And finally, the long-awaited day arrived. The Bagaskara family's house had been lavishly decorated for the important once-in-a-lifetime moment between Mark and Aileen. Aileen’s extended family from Mataram had arrived the day before and stayed at her apartment to ensure they wouldn't be late for the marriage ceremony and reception. The invitations, which numbered no less than a hundred people, came in waves, filling the yard which had been set up for a garden party, much like Lisa's party from before. The only difference was that the theme here was Mediterranean, whereas Lisa’s party had been modern and contemporary. The akad nikah ceremony took place at the large mosque near the Bagaskara home, attended by close family and a few necessary witnesses. Naturally, there were also a few showbiz reporters covering the wedding of such a prominent figure in the city. Mark successfully recited his vows in one smooth breath, and everyone cheered "SAH" when the imam asked the formal ques
Two months after their wedding, Aileen discovered she was pregnant because her period was late by more than a month. So, the menstruation she had on their wedding night was the last one she experienced after marriage. After that, she didn’t have any until a pregnancy test confirmed two lines. "Is it true, darling? Are you pregnant?" asked Mark, looking very enthusiastic. Aileen was so moved that she couldn't speak. She had, of course, hoped to get pregnant right away after marriage, but she never expected it to happen so soon. "Thank you, darling. I’m so touched. I'm going to be a dad!" said Mark, jumping around with joy. He immediately ran downstairs to share the good news with his parents. "What? Aileen is pregnant? Alhamdulillah!" Mrs. Anna exclaimed. She was so happy because she had requested from Aileen and Mark that they wouldn’t delay having children with contraception. Mr. George was just as happy and cheered when he heard the news. "Finally, Pa. Next time, we wo
The family was filled with happiness when Aileen finally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Deborah Fredina Bagaskara. The smart and chatty little girl became a source of pride for her parents, as well as for her grandparents. The house immediately came alive with the arrival of the first grandchild in the Bagaskara family, which had been rather quiet in terms of descendants.Deborah’s birth story was quite an adventure. Aileen had cravings as her due date approached, and her parents had warned her to stay home. However, Aileen insisted on going to Monas (National Monument) to see the tower up close. “My goodness, darling. What a ridiculous request is that?” Mark was frustrated because he was in a dilemma: everyone had forbidden him to fulfill his wife’s wish, but as her husband, he couldn’t bear to deny her. During her pregnancy, Aileen had rarely asked for anything unusual.He felt terribly guilty if he didn’t fulfill her request. So, that afternoon, he decided to take Aile
"Check the document. Otherwise, you'll regret not finding out sooner."Aileen was reminded of the warning words of the mysterious Mark. The arrogant man with the enigmatic appearance had joined the marketing department a month ago."What the hell does that mean?" Aileen grumbled to herself as her hands searched for the file she wanted.The man's performance immediately baffled Aileen, the head of marketing. And here she was, sneaking into the Director's office to follow Mark's absurd suggestion.Her eyes widened as she read a document with a title on it. "Ah, here it is!" she muttered.She quickly opened it and flipped through the pages to find the one she wanted. Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she snapped pictures of the report's summary pages.Occasionally turning her head toward the door, Aileen ensured the secretary did not re-enter the room. She was now concentrating on taking pictures. Her heart was pounding. It felt like a bomb would go off at any moment when the door
"Then what Mark said is true," Aileen muttered as she tapped her pen on the desk.With her eyes still occasionally fixed on the file, she picked up her cell phone and dialed the man's number."Yes, Ms. Aileen?" a voice asked from the other end of the line."Could you come to my office, please? There's something I'd like to discuss with you," Aileen replied, ignoring her reluctance to ask the man to come to her office as if they were partners who always got along well."All right, I'll be there in ten minutes." The man on the other end of the line then ended their conversation.Aileen was surprised to find herself reaching for a small mirror from her bag to correct some makeup on her face. She tried to catch her breath so as not to look too nervous."Come on, Aileen. Why do you look so tense to meet him, huh? Damn!" She cursed herself for being so out of control.She was not used to being awkward around men, especially when the man was below her in the office. But Mark Miller was diffe
The booming voice of the man in his early forties did not shake Mark and Aileen's resolve. Both stood where they were, looking straight into Mr. William's face."Good afternoon, Sir. I'm sorry, we didn't mean to make a scene outside your office, but we need to talk to you as soon as possible, so...""Tell me here as soon as possible. Or if it takes longer, I'll let Laura listen and take notes. I'm in an important meeting with a client," Mr. William replied quickly."Um, actually, we'd like to have a word with your important client, if you'd let us, Sir?”"What do you mean? And who is this gentleman, Ms. Aileen? Isn't he a new employee in your department, transferred from another branch?" Immediately, Mr. William turned to Aileen, whom he had gotten to know well during his two years of service."Uh, this is Mr. Mark Miller, Sir. We have an important matter to discuss with you immediately." Aileen finally replied, summoning all her courage.She was not afraid of Mr. William. It was just
"Oh my God, Mr. William. Would you take your employees hostage? Isn't that wrong?" asked Mark calmly, despite two thugs grabbing his hands from behind."Don't patronize me about what is or isn't wrong for me to do! Now tell me who you are!" scolded Mr William as he looked at Mark from head to toe.Mark seemed to struggle with whether to confess now or later."Let me introduce myself, Mr. William. I am Mark Miller, a representative of the audit team from Headquarters," Mark said in an arrogant tone.Suddenly, every other pair of eyes in the room widened in surprise. One of the shocked thugs almost lost control of Mark's hand, and Mark almost managed to duck out of the way before the other attacked Mark's lungs from behind, knocking him off balance.William was now in complete shock. His mouth was suddenly stiff, and he was unable to speak. There was a few moments of silence before Mark's voice finally returned,"So please cooperate, Sir. First of all, tell these people to let us go," M
"Oh, God! Nowhere, huh?"Aileen gasped in shock. The hopes that had just soared were now dashed to the ground."Shit! Why did they take my phone?" screamed Mark, sounding very annoyed.Aileen rolled her eyes in disgust."Of course they did. It's an unwritten rule of siege procedure. Disarming the victim and their communication devices is the most important thing they have to do," Aileen said in an annoyed tone.Mark snorted quietly. He was very annoyed by this fact."Oh, I hope the cell phone wasn't turned off so the central team can find out where we are now. They'll still be able to find the last place the phone was before it went off."Aileen decided to give up hope for now. She was now focused on thinking of ways to break free of the restraints and escape the room."Can you crush this chair and make a pointy end to hang our ropes from?" Aileen offered her opinion.Suddenly, Mark thought about such a method. It seems possible, he thought. Then, he struggled to move from his positio