Chapter 1.

Being a worker with all its busyness makes Niko rarely meet his girlfriend. Day by day, Niko spends his time at the restaurant to collect as much money as possible. For Niko, there's nothing more important than fulfilling his girlfriend's every wish. He'll give anything as long as he can.

"How's work today, Niko? Have you felt how harsh our boss can be when giving tasks?"

Suddenly, there was a snide remark that made Niko immediately shift his gaze. It was one of his colleagues named Samuel. Sometimes, Samuel loved to gossip, especially when it came to the restaurant's owner. Someone who could be quite unreasonable with the employees. However, their boss, who was known as 'Heru Sutarmojo,' often showed generosity when it came to money.

"It's a fair trade-off, isn't it? The boss can be tough in terms of workload, but he's generous with money of all kinds," Niko replied, still focused on arranging plates in front of him.

Samuel stood, resting his chin on his hand. What Niko said wasn't wrong. But their boss, Heru, often displayed cruelty in terms of workload. It wasn't uncommon for Boss Heru to punish the workers with push-ups, even though they were restaurant employees, not athletes.

"It's fair, I guess. But it still doesn't make sense. Where else do restaurant employees get asked to do push-ups during work hours? Does he think this place is a sports arena?" Samuel continued to argue his point.

Niko just shook his head, listening to Samuel's complaints. It wasn't entirely unjustified for Samuel to complain like that. However, for Niko, the employees of Boss Heru were still the luckiest because money never stopped flowing. They were fortunate to have such a boss!

"Can't believe you guys are gossiping during working hours, and about the big boss no less. Be careful... if he hears this, he might punch you with his potbelly," someone joked from the kitchen doorway.

Niko and Samuel both turned at once. They saw a woman in the typical attire of an executive chef, staring at them mockingly. Rania, the executive chef in this restaurant, had impressive experience. She was, you could say, the master for all of them.

"Just a little gossip, Ran. Don't you know we're both bored without any activity?" Samuel retorted, trying to shift the blame onto Niko.

Hearing what Samuel said, Niko couldn't help but frown. How could Samuel say that so lightly and act as if they had no work to do? When it was clear that Niko was currently arranging plates.

"Are you mocking me? It's obvious that I'm setting up the plates," Niko said irritably.

Samuel and Rania chuckled at Niko's grumbling. However, their laughter didn't last long when they heard Niko's phone ring loudly.

"Duh... my work can wait. Doesn't he have any other time?" Samuel quipped, familiar with Niko's habit of always calling during working hours.

Ignoring Samuel's comment, Niko immediately answered the call from someone he deeply cared about. Alexa's name appeared on his phone's caller ID, causing Niko's heart to race.

["Niko, please help me. Someone is trying to harass me in the apartment."], Alexa sobbed, her tears making Niko's mind race. He was frantic, thinking about Alexa's safety on the other side.

"Stay calm for now, okay? I'll head there right away, you seek help."

Niko abruptly ended the call, overcome by panic. Samuel was undoubtedly aware of the situation his coworker was facing, so he offered his support.

"Where are you going? It's still working hours."

Niko no longer paid attention to Samuel's words and hurriedly put on his jacket. Meanwhile, Samuel could only resign himself to the fact that Niko seemed determined to leave. He couldn't imagine the extent of Boss Heru's anger when he found out that one of his employees was leaving during working hours like this.

"Be careful," Samuel cautioned with an uneasy feeling. Niko's steps briefly halted.

"Thanks." Niko didn't stop there. As he stepped outside the kitchen area, Boss Heru blocked his path. The middle-aged man glared when he saw Niko's current appearance.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Boss Heru exclaimed.

"Sorry, Boss. I'll be back in a few hours," Niko replied before walking away from Boss Heru.

Niko paid no attention to the shouts that followed. He quickly rode his motorcycle, leaving the restaurant area behind so he could arrive at Alexa's apartment as soon as possible. He feared for Alexa's well-being, hoping that nothing worse would happen to her.

Arriving at the apartment, Niko hastily parked his motorcycle. The journey had felt incredibly long to him, and he was consumed by fear. Niko sprinted through the lobby, accidentally bumping into several people along the way. Some of them expressed anger due to Niko's collisions.

In front of the unit, Niko swiftly entered the code, causing the door to open by itself. Niko was taken aback by the sight of the once tidy apartment now in disarray. Items were strewn about, and there, amidst the chaos— a body?

The gruesome sight of a lifeless man made Niko take a few steps back. Niko's mind went blank upon seeing the lifeless body. Panic set in, but Niko remembered to call their partner.

Just as Niko was dialing, there were countless footsteps approaching from outside. Niko's gaze shifted to Alexa, who was now in tears, along with several police officers. Niko hurriedly approached the crying Alexa.

"Alexa, what's—" Niko couldn't finish their sentence before Alexa shouted to the police, making Niko feel like they were being pushed into an abyss.

"Officer, the man lying inside my unit earlier was killed by Niko." Alexa pointed at Niko with trembling hands. "Niko killed him because he had tried to assault me earlier. Unable to bear it, Niko beat him until he lost his life." She continued, then pointed at the lifeless man in the living room.

One of the officers followed Alexa's shaky steps to the living room. Indeed, there was a man there, covered in bruises all over his body. Alexa's accusation, pinning everything on Niko, prompted the officers who had followed her earlier to quickly return.

"Report, Commander. The body of a man, with Niko accused as the perpetrator, is in the living room, covered in bruises all over his body."

Niko couldn't move at all, shocked by what lay ahead. Until a police officer forcibly escorted Niko out of the apartment for further questioning. Meanwhile, other officers attended to the body inside the unit.