The secretary uniform I wore felt tighter than usual. My coworkers greeted me with friendly smiles, asking where I had been all this time. I gave them vague answers, trying to act like everything was normal. Everything seemed to be proceeding as usual. Until the office door swung wide open.
A woman stepped inside with an aura that immediately seized the attention of everyone in the room. She wore a tight red dress that accentuated her curves, her long, wavy hair falling over her shoulders, and high heels that clicked sharply against the ceramic floor. Her face was beautiful and striking, radiating an authority no one could take lightly. She walked straight toward me.
“Where’s Andrian?” she asked directly, her voice soft yet commanding.
“I’ll take you to his office,” I replied politely.
She walked behind me. The scent of her expensive perfume wafted through the air, making me acutely aware of the difference between us. I knocked on Andrian’s office door and opened it for her.
The moment the door opened, the woman hurried toward the desk. Without the slightest hesitation, she wrapped both arms around Andrian’s neck.
“Darling, I’ve missed you,” she said coyly, her voice clearly carrying throughout the room.
I stood rooted to the spot. My mind suddenly went blank. Who was she? And why wasn’t Andrian pushing her away?
Before I could process everything, Bane, Andrian’s assistant, appeared beside me. He gently patted my shoulder and gestured for me to leave.
“Thank you, Annisa. You can return to your desk now. Let them talk in private,” Bane said in a tone that allowed no refusal.
I slowly backed away, closing the office door and shutting myself off from the scene inside. Outside the door, I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth. Her name was Salsa Agustina. The granddaughter of the owner of the largest hotel chain in the city. And she had called Andrian “darling.” Had I really heard that correctly?
My thoughts drifted, impossible to hold back. The more I thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. Why would Andrian want to get engaged to me—and even have an official marriage certificate issued—if he had a beautiful woman like Salsa? What was he really thinking?
Not long after, Salsa came out with a flushed face. It was obvious that her coy demeanor had vanished completely. She walked slowly, glaring at me. My heart felt as though it were being crushed beneath an unbearable weight.
“You’re Annisa, right?” she asked when she stood directly in front of me.
I lowered my head, knowing my place. Then I nodded, making her burst into loud laughter.
“How disappointing. Andrian chose you over me. Don’t you know your place?” she said, instantly making my skin crawl.
Without thinking, I looked up at her face, which clearly held nothing but dislike for me. Before I could answer, Bane arrived and told me to go to Andrian’s office.
“I’m sorry, but we can talk later. I have to get back to work,” I said, still keeping my voice polite.
But she stepped closer. The scent of her expensive perfume seemed to stab at my senses. “You’ll see how foolish you are. I’ll make your family suffer!” she said emphatically before walking away.
Her words left me utterly stunned. Was this what people called a threat?
Once again, Andrian’s face was cold and arrogant. He examined the documents, then tossed them onto the desk.
“We’re officially married. You should move in with me,” Andrian said as though it were an order, not a request.
“What?”
“You’re not allowed to refuse. I don’t like being refused!” he added, fixing me with a murderous glare.
He rose from his chair and came around the desk, slow and deliberate, until I had to tilt my head back to keep looking at him. I didn’t step away. I refused to give him that.
“You’re angry,” he said quietly.
“I’m working.”
“You’re angry,” he repeated, and this time his voice dropped low, close to my ear. His fingers lifted a strand of hair that had slipped loose from my clip and tucked it behind my ear. The brush of his knuckle against the shell of my ear was so light I might have imagined it, except for the shiver that raced straight down my spine. “And you’re jealous.”
“I have no reason to be jealous,” I breathed. My voice betrayed me by coming out softer than I intended.
“Good.” His thumb lingered for half a second at the edge of my jaw before he let me go. “Because there’s no one in that room but you, Annisa. There never has been.”
“I’m sorry, but there are many things we need to clear up. That woman earlier, she…” Before I could finish, Bane entered with a serious expression and whispered directly into Andrian’s right ear. Andrian’s expression immediately tightened.
“We’re going there now!” Andrian declared, leaving me behind without so much as an explanation.
I smiled stupidly, never imagining that Andrian truly hadn’t changed at all. He treated me like an invisible mosquito—something he could swat away whenever he pleased.
“Andrian Antoni, I’m absolutely sick of you. Just wait two years. I’ll throw you out of my life for good. If necessary, I’ll toss you into a trash can!” I said, my hands clenched into fists.