The Rise of the Heir

Chapter 4

The Handaya family's luxurious mansion stood proudly in an upscale area of the capital, towering behind a black iron fence and a garden manicured by the family gardener. From the outside, the house looked more like a wealthy official's private hotel than a family residence.

The creamy marble walls reflected the garden lights. Meanwhile, the large glass windows were open, revealing the opulence within, like an exhibition on display for the world.

As soon as the main door opened, the scent of expensive wood and the air conditioning immediately greeted us. The crystal chandelier in the living room cast white light in all directions, gleaming on the polished floor, too clean for outsiders—including Theo.

On the main wall, a row of family photos hung in perfect gold frames. Risa smiled gracefully beside Danu, her new husband, with a calm face and the neat appearance of an office official. In the middle of them stood Rian, flashing a wide smile as he posed as he pleased.

The portraits were warm, whole, and joyful. A perfect family worthy of a magazine cover. Theo only glanced briefly before quickly looking away.

He arrived wearing a plain black shirt that was starting to wrinkle at the sleeves and faded jeans that were barely distinguishable. His appearance contrasted sharply with the opulence of the house, as if he were a lost shadow wandering into a place that didn't belong. Every corner of the house seemed to have its own way of reminding him of one thing: that he had never truly been part of the Handaya family.

His steps felt heavy as he entered the dining room. The long teak table was laden with expensive dishes. Roast chicken coated in butter sauce emitted a tantalizing aroma, warm soup steamed gently from white porcelain bowls, and the clink of spoons could be heard faintly amidst the overly polite silence.

But to Theo, all of it felt bland before he even touched it. He slowly pulled out a chair and sat down silently. The household turned their gazes to Theo, who had just arrived, with their characteristically flat stares.

As Theo's back touched the back of the chair, a sharp pain shot from his spine to his left rib. Theo held his breath for a moment. The impact from the wooden block earlier that afternoon still left a throbbing pain in his body.

Every small movement made his muscles tense as if they were being twisted from the inside. Even simply shifting his sitting position felt excruciating. However, Theo had become too accustomed to enduring pain silently.

He looked down slowly, staring at his faint reflection in the polished surface of the dining table. Amidst the luxurious lighting and the aroma of expensive food, his body felt like a foreign object that didn't belong there. He just laughed silently inside.

"Let's eat the chicken, Theo. While it's still warm," Danu said, starting the conversation. His voice was deep and calm, typical of a well-established man who always tried to maintain dignity at the table. He neatly sliced the chicken onto his plate. "How's work lately? Still coming home late?" he asked then.

"Still, Uncle. It's pretty busy at the end of the month," Theo replied simply, deliberately using the term 'Uncle' to emphasize the boundary between them.

Risa, sitting next to Danu, seemed to shift slightly upright. She glanced at Theo's slightly loose black shirt—perhaps intentionally worn to cover the bruises on his body.

"Theo's really stubborn, Dad," Risa interrupted quickly, a hint of nervousness that she tried to disguise with a dry chuckle. "I've told you many times that it's better to take a certification class or something, so you can work in an office. Being on the road all the time is... tiring. Besides, your little brother is going to college now. It'll be embarrassing if Rian's college friends come over and see their own brother still working odd jobs."

Theo remained silent, chewing on a piece of meat that tasted bland on his tongue.

"Studying at Armagenda really requires a different focus, Mom," Rian chimed in, pouring orange juice into his glass. His hand movements were a little stiff, and he didn't dare look Theo directly in the eye. There was a sense of discomfort in the way he spoke. "The lecturers there are very strict. Luckily, my sociology and economics scores yesterday helped me get into the invitational pathway. Plus, I got third place on the final exam."

"That's because you studied honestly, Rian. Dad knows how hard you've been taking night tutoring," Danu nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at Theo briefly. "What about Theo back in high school? As I recall, you went to the same school as Rian, right? Why didn't you try applying for the independent pathway back then?"

Danu's question made Risa's fork clink softly against the edge of her plate. Her mother's face paled slightly. Risa hastily put down her cutlery, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Ah, Theo used to prefer going straight to work, Dad. His grades... they were mediocre, not as good as Rian's," Risa interrupted, her voice trembling slightly. She gave Theo a warning look, as if begging him not to reveal what really happened at school.

Risa wasn't just embarrassed; she was terrified that Danu would start digging into Theo's past, which would automatically lead to Roy Atmaja—a name he'd desperately tried to bury in order to be accepted into this elite circle.

Theo seemed uninterested in responding, because he knew the truth.

If Rian was ranked third, then he was the owner of the number one seat, whose name the school always kept hidden to protect the reputation of donor children like Rian. But Theo chose to remain silent. For him, the truth was too precious to be thrown out in front of people who only worshipped the surface.

Rian cleared his throat, trying to break the suddenly thick tension. He swirled his glass, then looked at Theo with a thin, forced smile. "Oh, by the way, Sis... yesterday I accidentally ran into Agatha's friends at a coffee shop near campus. They said Agatha was having an official engagement ceremony with Justin at the end of this month. That... Justin, Agatha's ex-boyfriend and just returned from studying in London, right? Does Theo know?"

The dining table suddenly fell silent. Danu remained silent as he continued chewing, while Risa stared intently at Theo, waiting for an answer or even an emotional outburst from her biological son.

Theo slowly put down his spoon and fork. The pain in his ribs suddenly went numb, replaced by a cold sensation that spread to the back of his neck. News of Agatha abandoning their relationship to save her family's shop had apparently spread that quickly, becoming the subject of gossip among the rich kids.

"I already know," Theo replied flatly. His face showed no ripples at all. He wiped the corners of his mouth with a tissue, then pushed back his chair and stood.

"Theo! Where are you going? You haven't finished your food yet!" Risa reprimanded, her voice rising an octave in panic at her son's cold demeanor in front of her husband.

"I think thirty minutes is enough for dinner," Theo said, his voice low but firm. He nodded slightly to the middle-aged man at the head of the table. "Thank you for dinner, Uncle. I'll excuse myself because I have to take the dawn shift tomorrow."

"Theo!" Risa half stood up, but Danu grabbed his wife's wrist, motioning for her to let him go.

Theo turned and strode out of the grand house. Once outside, he put on his helmet, started his Vespa, and let the city night air wash away the remaining tightness in his chest.

•••

The next morning, Theo woke up with his entire body feeling stiff and incredibly sore. The remnants of his last night's tantrum had left his boarding room a mess. Books were scattered on the floor, and broken bottles and broken plastic chair legs were still lying in the corner.

He sat on the edge of the bed, massaging his aching shoulder. Gathering his courage, he reached for his badly cracked phone to turn off the alarm. On the lock screen, a series of notifications from a local news portal app immediately filled the screen. Most of them were the morning's headlines.

One headline caught his attention:

[SERIOUS FIRE AT GOVERNMENT FINANCE BUILDING – MAFIA SYNDICATE SUSPECTIVELY INVOLVED: Sector 4 Archives Building Burns Down, Police Discover Sabotage.]

Theo scrolled down the screen and began reading the article. Midway through the paragraph, the journalist included a detail that made him pause:

[...Witnesses reported a storm symbol painted on the back wall of the building before the explosion. Police declined to comment further, but crime observer Monia suspected activity from remnants of Agen RX—an underground group that was cleared ten years ago after Roy Atmaja's death.]

Theo stared at his father's name, clearly written there. His mind suddenly raced. His mother had always said that Roy Atmaja was just a petty street criminal who died a foolish death because of debt.

But seeing his father's name associated with the term 'Agent RX' and the sabotage of the sector building, Theo realized there was a bigger story being deliberately hidden from him.

"If I keep hiding... I'll never know why Dad died," Theo whispered to the quiet room.

He closed the news app and opened his phone's browser. His slightly stiff fingers began typing the address of Armagenda University's official website. If people like Rian could get in there because of money and connections, then he would go there to claim his own space.

On the registration page, his eyes fell on the 'Anonymous Independent Scholarship Selection' section. This program was specifically designed to screen students.