The late-afternoon sunlight glimmered dully across Rayhan's desk. For the past half hour, his eyes hadn't truly been reading the rows of figures in the report file he held. Through the stained-glass window of his office, his gaze kept drifting toward the entrance to the consulting area.
A tall man in a light blue shirt and dark suit jacket draped over one arm had just walked into the Nexus Advisory team’s office.
Arka Prasetya. A Senior Partner at Nexus Advisory—and Clara’s direct supervisor.
Rayhan knew the man from the company profile he’d read the other day. In his early thirties, educated overseas, and with a stellar reputation in the financial consulting world. But it wasn’t the man’s professional record that made Rayhan grip his pen tighter.
It was the way Clara’s expression changed when Arka approached her desk.
Clara looked up, and for the first time since she had set foot in this building, Rayhan saw a genuinely natural smile curve across her lips. A relaxed smile, untouched by the polish of business formalities.
“How’s the first day of the audit going?” Arka’s voice drifted faintly through the gap in the slightly open door. He set a cup of hot coffee beside Clara’s laptop.
“Smooth,” Clara replied briefly. She accepted the cup and took a leisurely sip of its warmth. “All the initial physical documents have been collected.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.” Arka chuckled softly and gave Clara’s shoulder a familiar pat, as though he had done it countless times before. “If the Pratama Group team gives you a headache, tell me.”
Clara smiled faintly and shook her head. “There’s no problem. Everything’s proceeding according to protocol.”
Behind the glass partition, Rayhan’s chest suddenly felt as though it had been struck by a wave of scorching heat. The sight of Arka’s hand briefly touching Clara’s shoulder seemed to ignite his emotions on the spot.
Once upon a time, Clara had been reluctant even to look at another man if Rayhan was nearby, let alone accept coffee or a touch from one. The light in her eyes had been meant for only one person.
Now Rayhan was watching with his own eyes as Clara naturally accepted another man’s attention—while he himself was treated as nothing more than a living statue unworthy of acknowledgment.
Click.
Rayhan rose from his chair with a quiet jerk and straightened his suit before leaving the main office. His heavy, purposeful footsteps cut through the short hallway, heading straight for the consultants’ room.
The glass door swung open.
“Good afternoon,” Rayhan said coldly, cutting through the soft laughter at the corner of the conference table.
The room immediately fell silent again. Arka turned and looked at Rayhan, his surprised expression quickly shifting into a polite, professional smile.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Rayhan,” Arka greeted him calmly. He extended his hand. “I’m Arka Prasetya, Senior Partner at Nexus Advisory. I apologize for only being able to visit this afternoon to check on the team.”
Rayhan accepted the handshake. It was brief, but heavy with concealed tension.
“Mr. Arka,” Rayhan replied flatly. His eyes shifted to Clara, who had already put on an expressionless face again and now stood gracefully beside her desk. “I hope your visit isn’t interfering with the audit team’s productive work hours.”
Arka’s brows lifted slightly as he registered the CEO’s chilly, unwelcoming tone. But as an experienced professional, he merely smiled amiably.
“Of course not, Mr. Rayhan. I’m only making sure the team has everything they need—and bringing Clara some coffee. She has a habit of forgetting to drink when she’s focused on work,” Arka said casually.
Arka’s choice of words—she has a habit—struck Rayhan’s ego like a hard slap. He felt like an outsider who knew absolutely nothing about the woman who had once been his wife for three years.
Rayhan looked at Clara, hoping to find a reaction on her face. But Clara simply stood there calmly, organizing the files on her desk as though the conversation around her had nothing to do with her.
“The consulting team will be working under Pratama Group’s direct supervision for the next month,” Rayhan said, his voice sharpening. “Our company has already prepared all their operational needs. So, Mr. Arka, there’s no need for you to trouble yourself by coming all this way just to bring trivial things.”
Arka chuckled softly, completely unfazed by Rayhan’s intimidation. “Of course, Mr. Rayhan. Thank you for your extra concern.” Arka then turned to Clara and lightly tapped her desk. “Clara, I’m heading back to the office. Don’t stay too late. I’ll take you to see Auntie at the hospital tonight.”
Clara’s fingers, wrapped around her pen, paused for a moment. “Yes, Mas. Thank you.”
Mas.
The term slipped from Clara’s lips so gently—a form of address Rayhan had never once heard his former wife use with such warmth.
Rayhan clenched his hand inside his trouser pocket. His jaw tightened as he watched Arka say goodbye and walk out of the room.
The room fell silent again. Only Rayhan and Clara remained, standing several steps apart and facing each other.
“Is there anything else I can help you with, Mr. Rayhan?” Clara asked. Her voice once again carried the formal tone that froze everything around it.
Rayhan stared sharply at Clara, trying to hold back the jealousy and emptiness scorching his soul. His pride roared, demanding to know who Arka really was and how far their relationship had gone.
But Clara’s utterly blank gaze held him back. Rayhan knew that if he asked, he would only reveal even more clearly how pathetic he looked in the eyes of this woman who had already forgotten him.
“No,” Rayhan rasped, forcing himself to turn away. “Finish your work.”
Rayhan walked away, his chest painfully constricted. Today, he discovered a new kind of suffering: watching the woman who had once chased after him relentlessly now smile warmly at another man right in front of him.