Less than five minutes after the security guard entered the executive office, he came back out to meet Nayara, who was still standing there with perfect poise. The thirty-year-old woman looked elegant and fresh despite having worked all day.
“Ms. Nayara, Mr. Agus is waiting for you. Please come in.” The security guard opened the door for Nayara.
“Thank you, sir,” the security guard remarked.
“You’re welcome, ma’am.”
Nayara went straight inside and headed for the desk where the hotel owner was waiting. Agus immediately beamed when he welcomed her.
“What did I dream about last night? To suddenly have a young director running a private Islamic bank come to see me. Usually, I’m the one going to the bank to apply for a loan,” Agus greeted Nayara.
“There’s nothing wrong with a bank director stopping by to visit her client, is there?” Nayara replied.
“Nayara would never be unprofessional enough to come after business hours. It must be something extremely important, and I’m sure it isn’t work-related,” Agus said.
Agus knew Nayara well. She would never work outside business hours. Even when she had to work overtime, Nayara only did so when the situation was urgent, such as during the annual books closing—and even then, she was paid very well. Other than that, Nayara never burdened herself or her subordinates outside working hours.
“That’s right, Mr. Agus. Can I get access to the hotel’s CCTV? Especially the parking garage and one reserved room,” Nayara said without beating around the bush.
“What’s going on at my hotel, Ms. Ara?” Agus asked, startled by Nayara’s request.
“This is actually a marital scandal. But I have to do this to find evidence. A few minutes ago, one of your hotel guests—a man and a woman—the man was my husband,” Nayara said firmly.
“Oh my God.” Agus was even more shocked. “Of course, Ms. Ara. As for the room, do you know which room your husband booked?” Agus continued, his expression sympathetic.
“I don’t know yet, sir. I don’t have access to that area, so I’m asking you to check with your employees. It’s under the name Rudi Haruna Aswan,” Nayara replied.
Agus immediately picked up the phone in front of him and called the front desk to ask for what Nayara needed. “Anggi, please get me the room number booked under Rudi Haruna Aswan’s name.”
“Let’s go to the CCTV control room, ma’am,” Agus said after obtaining the room number Nayara’s husband had reserved.
Rudi, also known as Nayara’s husband, clearly wasn’t very good at playing a part. How could he book a hotel with his affair partner using his own name? Did he really think Nayara wouldn’t suspect him? Nayara had never been suspicious, but the universe and its Creator were on her side. Without meaning to, she had spotted her own car, which her husband had used to cheat on her.
When they arrived at the CCTV control room, Agus immediately asked the operator to check the computer screen connected to the CCTV camera in the room Rudi had booked with his affair partner.
Nayara could only recite a prayer for forgiveness when her husband’s face appeared crystal clear on the computer screen as he fooled around with the woman he was having an affair with. Agus and the CCTV operator turned away from the screen when the indecent scene appeared.
“I’d like a copy, Mr. Agus.” Nayara handed her flash drive to the operator.
“Give it to her, Rey,” Agus said when the operator looked at him for approval.
“Thank you, Mr. Agus, for making it easier for me to obtain proof of my husband’s affair,” Nayara said after receiving the evidence.
“Ms. Ara has always made things easy for me when I applied for loans. You never made me jump through hoops. You even helped me when I needed additional capital and my business was nearly going under. It’s time for me to repay the favor. If you need witnesses, Rey and I are willing to help,” Agus replied.
“Once again, thank you, Mr. Agus—and you too, Rey. I’ll be going now. My son is waiting for me to pick him up,” Nayara said as she took her leave.
Being an independent woman was the image Nayara had built for herself since she turned seventeen. Without a prominent or influential family background, Nayara had learned to stand on her own two feet.
Nayara wasn’t an orphan, but she had been forced to become independent from a young age. Her parents separated when she was in middle school, then started families of their own. When they fought over custody of her, Nayara chose not to go with either of them. The teenage Nayara only asked permission to live with her grandmother.