Kirana froze. She slowly turned and found Adrian staring at her with sharp, half-lidded eyes.
“I…” Kirana swallowed. “I have to go.”
Adrian looked at her for a few seconds before slowly nodding. “All right.”
Without waiting any longer, Kirana hurried out, closing the door behind her with mixed feelings.
She didn’t know whether she would ever see that man again. But one thing was certain: that night would become a memory she would have a hard time forgetting.
Kirana walked quickly down the hotel corridor, her heart still pounding. She bit her lip, feeling both panicked and regretful about her decision the night before.
What was I thinking? How could I do this?
As soon as she reached the lobby, she quickly smoothed her slightly disheveled hair and took a deep breath. She hoped no one would notice her as she stepped out of the hotel onto the sidewalk, still wet from last night’s rain.
Jakarta was already bustling that morning, but Kirana felt as though she were trapped in a world of her own, filled with chaos. She reached into her bag for her phone, then checked her unread messages.
One was from her mother, asking if she was all right.
Another was from her best friend, Lita, asking if Kirana wanted to talk about what had happened the day before.
And one more… from Malvin.
Kirana suddenly felt nauseated. She didn’t want to see what it said. She was already hurt enough, and now she didn’t want to give that man any more space in her life.
She quickly hailed a taxi and got inside, giving the driver her apartment address in a weary voice.
As the car started moving, Kirana rested her head against the window. Her thoughts drifted back to the night before—to Adrian’s faint smile, his sharp gaze, and the way he had made her forget her pain, if only temporarily.
She shook her head.
“That’s enough,” she murmured to herself.
That night had only been an escape. Nothing more.
As soon as she reached her apartment, Kirana took a shower, hoping the warm water would wash away the confusion still weighing on her. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes puffy from lack of sleep and perhaps from the remnants of last night’s tears.
She drew a long breath.
Starting today, I really have to move on.
She left the bathroom and changed into casual clothes, then picked up her laptop. It was her first day at her new job, a renowned business consulting firm. She had been trapped in the drama of the past for far too long. Now it was time to focus on her career.
She gave a small smile, trying to build up her confidence.
“I can forget all of this,” she whispered.
Kirana grabbed her bag and stepped outside. She didn’t know that this small world was about to toy with her again.
She didn’t know that the man she wanted to forget… would reappear before her in the most unexpected way.
After a fairly long journey, Kirana finally arrived at the magnificent building where she would be working. She stood in front of the lobby for a moment and drew a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
“This is a new beginning,” she whispered.
With determined steps, she entered the building and walked toward the reception desk. After introducing herself as a new employee, an HR staff member came over and escorted her to a meeting room for an initial introduction to the team.
Kirana smiled warmly as she met several of her new coworkers. They seemed professional and welcomed her kindly. Little by little, her anxiety began to fade.
“Our director will be here shortly,” one of the senior employees said respectfully.
Kirana nodded. She had skimmed a little about her new boss, a brilliant young leader with considerable influence in the business world. However, she hadn’t paid much attention to the details because her focus was on working, not on who her leader was.
The meeting room door opened.
Everyone’s eyes immediately turned toward the man who walked in with a commanding aura.
Kirana, who had been busy writing something in her notebook, slowly lifted her head.
And at that very moment, it felt as though her world stopped spinning.
That figure. That gaze.
Adrian.
The man who had been with her the night before, the man she was supposed to forget… now stood before her as her new boss.
Kirana froze. Her breath caught.
On the other hand, Adrian merely glanced at her without expression or any exaggerated reaction.
As if that night had never happened.
And yet there was something in his eyes… something that made Kirana certain she wouldn’t be able to run from this reality.