Chapter 6

Today, Ariana appeared busy completing all the tasks Samuel assigned to her. There were so many of them that she even had to skip lunch.

If Ariana thought about it, it seemed like Samuel intentionally gave her endless tasks. For some reason, Ariana believed that all of this was still related to her boss's anger over everything that happened at Mrs. Arabella's birthday party.

"Such an annoyance! The boss is so unprofessional. Does he really think that end-of-month tasks need to be done right now? Is he even sane?"

Grumbling, Ariana's eyes remained focused on her personal computer screen. She was determined to finish all the work Samuel had given her today. She didn't want to go home late because she had to drown in tasks. Not a chance, she thought!

"Ariana, I looked everywhere for you, and here you are hiding."

Chacha, Ariana's friend from a different department, paid her a visit. Realizing that Ariana was nowhere to be found during the lunch break, Chacha took the initiative to search and eventually found her busy at her desk.

"Have lunch quickly," she continued. "I brought you food. If you're late for lunch, your stomach ache might flare up."

Ariana, who was initially focused on work, immediately glanced over. Seeing Chacha carrying a paper bag containing a lunch box complete with a drink, she paused her work for a moment.

"Thanks so much. You know I'm really hungry," Ariana complained. She spoke while opening the lunch box that Chacha had brought for her.

"Moreover, unusually, you didn't take a break. Do you have so much work that you forgot about time?"

"Guess what I'm working on."

Chacha immediately groaned. She wasn't really surprised. Ariana's behavior often annoyed her.

"Arg, with the guessing games. Just tell me, what's the big deal?"

Ariana just laughed. Since she was too hungry, she chose to eat first. After a few bites of fried chicken with mixed vegetables, she continued the conversation.

"You know, right? The end of the month is still far away," Ariana said.

"Yes. It's only the beginning of the month."

"And, believe it or not, I've already been asked by Mr. Samuel to prepare the monthly report."

"Really?" Chacha stared at Ariana with disbelief.

"Absolutely really, Cha."

"Then what do you have to report? It's only the beginning of the month. Besides, don't you protest to Mr. Samuel?"

A groan escaped Ariana's lips. Had Chacha forgotten who Samuel Walters was and what his position was at Pasific Place?

"Do you think I can protest?"

Chacha shook her head weakly.

"Well, then, Cha. Because of working on this, I didn't even have lunch. Plus, Mr. Samuel also asked for a meeting summary, which he clearly attended just a few hours ago. Ah, I don't know, I'm just really frustrated."

Chacha listened carefully as she processed the story Ariana was telling. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her friend, who had only occupied the position of secretary for a few months but was already facing challenges from their notoriously cold and demanding boss.

"Hang in there... don't get upset. Finish your lunch first. After that, we can continue the story."

Ariana nodded in agreement. She quickly resumed eating, devouring the remaining rice and dishes in the lunch box. Fortunately, Chacha was her savior for the day. Without her, Ariana was sure that her chronic stomach issues would have flared up as usual.

After finishing her entire meal, Ariana continued the story. Occasionally, she checked what she had been working on before.

"I don't know why, but I'm convinced that Mr. Samuel is assigning me these unreasonable tasks because of his anger since Mrs. Arabella's birthday party," Ariana recounted.

"Mr. Samuel is angry?" Chacha asked. Then, after a moment, her expression indicated that she remembered something. "Ariana, didn't you promise to tell me something the other day?"

Ariana's eyebrows furrowed. She tried to remember what she wanted to share with her friend.

"What story? I think I forgot."

"The story about you being asked by Mr. Samuel to accompany him to a birthday party invitation. You didn't finish telling me about it the other day."

"Oh my goodness, I forgot," Ariana said while gently tapping her forehead.

Ariana then remembered. She had promised to tell Chacha about it earlier. Moreover, there had never been a secret that she hid from her friend. They had agreed to be open and supportive in matters of joy and sorrow.

"So, this is how it went..." Ariana continued. "I don't know how it started, but Mr. Axel asked me to pretend to be Samuel's partner to attend Mrs. Arabella's birthday party."

"Why did he suddenly ask you?" Chacha asked curiously. Even before Ariana finished her story, she was already firing questions.

"Listen first, Cha. You always do that. Let me finish the story first."

Ariana groaned. She knew very well her friend's behavior. Besides being curious, it was not new for Chacha to interrupt or cut people off during a conversation.

"Okay, go on with your story," Chacha replied with a somewhat irritated expression.

"Mr. Axel said that Samuel's girlfriend or fiancée is currently abroad. Because of work that couldn't be postponed, he had to cancel attending and introducing his partner to his large family. Meanwhile, Samuel had already promised his mother to introduce his partner to the extended family."

"Because of this, he asked you to stand in temporarily?"

Ariana snapped her fingers. "Exactly, you got it right. Besides, because I'm beautiful, smart, and talented, they said I fit the criteria for being a fake fiancée."

Chacha groaned. Ariana's overconfident expression irritated her. While most of what she said was true about her beauty, intelligence, and talent, Chacha found Ariana's show of self-assuredness a bit much.

"So, did you agree to stand in?"

"At first, I didn't want to. I was afraid of lying to people."

"Then, why did you suddenly agree?"

"You know that the orphanage's situation isn't great right now, right?"

Chacha nodded. She was well aware that Ariana had been an orphan all her life and had dedicated her income and efforts to supporting the orphanage where she had lived for years. Chacha often felt sorry and compassionate seeing how diligently Ariana struggled to meet the orphanage's needs due to the decrease in donations.

"So, what does the bank's bill have to do with it?"

"Obviously, it does," Ariana replied. "Coincidentally, on the same day, the bank sent a loan statement that was not a small amount."

Chacha's forehead furrowed again. She was puzzled by Ariana's explanation.

"Wait a minute! What does the bank's bill have to do with Mr. Samuel's invitation to pretend to be his partner? Could it be that Mr. Samuel paid you to stand in for his girlfriend?"

Ariana nodded repeatedly, confirming Chacha's guess.

"He offered 250 million as compensation if I agreed to go along with his request."

"Crazy!"

Chacha called out. The two women's eyes successfully lit up. She was indeed surprised, considering the amount Ariana mentioned wasn't trivial. Just for accompanying someone to a party, Ariana could earn hundreds of millions in just a few hours. How delightful, she thought.

"If the offer is that good, I want in too," Chacha said honestly. "250 million is a lot."

"Yeah, it's a lot, Cha. Who said it's little? That's why I agreed. Besides, I've had bank bills piling up for the orphanage, and it's also around 200 million. So, instead of getting evicted, I'll accept Mr. Samuel's offer."

"So, what's the issue between you and Mr. Samuel? Did he get angry with you?"

This time, Ariana seemed to exhale deeply. She chose to moisten her dry throat due to excessive talking. After finishing the remaining bottled mineral water, she continued her story.

"Actually, the evening went smoothly. Mrs. Arabella was even thrilled to see Mr. Samuel coming to the party with his partner. And, you know I'm easygoing. So when Mrs. Arabella introduced me to his business contacts, I could blend in and win them over."

"And then?"

"The problem was, Mrs. Arabella unexpectedly and without prior discussion announced the engagement."

Chacha's eyebrow raised high. Her immediate feeling turned sour.

"What do you mean by engagement?"

Ariana nodded immediately, as if confirming what Chacha was currently thinking.

"Let's say Mrs. Arabella agreed with the prospective wife Mr. Samuel brought. That's why, without further thought, she immediately made an announcement to everyone that Mr. Samuel would be engaged and married soon."

Chacha was startled again. She didn't expect what she had just heard.

"And that prospective wife is you?"

"Yes, Cha! I'm really stressed about this. Because of this, since the party, Mr. Samuel has been angry and keeps blaming me."

"Oh my goodness."

Chacha felt a headache coming on from Ariana's story. If things were like this, Chacha was sure the lies made by her boss and friend could get complicated and have long-lasting consequences.

"So, if Mrs. Arabella really wants to marry you to Mr. Samuel, what will you do?"

"Are you crazy!" Ariana quickly exclaimed. "Even though Mr. Samuel is wealthy, it doesn't mean I'll just agree to marry him. But, Mr. Boss is not only rich but also handsome. It's quite an improvement for your lineage."

Ariana immediately gave a dirty look. Her friend spoke too freely. Although she was poor, Ariana had her pride. She wasn't the kind of woman who would accept a marriage proposal just because she met a rich man, even if he was good-looking, without genuine feelings.

"Sloppy. I'm not a Cinderella Syndrome believer. If you want, you can marry an annoying guy like Mr. Samuel."

"Call it a suggestion."

After speaking, Ariana then got up from her seat. She briefly organized some documents, preparing to leave.

"Where are you going?" Chacha asked, curious. "Are you going to the restroom and then delivering the documents to Mr. Samuel's office? Don't go anywhere else for now. If Mr. Samuel calls, please answer it."

***

Inside his office, Samuel appeared busy, reviewing the business proposal that Axel had just delivered. While checking each one, he also discussed and evaluated the work they were handling.

"The land in the Derawan area is still very green. There aren't too many big hotels there either, Bim. How about we build a lodge or a luxury resort like in the Maldives, but with a more affordable concept? From various perspectives, the scenery in Derawan is even better than the Maldives."

Axel nodded in agreement. What Samuel was suggesting fit perfectly for their company to execute. Besides, his boss had never been wrong in making decisions.

"It seems like an interesting idea, sir. While everyone else is competing to create expensive luxury accommodations, we can offer a quality place with full facilities at an affordable price. So, even though it's affordable, the service and facilities will still be top-notch."

"Yes, that's what I mean," Samuel replied. "I want this concept to be refined. Schedule a discussion about this in the meeting. We need to execute this as soon as possible before another company takes the same idea."

Axel nodded, then jotted down what Samuel said. The two of them continued their serious discussion. After a while, they heard a knock on the office door, followed by the entrance of someone that immediately surprised Samuel.

"Mom!"

Arabella decided to drop by her son's office that afternoon without prior notice, as if there was something important she wanted to convey.

"Just calm down. No need to be so surprised," Arabella responded as she took a seat on the couch. Immediately, Samuel rose from his chair and followed his mother.

"Why wouldn't I be surprised? It's rare for you to come to the office without giving a heads-up. What's going on, Mom?"

Arabella smiled. Her face looked bright and cheerful this afternoon.

"Actually, there's nothing special. I just happened to be in the area, so I took the initiative to stop by and invite you to have lunch together."

Samuel nodded. He glanced at his wristwatch.

"But the lunch break is almost over, Mom."

"Well, so what? You're the boss. You can go out anytime you want. No one will complain, Ken."

Samuel shook his head. He didn't agree with what his mother was saying.

"The problem is, if I'm not disciplined, I'll set a bad example for the other employees, Mom."

Arabella sighed wearily. It wasn't easy to persuade her son to go out for a meal together ever since he took on the role of a leader. Even stopping by their home for a family dinner had become a rare occurrence.

"So, you don't want to join me for a meal?"

Seeing her mother's displeased expression, Samuel was torn. He didn't really want to turn down his mother's invitation, but breaking the rules also didn't seem appropriate.

"How about we change it to dinner, instead? Samuel promises that he'll visit you at home later this evening."

The forlorn look on Arabella's face quickly transformed into delight. Happiness gleamed in her eyes. Of course, she wouldn't refuse her son's offer, especially since it was a rare moment for Samuel to visit and have dinner together.

"Are you serious?"

Samuel nodded with confidence.

"I'm serious, Ma. I'll come home early so we can have dinner together."

"In that case, invite Ariana to have dinner together at home, too. You two are engaged, but you rarely get to meet."

Axel, who had been standing not far from Samuel's desk all this time, suddenly coughed. He didn't expect Samuel's mother to bring up the topic of Ariana.

Axel could tell that Samuel was probably puzzled about how to respond to his mother's request. It was evident when Samuel glanced in his direction, seemingly seeking assistance to come up with a reason.

"It seems like Ariana can't make it, Ma," Samuel muttered awkwardly.

"Why can't she make it? Is she busy?"

"Ariana... well, it seems like Ariana can't make it because—"

Samuel's sentence was cut off abruptly as, at that very moment, there was a knock on the door. As everyone turned to look, a woman who had been the topic of discussion walked in with a light and innocent smile.