CHAPTER 1

Alex sat on the gray sofa in the corner of his apartment's room. He leaned back while sipping on his beer. His eyes narrowed as he thought about his father, who was about to get married again, supposedly to a woman much younger than him. For nearly half an hour, he sat there brooding and cursing under his breath. He remembered the words his father had uttered in the office earlier.

"Alex, I want to talk to you." "What's up, Dad?" "I'm getting married, and tomorrow I'll introduce you to my future wife."

Alex tried to imagine himself in that situation. His father was already too old to get married again. How could a 60-year-old man get married? He should be enjoying his retirement instead of getting married again. He knew that everyone had their own path in life, and as the eldest child, he naturally wished the best for his parents. But not this way. It was completely insane and made no sense!

Alex couldn't fathom his father getting married again. His father should be busy with his cycling club instead of dealing with a marriage. What was the point of a new partner? A life companion? What else could a life companion be for? They were old! A companion in bed? Could he even manage that at his age? Which woman would be willing to marry a 60-year-old man like his father? It seemed impossible for a young woman to marry a man of that age.

Alex knew what his father was like; he was very strict. He could only accept his father's decision. It was his father's right, and if anyone dared to oppose him, he would stand firm. Okay! He accepted his father's decision to get married again, maybe it was the classic reason of loneliness. If it was for companionship, it clearly didn't make sense; these 60-year-old men were definitely not up to the task. They had passed their prime as men.

He was straightforward about it; his father's prospective wife was a young woman looking at a man with wrinkled face, sagging body, a slow gait, and gray hair. Did she really like him? Bullshit! That was complete nonsense! In the same proportion, 60-year-old men would stop having sexual relations. The reasons he had read in articles about online dating and relationships didn't make sense to him. He knew, who wouldn't want to be with Peter Milan's father?

Alex didn't believe for a second that a woman was marrying his father sincerely; she must have ulterior motives. Alex took another sip of his beer, closed his eyes for a few seconds, and unbuttoned his shirt. He looked towards the balcony. The sky rumbled as if it held a monstrous beast within. Oh, right, he just remembered that it was December, no wonder it had been raining continuously since yesterday.

Alex got up from his seat, tucking his shirt into his dirty pants. He glanced at several notifications on his phone.

"Alex, let's party! I'm waiting for you at Fable."

Alex placed his glass on the table. He didn't reply to the text from Nara, his friend and the daughter of Mr. Wijaya Rayadi, his father's friend. He went into the room, ignoring the messages, turned on the shower, and the warm water soaked his body.

It's not that he didn't like to party; it's just that he was in a bad mood. Beer seemed insufficient to clear his heavy head. Ah yes, he needed wine to lighten his mood. He needed to meet Nara to enjoy the night. She was the one who loved to have fun the most.

Alex considered Nara nothing more than his party friend. They went clubbing together with their group of friends. Nara was nothing more than a playgirl who changed boyfriends like she changed socks. She was a true one-night stand lover and a free spirit. No man could be her partner, including himself. He knew what Nara's love life was like; perhaps in her family's eyes, she appeared well-behaved and obedient, but she was a true player. The longest relationship she had was only six months, he remembered the guy's name was Miles, a businessman from Malaysia, a few years older than her.

A few minutes later, Alex emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, drying his hair with a small towel. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and replied to Nara's message.

"Okay! Wait, I'll be on the way."

Alex entered his walk-in closet, first grabbing his underwear and then removing the towel from his waist. He put on his underwear and then pulled on his black shirt. After that, he put on his gray slim-fit pants. Alex picked up a bottle of cologne from the table and sprayed it on himself.

Alex looked at himself in the mirror, then grabbed his car keys. He left the room, taking note of his seemingly empty apartment. He checked the circular watch on his wrist, which showed it was 9:30 PM. He entered the elevator, and it took him down to the basement floor. He walked towards his perfectly parked car.

Next, he got into the car. Alex started the engine, and the car left the apartment tower area. His hand activated the audio system, and he listened to music during the journey.

As the car made its way to Fable, Alex couldn't shake off thoughts about his father getting married again.

"Damn! Bastard!" Alex cursed under his breath, punching the steering wheel to vent his frustration.

Alex still couldn't accept his father's decision to remarry. Didn't his father realize he was getting old? If he wanted to be happy, the solution didn't have to involve marriage.

His father should know that most people out there considered marriage to be like hell. Why did his father want to enter that hell? It would be better for him to travel the world or make a new impact, like providing clean water sources in desert regions or setting up a charity foundation in Africa. Why get married? Alex was truly stressed!

He knew that in recent years, his father had been urging him to get married. The mere thought of starting a family felt like being asked to enter hell. He'd prefer pursuing a Ph.D. over getting married any day!