine. I actually wanted some noodles. Aren't they delicious?" I giggled, seeing his surprised face. Maybe he thought I'd refuse such simple food.
Dirgantara grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, then sat beside me while I ate.
**"Breaking News"**
This morning, a man's body was found floating in the sea. Fishermen discovered it while heading out to sea. The police suspect he had been dead for more than five days. His body was bloated beyond recognition.
Fortunately, his fingerprints were still intact. The victim was identified as **Gaston Kendrick**, a man in his mid-40s.
Police suspect foul play due to multiple wounds on the body. The autopsy revealed a large blood clot containing a high dose of heroin.
I dropped the bowl in my hands as I saw my adoptive father's photo on the screen.
Dirgantara didn't notice—he was busy on the phone.
"Why has this news already been broadcast? Didn't I say to wait a few more days?! Now how are we supposed to catch the culprit? I'm sure this man was murdered by the drug syndicate we're after!" He hung up angrily and ruffled his hair in frustration. He'd been working day and night on this case, but his superiors were too impatient.
"Alana? What's wrong?" Dirgantara finally noticed my expression and quickly turned off the TV.
"That man… he's my adoptive father!" I could barely get the words out of my throat.
"What?!" Dirgantara was just as shocked as I was.
"Alana, stay here and don't go anywhere. Wait for me to come back." He grabbed his black leather jacket and left in a hurry.
At a red light, Dirgantara's car happened to pass Ben's car. Ben immediately recognized him—he was the one who had hugged Miss Alana that day!
Ben followed Dirgantara until he stopped in front of a police station. Ben secretly took a picture and sent it to someone.
"Find out everything about this man—quickly. I'll meet you at the usual spot."
**One hour later**
"So, Chen, did you find what I asked for?" Ben asked as a man wearing a black mask got into the car.
"Everything is in here, Ben." Chen handed over a brown envelope.
"Good job. This is for you." Ben gave him a thick envelope full of dollars. Chen took it and checked inside.
"Whoa, even more than last time. Thanks, Ben." Chen left the car.
"Why are you only telling me this now, Ben?" Sean glared at the file, then at Ben.
Ben lowered his head. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't expect that the man who met Miss Alana was a detective—and that they came from the same orphanage."
"That detective is also investigating the case from last year—the one that was shut down due to lack of evidence. He seems to be looking into the Black Panther syndicate, sir," Ben explained.
Sean crushed the papers and threw them in the trash.
"I'm certain Alana is hiding with that man. Keep watching them, Ben—and make sure they don't notice."
"Even if you are a skilled detective… you're no match for me." Sean grinned and burst into laughter.