The digital wall clock in the main corridor of the Strategic Management Division showed 9:45 a.m. Noni took a moment to look at herself in the office restroom mirror. She rinsed her palms with cold water, wiped the lingering exhaustion from her face, then tidied her hair, which was tied back in two sections. In the reflection, she didn't see an ordinary college student; she saw a soldier ready to fight for her family's good name.
When she stepped into the Board of Directors' meeting room on the twelfth floor, the air conditioner's chill felt twice as piercing. A large, circular mahogany table, magnificent black leather chairs, and rows of men and women in expensive suits greeted her at once.
"Have a seat, Noni. Let's start the presentation," Mr. Lukman said from beside the row of directors.
Noni's hand trembled with cold as she took hold of the laser pointer. But the moment her eyes landed on the first slide on the massive projector screen, the memory of her mother's smile in the 4R photo in her cubicle flashed before her again. Her confidence suddenly surged.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Noni from the operational efficiency team. Today, I'll be presenting a vendor-ratio analysis for next quarter's project..."
Noni's voice rang clear, firm, and well-structured. She showed no hesitation as she answered the pointed questions from one of the Finance Directors. She knew those figures by heart because she had spent countless long nights dissecting them. When the presentation ended thirty minutes later, the warm, if subdued, applause from the President Director sealed her success that day.
"A sharp analysis for an intern. Good work, Lukman," the President Director praised before leaving the room.
Mr. Lukman merely gave Noni a slight nod, but the satisfaction shining in his eyes was unmistakable. To Noni, that praise was precious fuel.
That afternoon, at exactly 5:30 p.m., Noni stepped out of the twenty-story building. The weight on her shoulders felt a little lighter, though physical exhaustion lingered in every joint. Instead of heading straight home, Noni found herself walking toward the modest row of shophouses where Paw-sitive Care was located.
The bell above the door of the pastel-branded pet store jingled loudly when Noni pushed open the glass door.
"Good afternoon!" Noni called cheerfully, breaking the store's silence.
Adi emerged from behind the rows of cat-food shelves, holding a clean rag and a bottle of disinfectant spray. His face lit up at the sight of his senior's eldest daughter.
"Oh, Sis Noni! Just getting back from your internship? Wow, you look so sharp. That outfit makes you look like a real state-owned company boss," Adi teased with a soft chuckle.
Noni laughed quietly as she took off her black blazer and draped it over the cashier's chair. "You're something else, Uncle Adi. Where's Mom?"
"Ms. Wanda's in the back, tidying up the grooming room after bathing two Persian cats earlier. Go on in, Sis. Your mom's been asking about you all afternoon. She was worried you hadn't eaten."
Noni walked toward the back door of the store. There, near the rinsing area, Wanda was kneeling and cleaning the wet fur and shampoo suds left on the granite floor. A few gray hairs at Wanda's temples were illuminated by the fluorescent lights, and the marks of exhaustion showed clearly on the forty-seven-year-old woman's face.
"Mom..." Noni called softly.
Wanda turned in surprise, then a smile warmer than anything in the world immediately blossomed across her lips. She quickly dried her hands on a clean towel nearby and stood up.
"Sweetheart! You're home? How was work today? Did the presentation go well?" Wanda asked in a rush, her voice brimming with excitement.
Noni stepped closer, then wrapped her arms around her mother's body without hesitation. Wanda carried the faint scent of lavender cat shampoo—the scent that had always felt like the safest place in the world to come home to.
"It went great, Mom. The President Director praised me. Mr. Lukman said my report was really well organized," Noni whispered against her mother's shoulder.
Wanda gently patted Noni's back, her eyes growing misty with emotion. "I told you, my girl is amazing. But you must be exhausted, huh? Your hands are so cold."
"I'm not tired anymore now that I'm with you," Noni replied, releasing the hug with a broad smile.
From the front door, Adi poked his head in with an amused smile. "Aw, this mother-daughter scene is making me emotional. Ms. Wanda, Sis Noni, I bought lontong tahu and iced cendol earlier. Should I plate them up so you can have something to fill your stomachs?"
"Yay! Thanks, Uncle Adi!" Noni exclaimed happily.
In the simple back room of the pet store, amid the smells of animal food and grooming equipment, Noni enjoyed a small moment with Wanda and Adi. She watched her mother laugh as she listened to one of Adi's hilarious stories.
Noni rubbed her fingers together, which still felt cold. The short message from an unknown number that had come to her mother's phone the previous night had made Noni anxious about the return of a painful past. But seeing Wanda's innocent smile that afternoon only strengthened Noni's resolve: Anyone who tried to disrupt Mom and Nana's peace—including Dad—would have to get through her first.