Chapter 3

Monday was a busy day for the Hale family. Caroline, who rarely wears makeup, tried to hold back the ticklish feeling of makeup brushes being applied to her face.

The makeup artist, Tya, who was sent directly by the Marcus family, praised Caroline's soft, baby-like skin several times. 

"Don't put too much, okay, sis," Caroline whispered. Tya smiled knowing that Caroline rarely wore makeup.

"Just trust me, sis," Tya applied blush on as the last step of her makeup routine.

And when Caroline turned around to look at herself in the mirror, she was truly amazed by what she saw.

"Is this really me?" Caroline admired herself.

Tya smiled watching Caroline's reaction.

"Okay, now wear this." Tya showed a modern, elegant yet sweet batik dress that suited Caroline's age.

"Oh.. no.. we already have our clothes prepared. Yesterday, my dad ordered clothes for the whole family and I want to wear them," Caroline explained.

"Well.. too bad.. this sundress is beautiful.. If you know fashion, you wouldn't waste it," Tya looked disappointed that the beautiful dress would go unused. Caroline smiled mischievously while watching Tya tidy up the makeup tools.

At exactly 7:00 pm, the whole Hale family arrived at Jaya Ritz hotel. The hotel was again owned by the Marcus family. The Hale family walked through the hotel lobby to the seventh floor where the private dining room was reserved and closed to the public. One of the assistants who was familiar with their father had a few chats with him in between giving directions. The man shook hands with Caroline and mistook her for Jane.

Caroline's older sister was absent today, and she had been crying and apologizing to Caroline who took over her position. Finally, it was decided that Jane should stay at home.

On the other hand, Caroline seemed very strong. Actually, she had prepared herself since she met the blue-eyed man, Hendra. There was no other way but to face everything. She, Caroline, was a girl who was good at controlling her emotions. Since elementary school, Caroline had many friends and was cheerful. Even children outside the housing complex knew her well. Friendly and genuine, she grew up to be someone who was easy to get along with and liked by many. A little different from her siblings who preferred to focus on hobbies or school activities.

"Caroline..." Her mun whispered to get Caroline's attention. The woman then straightened Caroline's appearance, which was already neat. Seeing this, Caroline's older brother, Jake, looked away. It annoyed him to see his mother's behavior.

These past few days, Jake had made time to come to Caroline's room after work. He assured his sister to stay strong and trust him. Jake was a young man who spent his youth working hard, leaving early and coming home late almost every day. He built a company that oversees several e-commerce apps. He was stubborn in developing his company without his Father's help. Armed with his best degree in Information Technology, Jake influenced his classmates to join him in building his dream. It was a roller coaster ride, until finally, in the last year, investors came flooding in. Jake became busier and less likely to come home, but lately, Caroline understood why. Her brother was the first person to suspect their family's journey of life and their father's secret that was now revealed. Unfortunately, Jake was currently lamenting his own slowness, as he had not been able to save his sister, Caroline.

"If something happens to you, or you want to run away, tell me. I will do everything for you," Jake said repeatedly to his younger sister. With a convincing manner and a little bit of stubbornness, Jake seemed to transform into a Kamikaze soldier (a legend of brave Japanese soldiers who sacrificed their lives). Jake promised to be at the forefront if something happens to Caroline.

* * *

The wooden carved door was slowly opened by two hotel servants. Three people were inside, slowly standing up and welcoming them with a smile. Then a man who was not a stranger to Caroline entered. He was Hendra, standing behind an elderly man who deliberately tapped his antique cane slowly. The old man looked annoyed at Hendra but quickly changed his expression to show his politeness.

This was the Marcus family. The owners of Marcus Group, which was among the top three richest families in Southeast according to Forbes magazine. They were also listed in the top 50 billionaires in the world in 2018.

Caroline swallowed hard, remembering the article she purposefully read yesterday. She planned to read those articles to better prepare herself to face them, her co-workers who were troublesome.Caroline, recalled an article she deliberately read yesterday as she planned to prepare herself to face them, the Marcus family conglomerate. Instead, it made her even more anxious. "No wonder the clothes and makeup sent were in the same class as celebrity regulars," Caroline murmured to herself.

Mr Hale welcomed their smile and hugged the old man. Caroline soon realized that the old man was Marcus , a name that had been bouncing around in her head since her father told her about their agreement. In Caroline's head, Mr. Marcus was the same age as her father. The fact that he was almost 70 years old made her nervous.

"Is this your daughter?" Mr. Marcus broke the ice.

"She is very beautiful," praised Marcus .

"Thank you..." Caroline extended her words, her mind spinning to find a proper and suitable name for this conglomerate.

"Grandpa," Caroline said. Marcus burst into laughter, along with her father, mother, and the graceful old woman of the same age as Mr. Marcus.

"Call him Grandpa, Caroline," the graceful old woman shook Caroline's hand, hugged her, and smiled warmly, as warm as Caroline's grandmother.

"I used to bear Juliana when i was young but you can call me grandma too." The old woman introduced herself, and Caroline realized that Juliana was Mr. Marcus' wife.

There was one more member of the Marcus family that Caroline had just met. Her own future mother-in-law, who was said to have sent a dress designed by a famous designer in the country. She had a sad, graceful, and beautiful Javanese face. Golden-skinned and with black hair styled in a modern backwards bun. Caroline knew from her father that her beautiful name was Jennifer. Mrs. Jennifer smiled and shook hands with Caroline, but her gaze was sad, as if she were trying to suppress it.

Caroline tried to guess what Mrs. Jennifer was thinking, perhaps because she was not wearing the clothes Mrs. Jennifer had given her.

"Ah ... maybe that's just her normal expression," Caroline thought after seeing the calmness of the woman named Jennifer , who was flat and did not show any prominent activity.

Moments later, the dishes arrived. From the beginning of the meeting, Caroline's parents were so engrossed in responding to the conversation with Mr. Marcus and Grandma Juliana of the Marcus family. The others seemed to be busy with their own thoughts. Jake was still wearing an angry gesture towards her father and himself that was difficult to hide.

Mrs. Jennifer looked calm, as calm as the flow of a river in the lowlands, but anyone who saw her seemed to catch a touch of sadness within her. Caroline herself could not guess her age. In Caroline's eyes, Mrs. Jennifer seemed to be 30 years old or at most 35 years old. That was clearly a wrong prediction, for how could a 9-year-old mother already give birth to Hendra, who was said to be two years older than Jane meaning he was 27-28 years old. Automatically, Mrs. Jennifer was around 44-45 years old. 

_Wow.. impossible._

Caroline dismissed her own thoughts, matching the age and beauty of Mrs. Jennifer , which didn't sway her at all.

_No wonder Hendra looks so handsome._

She murmured while glancing at the man sitting right beside her. As Hendra felt carefully observed by Caroline, he turned to her. In an instant, Caroline was surprised and quickly corrected her sitting position. Caroline's reflexive movement caused the spoon in the dessert to fall, leaving a stain on her mid-length sun dress.

"You should go to the bathroom." Hendra suggested. Caroline stood still for a moment. She wanted to go to the bathroom, but the whole room was looking at her.

She just wanted to stand up to say goodbye and go to the bathroom. Was this behavior too conspicuous, or rather wrong?!?

Caroline suddenly remembered her personality class with Jane when she was in junior high school.

"At an official dinner party, even if you want to pee or just go to the bathroom, it's best to hold it. Because it's very rude." The teacher explained. Caroline's memory made her sit back down immediately.

And it turned out to be true. Juliana tried to eliminate Caroline's tension by saying, "Caroline must be finished already, right?" Caroline smiled back at her.

"Well, Hendra, please accompany Caroline to explore around here." Apparently, Juliana had caught on to what had just happened. Hendra was forced to follow Caroline out of the room. There was a fish pond and an artificial garden decorated with beautiful lights right next to the room. But Caroline wasn't ready to go there yet.

"Do you know where the bathroom is?" A male waiter froze for a moment because of Caroline's question. Then immediately realized and showed the direction in detail. Guiding Caroline to the front of the toilet door.

It wasn't Caroline who made the waiter nervous. Instead, it was the man who stood beside Caroline who made the waiter have difficulty breathing. Hendra was a young CEO and the sole heir to all the assets in this skyscraper hotel. The waiter only knew about the CEO from the gossip among employees. And today, the star that is constantly being talked about by fellow employees suddenly stood in front of him. Demanding his service. The waiter was automatically very nervous.

Moreover, rumors were circulating that CEO Hendra consistently conducted product tests to ensure service quality. Paying certain people to conduct a review of Jaya Ritz Hotel's standard of service. If a deficiency was found due to human error, then this human error would be eradicated as quickly as possible. Anyone and anywhere in their position.

"You took so long." Hendra scolded. Followed by frowning, looking at the stain that Caroline cleaned, leaving a wet circular area between her thighs.

"Are you sure you will come back with that odd circle?" Hendra criticized.

"Oh no, what should I do?" Caroline tried to look for something. She found a magazine near the waiting room. Nonchalantly waving the magazine, trying to dry her wet skirt.

"I told you, follow me..." Hendra walked. He once thought Caroline would follow him like most people he talked to. As it turned out, Caroline was still busy fanning her wet skirt.

"I said follow me..." Hendra emphasized his words. His blue eyes staring sharply at Caroline. Seeing several people staring at them. Caroline immediately followed Hendra's request.

The two of them ended up on the 5th floor with a special elevator. Part of the 5th floor was a marketing office, service, and all the personnel activities of this skyscraper building. Hendra looked like he was contacting someone via phone. Shortly after, a woman dressed in the hotel's dress code rushed to bring a hairdryer to Hendra.

While following the swift footsteps of Hendra, Caroline observed the attractively organized office space. It was half-past 9 at night, and some people were still visibly working. They stopped for a moment. They seemed to be watching her and Hendra walking side by side. Or rather, Caroline was trying to keep up with Hendra's pace.

Their footsteps ended when the blue-eyed man stopped in front of a door. When the door opened, a room stretched out in front of them. It was too big for a pair of black chairs with a sturdy impression. Right in front of them was a comfortable and soft white sofa corner with a matching table, contrasting with the other colors in the room. On the left side of the room was a transparent gla

ss, which could see the Jakarta night scene directly.

"Come in... This is my workspace." Hendra said.