“Mom, I'm calling off the wedding,” Edward said on the long-distance call with Maya Ofel, his mother who was in Dubai.
“Are you crazy? Who are you saying that to?” Maya was annoyed by her son's words.
“I don't want to be set up like that, Mom. We won't be happy,” Edward said trying to defend himself.
“So is wanting Al-Futtaim's wife the right thing to do? Would you be happy if you took someone else's property? Edward! What is going through your mind?”
Maya Ofel ranted for a long time until she finally took a deep breath and continued her rant.
“Don't let Dad act! You and the Futtaim family's wife will be screwed!” she threatened without further ado.
“No, Mom, it's precisely this son of yours who contacted you because he wanted you to help. Who else can your son complain to?”
“Come on, Mom...”
“You want Mom to help you?” Maya rolled h
Afgan began to realize that he loved Adelia, rather than waiting for the girl in the photo that he couldn't even find.“You know what? You're right. Give me one more shot, then I'll be on my way home to get my wife!”The bartender nodded then chuckled, “It turns out she's your wife, why are you fussing over a blurry past photo.”The bartender spoke as he mixed his drink and then offered it to Afgan.“The photo needs to be fixed, so it can be seen clearly, isn't there a photo editor who can show a good photo even though it's old?”Afgan was again surprised because all this time, he had never thought about it.“Alright, I'll go to a photo editor tomorrow,” he replied and gulped down the proffered shot.Unexpectedly, the bartender laughed out loud, “I can edit photos. Being a bartender is just an extra job to pay for college.”Afgan hesitantly handed the photo into the ha
Adelia stepped into the hotel lobby with her eyes still half closed, trying to overcome the sleepiness and fatigue that enveloped her. Apparently, this usually quiet hotel was now filled with the hustle and bustle of preparations for the engagement ceremony. Hotel workers bustled about, arranging decorations, setting up tables and making sure everything ran smoothly.Mona, Adelia's coworker who took the overnight shift, was busy with her work at the reception desk, turning her head when Adelia approached her.“Mon, the hotel is really busy today, isn't it? What's going on?” asked Adelia in a low voice as she placed her backpack on the desk.Mona glanced at Adelia with an unhappy face without smiling and then answered. “There's an engagement ceremony for the Gonzales family to be held here. They booked some rooms for the invited guests.”“What took you so long? I'm tired from earlier. This is supposed to be your job!” Mo
Adelia sat in front of her receptionist's desk, chuckling, the woman put the two thousand in her drawer. In just a short time, other guests began to arrive. She didn't have a chance to think about Emily and the two thousand.After completing the check-in process for the next guest, Adelia immediately switched to helping the other guests who were in the middle of the registration process. Although her heart was still full of questions and a little jealousy about Edward and Emily, Adelia still tried to provide friendly and professional service to all guests.Some guests asked questions about the hotel facilities, while others needed recommendations for places to eat nearby.Adelia nimbly answered each question with a smile, trying to disguise her mixed feelings of curiosity and jealousy that had arisen earlier.While she was busy with her task, her mind occasionally flashed back to the arrival of Emily and Edward. Adelia felt that today would probably be a day full
“She's Edward's fiancée and Melinda is engaged to Afgan. The two wealthy couples are getting married next week, and we ... thank goodness I have you two to accompany me in my old age,” said Adelia as she stroked her stomach.After speaking to herself, Adelia took a small step towards the food stand to fill her hungry stomach.Adelia didn't realize how Afgan was always watching all her movements in silence. Seeing Adelia stroking her stomach several times, Afgan was a little suspicious, but by the time Adelia was devouring the food greedily, Afgan was laughing to himself. “She was hungry, you plebeian.”Moments later, the program continued with a lavish dinner. Adelia quickly retreated to a corner of the room with a portion of cake that she hadn't finished chewing. Trying to calm herself down, she savored the cake in the paper bowl she was holding while watching the guests enjoying their moment together.Suddenly, the tail of
Just as Adelia was about to stand up from the chair she was sitting in, her vision suddenly blurred, Adelia staggered again and her body unsteadily fell back into her chair.“Adelia, are you okay?” The coworker held Adelia, who already looked pale.“It's okay, I'm just tired of the conditions ha ... , uhm I mean, having to stand all the time.” Adelia was surprised that she had almost divulged her condition.Edward was also secretly watching Adelia, at the moment when Adelia was unsteady, he could no longer contain his feelings. With rough steps, he left Emily stunned, seeing that Edward had approached Adelia and carried her bridal style out of the party room.“UHm” Emliy was stunned by the situation. Holding back her embarrassment, the woman immediately ran after them.Afgan also witnessed the situation and was about to follow, but Melinda hurriedly pretended to hold her stomach.“Aowh, honey. Your s
“Uhm, I mean ... in the future, lah, I don't mean this!”“Adelia, try to explain, what I mean is, if Afgan leaves you, then... you have the right to find another man... then get married, then have a baby.. then...”Afgan and Edward smiled slightly, having understood the direction of Emily's messy and awkward conversation. Just a moment ago, her words were very firm and elegant.Edward immediately played a role to emphasize Emily's words. “Right, Afgan, won't you have a baby from Melinda, and then Adelia will have a baby from the man who will be her new husband later?”“New husband?” Afgan looked at Edward as if the man's words hurt him.“Yes, that's what I mean, new husband, baby from new husband's child, gosh, what's going through my head, I think I'm hungry.” Emily stood up to reach for her cell phone.“I'll order some more food, is Afgan going to eat together in this crampe
“Oh my, Afgan? What happened to you?” asked Melinda in a panic at Afgan's presence in her room. The party was over and everyone was going to rest.Melinda had finished showering and found Afgan coming home with his handsome face covered in sores.“It's okay, I just want to sleep, you made so much noise,” said Afgan softly.The pain in his body was not as painful as his scratched heart.“You must have gone looking for Adelia, isn't that right?” asked Melinda as she sat on the edge of the bed, while Afgan had begun to lie down with a tired body.Before Afgan could answer, there was a knock on the door from outside the room.“Who?” asked Melinda curiously before getting out of bed.“Us, your in-laws!” Achmed Al-Futtaim cleared his throat before answering.As Melinda opened the door, Afgan's mother immediately ran to the bed, surprised by Afgan's condition.&l
Melinda thought for a moment, she was a cunning woman just like Bayu.Of course she didn't want to give away as much money as Bayu wanted, but get nothing in return.“Alright, we'll meet in half an hour. You just wait there. I'll send the amount you want as soon as I hear everything you have to say.”Melinda hung up the call and grunted in annoyance. She had to see Bayu soon or she would be bullied for the rest of her life. In her heart, she planned to finish off the man who fathered the baby she was carrying because she didn't want Bayu to become too greedy and spill the beans to Afgan one day. However, this was not a good time as the news that Adelia was pregnant was bothering her and she had to do something about it.Melinda didn't know what she should do to get rid of Adelia without getting caught by Afgan. She was convinced that Afgan had started to love Adelia because his attitude towards her remained cold and standoffish. Only occasiona
“You want to visit his grave? Yes! Go to the Sanjaya Cemetery in South Jakarta. Look for Adelia's name in block 7!” exclaimed angrily through the speaker on the cell phone. The man did not allow the security guard to open the door at all.Hearing the answer from Edward, Afgan's heart was like being struck by lightning and then slashed by several sharp daggers.“Go back to your country. I really hate you for letting Adelia's body go up in flames like that!”Edward switched off the call from the security cell phone. With languid steps, Afgan stepped back into his car.The fact that Adelia was dead made his life feel shattered. With his left hand, he called his father to check the whereabouts of Adelia's grave.The driver drove the car back to the airport. Afgan did not wait any longer, but went straight to the private plane that his father had prepared.“Go home, Afgan,” Achmed said wearily.“Adelia's grave is indeed there and the death
“What's going on, is she awake?” asked Afgan with his breath caught in his throat as he ran from the hospital parking lot to his mother-in-law's room.“No, she's not conscious yet, but we heard her delirious.”“Edward and Adelia?”Kanya nodded her head confidently, as did Achmed.“It seems that Adelia's loss has something to do with Edward.”Afgan snorted harshly then said, “that man has been gone since before the fire. He's already engaged to Emily and they've returned to Dubai.”“How could he be involved?” Afgan asked himself.“It's good you're investigating, Afgan. All the possibilities are there, after all you've been looking all this time.”“By the way, what about Melinda, have you forgiven your wife?” Achmed asked his son.Afgan looked at his father meaningfully. He couldn't bear to tell him the secret abou
“I'm sorry for everything I did that was unfair to her, Father.”Afgan's voice was hoarse and his chest felt tight.Achmed looked at his son with compassion. “We cannot control fate, Afgan. Life sometimes gives us difficult trials, but we must fight through them together. We will find a way out, and we will be stronger than ever.”Afgan nodded, the man wiping away tears with the back of his hand as he absorbed his father's words. Although there were still many questions and uncertainties ahead, he felt that his family would find a way to get through all the obstacles and rebuild their lives.The two sat together in the hospital waiting room, embracing each other in an emo-laden silence. They realize that in order to achieve happiness in the future, they must unite and support each other, even though the road ahead may still be difficult and full of challenges.“I'm going to go calm down, D
Achmed Al-Futtaim and Kanya, Afgan's parents, heard news that shook the peace of their lives. The news of their in-law's sudden shock and illness left them with a deep sense of anxiety. Their faces were etched with expressions of worry and fear as they walked at a brisk pace towards the hospital.On the way to the hospital, Achmed and Kanya's minds were full of questions and worries. They looked at each other, and their eyes reflected deep worry. They couldn't imagine that their lives would change in an instant due to this unexpected situation.“Really, what happened?” said Achmed in a hoarse voice, trying to calm himself and his wife Kanya's heart. “Hopefully this is just a temporary incident and everything will be fine.”“True, I can't imagine how Adelia would feel if she were still alive. We as a family owe so much to that poor woman who is nowhere to be found.”Kanya clasped Achmed's hand tig
“No! Bik Minah!”Brak!Afgan felt like his spine was broken. The pain of the wooden beam hitting his small body.He could feel the searing heat and hear the sound of small explosions. The scene grew darker, until Afgan felt as if he was drowning in a sea of fire.He vaguely saw in the flames Adelia waving with a warm smile. Next to her was Bik Minah and on the other side was Adelia's father.“No! Don't leave me!” Afgan shouted frantically.Afgan woke up with a gasp, his body covered in cold sweat. The morning sun shone brightly through the window of his spacious bedroom. He sat bolt upright in bed, still struck by the nightmare he had just experienced.His heart was racing, and his face was pale. His nightshirt was also stained with sweat. Afgan tried to push the shadows of the dream from his mind, but the memories of the extravagant events in his house continued to haunt him. The licking flames, the panic, and
Afgan stared at himself in front of the mirror in the bathroom of his luxurious office. A gaunt face with a thin sideburn that grows and hair that is not neatly combed makes his appearance look chaotic.Afgan repeatedly washed his face with water from the flowing sink faucet, but was still unable to get rid of the feeling of fatigue and anxiety in him.“Looks like I have to go home and soak in the yacuzi, while Melinda is still in the hospital.”Afgan finally decided to take his car back home. It had been almost two months since the man had returned home.All his time was spent at the hotel in a room without a bed. Sometimes, Afgan fell asleep in front of his laptop and sometimes, he fell asleep on the sofa.Arriving in his room, Afgan undressed with reluctance.“It turns out I also forgot myself to just take a shower!” exclaimed Afgan while furrowing his brow when he smelled his own clothes.With a leisurely p
“What do you want to give me?” Afgan shot a glare at the beautiful nurse in front of him.“A videotape that will definitely make you very surprised.” The nurse, whose name was Fiona, kept looking around Afgan's luxurious office.Afgan understood people who used to blackmail and tempted by luxury. His nimble hand immediately wrote a fantastic amount into a bucket of check paper in front of him and signed it.“That should be enough. Give me the tape!” Afgan exclaimed as he handed over the check. His firm and loud voice made Fiona jerk back.“I-I... have a condition!”“Tell me!” Afgan lowered the tempo of his voice and clenched both hands tightly.“I want to work in an office. It's been my wish for a long time to work in a fancy company. I-It was my mother who wanted me to become a nurse.” Fiona spoke with a trembling voice. The girl did not dare to look at Afgan who, altho
Melinda was still waiting for Afgan's words. They stared at each other for a long time until Afgan finally continued his sentence, “You arranged for her to take the night shift. What was your intention?”Melinda immediately laughed in response to the question. Her laughter made Afgan feel cornered and sent another sharp look.“Explain!” she exclaimed, raising her voice so much that the baby in the box bed beside them burst into tears.“Afgan! Our baby is shocked because of your voice! You're crazy!”Afgan stood up and stepped towards the baby box, staring at the crying baby with a false gaze. The man didn't feel any attachment to the newborn at all.“Him... why does my heart feel empty,” he muttered to himself. The man just stared at the crying baby without any intention of holding it.Until a nurse came in with hasty steps as Melinda pressed the call button.“What's wrong? W
“I-I don't know, Dad.” Melinda answered awkwardly with a trembling voice.Seeing that, Bayu immediately interjected, “He was present for a while and then left because there was urgent business at the hotel.”“Urgent? What's more important than his family?” Achmed began to feel anger gathering in his chest.Melinda tried to smile and greet them warmly, though her heart was still weighed down by feelings of sadness and disappointment. “Thank you, Mom, Dad. We are very grateful for your support and presence here.”Afgan's father stepped closer to the peacefully sleeping baby. “Our grandson was born, huh? How is he?”Melinda was overwhelmed by the happiness on her father-in-law's face. “Yes, Dad. He is the most beautiful gift in our lives.”They continued to congratulate and talk about the wonderful moment they had just experienced. Melinda tried to enjoy the company, but th