Arkananta Sangkara was a handsome, charismatic man whose smile could enchant any woman. And let’s not forget how he would give a teasing wink with one eye. Honestly, what woman’s heart wouldn’t melt at such a sweet little wink?
Not only was his face genuinely striking, Arka had also been born into a family with a silver spoon in its mouth—in other words, a family of tycoons.
He had never known hardship in his entire life. Anything he wanted was easily within reach.
And now, at twenty-eight, he was already an executive director. At his grandfather’s company, sure, but wasn’t that still an achievement? He had worked hard all this time.
Yet with all the charm, accomplishments, and wealth he possessed, why was he being pressured to get married?
He wasn’t even thirty yet, and he was having the time of his life cycling through girlfriends. Going on dates here and there. He had no intention of being tied down to just one woman.
More importantly, he had never wanted to commit to any of the women he dated. They were friends with benefits. Bedmates. Party buddies. Because more than anything, Arka knew that the women who approached him never truly loved him.
“Get married, or step down from your position right now.”
That one threat from his grandfather—Grandpa Wijaya—made Arka’s shoulders slump. His back felt boneless and limp.
“You’re threatening to make me step down just because I don’t want to get married?” he whined like a little boy. Arka even threw his grandfather, who was sitting directly across from him, a pleading look.
That afternoon, Grandpa Wijaya had deliberately come to Arka’s office, making small talk by praising Arka’s rapidly improving performance at the company, only to end up presenting him with a demand that he get married soon.
“Fine, then choose marriage. I know you have plenty of girlfriends,” Grandpa Wijaya replied as he reached for the ceramic cup filled with the hot tea he had ordered. “You can choose the girlfriend you love most and make her your wife,” he continued. After saying that, Grandpa Wijaya took a sip of tea, enjoying its penetrating, fragrant aroma.
Arka let out a harsh sigh. “I do have a lot of girlfriends, Grandpa. But I don’t love any of them.”
The second Arka said that, Grandpa Wijaya sprayed out the tea he had just sipped.
Seeing his grandfather’s reaction, Arka merely grimaced, completely shameless. He quickly offered his handkerchief to Grandpa Wijaya, then added, emphasizing his previous statement, “They’re only dating partners.”
Grandpa Wijaya roughly wiped the tea smeared across his lips. “You don’t love a single one of them, and you’re playing around with them?”
“They’re the ones who offered themselves to me. It would be a shame to turn them down.” Arka shrugged, still looking utterly relaxed. As if dating so many women were some kind of personal achievement. “There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“That’s exactly the problem,” Grandpa Wijaya snapped. Then he clicked his tongue loudly. “You play around with so many women and disrupt my bloodline.”
Arka blinked slowly before responding to his grandfather, “How does having a lot of girlfriends disrupt your bloodline?”
“Because there’s no telling whether your children are scattered all over the place.”
Hearing his grandfather’s emphatic statement, Arka merely frowned. He didn’t argue, nor did he offer a defense.
Grandpa Wijaya waved his hand. “Whatever. The point is, you need to choose one good woman and make her your wife immediately.”
“There aren’t any good women among them.”
“What?” Grandpa Wijaya glared at him threateningly.
“If they were good women, they obviously wouldn’t agree to go to a hotel with me.”
Grandpa Wijaya suddenly felt dizzy. He massaged his temples. “Oh, my goodness, my head is spinning,” he complained, leaning his back against the sofa behind him. “Since you’re incapable of finding a wife, I’ll find one for you.”
This time, Arka was the one who stared in shock. “No. I don’t like arranged marriages,” he said loudly, refusing outright. He knew exactly where his grandfather was going with this. From asking him to step down to demanding that he get married soon, it would inevitably end in an arranged marriage. Arka absolutely hated arranged marriages. This was the modern age—why did they still have things like that? “There is one,” he added quickly.
“One what?” Grandpa Wijaya tipped his chin toward his grandson, asking him to clarify.
Arka put on a sweet smile. He forced his brain to think quickly so he could escape his grandfather’s demand for an arranged marriage. “Arka has one good woman he likes and loves.”
“Then why did you say there wasn’t one?”
“Because Arka was worried you wouldn’t approve of her.”
“That’s such a stale excuse. Why wouldn’t I approve of her?”
“She’s not from a background like ours. She’s just an ordinary girl from a simple family,” Arka chirped deceitfully. In reality, there was no such girl in his life. He was making the whole story up. What mattered right now was getting out of the arranged-marriage conversation his grandfather wanted.
“I was hoping for a granddaughter-in-law who was our equal. But I’m also desperate for a great-grandchild. So as long as she’s a good, intelligent woman, I don’t mind.”
“Really?” Arka asked, his eyes shining happily, adding extra points to his performance.
“Yes, that’s fine. Once you get married, I’ll give you stock as a wedding gift—”
“Yes!” Arka jumped for joy, cutting off his grandfather.
“But if you don’t want to get married, step down from your current position immediately. I don’t like you using that position as an excuse to have fun with lots of women.”
Hearing Grandpa Wijaya’s next words made Arka’s excitement evaporate instantly. He was being threatened with removal from the position he had worked so hard to attain simply because he refused to get married.
“I saw Joseph carrying his great-grandchild this morning. I’m not going to lose to him.”
Arka’s shoulders slumped completely. Just because Grandpa Wijaya didn’t want to be outdone by his friend, Arka had become the means of settling the score.
Unfortunately, if Arka refused to comply, he knew perfectly well that his grandfather could do anything he wanted, including stripping him of his current position.
So where was Arka supposed to find a good, intelligent woman from a simple family whom he could make his wife and work with?
Even under pressure, he didn’t want to choose his future wife at random.
As his grandfather had said, this was about his bloodline.