"Even though that's true, I have nothing left in this world, Sylvi. They all left me two years ago since I was thrown into your world." Elysia heaved a subtle sigh and tapped her smartphone to order a taxi online to take her to the city area.
"I see... I'm sorry." Sylvia tried to confirm Elysia's aura because she didn't really understand. Still, she could see that her friend was sad to say that.
"You don't need to apologize, Sylvi." Elysia shook her head.
A few moments later, a car came to pick them up. Their destination was a house that, at first glance looked luxurious, but still possessed a traditional impression. Located in a clean settlement, peaceful environment, and good neighbors.
Elysia looked at a specific beautiful residence with a melancholy gaze. In her eyes, it was the perfect house, and she built it from her hard-earned money. However, the place already belonged to someone else.
Ali's parents decided to sell the house a week after his death, then moved to a luxury residence near the city center.
Not only that, the company which he rebuilt from scratch was also no longer in the name of Avery Company. It had changed ownership since it was sold to a wealthy Japanese businessman.
Ali's parents sold all the assets he left just to live a luxurious life? His value was that small in their eyes as family, or was it only Ali who thought of them as a family?
No matter the reason and the facts, Elysia's heart was torn to recall that the news had proven to be true.
Meanwhile, Sylvia stared at the house from behind the fence with a slightly confused gaze. She didn't know why Elysia just stared at that house in silence.
A woman's voice suddenly came from the side in Indonesian. Elysia then returned the greeting in English.
"Excuse me, but who are you? What need do you have by standing in front of my house?" A young mother repeated her greeting with a hint of suspicion.
"Ah, good day, ma'am. We just want to see the house that once belonged to my acquaintance. Looks like his family has moved from here..." Elysia waved her hand in front of her face.
"Oh, so you are acquaintances with the previous owners of this house. My apologies, but they did move out of here two years ago." The young mother took a step back and put her purse forward as if she was ready to do something.
"Mm, thanks for telling us. Can you tell me where they moved, ma'am?" Elysia nodded slightly.
"I don't know the exact location, but I heard they moved to one of the well-known elite housing estates called... If I'm not mistaken, the name is Singgasana Pratama. You can ask the security guard there to be sure." The young mother tried to remember something before she told what she knew.
"Understood. Thanks for the information, ma'am. Have a nice day." Elysia then nudged Sylvia's arm, and they got into the car.
The young mother looked at the car with a slightly confused gaze. Even so, she ended up shrugging her shoulders and going inside her house. She had thought that the suspicious person just now was the baddies, but she apparently just misunderstood them.
Arriving at the elite housing estate entrance, Elysia immediately went to the guard post to ask about Ali's family.
"Excuse me, young miss. But, what's your interest in asking Mister Hendrix's house?" One of the guards frowned.
"An acquaintance of mine died two years ago. I just wanted to come to visit to offer my condolences and talk to his family." Elysia answered with a natural tone.
"I see, but can you take off your sunglasses, mask, and hat first?" The guard nodded in understanding.
"Uhm, I came out in incognito. I'm afraid to create trouble by showing my face in public. Can you tell me Mister Hendrix Avery's house?" Elysia made a small excuse and asked for a slight exception.
The guard looked at his co-worker. He then decided to share the information with this girl. "Very well, he's at house number 68A, east of that street."
"Okay, thank you, sir! Have a nice day." Elysia was raised her hand in farewell, then she invited Sylvia to enter the elite residential area.
"Ely, all houses without fences here. Why is this so different from the housing before?" Sylvia stroked Vanessa and looked left and right. She didn't even know why she was here because she was just following Elysia.
"Because this is a famous elite housing estate. Security and everything are guaranteed by the person in charge of this business. 68A, 68A... Ah, that's it." Elysia put her hands together with a bit of enthusiasm, but her heart was very nervous.
She still needed to explore the facts of Ali's family's view of Ali directly with the identity of a third party.
'Would you like to switch roles with me, Ely? Let me question them thoroughly. Their treatment of Ali since childhood was unforgivable. And their decision after he died made me lose this little respect I had for them. I'm afraid you don't have the strength to talk to them face to face...' Elena offered a thoughtful suggestion.
'I...' Elysia hesitated in her decision, but she ended up taking Elena's advice. She wasn't strong enough to dig it all up on her own. Elena knew that, and Elysia was aware of it too.
Elysia staggered slightly as her spirit exchanged with Elena for that brief moment.
Sylvia held onto Elysia's body reflexively, but it seemed her help wasn't needed.
Elena raised her hand to Sylvia and gave the nod. She then went to 68A's house and rang the bell. A few moments later, a middle-aged woman opened the door slightly.
"Greetings, I am Elysia. A friend of your late son. I wanted to visit to express my condolences even though it is two years late. Can I have a word with you for a moment if you don't mind, ma'am?" Elena greeted in polite Indonesian.
"Hm, who are you? Are you in the wrong house? I might be willing to talk to you if you take off your mask and sunglasses." The middle-aged woman narrowed her eyes somewhat suspiciously.
"Sure." Elena didn't mind in the slightest. She took off her mask and sunglasses without hesitation because she wasn't afraid of trouble.
"..." The middle-aged woman was slightly stunned to witness the young girl's beauty before her. She never remembered her late son having a friend as beautiful as this before.
Even so, she immediately came out of her trance and opened the door with a smile. "Are you perhaps a supermodel, Miss Elysia? You look gorgeous and lovely. Please have a seat."
Elysia just smiled and sat in the living room in front of the house. She beckoned Sylvia to sit next to her.
"Phew... Are we not playing undercover anymore? Alright, let's do this." Sylvia took off her mask and sunglasses as well. She then fanned her face with her hand.
"Oh, are you two foreigners? You look like a top supermodel from Europe." The middle-aged mother threw a slight chuckle.
"Hehe, thank you, ma'am. Once again, I express my condolences for losing your beloved son, Ali. We have just visited his grave. Who would have thought that two years had passed, and we came back only to hear the sad news from our old friend." Elena opened a small conversation with a somewhat sad expression.
"Yeah, it's been two years since that day." The middle-aged mother looked up at the sky with a sigh.
"Is Mr. Hendrix in there too, ma'am?" Elena tried to use advanced perception, but she couldn't find anyone in the house other than a few maids.
"Unfortunately, he's out to hang out with his friends. Maybe, something about business? I don't really understand." The middle-aged mother shook her head.
"I see. Can I know why you decided to move house and sell your son's house? I heard you also sold your son's company. Why is that, ma'am?" Elena folded her hands in her lap as she began to enter the implied interrogation stage.
"I can't really explain it, and this may be hard to believe, but after his departure, we felt an unusual amount of discomfort in the house. For his company... We cannot continue such high-level business. Ali's old friend from Japan came here to buy and take over the company. So, we accepted the offer for granted. Avery Company is now known as Good Life Company. Ali is probably smiling now if he knows his business has gone international now." The middle-aged mother smiled slightly with a hint of pride.
Elena could see Elysia's sad sigh. Even though it was justifiable from someone else's point of view, it broke Elysia's heart for so many reasons.
"I understand... Then, why did you decide to live a life full of luxury and riches now, ma'am? I remember Ali once said that his parents love the simplicity of life." Elena tried to dig deeper.
"What can we do in our old lives now? My son is gone, and he left a great legacy. We've donated a lot to various charities and helped the needy on his behalf, but there's still a lot left. We'd rather enjoy the rest of our time in peace without worrying about anything. Linda's going to college soon, but she can't replace Ali." The old mother sighed and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Can I ask you one thing? This may be very sensitive, but I need to know." Elena asked, and the middle-aged mother nodded. Thus, she continued.. "If you think of your son as someone so precious, then why don't you care about him from his childhood? You only cared when he succeeded and began to treat him nicely. The one you love is him or his wealth?"