The marble floors of the Armada office building always shone brightly thanks to Theo's seemingly tireless work, but the operations manager still grumbled about the dust in the corners and under the tables that wasn't even visible to the naked eye. "What's wrong with you, Theo? You should mop the floor properly. How can someone who claims to be an experienced cleaning service for a year really not mop a floor?"Theo remained silent and didn't argue. He pushed his mop across the floor again, making sure the carbolic acid removed the dust that was clearly visible to the operations manager. Because for Theo, this job wasn't about dedication, but about having money for breakfast tomorrow.Eventually, the operations manager would leave, while Theo could only sigh and wipe the sweat from his forehead.That afternoon, as work ended, Theo's back felt like it was going to break. He walked to the stuffy parking lot, started his old Vespa, which sounded like it was coughing, and began to cut thro

Theo's boarding room door creaked loudly as it pushed open, making a painful sound that seemed to be complaining under his weight that afternoon. The musty smell of the damp walls immediately overwhelmed him as soon as the doorknob was turned. Theo didn't bother turning on the lights; he left the cramped room lit only by the dim light from the ventilation hole above the door.He flopped down on the thin cotton mattress, the springs already digging into his back. His back and ribs, which had been hit by the wooden beams earlier that afternoon, suddenly throbbed violently as soon as they touched the mattress. Theo closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to ease the physical pain that was slowly spreading throughout his body.Just as he was trying to calm himself, the phone in his jacket pocket vibrated.The name "Mom" flashed on the screen. Theo stared at it for a long moment, blankly. He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and then pressed the green button."Hello, Mom?" Theo's voice was

The door to the shabby boarding house creaked open, revealing three figures standing on the narrow porch. At the forefront, a middle-aged man in a black suit stood upright. His hair was starting to gray at the temples, but the lines on his face betrayed a rigid, disciplined demeanor.Behind him, two burly men in plain black t-shirts stood blocking the way, staring coldly at Theo. Theo froze. His ribs and back, still bruised from the impact of the wooden beam earlier that afternoon, suddenly throbbed with a stiffness. However, the man in the suit's gaze triggered something both foreign and familiar in the corners of his childhood memories."Theo Atmaja?" The man in the suit's deep voice broke the silence of the alleyway.Theo tightened his grip on the doorknob, his left hand discreetly feeling for a sharp piece of plastic chair leg under the waistband of his jacket. "Who are you guys?"Instead of answering, the man in the suit simply made a small gesture with his chin. Without warning,

"Where's Yanuar?!"The man in the front row slammed his iron rod onto the teak dining table, shattering it. "You haven't paid your security deposit this month! Do we need to burn this dumpster to remind you?!"Theo stood in the second-floor corridor, his hands gripping the wooden railing until his knuckles turned white. Below, the restaurant's customers had already fled through the back door, leaving broken plates and food scraps scattered about.Yanuar grabbed Theo's shoulders, gripping him tightly. "Don't come down yet, Theo. Your body isn't ready yet.""Valen's dogs," Bima hissed from behind the table downstairs. His hand gripped the butcher knife tightly, his eyes red with anger."Valen?" Theo asked without turning, his eyes fixed on the movements of the five men in denim jackets below."The street hyenas who used to scavenge for food at your father's feet," Yanuar replied bitterly, his voice trembling slightly with suppressed anger. "Now they're allied with Valen and feel like ki

The morning sunlight filtering through the ventilation gaps in the boarding house felt like needles stabbing directly into Theo's eyeballs. He woke with a sharp, nauseous sensation—a side effect of the dehydration and pain that had settled in his body since last night.Every slight movement as he tried to adjust his sleeping position became a real torture. His right ribs were stiff, restricting the oxygen supply to his lungs, while his right shoulder, which had just been forcibly pulled by Bima, felt like it was cemented in place.However, the frightening warning from his mother, Risa, who had been crying in this room a few hours earlier, was fueling his burning head. Hiding and resigning himself to being a cleaning service for the rest of his life was no longer an option when Monia's underworld had already begun to break down his boarding house door.If he remained still, the loan sharks would take his life tomorrow, and Valen would discover his presence sooner or later. He had to mo