Lose Your Touch

Tristan seemed to walk casually into the dining room while fixing the location of the tie he was wearing. As soon as he sat perfectly in the chair, Samanta immediately poured orange juice into the man's glass as his employer's companion for breakfast this morning.

At first, everything went as usual. Even Aurora, who was sitting next to Tristan, also seemed to enjoy all the food that was served. No more disappointment. Both seemed lost in the atmosphere and chose to forget what had happened last night.

However, when the third mouthful entered Tristan's mouth, he seemed to taste something very different. Slowly swallow. Trying to unravel the taste caused by the food he eats. When he found an oddity, he immediately asked.

"Samanta," Tristan called immediately.

"Yes sir." The young servant immediately rushed over to hear what his master might want to order.

"You cooked breakfast this morning?" Tristan inquired curiously. Samanta confidently nodded immediately.

"Yes, Sir. I cooked and served all the food this morning. What's wrong? Was there something wrong with the food I cooked?"

Tristan was silent for a moment. Another mouthful of food on his plate seemed to confirm the oddity he had been trying to guess.

"Why does it taste different than what I usually eat? I'm sure my tongue is in a normal state."

Samanta nodded in understanding. Finally, he understood what his master had been confused about for a long time. Samanta thought it was clear that the food was different because the one who cooked yesterday was not himself but the employer's wife. Knowing the cause, the woman casually answered Tristan's curiosity.

"Ah, what I thought. Well, Sir. So, the food you've been eating these days is usually specially cooked by your wife, Mrs Sophia."

"Sophia?" Tristan responded awkwardly. Finally, he knew that he had been eating and enjoying what his wife had served. Now? He loses his appetite when his tongue eats someone else's menu.

"But..." Samanta seemed to continue his delayed sentence. "Because Madam has left this house, so from now on I will return to cooking and serving food as before."

"Go?" Tristan and Aurora both asked questions in confused tones. "My wife left? Where do you mean?" Tristan asked curiously. It was clear from the expression on his face as if he did not expect the news he had just heard.

"I don't know, Sir. To be sure, last night before actually leaving the house, as far as I know, the madam decided to go over to Mrs. Aurora in her room. I don't know what bad things she saw at that time. But, a few hours later and when I was about to get a drink, I saw that your wife had brought a suitcase and intended to leave in tears. Maybe she had seen it before---"

"Enough! Stop it Samanta," said Aurora hastily. The woman seemed to be flicked by the satire-wrapped explanation explained by her maid. Turning to Tristan, she found that the man was still sitting in his seat.

"You need to find him immediately, Tristan. Your wife must have misunderstood what she saw last night in my room."

From his eyes, Aurora could see how Tristan was laughing at that moment too discordantly. It was obvious that he was mocking what he had just said.

"Misunderstanding, you say? So Sophia left because of a misunderstanding after seeing what you did to me last night?"

"Then you want to accuse me of being the cause of all this?" Aurora seemed to squint, then put on an expression full of annoyance.

"Sophia left this house because she saw me kissing the future husband she clearly stole. Oh, come on, Tristan! Don't be crazy. right?"

Aurora's voice rose. Samanta, who felt uncomfortable, even chose to run away. She didn't want to get the slightest bit into the vortex of the problems that were happening to his master.

"Stop it, Aurora! Your babbling isn't the least bit important for me to hear."

"You---" Tristan raised a hand in the air. Ask the woman next to him to stop talking. After wiping his lips with a napkin, Tristan chose to get up and leave Aurora just like that to go to the office immediately.

Arriving at the Foxtail building, Mario, who saw Tristan's arrival after a long holiday, immediately put on a conservative attitude—ensuring his boss came into the room comfortably. Then helped pull up a chair, inviting the well-built man to sit in his work chair immediately.

"Mario," Tristan called immediately. "Have you got what I asked for?" the man asked as soon as he sat down. His hands seemed to rest comfortably on the back of the chair. Get ready to listen to the report that his assistant will deliver after this. From the moment he was on his way to the office, Tristan had ordered Mario to check where his wife was through the tracking device he had installed on Sophia's cell phone.

"Yes, Sir. I've found where your wife is," replied Mario with a nod. Then he showed the tablet he was carrying to his boss.

"You can see the location for yourself in this application."

Tristan turned his head and then looked carefully at the map display from one of the tracking applications on Mario's tablet. Sharpen your eyesight to read the street names on the screen.

"Knightsbridge? One Hyde Penthouse?" Tristan's face instantly turned red with anger. "For God's sake, Sophia. You love playing with fire with me."

Mario, who had been surprised, immediately took a step back. Then before long, he was speaking to Tristan again very carefully.

"Your wife seems to be in Mr. Edward's apartment right now."

Tristan nodded. Justify Mario's assumption.

"Yes, I admit Sophia is a smart woman, Mario. She chose Edward's residence on purpose knowing that I couldn't forcibly pick her up from there."

"Then what should we do now, Mister?" Mario asked curiously.

Tristan brought his hand this time to caress his chin thoughtfully. However, before the plan could be thrown out, another man appeared from the doorway and immediately barged into the room without permission.

"Sir, you can't just walk in."

Tristan's secretary looked confused. She seemed tired of trying to prevent a guest who suddenly walked into the CEO's room without making an appointment first.

"Leave it alone," Tristan said to her secretary. In that instant, he turned to the guest standing perfectly in front of him.

"Why did you come to visit me this morning, Edward? Do you have a problem with me?"

Right after the sentence came out, without even answering, Edward stepped forward and grabbed the collar of Tristan's clothes. Within seconds, a hard fist flew right at Tristan's handsome face.

"Mr Edward!" Mario immediately squealed in surprise. Swiftly stepped forward, trying to break up the fight in front of his eyes.

But it seems useless, as hard as Mario pulls, as hard as Edward endures. The man's body didn't move in the slightest. Until one more time, another punch flew to Tristan's chin to splatter blood.

"Oh my God, SECURITY!"

Mario, who looked confused, immediately shouted hysterically. I ordered Tristan's secretary to seek help out there immediately.

At the same time, Tristan himself did not put up the slightest resistance. The man seemed to take it for granted as Edward repeatedly punched him.

"It's okay, Mario. I'm fine. No need to call security," Tristan muttered in a position still under Edward's supervision. Lifting his face, he cast a sharp gaze at his best friend, who was still overcome by emotion.

"Are you sure you want to kill me right now?"

With the last remaining sanity, Edward slowly loosened the grip on the hand still clinging to Tristan's collar. Not long after, scorching words slid freely from his lips.

"It's nothing, Tristan Quartararo. I swear it's not worth the pain Sophia is feeling. I warn you, don't ever try to meet Sophia. In this instant, that woman is not your wife anymore. you two as soon as possible. You know what, I can do anything."

Edward then pushed Tristan's body so that he leaned back on the chair the man was sitting on. He carried his feet to step outside lightly as if nothing terrible had happened quickly.

Meanwhile, Tristan could only stare at Edward's departure while holding his injured face. Recalling his best friend's warning, then soon he was muttering to himself.

"I will never let you take Sophia, Ed. Never. Sophia will always be mine."

***

Raphael entered his workspace with an uncertain feeling. Please don't ask how things are now. Of course, it's very chaotic. The threat Alfonso made openly the other day had made Raphael sleepless for several nights.

When he sat himself down on the chair, Raphael immediately directed his hand to massage his forehead, which was very painful gently.

Even though Tristan hadn't publicly kicked him out, Raphael was still worried. He certainly did not want the position he had held for a long time to shift because of Alfonso's actions.

That's why Raphael had been thinking hard about what kind of way to silence his rival so as not to bother him again. Having been stunned for a long time, Raphael's workspace door was heard knocking. Lifting his face, he saw the presence of Fabio, who this time came with a guest.

"Dimitri."

Raphael immediately stood up from his seat. He was welcoming Dimitri's arrival with a look of relief on his face. It wasn't without reason either that Fabio brought the detective before Raphael.

Some time ago, after the fight between himself and Tristan, Fabio came with important news that surprised Raphael a little.

"What's wrong Fabio? I'm feeling dizzy right now. If you come to report trivial matters, it's better to postpone until I'm more comfortable than now."

Fabio nodded in understanding. As an old man, he knew very well that Raphael was the typical man who took a long time to get better when upset. But because the news he brought was essential, Fabio couldn't put it off until tomorrow or another time. That's why he ventured to keep reporting.

"Master, this time I bring news that I think is very important for you to know."

Turning around, Raphael immediately gave him a questioning look.

"Especially this time?" Fabio took a step forward. After making sure the position was correct, he slowly began to tell the story.

"Two days ago, there was a wheat farmer from Yorkshire who suddenly called. I don't know how he knew this cell phone number, but he definitely forced me to ask me to come to them because there was one item Julio had left for him that he forgot to give."

Raphael, who seemed lazy to hear the news from Fabio, was immediately made curious.

"Julio's deposit? What do you mean?"

"So the next day I went straight to Yorkshire to see what he meant. When I got there he gave me this."

Fabio then reached for a cell phone from the pocket of his jacket. Then pointed out an item that was very familiar to Raphael's eyes.

"A cell phone? What's the point of all this, Fabio?" Raphael asked, confused.

"Relax, sir," said Fabio. "At first I was also confused. But according to the man who gave this item, Julio left it a few hours before he was found dead in his house. It is very likely that there is something important in here that he is hiding."

Raphael pulled his face deeper. He was made dizzy by the news his right hand conveyed.

"What's the most important thing in it?" Raphael asked, increasingly curious.

"I've been trying to look into it. There's a tape in there, indeed."

"Then what else, Fabio? What's in the tape anyway."

Fabio did not answer. The man chose to open the voice note feature on the cellphone directly. Then play it immediately so Raphael can listen live. When the tape was played, and Julio's voice seemed to be heard, Raphael was instantly dizzy. The man in the recording said something that somehow he didn't understand the language at all.

"What does that man mean, Fabio? Why don't I understand?"

Fabio also sighed. Both were confused by what he heard.

"That's why I'm dizzy, Sir. Not only that, the man also wrote something on a piece of paper and then took a photo of it."

Fabio again reached for Julio's cell phone. This time open the gallery feature and then look for the image he meant.

"Here, sir," he pointed. "Please see for yourself." R

aphael was dumbfounded and muttering as soon as he saw what was written in front of him.

"Jesus Fabio, this is Morse code. Why did that man write a message in Morse code. What is he trying to say? Why is it so confusing!"

"That's why, Sir. We need someone competent to solve this mystery."

"Yes." Raphael immediately nodded. The man looked as if he was thinking. Then he seemed to have found an answer. "I think I know who can read this kind of message."

"Who, sir?" Fabio asked curiously. "

Dimitri."

Apart from being a detective, Dimitri is also a criminologist who knows various formal languages and secret codes. This man has often helped the military solve personal cases that are difficult for other ordinary people to handle. Because of that, Raphael asked Fabio to find the man to be brought to his office immediately.

"I was really surprised when you asked me to come here," said Dimitri. "I think the problem Fabio and I investigated has been resolved. It turns out that my guess was wrong.

Raphael took a deep breath, and his shoulders lifted dramatically. Not long after, the man shook his head in frustration.

"I can't just stop before silencing Alfonso, Dimitri. His presence was too dangerous on this earth. He even now has my card. That's why I have to catch him immediately."

This time Dimitri nodded too. Advancing slightly in his sitting position, the man then asked. "So, what should I do today, Mr. Raphael?"

Raphael then waved at Fabio.

"This is Dimitri, and you must hear and see what Julio left on his cell phone. Before he died, the man had already prepared this to give to both of us."

Dimitri immediately accepted the cell phone that Fabio handed him. He checked it, then immediately tried to listen for a moment to what Julio said on the recording.

"This is Ni'ihau dialog," said Dimitri then.

"Wh-what, what?" Raphael asked, confused.

"Ni'ihau is Hawaiian, Sir. It seems that Julio deliberately uses that language to keep the information he is about to convey confidentially."

Raphael nodded, then asked again.

"So, what did that man say? Can you explain it to me? Then, what is the meaning of the Morse code he wrote on that piece of paper?"

"Wait a minute," said Dimitri. The man first took a blank sheet of paper and pen from his bag. Seconds later, I listened to Julio's voice recording again and slowly wrote down the meaning. With great care, Dimitri wrote down everything he heard down to the last sentence. After that, he deciphered the Morse code that Julio also wrote there. After copying everything, he immediately gave the results to Raphael to check.

"Here are the results, Sir. You can check the contents."

Raphael immediately grabbed the hand of the paper Dimitri handed him. Read it slowly and carefully so as not to miss any information listed there. After a few minutes of reading, Fabio and Dimitri could hear their Master swearing angry.

"Fuck!"