The sound of someone knocking on the car window startled me. I had been lost in thought for too long, making me lose focus.
The car window had fogged slightly from my nervous breathing, creating a hazy barrier between me and the sprawling villa estate. Through the condensation, twinkling fairy lights wrapped around palm trees came into focus, their reflection dancing on the glass like fireflies trapped between worlds.
"Come on," the voice came at the same time as the car door was opened from the outside. I remained frozen in my seat, feeling even more awkward as Damar stared at me intently. Did he feel the same way I did right now? Embarrassed because we looked like twins wearing matching outfits?
His batik shirt —an elegant navy blue with gold accents - stretched across his shoulders as he leaned down, the fabric pulling taut over muscles usually hidden beneath office attire. The realization that we were unintentionally twinning would have been amusing if my stomach wasn't twisting itself into knots.
"Have ... a lot of people arrived?" I asked. In an instant, my confidence vanished.
"Not that many," Damar replied, turning his face away from me. I was about to ask another question when Damar suddenly reached for my arm, as if silently asking me to get out of the car.
Was the man in front of me really Handoko Wiratman's grandson? I felt like I was going crazy just thinking about it.
Children's laughter erupted nearby as a group of them chased each other around a bubbling fountain, their colorful batik outfits blurring together like a living kaleidoscope. The carefree sound only emphasized how out of place I felt - a corporate intruder in this intimate family gathering.
Not wanting Damar to hold my arm for too long, I stepped out of his car, trying to appear confident even though I wasn't feeling that way at all.
"The birthday party is in the backyard," Damar said. I brushed off his hand, which was about to grab my arm again, and forced myself to follow his lead.
My heels sank slightly into the manicured lawn as we walked, each step requiring conscious effort like wading through invisible resistance. The humid night air clung to my skin, making the silk batik feel suddenly restrictive against my collarbones.
Damar walked with such confidence, without a hint of awkwardness, as if he knew this place like the back of his hand. My belief that Damar was Handoko Wiratman's grandson grew to about eighty percent. I was almost certain that this guy I had thought of as just a kid was actually the grandson of Global Kimia's owner.
Damn it! For some reason, that thought really irritated me.
A few people greeted Damar warmly as he walked into a garden behind the villa. Too anxious and annoyed, I didn't even take a moment to admire the place.
Among the many villas I had seen along the way, this one was the largest and most grand. Not only that, but the backyard was also incredibly spacious, big enough to invite all of Global Kimia's employees.
My growing anxiety made my steps slow down while Damar had already walked far ahead, leaving me behind. Was this really Handoko Wiratman's birthday party? So far, I hadn't seen any high-ranking officials from Global Kimia or any familiar business figures. Instead, there were children running around the garden.
My eyes darted around, noticing that everyone around me was dressed in batik. Holding back laughter because the situation seemed absurd, I scanned the area again. The number of guests wasn't as many as I had imagined, but still, everyone here was a complete stranger to me.
"Bulan..." Damar's voice called out clearly just as I started to feel like a lost child. He had already walked ahead but then turned back to approach me.
The moment Handoko Wiratman's eyes landed on me, I felt like a specimen under a microscope. His gaze held the same sharp intelligence I remembered from corporate meetings, though now softened with grandfatherly warmth that somehow made me more nervous.
"Come on, let me introduce you to Handoko Wiratman," he said.
"No need," I refused, making Damar look at me in confusion.
"I mean... it's better not to. He's a busy man, right?" I added. For a moment, I realized that this wasn't the place where I could act however I wanted. Damar would get my payback later.
"Just for a moment, just to say hello and wish him a happy birthday," Damar persuaded, still holding the gift he intended to give Handoko Wiratman.
Several people greeted Damar warmly as they passed by, further fueling my suspicions. At this point, I had no choice but to follow what Damar wanted.
The figure of an elderly man with white hair was now clearly in front of me. He looked the same as the last time I had seen him—two or three years ago at Global Kimia's anniversary event, if I wasn't mistaken. Despite his entirely white hair, his posture remained upright, and he looked healthy. Handoko Wiratman took excellent care of himself.
So... was it true that Damar was his grandson?
"Took you long enough to get here," the elderly man said, patting Damar's shoulder. That was definitely not something a company owner would normally do to his employee.
Damar had been deliberately toying with my curiosity by keeping silent about everything. Meanwhile, I struggled to contain my emotions since this was not the right place to express my anger.
"Grandpa, this is Bulan," Damar said, shifting his position so that Handoko Wiratman could see me clearly. So it was true. He really was the grandson of Global Kimia's owner.
Why didn't he just tell me from the start that he was bringing me to his grandfather's birthday party? Why did he keep it a secret? Was his intention to embarrass me? Look at this—this party seemed like a private family gathering, with no business associates in sight. I shouldn't even be here, should I?
Not wanting to humiliate myself in front of Handoko Wiratman, I extended my hand and wished him a happy birthday with a wide smile, trying to look as enthusiastic as possible.
"So... this is what took you so long to get here," Handoko chuckled. He shook my hand and held it for a few moments. Damar hadn't even introduced me as a Global Kimia employee. So what was the point of bringing me here?
"Bulan was the one who ordered this for you, Grandpa. I knew you'd like it," Damar said as he placed a gift box on a small table.
Handoko's face lit up with excitement as he eagerly opened the box containing traditional cakes. Like a child, he picked one up and ate it with delight. This was a side of Handoko Wiratman that I had never seen before.
For the three years that Damar had worked at Global Kimia, no one had ever known that he was Handoko Wiratman's grandson. Even now, I still couldn't fully believe it, despite witnessing it firsthand.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Handoko, I stepped away as some people approached him to talk. My anger toward Damar made me want to distance myself from him.
The buffet table groaned under elaborate arrangements of Indonesian delicacies—towering tumpeng rice cones, glistening rendang, and rainbow-hued kue lapis stacked like jewels. Normally this feast would thrill me, but now the extravagant display only highlighted how I didn't belong in this private celebration.
If he had just told me from the beginning that the birthday honoree was his grandfather, I might not have been this furious. But even then, I definitely would have refused his invitation.
I had been so eager to come here because I thought I was attending the birthday of Global Kimia's owner, not because he was Damar's grandfather. Ugh! I was so annoyed that even the abundance of delicious food in front of me didn't tempt me at all.
Was there any transportation around here that could take me back to Jakarta?
The cheerful laughter and playful shouts of children running around should have been heartwarming. But not for me, not in this moment. I felt completely sick of everything, though I still managed to put on a polite smile when some people greeted me with curious looks. It was obvious that everyone here was part of Handoko Wiratman's family—I was the only outsider.
Thinking about that made my irritation grow even stronger.
"Do you want me to get you some food?" Damar's voice suddenly sounded beside me, just when I wished I'd never have to see his face again. I shook my head, refusing to look at him.
How could he act so casually after telling such a big lie? Did he really think what he did was normal?
"How about a drink?" he offered again.
"I can get it myself," I snapped coldly.
Was Damar not going to explain why he had lied to me? I scoffed inwardly at myself—who was I to expect an explanation from him?
"It doesn't feel that cold anymore, does it?" he asked. I shook my head again, even though I was actually freezing. Just hearing his voice made me even more irritated.
"Are you okay?" he asked again, seeming to finally notice my change in attitude. I turned to face Damar slowly, my gaze sharp.
"I don't want to talk to you anymore," I said.(*)