CHAPTER 8 — An Infuriating Lunch!
“B-bastard? Hey, can’t you be a little polite when talking to a woman? You’ve got no manners at all for a man!”
Rather than calming down and deliberately keeping herself from slapping the man across the mouth again, Lintang only grew angrier at his response to what she had done.
The blood in Lintang’s chest boiled. The man’s utter lack of manners in response to her slap had completely shattered every bit of her restraint.
The man wiped at his lips, where fresh blood was trickling down. Lintang glanced at him pale-faced. She hadn’t expected her slap to be that hard.
“Wow. You expect to get a man with manners when you go around slapping people whenever you feel like it? You’ve got some nerve lecturing me about being wise. I regret getting—”
“Argan?”
Another voice cut in. Lintang turned quickly and found herself face-to-face with the person she least wanted to meet under circumstances like this.
Ugh! Why did this dictator have to show up here?
“Oh, Uncle Indra.” The man—who really was the one supposed to take her to lunch—immediately changed his voice into something soft and falsely victimized.
Lintang rolled her eyes at the sight of the man’s behavior. Unfortunately, he was quite handsome and exceptionally tall.
“What happened to your lip, son? Lintang? You haven’t left with Argan yet?”
Indra Laksono’s attention shifted to Lintang. His last sentence was pointed, as though he were investigating why Lintang was still standing in front of Argan.
“How could I leave, Dad? He just got here.”
Lintang decided to back down because she didn’t want to make the situation even more complicated. She glanced at the watch on her wrist, then looked at Argan.
“If you want to have lunch now, let’s go. My lunch break ended fifteen minutes ago,” Lintang added, paying no attention to the man’s wide-eyed stare.
“I’ll tell Nara you’ll be home late this afternoon. Now get going so you don’t get stuck in traffic. Argan, Uncle will be going now. You should eat at the hotel restaurant so you don’t become the center of attention for any employees who might see you. Lintang, remember, don’t make things difficult for Argan.”
Indra Laksono patted Argan on the shoulder, then shot a sharp look at Lintang, who was, after all, his stepdaughter. Lintang sighed as she watched the way her mother’s husband treated her.
Indra Laksono then left the office building with his private driver. For a moment, the two of them watched the Pranajaya Group CEO drive away until he disappeared around the bend.
“So, are we leaving or should we just cancel?”
Argan’s voice broke through Lintang’s thoughts. She turned toward the man in a white flannel shirt paired with dark slacks.
“There’s no need to create another problem when the truth is, I can’t refuse this arranged marriage. I’d say you’re the one benefiting here—you’re getting a hardworking virgin who’s the daughter of a man with the status of CEO, even if I’m only his stepdaughter.”
After delivering the lightly sarcastic remark, Lintang walked ahead toward the man’s car. The sound of the alarm unlocking gave her a clue as to where the vehicle was.
Watching Lintang walk away after her sarcastic remark, Argan’s devilish smirk widened, accompanied by a contemptuous glint in his eyes.
“Keep acting arrogant. Before long, I’ll turn you into whatever I want, Lintang Ayunda Tanuwirya!”
Argan slowly followed her toward his car as the blazing sun climbed higher. The summer wind blew as if conspiring with the situation between the two young people.
Just as her stepfather had suggested, Argan chose the hotel restaurant when he took Lintang out to lunch.
They exchanged no words when they arrived, each choosing what they wanted to eat. Even when the waiters came with their orders, it was as though their lips were sealed; neither of them even invited the other to enjoy the food.
When lunch was over, Argan took out a cigar. He lit it without a care for Lintang, who sat silently across from him.
“Don’t you have any questions so you can find out who I am?”
At last, Argan’s voice broke their silence. Around them, tables that had previously been crowded were beginning to empty as customers left, a sign that the workers’ lunch hour would soon be over.
Lintang sighed, her gaze fixed on Argan across the table.
“Dad only told me you were picking me up for lunch, and I was also told that you’re the man I’m being set up in an arranged marriage with.”
Lintang’s answer was brief, concise, and clear. She had no interest in digging into the identity of the man sitting across from her. Selvi had given her an ultimatum to find out who she was going to be set up with, after all.
“Wow. Uncle Indra was right. His daughter—who’s technically his wife’s stepdaughter—is straightforward and doesn’t fuss over things. Nice. Keep it up, Lin. I don’t like clingy, spoiled girls either. And yeah, you’re pretty, sexy, and… I think you could keep up with my varied games in be—”
“If you finish that sentence, I’m leaving right now.” Lintang glared directly into Argan’s irises, which remained completely relaxed despite the conversation taking an increasingly inappropriate turn.
“Ha ha ha… So you’re against talking about anything related to biological needs. I’m just letting you know that I like variety, and I like that you’re nicely filled out too. Hmm, those full lips, that neck…”
BANG!
Lintang shot to her feet and slammed the table, glaring at Argan in disgust as he chuckled.
“Shut up, you idiot and pervert! Your brain is apparently full of nothing but dirty thoughts whenever you’re around a woman! Do you have any idea what a disaster you are for me?”
After spitting out the words in a fit of uncontrollable anger, Lintang hurried away from the table as the restaurant’s customers stared in shock. She no longer cared about any of it. All she felt was disappointment that the handsome man sitting there was no different from any other womanizer.
Kevin, is this karma for breaking up with you?
“Hey, I’m Argan Wicaksono. Remember my name so you won’t forget it, Lintang.”
Argan’s shout did nothing to stop Lintang’s steps. She had only one intention: to return to the office without having to remember her first meeting with her stepfather’s choice.
Your hell has just begun, Lintang Ayunda Tanuwirya!