Taming The Tiger Man - Genma Series #1

Can Ramaik tidy up the place?

Angelina’s heart was troubled. There wasn’t even a broom. How could he clean the remaining hair on the floor?

Angelina sat on the bedroom chair restlessly. She blew the steam from her coffee cup as she gazed at the window.

White clouds moved slowly in the bright blue sky. Strangely, there was no bustle on the rooftops today. There was no roar of helicopters either last night or this morning.

The ringing of the room bell startled Angelina. Her body jerked as she stared in surprise at the only exit from the room.Who? They usually open the door without any manners.

Someone continued to press the bell. Angelina finally got to her feet and walked over to the source of the sound. However, her fingers stopped as she grasped the knob. Isn’t it always locked? What’s the point of me trying to open it?

However, the continuous loud sound forced her hands to press down on the metal handle. Another oddity made her hold her breath. The wooden door swung casually and revealed a figure she hadn’t expected.

“Paul?”

Angelina stared at her husband. The sea-scented perfume wafted gently. The dimpled smile on the right cheek, which was Paul’s trademark and always succeeded in making girls glance, was on free display.

Strangely, after a few days had passed, the effect of the charm seemed to fade. Angelina no longer felt the pounding of her heart or the usual awkwardness. Now, her gaze showed more confusion than happiness.

“W-why are you here? H-how did you get up?”

“Angel, don’t tell me you forgot today is Saturday.”

“Huh?” The woman gaped in disbelief. “I-I thought it was still Friday.”

Paul let out a long sigh. He pinched his wife’s nose lightly as he said, “Why do you always forget the time?”

Angelina, pretending to pout. She shook her head to get away. “I just have a lot on my mind. So, how did you come up?”

“The elevator, of course.” Paul pointed towards the hallway with his thumb before chuckling. “Hmm, no welcome kiss or hug?”

“Uh…” Angelina felt her cheeks warmed with embarrassment. She looked at her husband shyly.

“So? A quick kiss on the cheek?” Paul teased. The man leaned over slightly and tilted his head.

Angelina’s heart skipped a beat. She pecked her husband’s cheek and bent her back to move away.

Paul smiled as he said, “Come on, get your bag. We’re going home now.”

***

Angelina kept stealing glances at Genma Hospital, which seemed to shrink in the rearview mirror, leaving her in disbelief.

She didn’t think she could get out of there after five days locked in a building inhabited by insane humans and victims of their experiments.

“You like working there, huh?”

Angelina gave Paul an awkward smile. “No, it just feels like it’s been a long time. Maybe it’s like jet lag.”

Paul grunted when he heard his wife’s absurd answer. The four-wheeled vehicle drove along the long, deserted road. Only one or two motorcycles were passing by, and even then, there were wide pauses between them.

“Before we go home, let’s do our grocery shopping and have lunch, shall we?” Paul asked as he stared at the road.

“Yes…”

Angelina’s eyes subconsciously scanned the empty fields covered in weeds as her thoughts returned to Genma.

A doubt lodged in her heart. What should I do?

The image of Ramaik in the cage, fighting the animals to death, flashed in her mind.

“It’s a good thing you quit the zoo.” Paul’s spontaneous remark caused Angelina to turn her head and give him a look of confusion.

“Last Thursday, there was news of another vet who died, this time from being pounced on by a lion in Malang. How strange, two in a row,” Paul replied. He glanced briefly at Angelina. “The second victim was even a female doctor.”

Angelina caught her breath. She gulped down as she remembered Fonda’s earlier remark.

“Accidents can happen anywhere…”

Does this death also have something to do with Genma?

“Angel, Doctor Sandi called to ask for news. He said he wanted to discuss Bowo’s condition. He could not contact you because your cell phone is not active. Try calling him first,” Paul hits the brakes, bringing the car to a smooth stop at a red light.

Angelina took her cell phone from her bag, which had been off for several days. She turned it on while looking at her husband.

“Paul, I tried calling you several times through the receptionist. Why didn’t you pick it up?”

“Huh? Really?” Paul’s face showed surprise. “I didn’t receive it. I also forgot to ask for the hospital number. I couldn’t call you.”

Angelina’s brow furrowed suspiciously. Did those crazy people cut off my contact on purpose?

“Angel, can you call Doctor Sandi now? He said he needed to speak about an important matter.”

Angelina obeyed her husband’s orders. She searched for her former coworker’s contact and pressed the dial.

*****

It was almost eight in the evening when Angelina came out of the bathroom wearing yellow pajamas with giant flowers. The scent of soap and shampoo wafted gently from her body.

She walked over to the bed where Paul lay relaxed. He had showered first and was wearing black pajamas.

Paul used his bent arms as a headrest. The man’s eyes watched Angelina’s movements in silence.

He let her rub her damp hair with a white towel around her neck before asking, “Angel, do you want to try shaving my beard tomorrow?”

“Uh, yes.” Angelina paused for a moment as she remembered Ramaik. He was still locked up in the underground cage with a chaotic appearance. “Is it okay?”

Paul’s lips curled. He tilted his body as he answered his wife’s question. “It depends. If my Angel is good at persuasion, I might be willing.”

“Huh? Wait, Paul. My hair is still we–”

Angelina stopped protesting when their lips met. She allowed Paul’s fingers to undress them before they cuddled and went to sleep.