After the birth of the twins, the life of Aryan and Laura's small family became even more colorful. There was no happiness that could replace it, but behind all that, Aryan became the subject of jokes among relatives and family members due to the fainting incident while accompanying Laura during her recent surgery.
"Seriously, you're so funny for fainting next to your wife during her surgery. Luckily, Laura didn't go into shock; it could have been fatal," Andre said with laughter as they had just returned home from the hospital.
"Let it go, Dad, there's no need to talk about it again," Aryan replied with irritation as he guided Laura into the bedroom, while the twins remained calm in the arms of Liana and Della.
Laura rested for a while, trying to ease the pain from the incision in her abdomen following the cesarean section surgery, which still greatly affected her movements. Aryan wiped the sweat from Laura's forehead with a tissue and gently kissed her.
"Brian, your new secretary is coming today, and you can interview her directly," Cakra said to Brian during breakfast this morning."Why not just have Danisa as my secretary? You could use the new secretary, Dad," Brian replied lazily. He didn't really like the idea of having to use a new secretary who often lacked experience."Don't be so casual about it. I'm comfortable with Danisa, and Mom prefers the new secretary for you. Be nice to her; she's actually aunt Athalia's daughter, our friend from Samarinda. Remember, Brian?" Amanda protested, explaining who the potential new secretary was."Forgot, Mom. It's been such a long time. And I'm supposed to be nice to her just because she's Mom's friend's child? That's not how it works, Mom. If her performance is poor, I need to be firm!" Brian retorted, not wanting to back down. Since his old secretary resigned due to pregnancy, he needed a replacement urgently to handle all his tasks."Mom doesn't care. You have to accept the secretary Mo
"Let's go, sir!" Nadine said, standing right in front of Brian's desk. Brian turned from his large chair and walked over to Nadine, adjusting his jacket as he gazed at her with an unreadable expression. For Brian's stature, Nadine was quite petite, with a height of only 155 cm compared to Brian's 185 cm, which meant she only reached his chest. Brian had to lower his head to look at the beautiful girl."You look even more beautiful!" Brian whispered into Nadine's ear, causing her heart to race instantly. Seeing Nadine's flustered expression, Brian quickly walked out of his office and headed for the elevator with his usual impassive demeanor. Brian was reminded of his high school days when he used to tease his favorite math teacher.Flashback On..."Brian, please bring this book to my office!" Nadine ordered the head of Class IPA-1 at Pelita Harapan High School. With enthusiasm, Brian stood up and approached the teacher's desk."Sure, Miss Nadine," Brian replied, then rose from his seat
The days had quickly turned into a week since Nadine started working as Brian's secretary. She had grown accustomed to Brian's teasing, although she tried to maintain a neutral stance whenever he complimented her. Despite her heart fluttering, Nadine knew Brian had a girlfriend, and she understood that she was just a fragment of his past. She considered Brian's playful behavior to be a continuation of their old dynamic, back when she was still his student. Nadine admitted to herself that her feelings for Brian hadn't changed. Not a bit.With a heavy step, Nadine entered the office building, convinced that her handsome boss was already at his desk. She found it puzzling how Brian was so engrossed in his work. Every day, he left the office no earlier than 7 p.m. and sometimes as late as 10 p.m. The previous Saturday, they had left the office at 5 p.m., despite other employees having left at noon. As his secretary, Nadine always had to wait until Brian finished his work. Luckily, her apa
"Sorry, Miss Nadine is still single, right?" Ronald asked Nadine after the conclusion of the partnership agreement between Lasmana Company and Ronald's company. Brian furrowed his eyebrows, disliking his business partner's behavior towards Nadine."Yes, Sir," Nadine replied politely, nodding her head."That's good to know. Would you like me to introduce you to my son? He'll be taking over the company soon. I believe you'd be a good match for him," Ronald said with a cheerful smile. Ronald admired Nadine's respectful demeanor and, of course, her elegance. In this day and age, it's hard to find a prospective daughter-in-law like Nadine.Brian felt irritated hearing Ronald's words, but he tried to suppress his emotions and remain calm. He didn't want to tarnish his image or his company's reputation just because of a woman whose feelings for him were uncertain."I apologize, Mr. Ronald. We need to return to the office to prepare for the meeting with the clients later this afternoon. Thank
"Wait, why did we stop here, Sir?" Nadine asked in confusion as Brian parked his car in front of a boutique. Without responding to Nadine's question, Brian opened the car door for her and led her into the store. Nadine followed Brian reluctantly, entering the boutique through the glass door. She scanned the entire store, which displayed branded clothing. Nadine occasionally had to swallow her saliva when she saw the price tags on the clothes, all of which were expensive and well beyond her budget.Brian returned to Nadine after instructing a boutique employee to gather a selection of clothes for him."Is Mr. buying clothes for his girlfriend?" Nadine asked curiously, puzzled by the number of clothes the boutique employee was holding next to Brian."Miss, please help choose some clothes for my girlfriend. I'd like tunics and dress pants," Brian ordered the boutique employee. Nadine froze as the employee began placing clothes on her body."Just great, he's claiming he has a girlfriend n
"Thank you," Brian said without taking his eyes off the laptop in front of him as Nadine placed a cup of coffee on the table. For the past three days, Brian had been distant and cold towards her, and Nadine was clueless about the reason. She wondered if it was because of the mall encounter three days ago when she was with Dave and Ricky."Should I be honest now?" Nadine thought to herself. She wasn't ready to face potential rejection from Brian, especially regarding Ricky, the love of both their lives.Flashback On"Who's the guy who got you pregnant?" Henry yelled at Nadine upon learning that his beloved daughter was pregnant. Nadine cried in Athalia's arms. She couldn't possibly tell her father that she was pregnant by a student where she did her internship."Enough, Dad. Spare Nadine. Let Mom talk to her," Athalia replied, hugging her weeping daughter."Dad is disappointed. You've tarnished our family's name, Dad is a judge, who's the guy?" Henry grew angrier as Nadine remained sil
"Good morning, students!" greeted Ms. Melly that morning to the 12th-grade science class."Good morning, teacher!" the students replied in unison, standing up to salute and then sitting back down."I will introduce the substitute teacher while I'm away," Ms. Melly explained to the students. The students exchanged glances, curious about this announcement."Miss Nadine, please come in!" Ms. Melly called Nadine, who had been waiting outside the classroom. She welcomed Nadine to introduce herself and then left the classroom. All the students were captivated by Nadine's presence, especially Brian. He smiled in admiration as he observed Nadine. Unconsciously, Brian raised his hand, eager to ask a question."Miss Nadine, do you have a boyfriend?" Brian asked, instantly causing a stir in the classroom."Ahem..." Nadine cleared her throat without answering Brian's question."Apologies in advance. I'm here to temporarily replace Ms. Melly in teaching Mathematics for a month. I hope we can coope
"Why are you here all of a sudden?" David asked, patting Brian's shoulder as he brought a glass of whiskey and took a seat next to Brian. It had been almost three years since Brian last visited their nightclub. Brian's relationship with the nightclub started when he and Nadine broke up five years ago, and his friendship with David naturally developed there."One more for my buddy!" David called out loudly to the bartender, who was busy making drinks for other customers due to the loud music in the club."Just soda for me!" Brian replied, causing David to burst into laughter."Come on, Brian. You came all the way here just for soda?" David teased, almost making Brian stand up and leave his seat."Okay, okay, sorry, Brian. I'll keep you company until you're satisfied. When will you visit my club again?" David pulled Brian's arm and pushed him back into his seat. David knew Brian well, from being a good kid to someone who frequented nightclubs. However, David admired Brian's principle of
After the birth of the twins, the life of Aryan and Laura's small family became even more colorful. There was no happiness that could replace it, but behind all that, Aryan became the subject of jokes among relatives and family members due to the fainting incident while accompanying Laura during her recent surgery."Seriously, you're so funny for fainting next to your wife during her surgery. Luckily, Laura didn't go into shock; it could have been fatal," Andre said with laughter as they had just returned home from the hospital."Let it go, Dad, there's no need to talk about it again," Aryan replied with irritation as he guided Laura into the bedroom, while the twins remained calm in the arms of Liana and Della.Laura rested for a while, trying to ease the pain from the incision in her abdomen following the cesarean section surgery, which still greatly affected her movements. Aryan wiped the sweat from Laura's forehead with a tissue and gently kissed her.
Seven months later…Laura and Aryan were now in the final trimester of her pregnancy. It wouldn't be long before she would give birth to their twin babies, a boy and a girl, according to the ultrasound results. Laura's pregnancy had been progressing smoothly, even though she had experienced morning sickness for two months.She managed to meet all of Dr. Rahma's recommended nutritional requirements. Despite occasional morning sickness and vomiting in the morning, Laura's appetite had increased with her advancing pregnancy. It wasn't surprising that her weight had increased by 30 kg. Dr. Rahma estimated that each baby weighed around 3 kg, so Laura was advised to follow a diet while waiting for the delivery.For the past two months, Laura and Aryan had moved to a ground-floor room, using the living room as their bedroom because Laura wasn't allowed to go up and down the stairs. When Aryan was at the office, Liana, his mother, would be on standby, and Bi Ana an
Aryan's overprotective attitude made Laura both happy and annoyed. She was ecstatic because she felt deeply loved, but at the same time, she was frustrated by Aryan's constant restrictions. Like tonight, Aryan didn't allow her to do anything except go to the bathroom. He prepared a glass of water for her medication along with the prenatal milk they had bought at the mini-market. And, of course, he always accompanied her to the bathroom every time."Thank you, Honey, for all the happiness you've given me. I promise to be the best husband and father for you and our children," Aryan whispered while hugging Laura from behind. He nuzzled his face into the curve of Laura's neck, his right hand gently caressing her still-flat stomach."You're welcome, and thank you for all your love," Laura replied while stroking the back of Aryan's hand, which was wrapped around her belly. Laura couldn't believe that after all the pain she had endured, God had given her a perfect husband and
Slowly, Laura's eyelids opened for the second time, and now it was the peaceful face of Aryan that greeted her. Laura gazed at the handsome man's face in front of her for quite some time. He was the source of her love and greatest strength up to this point. Not satisfied with admiring her husband's handsome face, a sudden sense of curiosity began to disturb her. She glanced at the wall clock, which had stopped at exactly 4 in the early morning. Without much thought, she pulled open the drawer next to her bed, carefully retrieved a pregnancy test from inside it, and entered the bathroom without making a sound that could wake Aryan.Laura's heart pounded loudly as she looked at the pregnancy test that she had dipped into a small container containing her urine. She lifted the test stick slowly with trembling hands, and there it was... two red lines she had been waiting for appeared. It was crystal clear. For a moment, her body felt boneless, and she sat down on the bathroom floo
Laura's proposal seminar went smoothly with an A grade, which made her more enthusiastic as she entered the final semester of her college. She only needed to complete the data from her research that she had already conducted. Anton, as her thesis advisor, was now more flexible with all of his supervised students, even though he had a busy schedule as a professor and head of the university's research center. Everything was scheduled, from the day, time, and location of the advisory sessions. If he had any sudden commitments, he would reschedule them at another time, ensuring that all his students for the year progressed smoothly, including leading up to their thesis defense in two weeks."Look at that belly, just like a balloon, Ara," Laura pointed out as she walked with Arabella towards the faculty cafeteria after their last thesis advisory session before the upcoming defense in two weeks."Yeah, it's like a balloon. It can expand and deflate," Arabella replied, pantin
Laura completed her makeup exams without any issues. Everything went according to the schedule set by their respective course instructors. And semester 6 ended with a GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.6, alongside Arabella, her close friend and now her sister-in-law.Laura spent her semester break learning to cook with her mother-in-law, Liana. They experimented with various recipes from both Indonesia and other countries. Aryan no longer worked late into the night at the office, and if there were urgent tasks, he entrusted them to his personal assistant, Jefri. On Sundays, he spent quality time with his family at home or went out with Laura. Trying out new recipes was something Aryan looked forward to every day because his wife's cooking experiments never disappointed.Finally, the plan to cook together with Laura's friends could be realized. Arabella, along with Andra and Baby Azka, arrived early, followed by Aurora and Laura's younger siblings, who joined in to make th
One week after the surgery, Laura had already started to resume her usual activities. During that week, Aryan had been constantly by Laura's side, handling all his office matters while Andra and Jefri took care of them. Even if there were documents requiring his signature, Jefri would bring them home, allowing Aryan to stay close to Laura and attend to her. Aryan could still manage to check on Jefri's work and reply to emails from his colleagues at home.He did all of this solely for Laura's recovery. Laura often urged him to go to the office, but Aryan refused to budge. He wanted to focus on taking care of Laura until she was completely healed. Arabella and Aurora, as their best friends, always provided their support. Additionally, Nancy and Ricard came to the house to deliver Laura's favorite dishes, prepared by her mother, Della. Many of their classmates also visited Laura at home."Look, Honey, two weeks at home, and my body is getting all soft. How can I resist yo
The long-awaited day finally arrived, the day when Laura was to undergo surgery to remove the cyst in her abdomen. All the preparations for the surgery were in place, and there were only 30 minutes left before Laura would be taken into the operating room. Feelings of relief and worry dominated everyone's thoughts, but they all had to hide those emotions behind smiles to show support for Laura."Aryan, where's Mom?" Laura asked anxiously, looking at the clock on the white-walled room. In five minutes, she would be moved to the operating table, but Aryan had not been seen since he left briefly to go to the bathroom.Liana was nervous, but before she could answer Laura's question, two male and female nurses entered to take Laura to the operating room. Everyone held back their tears as Laura smiled at them, trying to show that she was strong and brave. As the nurses pushed the wheelchair carrying Laura toward the door, Aryan suddenly appeared with a smile. Laura returned h
Aryan could only gently pat Laura's trembling shoulder. He was confused about how to calm his wife. Since returning from the hospital the previous night, Laura had been silent in her room. Aryan had been shocked by the results of Dr. Rahma's explanation that Laura had been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. This was the reason for Laura's recent abdominal and hip pain, as well as her occasional fever and nighttime vomiting. What pained Aryan even more was that he had been unaware of Laura's illness. Regret. That was the feeling weighing heavily on Aryan's chest now. He felt like he wanted to pound his own chest in frustration. His heart shattered as he looked at Laura's sad state, a promise to never make her cry that he had now broken."I'll get you breakfast first," Aryan said softly as he kissed the top of Laura's head before leaving the room.Aryan walked to the dining room with a heavy heart. Instead of finding his parents there, he saw Ana, their maid, covering the d