“Okay, I’m in!” Dafa answered immediately, without hesitation.
“Hold on, it’s not free! Pay me first,” Ivan cut in, folding his arms across his chest.
“Where’s your account number?”
Ivan held out his phone screen. Without any awkwardness, Dafa copied down the account number and immediately transferred some money through the mobile banking app on his phone.
Less than a minute later, Ivan’s phone vibrated with an incoming-funds notification. His eyes suddenly went wide as he read the amount displayed.
“Holy crap!” Ivan yelled excitedly.
“What the hell? You scared me!” Dafa grumbled, rubbing his ear.
“You’re the one who nearly gave me a heart attack, damn it! This... this is seriously ten million?! TEN MILLION?!”
“So what? You said you wanted payment,” Dafa replied innocently.
“Wow... damn... You’ve got a lot of money!” Ivan muttered in awe, staring at his new friend as if he’d just seen a sultan suddenly descend from the mountain.
“Tch, whatever. I’m leaving now. Where’s your Sis’s car key?”
“Here, here!” Ivan handed over Anggun’s car key with impressive speed. “While you’re at it, pay the repair bill too, big spender!”
“Don’t worry.”
Ivan watched Dafa’s back in disbelief until the tall man walked away and left their hangout spot.
At nine that night, Anggun’s red sedan came to a smooth stop in the parking lot of Kopi Rindu.
Dafa got out of the driver’s door after asking Ivan for directions to the café.
Confidently, Dafa pushed open the café’s glass door, which wafted out the aroma of fresh coffee beans.
“Good evening... How many people?” a friendly cashier greeted him as soon as she saw Dafa walk in.
“Um... I’m here to see Auntie Anggun,” Dafa said politely.
The employee raised one eyebrow at the word “Auntie,” but kept smiling. “Oh... Ms. Anggun? She’s in her office upstairs. Sorry, but who are you to her?”
“Just tell her I’m Ivan’s friend.”
“Okay, one moment. I’ll ask upstairs first.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
While he waited, Dafa occasionally adjusted the thick bouquet of red roses in his arms.
Not only that, he also glanced toward Anggun’s car outside. The back seat was already piled high with luxury shopping bags from famous brands he’d bought at the mall earlier.
I hope Auntie Anggun likes them... They say she likes it when people give her things, Dafa thought hopefully, clutching his fiercely pounding chest.
Meanwhile, upstairs, the café employee knocked on Anggun’s office door.
“Ivan’s friend? Who?” Anggun asked curiously from behind her desk.
“That’s all he said, ma’am. He’s a young guy, really tall, and... he’s carrying a huge bouquet of roses downstairs.”
Anggun, who had been reviewing the financial reports, immediately stopped her pen. Her brow furrowed deeply.
Young? Really tall? Carrying roses?
For a moment, the image of that ridiculous face covered in red lipstick from that morning flashed through her mind. Anggun’s eyes flew wide.
“Don’t tell me...” Anggun muttered quickly as she checked the security cameras.
“So it’s that damn kid,” Anggun snorted softly when she saw Dafa on the monitor in front of her.
Anggun looked back at her employee. “Fine. Tell him to come to my office.”
“Okay, ma’am.”
The café employee went back downstairs and approached Dafa, who was standing awkwardly near the register.
“Sir.”
“Yeah, what is it?” Dafa answered quickly.
“You can go straight to Ms. Anggun’s office upstairs, sir. It’s the brown door.”
“Okay, thanks!”
“You’re welcome.”
With great enthusiasm, Dafa climbed to the second floor. He stood in front of the brown door, straightened his shirt and bouquet for a moment, then knocked softly.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Come in,” a cold voice answered from inside.
Dafa slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside. “Good evening, Auntie...”
Anggun, who had been leaning back in her office chair, immediately folded her arms and fixed Dafa with a sharp, scrutinizing look.
“You caused trouble in the morning, and now you’re dropping by at night,” Anggun sneered. “What are you doing here? Trying to peek again, or are you planning to dump me in a drainage ditch again, huh?!”
Dafa hurriedly held out the bouquet of red roses in his hand, looking utterly sheepish. “N-no, Auntie! I swear to God, I’m here to apologize for what happened yesterday...”
Anggun glanced at the bouquet with one eyebrow raised, then stared sharply at Dafa. “Call me Sis, not Auntie! I’m only thirty!”
“Y-yes, Sis... uh, Auntie—I mean Sis Anggun!” Dafa blurted out in a panic, making himself even more flustered.
The tall man swallowed and placed Anggun’s car key on the desk. “Here’s Sis Anggun’s car key. Ivan said you wanted someone to bring your car over, so I volunteered to drive it here.”
Anggun glanced at her car key, then looked back at Dafa coldly. “One bouquet of flowers isn’t enough to make up for how embarrassed and pissed off I am, Dafa.”
Dafa gave her a faint smile, as if he’d already expected that response. “The flowers are just an opener, Auntie... I mean, Sis. I also piled several gift bags in your car downstairs. And the repair bill for your car at the shop this afternoon... I paid that off too.”
Anggun’s eyes widened in shock. “You paid my car repair bill?! Where did you get the money, kid?!”
“I’ve got my ways, Sis,” Dafa replied casually, rubbing the back of his neck, which felt hot. “So... do you think I’m forgiven yet?”