Chapter 313 - The Mastermind Behind The Kidnapping

The company Lisa applied for is Maraya Group, a well-known company in the capital engaged in the tourism industry. One of the subsidiaries where Lisa was accepted under the management of the Maraya Group was the Cendana hotel located in Bekasi. 

Cendana Hotel was relatively new indeed, about a year since its final construction was done. However, they already had a great potential to be very profitable in the future. For the beginning, working in a hotel far from the hustle and bustle of the city center might not earn her much money, but it was still enough to support herself and her needy family.

Maraya Group told Lisa to immediately move to Bekasi tomorrow Monday. Lisa still had two days to arrange the transfer and others. She had been looking for a temporary place to live in Bekasi. That same day, Lisa left Andien's apartment.

She decided to say goodbye to her mother before she left Jakarta. She was very nervous, because her mother did not know that she had resigned from Colors Advertising. She had to think of a way to tell her mother about this.

Arriving at her mother's house, Lisa opened the door to the gate that was not locked and walked in just like that. 

She accidentally startled Kumala who was running into the living room as she wanted to open the door.

"Huh, Lisa !? You shocked me! Why are you coming back here again? Did something happen, dear?" Kumala asked, surprised by Lisa's sudden appearance.

"Mom, I want to say goodbye. The company moved me to a branch office in Bekasi so I may not be able to visit you in the near future. That's why I'm coming today to say goodbye," Lisa explained.

Kumala frowned. "Huh, how come you suddenly moved to Bekasi? Isn't it not as advanced and developed as Jakarta? Can you ask your boss to just transfer other employees? Why does it have to be you?"

Lisa was annoyed to hear her mother's answer. Did she think it's that easy to tell her boss not to replace her with others and let her stay in the city? Though she slightly changed her story so that her mother didn't get angry and panic, she still felt a bit irritated by Kumala's reply.

"Mom, I can't go around asking my boss not to move me. This is the company's policy! At least I can still work, right?" Lisa said.

"But dear, Bekasi is not like Jakarta! Why doesn't your boss tell other employees to move there, why should it be you? Oh, should we give him a gift so that he doesn't move you to Bekasi?" Kumala asked casually.

Lisa was getting annoyed. Even though Kumala was her own biological mother, sometimes that woman's stupidity from the lack of education when she was young made Lisa feel dizzy.

"Mom, that's called bribery and it is not good! Never mind, we also don't have much money to bribe my boss. I am grateful that I'm still able to work even though I have to be moved to Bekasi," Lisa said, insisting on convincing her mother.

Kumala was silent for a moment, then she sat in the living room with a deep sigh. Her eyes were closed as she rubbed her sweaty hands together. Her face looked sluggish and disappointed at the news that Lisa had told her just now.

"Mom, take it easy. When I am finally well established in Bekasi later, I will return to Jakarta to visit you. Don't worry, this is for the survival of our little family," Lisa explained, trying to calm Kumala.

"But dear, this won't be easy for you. You are far from me and I still need you and Bella close," Kumala replied softly.

"You don't need to worry, Bella is still working in Jakarta so you don't feel lonely. I will also send money to you every month."

Kumala shed tears, she couldn't help but feel sad about being separated from her eldest daughter. "Yes, I know. I need time to calm down. The important thing is never give up and work hard, dear,"

"Alright, I will go first, okay?" 

The last meeting between the mother and her eldest daughter was closed with a warm hug that lasted a long time. They were immediately bursting into tears, with their sobs echoed throughout the worn and cold wall of the house.

***

Meanwhile in the Petersson Communication's president director office, Oscar was seen sitting in his chair with a languid face. He smoked a cigarette while staring at the view of the city of Jakarta as the sky was getting dark.

Since his separation from Lisa, Oscar's sleep had been troubled into insomnia. The golden haired man also smoked more than usual. Not to mention the problem that had recently upset him— William's disappearance.

For several days, Oscar had assigned Dani to find out who was behind William's kidnapping, but there were still no satisfying results. His first guess about the mastermind behind the kidnapping of his biological son was Clara. Who else but the demonic woman could separate him from William and Lisa?

But before he could find enough evidence to press a charge against Clara, Oscar said pretty much nothing.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang and he picked it up without looking at the screen. "Hello?"

"Oscar, this is grandma," Brigitta answered from across the line in a foreign language.

"Hello grandma, what's up?" Oscar asked dryly while staring at the window of the president's room that rose while smoking his cigarette.

"Oscar, Grandma has heard everything about your marriage. I don't want to interfere too much with your personal affairs, your choice to marry Clara is your business. But I am also curious about one thing," Brigitta asked from across. Her voice sounded like she suspected something.

"What is it? Do you not approve of my marriage to Clara?"

"It's not that I don't approve, but I'm just wondering why did you leave Lisa? The first time I saw and talked to her, I knew right away that she is a good woman suitable for you. She may not be of European descent but at least she is not as rotten as Clara. But if it's your decision to go back and marry Clara, what can I do?"

Hearing what Brigitta said just now made Oscar want to cry. Everything his grandmother said was true. He still loved Lisa because of her sincerity. Too bad, if it weren't for Clara's threats, he would have married Lisa.

Oscar sighed and said, "Grandma, don't worry. I only love Lisa. I need time to fix this problem. I'm going to find the perfect time to tell Lisa what really happened. Grandma, believe me, my marriage to Clara is just my strategy not to further complicate things."

"I have always believed in you son, I hope you can go back with Lisa."

"Thank you very much, Grandma."

"Alright, I'll hang up now okay? Sorry for interrupting your work," Brigitta immediately hung up the call from across the phone.

Oscar put down his cell phone roughly then shed tears. It hurt him a lot to think about Lisa but not knowing what happened or where she was at this moment.

After a few minutes, Dani came in and walked over to him, who was seen resting his chin on his desk. 

The man carried a folder that appeared to contain important documents in the case of William's disappearance. He handed the folder on Oscar's table and said, "I have found the data on William's kidnapping suspect. Thanks to my friend who also disguised himself as a snack seller near where the suspect lived."

Oscar pulled out the folder then took out its contents. Reading sheet by sheet and scanning through the suspect's pictures quickly. "Is this data reliable?"

"This is the data of the suspect who allegedly kidnapped William from Mrs. Greta's house. I suspect they're Miss Clara's accomplices but I'm not sure if she has the ability to hire ex-criminals like this!" Dani explained.

When Oscar read and scanned the data that Dani had given him, he concluded something he should have guessed from the start.

"Mr.. Dani, I know who is behind William's kidnapping!" Oscar sternly said, his hand pounding the table that his pen fell to the floor.