"You can take my daughter away after you recite the marriage vows in front of me," Hendrik continued with a thin smile, and the tense atmosphere was suddenly replaced by enthusiastic applause from everyone.
Aurora's eyes welled up as she looked at her father, while Dave remained frozen in place, still with his back turned to everyone. Hendrik nodded, signaling Aurora to follow Dave.
"Dave," Aurora whispered right behind Dave's back, her right hand lifted, intending to touch Dave's body. However, she quickly withdrew her intention.
With a racing heart, Dave slowly turned around, gazing at Aurora's beautiful face, which looked tired, and looking into her teary eyes. He delved into Aurora's deepest feelings, ensuring that his love wasn't unrequited. Dave only wanted to make sure that his love wouldn't go to waste. The memory of Nadine's rejection still lingered in the corner of his heart, and he didn't want to fall for someone again only to be hurt.
His copp
As if conspiring, both Aurora's and Dave's families cut off their communication, leaving them no way to reach out to each other. Even more cruelly, Ferdinand dumped all the office work on Dave's shoulders. Keeping Dave busy and distracted from Aurora was their goal.Brak... Dave threw his pen toward the office door, and the sound of clashing teeth could be heard in the silver-themed room. His finely-bearded jaw clenched as he swiveled his large chair to face the enormous mirror in front of him. The city lights outside began to twinkle one by one, signaling the approach of evening. Yet Dave was still drowning in the towering stack of papers on his desk, seemingly untouched, even though he recalled working with those annoying documents since seven in the morning."Is everything alright, Sir? I heard some noise from Mr. Dave's office, so I rushed over!" Veny said, her breath fast-paced from her hurried walk after hearing the commotion from her boss's room."Are you
The thrilling moment for Dave and Aurora had finally arrived. Dave looked different and stunning in his luxurious white suit and black cap that covered his brown mane. His trademark long hair, sharp gaze, beard, and the cold demeanor that always clung to him seemed to evaporate in the ballroom of the Alfarizi family's Borobudur hotel. Only a part of his tattoo on the left side of his neck was visible, indicating his ruggedness. Anxious feelings dominated his heart as a cleric and Aurora's biological uncle, who served as her guardian, sat in front of him."Stay calm, boy!" Ferdinan whispered in Dave's ear, trying to offer support to his eldest son. Dave briefly glanced at his father and managed a smile."Look who's coming," Ferdinan whispered again, causing Dave to follow his father's nod towards someone who was walking, head lowered, flanked by two beautiful women on each side, Maria and Arabella.Dave was captivated, his heart racing irregularly as he gazed at
At 9:30 PM, the invited guests had started leaving the banquet. Dave still appeared energetic, unlike Aurora, who looked tired with a pale face."Let's go to the room," Dave invited with concern as Aurora suddenly hugged him, her body limp and cold sweat on her forehead."Aurora!" Dave called out while stroking Aurora's cheek as her body showed no movement. Dave panicked and immediately called his mother-in-law, who was closest to him at the moment. Maria, who was chatting with Liana and Erika, immediately turned and joined the panic."Why, Aurora, Dave?" Maria said, touching Aurora's sweaty forehead.The women panicked and called their husbands, who quickly arrived."Please call a doctor!" Dave requested, carrying Aurora bridal-style towards their room."Shouldn't we take her to the hospital right away?" Hendrik asked worriedly."Aurora is just exhausted, Pa. She only ate a little all day, and Andra has already called the family doct
Dave didn't want to interfere with Anton and Daveina's disappearance overnight, not because he no longer cared about his sibling, but because Anton and Daveina were adults who understood and loved each other. So, Dave believed they should determine their own future. Dave was confident that Anton was a good man who could make his sister happy, despite his stubborn nature and his towering ego.Dave was watching Aurora as she dried her hair. He called her and tapped the empty spot next to him. Aurora giggled with a rosy blush sweeping across her face when she saw Dave's exposed chest and six-pack, especially considering she had slept comfortably on it the night before."Come here," Dave pulled Aurora's hand, which was still frozen on the edge of the bed."I want to get dressed first, Dave," Aurora said, her face growing even redder."Of course, if your guests were gone, I would have made you sleep naked all night," Dave said bluntly, pulling Aurora onto his lap.
Aurora's smile blossomed perfectly as the sapphire blue expanse stretched out before her. The harmony of crashing waves trying to break the coral filled her hearing. Instantly, the seagulls' cries heading towards their nests seemed to paint the orange greeting the moon behind the accompanying clouds. The gentle touch of the wind caressed Aurora's face as she stood on the balcony of a wooden-ornamented villa she had visited before.Like an endless dream. That was the echo of her heart over the past week. It all started as a prank, followed by coincidences. A series of coincidences that led them to a terrifying event and ended with happiness.Aurora's closed eyes slowly opened as a pair of hands encircled her waist. She inhaled repeatedly, taking in the masculine scent that always calmed her."Why didn't you accept the overseas honeymoon gift from Dad, my love? You chose this villa instead," Dave whispered, burying his head into Aurora's neck."I want to re
Slowly, Dave got up from the bed after tucking the blanket over Aurora's naked body. He brushed aside the strands of hair that covered Aurora's face and planted a kiss on her forehead. Her beautiful face looked serene, even though Dave knew that Aurora must be tired from their activities the previous night. Remembering last night made Dave's heart race again; if it weren't for the approaching dawn, he would gladly indulge in another passionate night with Aurora.After cleaning himself up, Dave performed the Fajr prayer first, not wanting to disturb Aurora who was still wrapped in blankets. He spent quite some time in prostration, his prayers filled with supplications for the well-being of their marriage, their parents, and all of their siblings. Expressions of gratitude echoed within his heart, and he promised to improve his religious duties, even though he knew that his towering sins wouldn't be easily forgiven. He had faith that God always opened the door of repentance for
All of Aurora and Dave's extended family joyfully welcomed the news of Aurora's pregnancy. Dave's possessive attitude had drastically increased, and now he spent more time in Yogyakarta. He handled all of his business matters remotely, taking full advantage of technological advancements to streamline his work. Tasks that could be delegated were entrusted to his personal assistant under the supervision of Ferdinan, his father.Furthermore, Dave's café business had started opening branches in several areas, and their beachfront villa had been fully renovated to his wife's taste. Aurora felt like a bird in a golden cage, reminiscent of the time when she had to abide by strict family rules and surveillance. However, this time was different because Dave pampered her immensely. Dave was always ready to accompany Aurora wherever she wanted to go, except when she was in Surabaya, where Gracia was tasked with keeping her company.Fortunately, during her pregnancy, Aurora
Entering the third trimester, Aurora began to easily tire, especially as she was in the midst of working on her thesis, which was draining both mentally and physically. Fortunately, Arabella and Laura were willing to help Aurora with anything she needed, whether it was reference books or anything else. Gracia also offered to help Aurora as much as possible while waiting for her own semester to begin. Due to the insistence of her three friends, Gracia finally accepted the scholarship offer from the Alfarizi family. In reality, all the children from the orphanage always had the opportunity to receive scholarships up to the college level, but at that time, Gracia wasn't ready and preferred to be Aurora's manager. Besides earning a decent salary, she wanted to give other orphanage children a chance. She also wanted to live independently and meet all her personal needs through her own hard work and sweat.From a long time ago, Gracia had been carefully selecting every job offered