In the middle of Washington City, a skyscraper stood firmly, towering among the other tall buildings. That building became the center of attention for anyone passing by. Many felt amazed, even envious, of the Xavier family, one of the prominent families that was able to dominate, grow, and develop into a pioneer as well as a major contributor to the country, on par with other respected families.
Inside the building, all eyes were on a man striding confidently. A thin beard and mustache adorned his charismatic face, his body was proportional, stealing admiration from anyone who saw him.
"Isn't our boss incredibly handsome?" whispered a female employee to her colleague while gazing at the man without blinking. "For some reason, I suddenly want to be his wife."
"I'd even be willing to get into his bed if it could make me his wife right then and there," the other chimed in, accompanied by a light laugh.
"Don't do anything crazy like that. It won't work. What will happen is you'll get kicked out and go to jail," another woman interjected with a cynical yet realistic tone.
"That's right. And if I'm not mistaken, he already has a wife, right? Remembering his press conference ten years ago..."
Everyone immediately turned to the woman who had just spoken. It was true. If they remembered correctly, their boss, Azka Xavier, had once announced that he was married. At that time, a video had circulated showing Azka with a blonde woman at a nightclub with warm and intimate interaction.
In his statement at the press conference, Azka said that the woman in the video was his wife, the result of an arranged marriage, who had then disappeared without a trace. Azka also stated his determination to keep searching for her and find her, no matter what. Just like a romantic scene that often appears in romantic movies, right?
However, since then, there has been no more news about his wife. No photos, no additional statements. Only one thing remained: the determination spoken from the lips of a cold man.
Upon arriving in his room, Azka immediately dropped into his chair and loosened his tie, which felt as if it were choking him.
"Azka, there are important documents you need to sign," Damian said, placing a brown folder on the table.
Azka stared at the folder for a moment without picking it up. His gaze was empty, as if his mind was wandering far from the room.
Damian frowned, then leaned forward slightly. "Are you alright?"
"Is this about the board meeting or... something else?" Damian asked again carefully.
Azka shook his head slowly. "No. I'm just tired."
Damian didn't ask further. He knew very well that if Azka showed such a melancholic side, there must be something bigger on his mind.
"Then I'll go first. Call me if you need anything," Damian said.
Before Damian had a chance to leave to take care of other matters, Azka's voice stopped him.
"Dam," Azka called out flatly. "Buy me a razor."
Damian turned, looking at Azka with raised eyebrows. "What for?"
Azka shrugged, looking out the window filled with reflections of tall buildings. "Nothing. I just want to shave my beard and mustache."
Damian looked at the man for a few seconds before finally nodding slowly. "Alright. I'll bring it by this afternoon."
Azka didn't answer. He fell silent again, lost in his own thoughts. But Damian knew, no matter how simple the reason Azka gave, there must be something deeper behind it.
Some time later, when the atmosphere calmed down again, Azka refocused on his tasks. He checked incoming reports, made calls, signed documents, and did other things as usual. Until suddenly, he heard the voices of Damian and his wife, Luna. Over the past ten years, the two childhood friends had married and had a child. Meanwhile, he was still alone, bothered by various problems, including the search for the woman he had a one-night stand with several years ago.
"It's lunchtime already, Damian. Let's eat together," Luna said, following her husband.
"Later, Luna. I have to give this razor to Azka first and check some documents. After that, we'll eat. If necessary, we'll also invite Azka to eat with us if he wants to," Damian replied, stepping into the room.
"What are you two arguing about? If you're still going to argue, you'd better just get out of my room," Azka said in a cold tone.
Damian sighed, while Luna clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"What was that? I was just inviting you to eat," Luna grumbled.
"Thank you," Azka said briefly, accepting the razor from Damian, who now only nodded and stepped back slightly, giving space.
"Speaking of which, do you want to eat with us?" Luna asked, looking at Azka, who strode off towards the restroom with cream and a razor in his hand.
"If you want to eat now, go ahead. I'll join you later after shaving," Azka replied without turning around.
Azka disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Damian and Luna looking at each other. The sound of the closing door was a signal that he didn't want to be disturbed.
Inside the bathroom, Azka stood in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection in silence. He applied shaving cream with slow movements, like a famous handsome actor advertising a product.
His gaze was unfocused. It wasn't his face he saw, but the figure of a blonde woman who often appeared in his memory. The woman's smile, her gentle touch that night, and... the calming scent of her body that could make him fall into a warm embrace, were still clearly remembered, even after ten years.
Azka took a deep breath. His hand trembled slightly as he shaved his beard. There was a suffocating feeling in his chest, as if he were cutting off the remnants of his former self.
After finishing, he looked at his chin, now covered in foam.
"If you're still alive... where are you now?" he whispered to the reflection in the mirror.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm the turmoil within him. But as usual, the memory was too strong to ignore.
In the middle of his brooding session, Azka frowned. Both his hands clenched in annoyance when he faintly and suddenly heard moaning sounds from outside. Who else could it be but those two? Were they doing it again in his room?
Even though he had repeatedly emphasized not to engage in intimate relations in his workspace. Ugh, annoying!
With quick and angry steps, Azka headed for the door, opened it roughly, and then shouted, "Damian! Luna! Stop doing that in my room! I don't want this room to get dirty later!"
After saying that, Azka returned to the bathroom and continued shaving quickly. He rinsed his face until it was clean without any remaining foam, revealing a new look that was fresher and younger. Ah, no, not just younger. The man looked like himself ten years ago!
As Azka came out of the bathroom with his new appearance, he passed Damian and Luna without a word. Damian was momentarily stunned to see his friend's drastic change, while Luna seemed to be hurriedly tidying her slightly disheveled clothes.
"Where are you going?" Damian asked, observing Azka putting on his jacket with his breath still slightly ragged.
"To eat," Azka replied briefly.
"If that's the case, I'll come too. I'm also hungry," Luna chimed in. "My stomach got even hungrier because of Damian earlier."
"You were the one who started it." Damian retorted, sighing resignedly as his beloved wife shifted the blame onto him, even though she was the one who had ignited the spark first.
Azka looked at his two friends with a cynical gaze, then muttered, "Annoying..."