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Epilogue

The weekend at the shopping district is as busy as always. People began flooding the area since early in the morning and it is just getting busier as it approaches noon. The heat of the sunlight that is getting more intense does not bother them at all. Everyone gathers there and is driven by different purposes and intentions. But overall, there are only two major reasons, working and shopping.

Among the sea of people, Ezlan is also present there. He arranges his steps calmly and slips in between the crowd, focusing on his purpose in mind. One by one, the shops in the district are left behind as his eyes glance quickly at the name on the signboard of every shop, searching for his destination. The shopping district is not an area he is familiar with. As far as he remembers, he had stepped foot into the district only two or three times in his life. The fact that the destination he is currently searching for is a place he never knew its existence just makes things more difficult for him.

A few minutes of wandering and glancing at every shop's signboard finally bring Ezlan to a restaurant at the corner of a building near the end of the shopping district. He examines the name of the restaurant in front of him before gazing down at his phone screen. Confident that he has finally found his destination, he steps to the door.

"If I knew this restaurant is at this end of the district, I should've parked here instead of walking all the way through the district." Ezlan monologues softly to himself as he gazes at the parking lot right next to the restaurant. A few people are stepping in and out of the restaurant at the moment together with him. Since it is located at the end of the district, the restaurant's surrounding is not so busy. Yet, it is still getting quite the attention from the people walking by.

As soon as Ezlan enters the restaurant, he proceeds to scan the interior of the premise as he moves away from the door to avoid blocking it. Some of the employers and customers notice his behaviour, but none of them is bothered to care about it. In his heart, he is a bit surprised but pleased with the ambience in the restaurant. It is far different from the district outside. With the touch of forest-themed decoration and gentle music, it is so relaxing to be in there. All the employers and customers are talking in a soft voice as they want to enjoy the ambience. Now he understands why the place is getting quite the attention from the people who come to the shopping district despite its location. In fact, now that he thinks about it, the location is actually strategic and very suitable given the different levels of busyness between the restaurant and shopping district. Even though that is the first time he set foot there, he already has the intention to come again next time.

An unusual noticeable movement is caught at the corner of Ezlan's eyes after glancing at every corner of the restaurant for a while. Given the condition in the restaurant, it is fairly easy to detect it. He quickly brings his focus to the direction. The person he was looking for is waving her hand at him, calling him to her spot. Without any delay, he opens his steps to the table at the corner of the restaurant where she is sitting and waiting.

"You wait long?" Ezlan greets her with a smile as he takes his seat.

"Nope. Not at all. The table is still empty." Rose moves both her hands, presenting the empty table. Soft giggles escape from Ezlan's mouth with his cousin's action. As they joke around, a waitress approaches them and stands next to their table before handing over a list of menus for both of them.

"May I have your orders?" The waitress asks politely with a sweet smile. Both Ezlan and Rose take the list of menus and give a quick look at it.

"I'll have mango juice and...kebab sandwich roll, please." Ezlan brings his gaze back to the waitress and smiles as he puts the menu on the table in front of her before shifting his focus to his cousin.

"I already made my order earlier." Rose returns the list of menus to the waitress with a smile.

"So, just mango juice and kebab sandwich roll for you, sir?" Ezlan nods. "Okay, please wait for a moment, sir. Thank you." The waitress picks up the menus and gives a quick smile as she walks away. Ezlan and Rose return the favour and stare at her for a while before proceeding to glance around them.

"Hey, have you heard any news about Khai?" Rose breaks the silence between them with her half-whispering voice. Ezlan brings his gaze to his cousin who is already leaning forward with her chest and arms resting on the table. The light atmosphere suddenly turns serious, just like her facial expression.

"Yeah. He just got discharged from the hospital and he's fine." Ezlan copies his cousin's posture, bringing their faces closer so that they do not have to speak loud. Rose takes a deep breath and exhales as she brings her sight to the other customers in the restaurant.

"That's what I heard too." Rose rests her chin on her palm. Her tone of voice has loosened compared to before, sounding calmer and relieved as a small smile forms on her face. "He's also survived, huh? Thank goodness."

"Yeah. It seems like the only survivors we know yet are from our family." Ezlan continues his report, also sounding more relaxed than before.

"Do you think we should continue with the 'experiment'?" Rose brings her sight back to her cousin with a worried expression displayed on her face, asking him with a concerned tone in her voice.

"I'm about to ask you the same thing." A smile formed on Ezlan's face but a bitter one. "I think that's enough. I don't want to take another test subject. The three of us are enough to solve the mystery, I guess." Ezlan voices out his decision even though he sounds a bit uncertain about his statement. A moment of silence follows up after his last word as both of them have no idea what to say at the moment. Both of them are looking away from each other, busy with their own thoughts.

In that moment of silence, the same waitress from earlier comes to their table. This time, she brings a tray with her. Upon realizing her presence, the two cousins quickly fix their posture and sit properly on their seats. She puts the plate and tall glass on the tray right in front of Rose.

"Sorry for the wait. Enjoy your meal." The waitress smiles and bows a little before walking away, continuing with her work. Rose returns the favour and thanks her before focusing on her meals and taking a sip of her drink.

"So, we need to tell him then?" Rose returns to the conversation and focuses back on her cousin. Ezlan nods.

"I got a feeling that he'll be so mad at us for hiding this from him, if he believes our stories, that is." Ezlan lets out a nervous chuckle as he stares at his cousin's meal. Rose just smiles, looking at her cousin's face. She completely understands what is lingering inside his mind as among the cousins, he is the closest to Khaiser compared to the others. The fact that he was the one who gave him the book must be heavy for him to handle the guilt. However, not even once he ever voiced out his feelings.

"Let's set a time to meet, the three of us. And maybe we need to bring something to calm him down and make him listen, just in case." Rose voices out her suggestion in a joking manner, hoping that it will cheer up her cousin a little. Ezlan stares at her for a moment before slowly nodding in agreement. With that, they leave the conversation for another chance and move on to random topics and enjoy their lunch.