The air inside the CEO's office suddenly felt frozen. It was as if the air-conditioning temperature had plummeted by ten degrees.
Karin blinked repeatedly. The woman stared at Aldo, then shifted her gaze to Kirana, scanning her from head to toe with disbelief.
"Married?" Karin's voice rose shrilly, shattering the stiff silence in the room. "Are you kidding, Do? We only broke up a year ago, and now you're telling me you already have a wife?"
"I have never made a habit of joking about personal matters," Aldo replied flatly. His voice was cold, devoid of even the slightest emotion.
Kirana stood stiffly in place. Her heart pounded as if it were about to leap out of her chest.
"Wow, this boss is insane. He just dropped an atomic bomb in front of his ex!" Kirana screamed hysterically inwardly.
Karin walked toward Aldo's desk. She gripped the edge with her slender fingers, decorated with bright red nail polish.
"Wife from where? This intern assistant?" Karin sneered, her contempt unmistakable. "Don't be ridiculous, Aldo. You obviously hired her just to throw me off, didn't you?"
Kirana immediately snapped out of her shock. Her pride as a woman was suddenly provoked by Karin's condescending tone.
"Excuse me, Miss Fashionable," Kirana cut in quickly with her sweetest smile. "I wasn't merely hired. I'm officially registered with the Office of Religious Affairs and legally recognized."
Karin whipped her head toward Kirana. "Oh, really? Prove that you're actually husband and wife. Where are your wedding rings?"
Kirana let out a tiny gasp. Damn it. They had rushed into making the contract so quickly that they'd forgotten to buy fake wedding rings at pasar senen.
Before Kirana could think of an excuse, a large hand suddenly wrapped around her waist from the side. Aldo rose from his chair and pulled Kirana closer until she was pressed against his side.
"What more proof do you want, Karin?" Aldo whispered right beside Kirana's ear before fixing his sharp gaze on his ex again. "Or do you want me to kiss her right now in front of you so you'll believe me?"
Kirana's eyes widened. "Oh my God, what demon possessed this guy in broad daylight?!" she panicked inwardly.
Karin snorted loudly, her beautiful face flushing with irritation and embarrassment. "Whatever! If this is your little scheme to get rid of me, this cheap stunt won't work!"
Without wasting another second, Karin snatched up her designer bag and stormed out of the room, slamming the glass door hard enough to make it shake.
Bang!
The impact echoed through the silent room.
Kirana immediately shoved Aldo's chest away. Her face was as red as a boiled crab. "Hey! What happened to our physical-boundary policy, huh?! Why did you suddenly start acting like a lovesick husband?!"
Aldo calmly straightened the buttons on his suit. He glanced at Kirana with a faint smirk. "Rather than letting our cover get blown in front of an ex-fiancée who loves digging into other people's business? It was a necessary tactical emergency."
"Tactical emergency, my ass!" Kirana snapped, clutching her thundering chest. "My heart was seriously about to fall out! If I had a heart attack here, who would handle the administration division's financial report?!"
"Don't worry. I've activated your company health insurance this morning," Aldo replied casually as he sat back down in his office chair. "The financial report from earlier is finished, right? Please return to work, Miss Kirana."
Kirana huffed in annoyance, straightened her blazer, then turned and left that infuriating boss's office with a million grievances swirling in her head.
5:00 p.m. local time. The workday was over.
The ground-floor office lobby was crowded with employees preparing to go home. Kirana walked side by side with Siska toward the main exit.
"Kirana, be honest. The whole floor was going crazy this afternoon because of the scene with Karin throwing a fit in the CEO's office!" Siska whispered excitedly, nudging Kirana's arm. "You didn't mishear Mr. Aldo when he said you were his wife, right?"
Kirana swallowed hard. She had to keep this huge secret from spreading throughout the entire building.
"Ugh, Siska... it was just a misunderstanding of epic proportions," Kirana dodged quickly, keeping her expression casual. "Karin is Mr. Aldo's toxic ex. So Mr. Aldo reflexively claimed I was his wife to turn her off and make sure she wouldn't come back."
Siska narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing her. "Oh, come on. It was just acting? Your face was bright red when she asked you that."
"It wasn't red! It's because the weather in Jakarta is insanely hot, like hell," Kirana argued, hurriedly waving at an online taxi that had just stopped in front of the lobby. "Okay, Sis! My taxi's here. See you!"
Kirana immediately opened the car door and climbed inside, leaving Siska by the roadside, still burning with curiosity.
7:30 p.m. At the luxury apartment in Sudirman.
Kirana sprawled across the soft living-room sofa, hugging a cushion tightly. Today had gone far beyond the limits of normal human sanity.
Ding.
The front door opened. Aldo stepped into the apartment wearing his work shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He set his car keys on the table near the door.
"You're home," Aldo greeted flatly as he removed his watch.
Kirana looked up from the sofa and glared at her boss in open protest. "The honorable Mr. Aldo Danendra, your performance this afternoon completely crossed the boundaries of professionalism!"
Aldo walked to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of cold water, and took a slow drink before approaching the sofa area. "Which part went too far? I saved you from my obnoxious ex."
"Did you save my face, or were you trying to make a move?!" Kirana shot back, rising from her seat and standing before Aldo with her hands on her hips. "You almost kissed me in front of her! What if I lost my head and actually caught feelings?!"
Aldo fell silent for a moment. The corner of his mouth lifted into an incredibly irritating little smile. "Are you afraid of catching feelings for me?"
The question struck Kirana right in the heart. The atmosphere suddenly went quiet. Kirana stared into Aldo's sharp, lethal black eyes.
"No! Don't flatter yourself!" Kirana retorted quickly, though her voice trembled slightly. "I just want us to stick to the contract's original commitment: no catching feelings, no hidden ulterior motives!"
Aldo took one step closer, making Kirana automatically retreat until her legs bumped against the sofa. "Fine. In that case, we'll set firmer boundaries from now on."
"What other boundaries?" Kirana asked warily.
"Additional Clause," Aldo replied calmly. "Starting today, every time we act affectionate outside the office for family matters or emergencies, the penalty will be... you have to watch cartoons with me next Saturday night."
Kirana gaped. "Watch cartoons? The rich CEO's hobby is watching kids' cartoons?!"
"Don't complain. It's a new clause that cannot be challenged," Aldo stated flatly before turning and walking toward his bathroom.
Kirana stomped her foot against the carpet in annoyance. "Just you wait, North Pole penguin! I'll get my revenge tomorrow!"
The next morning, Saturday at 9:00 a.m. local time.
Weekends at the apartment were supposed to be a peaceful time to sleep in. However, that rule did not apply to Kirana, who had been making a racket in the kitchen since eight that morning.
Clang-clang! The spatula clattering against the frying pan rang out loudly.
Aldo emerged from his room wearing a loose gray T-shirt and black sweatpants. His hair was still slightly damp from washing it.
"What kind of commotion are you making this early in the morning?" Aldo asked, massaging his temples as he walked toward the kitchen table.
Kirana turned while holding the spatula like a professional chef. "I'm not making a commotion, Mr. CEO. I'm preparing a special breakfast for my beloved contract husband!"
Aldo frowned suspiciously. He glanced at the plate in front of him. On it were two fried eggs, slightly burnt around the edges, along with several diagonally sliced sausages.
"What is this?" Aldo asked flatly.
"Saturday's mandatory breakfast menu: Speedy Love Burnt Eggs," Kirana replied shamelessly. "Eat every last bite. Not a single crumb may remain. That's an order from your personal assistant and wife."
Aldo looked at the burnt eggs, then at Kirana, who was smiling triumphantly. He pulled out a chair, sat down, and picked up a fork and small knife.
"Why is it burnt?" Aldo asked calmly as he cut into the egg.
"Because I cooked it while thinking about how to get revenge on you for threatening to kiss me yesterday afternoon!" Kirana answered honestly, without a filter.
Aldo laughed softly—a crisp, genuine laugh that sounded completely carefree. "Very honest. I'll give your honesty a ninety."
"What score does my cooking get?"
"Minus ten," Aldo replied promptly, putting a piece of the burnt egg into his mouth.
Kirana huffed in annoyance, but a strange flutter stirred in her chest as she watched her ice-cold boss eat her cooking without too much protest.
"Oh, by the way, we have plans today," Aldo said between bites.
Kirana stopped moving. "What plans now? Don't tell me we're getting married again?"
"No. We're having lunch at my parents' house," Aldo replied casually. "My mother invited both of us after hearing about my sudden marriage yesterday."
The air around Kirana suddenly seemed to stop circulating.
"Lunch... at my fake in-laws' house?!" Kirana cried hysterically. "Why didn't you tell me yesterday, Sir?!"
"So you'd have time to mentally prepare," Aldo replied calmly. "Prepare yourself, Kirana. My parents aren't as critical as Grandma, but they're very detail-oriented when it comes to their eldest son's married life."
Kirana held her head as sudden dizziness spun her around. A contract marriage to an intimidating boss apparently carried far greater risks than being chased by an online-loan debt collector.
11:30 a.m. local time. Aldo's black sedan entered the yard of a grand modern-classical house in Menteng.
Kirana straightened her blazer for what felt like the hundredth time. Her hands were slightly damp with cold sweat.
"Hey, relax," Aldo whispered gently as they walked side by side toward the front door. He naturally clasped Kirana's hand tightly.
Kirana gasped and looked at their joined hands. "Sir, your hand..."
"Acting, Kirana. My parents are watching from the window," Aldo whispered close to her ear, making goose bumps ripple across Kirana's skin.
The front door swung wide open. An elegant middle-aged woman greeted them with a broad smile.
"Aldo! Oh my goodness, you finally brought your wife home!" Aldo's mother greeted them enthusiastically, immediately opening her arms to welcome Kirana.
Kirana smiled stiffly, stepped forward, and carefully hugged her fake mother-in-law.
"Please, save me from this nationally televised-level charade!" Kirana screamed hysterically inside her head.