Queen Of Hearts, His Beloved Girl

“Papa...” The call from the little girl immediately made those who were enjoying the afternoon at the beach turn their heads. The happy smiles on their faces vanished, replaced by utter shock. At first, they thought the child had called out to the wrong person, but it turned out she hadn't. Her small feet ran towards Ezra, who stood frozen with a stiff expression. “Papa!” the girl called out joyfully, like a child who hadn't seen her father in a long time. She kept running towards the shoreline. Ezra just stood there, staring at the beautiful girl who, as she got closer, immediately broke the grip he had on Hera. Hera? As if suddenly remembering something important he'd forgotten, Ezra turned. His heart sank upon seeing his beloved, whom he was just about to propose to, looking shocked. “Ra, she's not...” “Papa! Lala misses you, Pa!” the little girl exclaimed, hugging Ezra's leg tightly. “Does Uncle Ezra already have a child?” Hera growled, her eyes filled with anger. She felt deceived because Ezra had never mentioned anything before. “I can explain, Ra! Wait for me to sort this out first!” Ezra grabbed Hera's hand as she turned to leave. It was a bit awkward because the child was also hugging his leg. “Let go!” Hera hissed, roughly shaking off Ezra's grip, but it was in vain. “No! I won't let you leave with that misguided thought!” Ezra firmly pulled Hera back to his side. “Papa...” The child whined again, calling for Papa, but just like before, Ezra remained silent, ignoring her. This wasn't about being heartless or not, but a mistake that needed to be corrected. Ezra's eyes glared at the approaching figure of a woman with a middle-aged man. What he had been trying to hide all this time, unfortunately, burst forth at the most inopportune moment. He was attending his friend's wedding at a resort in Lombok. Ezra had deliberately chosen a moment when his friends and Hera's extended family would be present, intending to propose to her on the beach in a romantic setting. Unfortunately, everything went awry because of the presence of these inconsiderate people. “What's going on, Ezra?” asked Hera's father, approaching with his wife. Their faces showed displeasure with the uncomfortable situation. “Sorry, Uncle, there's a bit of a problem, but I'll sort it out soon,” he explained. “Mom! Papa is mean. He doesn't love Lala!” The little girl cried and ran to her mother, who was now standing in front of Ezra. “Lala, Papa isn't mean! He's just shocked to see us here. Didn't Mama say we came here to surprise Papa?” the woman coaxed, bending down to calm her child, who was sobbing after being ignored by Ezra. Hera's hands clenched, trembling as she continued to stare intently at the woman and the little girl in front of them. Her heart ached, realizing she was trapped in the wrong relationship. She tried to struggle again, but still couldn't break free from the man's grip. "Let go!" she growled, becoming more intense. "No! You will stay here until the matter is clear and resolved, so there's no misunderstanding!" Ezra firmly tightened his grip on her hand. He didn't have time to think about how his friends behind him would react. He was too angry because these two shameless people still had the nerve to show up in front of him. Moreover, they were poisoning the mind of the little girl, who knew nothing, by making her believe he was her father. “What do you want here?” Ezra asked bluntly. "Is that how you treat your family after disappearing for years?!" shouted the middle-aged man who came with the woman and the little girl. They were all taken aback. After being friends for so long, Ezra, being very private, never shared anything about his personal life or family. So it was understandable that they were stunned to learn their friend actually had a wife and child. "Ex-wife! Don't pretend you forgot that! We've been divorced for a long time!" replied Ezra, correcting the old man's words before things got even more chaotic. "You divorced Hanum without her consent and didn't even care about Lala's fate. I thought you would regret it after leaving, then come back to your wife and child. Turns out, you've fallen for a young girl! You're outrageous, Ezra!" "Outrageous?!" Ezra repeated with a cynical chuckle as he glanced at the woman who turned out to be his ex-wife. "What's outrageous is you shamelessly coming to find me!" he growled. "Lala keeps asking about her daddy." In a soft voice, Hanum looked pleadingly, but Ezra just laughed at her. "Which daddy?" he sneered. "Ezra…" "Enough! Cut out this pathetic drama!" Ezra shouted, losing his patience. "Ezra, why don't you invite the guests in?" Herman Wijaya, Hera's grandfather, who had been listening all along, finally stepped in to mediate. He didn't want his beloved granddaughter to be humiliated like this. "No wonder you've lost your way because you're chasing after the granddaughter of a conglomerate!" sneered Ezra's former father-in-law upon recognizing who Hera's grandfather was. "There's no need to badmouth Ezra in front of us, because from the start I already knew his background. Otherwise, I wouldn't have allowed them to get close. Talk civilly or leave!" Herman asserted, not failing to intimidate them. Hanum looked at Ezra, who was still holding tightly to the young girl beside him. She appeared hurt to find that the ex-husband she hoped would one day return had already found someone new. Ironically, Ezra went for a younger girl. Yes, who wouldn't be attracted to fresh young leaves, especially an heir from a wealthy family? She was wrong to waste time hoping they could meet and reconcile. "Take them to the villa, Ezra! Resolve this issue completely. Don't let it become a pebble that will hurt my granddaughter!" ordered Herman as he turned to approach his wife and invited her to leave. Ezra let out a harsh sigh. His grip tightened slightly. His worst fears had come true. His past had now become an obstacle in his relationship with Hera. "Let Hera stay with me for now. You take them to the villa!" said Hera's mother, reaching for her daughter's hand. "But, Auntie…." "I will not risk my child's happiness with a man who hasn't resolved his past. Sort things out with them, or stay away from my daughter!" declared the woman, whose arms were covered in tattoos, with a piercing gaze. Ezra's grip loosened. Hera turned away, refusing to return the gaze of the man who had been there for her over the past year. From the start, Ezra had been honest about having been married, but it ended in divorce. However, Hera had no idea that they had a child from that marriage. She felt deceived. "Sorry, Ra, but it's not how you think it is." Hera shook off Ezra's grip and left without a backward glance. Xena, Hera's mother, went after her daughter. Meanwhile, Johan, Hera's father, patted Ezra's shoulder, asking him to escort them to the villa. "Let Hera be with her mother for now. She'll catch up later. You settle your issues with them. Hera's grandfather is already waiting at the villa!" said Johan before leaving them. "Don't blame me if your child ends up getting hurt! You're the one who started this mess!" Ezra growled, glaring at his ex-wife in disgust. Just look at her disgusting, satisfied grin after successfully messing everything up. "Lala is your child. Remember that!" she said, smiling with her head bowed. "Come on, Lala, don't you want Papa to carry you?" Hanum coaxed her child, who was still sulking, her eyes filled with tears. The six-year-old girl turned to Ezra with fear in her eyes. However, because she so wanted to be carried by the man who was once her father, Lala released her mother's hand. But as she took a step closer, Ezra turned away and left without a second thought. Ignoring the child's pitiful cries, he walked away from the beach. Ezra knew his friends must be shocked by this embarrassing spectacle. Why did he always hide his personal life? Even though they were like brothers to him. Because his life story was too chaotic to share. He had been shattered, with no one caring. And that damn woman played a major role in tearing his life apart. For years, he struggled with the pain alone. The worst part was, just as he was beginning to find happiness, they returned as they pleased, intent on destroying him again. No, this time, Ezra would not back down. Because he had Hera to fight for.