Now, with great enthusiasm, Cassandra sang along to the music, oblivious to the fact that the crowd was paying attention to her. One of the spectators even asked Cassandra to come up on stage and share her golden voice to entertain them that night.Initially, Cassandra refused, but the insistence and encouragement from the other spectators eventually persuaded her. Half-conscious, Cassandra began to choose a song to sing that night.After finding the right pitch, Cassandra sang a song by a famous Indonesian band. As she started singing, the entire audience followed Cassandra, enjoying the beauty of her voice.Including Alexander, who was mesmerized and captivated by Cassandra's talent. Shortly after Cassandra finished singing, the band manager approached her, offering a collaboration to entertain the guests on the beach.The payment offered was quite high for an impromptu singer like her. "So, what do you think, Miss? We'll pay you two million for one night to entertain the guests her
Cesilia accidentally overheard Maxime talking to someone on the phone. She was relieved to hear that Maxime would have to return to Jakarta tomorrow morning, which meant she could go through the photoshoot without being directly monitored by him.As a result, Cesilia was entrusted to Maxime's assistant while he continued his tasks in Bali. Maxime explained that leaving Cesilia behind was difficult, but work demanded him to return to Jakarta earlier than scheduled due to an internal issue in the company. As the acting director, he needed to resolve the problem immediately.Maxime was visibly unhappy because the problem at his office arose at an inconvenient time, right when he was enjoying a vacation with Cesilia. Thus, Cesilia's photoshoot was set for 9:00 AM, allowing her to meet with Alexander before work started. On the other hand, Maxime had to leave before sunrise, and he had already booked a flight back to Jakarta.Before leaving, Maxime warned Cesilia not to get too close to Al
Casandra, still behind the bedroom door, shook her head in disbelief at Cesilia's behavior. Cesilia acted as if Alexander didn't understand her position, while she was the one playing with fire by being involved with another man and readily disregarding Alexander, who truly loved her.Alexander had been patient and tried everything to wait for her for four years, just to accommodate Cesilia's desire to pursue her career. But when the time came, Cesilia betrayed her promise and asked for another two years. Of course, Alexander was disappointed. Anyone would have felt the same and done the same in expressing their disappointment."I wonder what makes Sir love Madam Cesilia so much? Even though she's already cheating on him like that. I wonder what would happen if Sir found out that Madam has another boyfriend?" Casandra scratched her head, even though it wasn't itchy.Upon reflection, she was tempted to tell Alexander that she saw Cesilia kissing another man last night. But Casandra did
Inviting Casandra for a stroll turned out to be like taking a kindergarten child on a tour of the beach. She couldn't stay still and kept running here and there. Chasing the waves, Alexander watched from a distance. This time, he didn't object to anything Casandra did. He understood that she was used to a simple life in the village and couldn't have had a vacation like this before.So, he sat at a small restaurant by the beach after having breakfast. Alexander let Casandra play there before they returned to the hotel, and she was thrilled to be released without supervision. She enjoyed the white sandy expanse, the vast sea, and frolicking with the waves. Casandra collected seashells washed ashore, shamelessly picking up some corals and placing them on the table before Alexander.She said innocently, "Sir, please take care of these. Someone will collect them later. I'm tired of picking them up." Alexander just nodded, folding his hands in front of his chest, leaning back in a wooden ch
"So, Cas? Your employer here has allowed you to go with me. Now, it's your turn to answer my invitation from earlier," Kevin shifted his position, facing Casandra."Allowed? Are you sure my employer has allowed you to take me?" Casandra double-checked, as she clearly heard Alexander only asking Kevin to inquire directly, not granting him permission to take her anywhere."Yes, your employer simply asked me to ask you whether you want to go with me or not. That means if you want to, your employer allows you to go with me," Kevin insisted."But unfortunately, I don't permit you to take Casandra on a speedboat ride, even if she wants to go with you," Alexander interrupted before Kevin could become even more confident in his thoughts.How audacious of him to fabricate a story, while Alexander was still sitting right in front of them. What if Alexander had left them both alone earlier? Casandra would have been easily deceived by a mischievous young man like Kevin."So, sir, you don't allow
Cesilia, from where she stood, watched as Casandra and Alexander walked along the beach, holding hands. Whether Alexander was aware or not, he hadn't let go of Casandra's hand since their argument with Kevin just now.They walked, letting their feet be caressed by the waves, and Cesilia noticed all of this while she was touching up her makeup."Sir, isn't that Madam?" Casandra asked."Yes, she might be taking a break," Alexander replied."What if we go over to her?" Casandra suggested.Alexander shook his head. "Let's not disturb someone who's working. Do you want her to scold us in public? You know Cesilia's temperament; sometimes, she can't control her emotions even in public." He warned Casandra to prevent her from getting scolded by Cesilia. He didn't want to meet his wife just yet, and he was afraid that any conversation might lead to a long argument. That's what he was avoiding."Well, yes, but Madam isn't that fierce. As far as I know, she's not like that," Casandra replied."A
"Can you just follow what I want for once?""What do you mean, Sir?" Casandra asked, although she continued to follow Alexander as he dragged her away.Casandra wanted to halt Alexander's steps, but he seemed completely indifferent. Despite her efforts to hold her ground, Alexander kept dragging her away to avoid Cesilia, who was getting closer to them."Wait! Can't you listen to me?" Cesilia finally managed to catch up and grab Alexander's shirt. With great reluctance, Alexander stopped and turned to face Cesilia."I didn't see you.""You didn't see me? Are you sure?" Cesilia squinted her eyes. "I've been calling you, Lex. I shouted until my voice was gone, and everyone on the beach was stunned to see me running and calling your name. We were so close, but why did you say you didn't hear at all? Just say that you don't want to meet me, right? Just because you have Casandra now. It's only been a few days since you got married, but you can't even acknowledge my presence. What will happ
Casandra sighed, just waiting to see what surprise Meri would give her and Alexander."Sir, it's your phone." Casandra handed the phone back to Alexander.The man turned and took the phone. "What did Mama say?"Casandra shrugged. "Madam said that tonight we'll have dinner here. She'll order the food for us.""That's unusual." Alexander put the phone in his trouser pocket. "Usually, Mama doesn't like to eat outside food much. She says it's not healthy.""I don't know either, Sir. But Madam assured me that you'll like the food.""Alright, then."Alexander ended the conversation, leaving Casandra to figure out what to make for them."Oh, by the way, Sir." Taking a position beside Alexander. "Aren't you going to eat the ice cream? You're just letting it melt like that." She pointed to the ice cream in Alexander's hand. It seemed a shame to see such delicious ice cream left to melt."I didn't let it melt. I might have been daydreaming earlier, so I forgot to eat it.""Now, eat it, please.
Alexander didn't expect that his morning decision to stay at home was a sign from the universe for him to be there to support Casandra before giving birth. However, Casandra refused his offer, fearing that his work might be disrupted because of her. And now, Casandra was crying in fear of facing childbirth alone, only accompanied by Yasmin and Frans.While Yasmin was trying to comfort Casandra, she found herself reluctant to leave the house due to her persistent headaches in recent days. Feeling irritable, she didn't even want to face anyone, including Frans. Luckily, her understanding husband didn't make a fuss about it, and he was now accompanying Casandra, although not in the delivery room. He was waiting outside, also trying to contact Alexander to inquire about his whereabouts.In the delivery room, Yasmin continued to grumble at Casandra, not being pleased that she had to be the one accompanying her sister. Yasmin's bad mood even extended to Frans, and she was making a scene in
Despite feeling a slight pang of pity for his father in his heart, Maxime tried to strengthen himself to not give in just because of his father's tears. Even though the investigation results indicated that his father was manipulated by his secretary and there was no true intention to eliminate him, Maxime was still disappointed. His father chose to follow his secretary's desires instead of fighting for his own son's life, to give him the push to survive. This anger fueled Maxime's determination, and he refused to forgive Tomas or withdraw the charges. He proceeded through numerous court sessions, awaiting the verdict that would determine how long Tomas would spend in prison for his actions.Nevertheless, Maxime continued with his wedding plans with Cesilia after she obtained a new status from William. In the eyes of others, Cesilia might be a widow twice over, but in Maxime's eyes, she was still his for the first time.Cesilia and Maxime's wedding took place simultaneously with the we
"It's been quite a while, and I can see there's been no progress at all. Even the health reports give me a headache," Tomas said, tossing the documents that Cesilia handed him.The documents contained numerous lies to make Tomas believe that Maxime's condition hadn't changed at all."Yes, what can I do? Maxime has been treated with whatever funds I could spare from my limited savings. Naturally, that's the best result we can achieve. But at least I'm fighting for Maxime's life, even though I don't have the ability for it. You should be ashamed that you can't fight for your own son and instead hope he dies at such a young age," Cesilia jabbed at Tomas, who persisted in wanting to end Maxime's life despite Cesilia's efforts to save him."Rather than struggling like this, it's better to live your life with William. Your life would be much better and peaceful. You don't need to care for an ailing man like my son.""Your son, you say, yet you've never once given me a chance to live after w
If only Robert hadn't met Cesilia and Tiara a few days ago, he would have been genuinely shocked now as Frans and Alexander suddenly invited him to a meeting room that was usually used for discussing business agreements.But here they were, sitting face to face, Robert appearing to sigh heavily several times, as if he was attending a trial about his life. He had a feeling today marked the end of any chance he had with Yasmin. Today, he had to let go of all his dreams, which were now being taken over by Frans."We don't need to beat around the bush or prolong this. I want to discuss something that our friend has been keeping from us," Alexander started the conversation."This is quite surprising, but that's the reality. The relationship you've been yearning for has actually been happening between Frans and Yasmin," Alexander carefully conveyed the news, but soon his eyebrows furrowed as he observed Robert's response.Robert remained silent, his expression flat, and he tapped his finger
Before meeting Alexander at his office, Frans managed to have lunch with Yasmin at a cafe near her campus. After lunch, he proceeded to Cesilia's residence to check on Maxime's condition.Maxime's progress had been quite remarkable, even though he couldn't engage in too much physical activity yet. Cesilia was already grateful for Maxime's current condition. He could sit up and move his limbs, although he still felt weak and experienced some discomfort when moving.Despite his condition, Cesilia was thankful that she could hold Maxime in her arms again. However, every time Tomas visited, Maxime would lie down as if only his eyelids could move. Several times, Tomas tried to persuade Cesilia to let Maxime go and seriously consider marrying William.But Cesilia remained adamant against Tomas's suggestion and would often berate him for even suggesting such a thing. She accused him of being heartless, willing to sacrifice their son's life for a sum of money that would be spent within a few
Casandra folded her arms across her chest and stared at Yasmin from head to toe. Naturally, Yasmin didn't understand what to do or say after Casandra had suddenly asked her to talk, especially since she and Frans had just finished kissing. She was now haunted by fear."Now tell me, what kind of relationship do you have with Frans?" Casandra asked once her emotions had calmed a bit."There's nothing between me and Frans, sis.""Are you sure there's absolutely nothing between you and Frans?"Yasmin attempted to maintain her composure, even though her head felt heavy as she did so. But to hide her relationship with Frans, she still went along with it."If there really is nothing between you and Frans, then whether you like it or not, you'll have to accept Robert's proposal."Casandra averted her gaze elsewhere, anywhere but at Yasmin."Why all of a sudden, sis? Asking me to accept Robert's proposal. What's going on? Didn't I already tell you I would never accept that guy's proposal?""It
Perhaps about two weeks had passed since Frans accompanied Yasmin for shopping. Yasmin had also started attending classes. An unusual feeling began to arise in Alexander and Cassandra's hearts. Why? Because Yasmin always returned home with Frans. Their excuse was that they accidentally bumped into each other on the street, even though as far as Alexander knew, the hospital where Frans worked was in the opposite direction from Yasmin's campus. Even their visits to Maxime's house had this same pattern. The oddness intensified when Alexander checked his bank account transactions. He looked at the dates and times when Yasmin went shopping with Frans. Alexander clearly remembered that on that day, Yasmin came home with a lot of shopping bags, but when he looked at his bank account, there was no expenditure recorded for that day. This meant Yasmin didn't use the debit card he had given her. So, whose money did Yasmin use for shopping?Placing his phone on the nightstand, Alexander glanced
Frans immediately reached out his hand to the woman and kissed the back of her hand."Mother, let me introduce you to Yasmin, my girlfriend.""Girlfriend?" the middle-aged woman repeated, observing Yasmin from head to toe. "Frans, you're not joking, right? Is this really your girlfriend? Whose niece did you pay to pretend to be your girlfriend?""Mother...," Frans interjected. "Please don't let your teasing strain our relationship.""Well, come on, she's so young and beautiful, she surely wouldn't be interested in a widower like you.""Mom," Frans cautioned again, and the middle-aged woman rubbed her temple."Get to know Mother first. My name is Tiara, Frans' mother.""Yasmin." She extended her hand to introduce herself, not forgetting to kiss the back of the middle-aged woman's hand."Don't listen to Mother. It's all just playful banter," Frans said, lightening the mood.However, Yasmin was already too scared to face the woman. Sensing Yasmin's nervousness, Tiara immediately embraced
"Where are we going first, to find clothes or books?" Frans parked his car in the mall parking lot."Let's look for books first, Frans. So that later we can just focus on finding clothes. I think I don't need many clothes; I still have so many in my closet. The first time I came here, my sister suggested online shopping.""Alright, books it is then." Frans helped Yasmin unfasten her seatbelt, and they both got out of the car together. Just like usual, they walked side by side, holding hands, as they explored the various stores in the mall.Yasmin seemed enthusiastic about choosing all the supplies she would need for her upcoming college. Patiently, Frans followed behind, observing Yasmin as she carefully selected each item."Which one is better?" Yasmin asked, handing over two larger-sized books."Which one?" Frans asked, puzzled, as he didn't see anything particularly special about those books. To him, a book was used for writing, and there was no difference."Isn't the cover nice? D