While Livia returned to her bowl, the warmth of the evening sun slipped through the shop's window, casting a gentle glow across her face. The Tome in Kaivan's hands shimmered faintly with a purplish light, as though responding to the calm atmosphere.
In the corner, Raphael leaned back in silence, until a soft vibration from his pocket broke the quiet. He lifted his phone without expression. "Yeah?"
Zinnia's sharp voice came through. "Raphael, give the phone to Kaivan."
Without question, he passed it over. Kaivan took it while still looking at the Tome. "Yeah, Zinnia. What's up?"
"The last phone's being processed. No more used units left."
Kaivan closed the Tome gently. Three soft taps on its cover accompanied his thoughts. "Alright. Gather the gold first. We'll head there later."
He handed the phone back. Raphael nodded, and silence returned to the table, warm, peaceful, yet filled with something unspoken.
Then Livia's clear voice broke the lingering quiet.
"You guys do gold business too? Like my Dad?" she asked with innocent curiosity, sitting cross-legged on the carpet, arms around her knees, head tilted like a child hearing something familiar.
Raphael glanced at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Instead of answering, he asked softly, yet sharply:
"Livia… where is your dad now?"
She shrugged lightly. "I dunno. Dad's always busy," she said casually, as if the words held no hidden wound.
The men exchanged brief glances. Her answer was simple, too simple. There was something off, something quietly dangerous. Perhaps she wasn't just an ordinary girl.
They chose not to press it. That evening, after packing up, they returned to the workshop. Gold awaited processing, plans needed shaping, and maybe, a girl who needed protection from a world too dark.
By the time they reached the aging building inside the nearly deserted mall complex, the sky had turned orange. From outside, the place looked plain. But inside, another world opened.
Livia stepped in with wide eyes. Her expression shifted slowly, from curiosity to disappointment. This workshop was nothing like the glamorous gold business she imagined her father ran. No glitter, only worktables, cables, and scrap components.
In the main room, Isabel greeted them cheerfully. "Welcome, everyone!" But when her eyes met Livia's, she leaned toward Kaivan and whispered, "This girl… the one from Out of the Island you mentioned?"
Kaivan nodded once. No explanation.
Livia followed the narrow hall, her gaze drifting across every corner. When she entered the workspace, her steps halted. For the first time, she saw the extraction process up close. The faint metallic scent mixed with chemical fumes filled the air. Everything was unfamiliar, yet strangely captivating.
In one corner, Frans and Felicia dismantled used phones with swift precision. Their hands moved quickly through cables and chips, exchanging few words, but never breaking focus. On the other side, Isabel poured chemicals into a large container. Thin vapor rose from the mixture where components were submerged, carrying a sharp scent and an atmosphere heavy like dusk before rain.
Zinnia sat at a metal table, transferring tiny specks of gold into a glass jar one by one. Her movements were careful, exact. Every gram of gold seemed to hold a story, of struggle, bravery, and quiet decisions.
Evening slipped into night as work gradually slowed. The clattering tools faded into a stillness that settled over the room. Thivi stood at the far end, staring at the scattered phone remnants. "I didn't know used phones could be a source of gold," she whispered, almost like a prayer left on the wall.
Kaivan gently closed the Tome Omnicent and turned to Zinnia. "How many grams can we release, Zinnia?" he asked calmly.
"Four hundred ninety-two," she replied without hesitation, steady, soft, and certain.
The faint sense of relief shattered the moment Raphael leaned against the wall, his expression turning hard. "The government banned selling models like this. The risk is getting bigger," he murmured, quiet, yet heavy, like the whisper of a storm waiting to break.
Silence washed over them. But before worry could take root, Livia lifted her face with a soft, sunlit smile. "If you want, Kak... I can ask my dad to help. You can sell the gold through him." Her voice was bright, almost glowing.
Everyone turned to her. The girl who had been nothing but cheerful and innocent now shone like a lantern in the dark. Hope flickered in their eyes, fragile yet warm.
Zinnia, who had been doubtful moments ago, lit up. "Four hundred ninety-two grams times four hundred and ten thousand... that's over two hundred million rupiah!" She did the math again, quick and certain. "Divided among ten people... twenty million each. Wow."
The tension melted instantly. Laughter bubbled up between them, light and infectious. Still curious, Thivi wrapped an arm around Livia's shoulders. "So, what does your dad do exactly, Liv?"
Livia raised her chin, tapping her lips thoughtfully. "Papa owns a goldsmith workshop, like, he makes gold jewelry," she said proudly, her smile soft but confident.
Kaivan's eyes narrowed in thought, then a gentle smile spread across his face. "In that case, how about you all stay at my place tonight? My parents have been wanting to meet you, anyway. We can celebrate too."
Isabel instantly sat up straighter. "Ooh, that sounds fun! I've never been to your house before either, Van."
"Not a bad idea," Frans added with a nod.
But Zinnia wasn't entirely convinced. Tilting her head, she eyed Kaivan. "Is it okay for girls to stay over at your place?"
A hush fell over them. Then Radit, with his trademark mischief, chimed in, "Huh? You didn't know? Felicia and Thivi sleep over there all the time."
Zinnia's head snapped toward the two girls, her eyes wide with pure surprise.