Dimitriv's hand moved slowly to loosen his black tie with white stripes; it was making him uncomfortable. His throat had been slightly sore for the past two days, but he had simply ignored it. This morning, he was reviewing the financial report he had just received. Every now and then, his eyes flicked toward the phone lying on the desk, waiting for a reply to last night's message.
To be honest, Dimitriv found having a secret admirer rather entertaining. It was as if he were starting a relationship with someone else and briefly escaping the headache of his marriage problems.
His phone vibrated. Dimitriv immediately closed the black folder and checked it. But he let out a groan when he saw that it wasn't what he had hoped for.
It was a message from his father, pressuring Dimitriv to meet Mr. X as soon as possible so they could work with a new construction company. Their partnership with the previous one had been a complete disaster. Dimitriv merely stared at the message without replying, his jaw tightening as he grew increasingly irritated with this mysterious Mr. X who seemed to be doing nothing but toy with him.
Meanwhile, the person Dimitriv was waiting for was also staring at her phone, wondering what she should say in response. Harlette had barely slept the night before. She couldn't stop thinking about Dimitriv's words, which had sent her emotions into a frenzy.
First, Dimitriv had directly told Harlette to steal the man she liked—even though that man was Dimitriv himself.
Second, through their secret chat, he had told Harlette to show herself and become his. It was completely insane when she thought about it. Fortunately, Harlette was the one sending those anonymous messages. Imagine if it had been another woman. That woman might have torn Dimitriv away from her sister.
“Harlette, you hate being scolded, but all you ever do is play on your phone or disappear all day without telling anyone where you are,” Miranti complained as she revised one of the dresses for Violette's wedding. It was white and free of sequins—simple, yet incredibly luxurious.
“I don't feel like working. I'd rather be a filthy-rich bum,” Harlette mumbled, sounding as if she were gargling.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, Mom.” Harlette slipped the phone into the denim skirt she was wearing.
“Go to Room One and check the dress for the client from Semarang,” Miranti instructed, her forehead furrowing slightly.
Harlette nodded at once. She was already tired of being there. She went to the room her mother had mentioned, where glass cabinets lined the walls of the rectangular space. They were used to store the special dresses ordered by clients of Kartasasmita Couture.
She raised her hand to open one of the glass cabinets and inspect the white sheath wedding dress clearly visible through the glass. But something faint at the corner of her eye seemed to coax her into turning around. Naturally, Harlette gave in. She walked toward the black suit that made her heart race. How could she not? She had already imagined how handsome and dashing Dimitriv would look wearing it.
“Get a grip, Harlette.” She tried to slap herself back to reality. “Don't worry, Sis Vio. I won't cross the line. I just want to have a little fun for a while. Hopefully, you'll understand my insanity,” she continued in a low voice.
Harlette turned around and resumed inspecting the wedding dress her client would wear one week later. She was twenty-six years old and sometimes acted like a child who would rather play than work. Even so, she was the most meticulous of the three women in her family. She could even spot a tiny loose thread that shouldn't have been clinging to a dress. She might not look particularly reliable, but once she enjoyed her work, she was a true professional.
“Lette, want to have lunch with me?” Violette asked, suddenly appearing in the room just as Harlette was putting the inspected dress back into the cabinet.
“Sure.” Harlette closed the glass cabinet and approached her sister, who was standing in the doorway. “Where are we eating?”
“La délicieux.”
“That new restaurant?”
“Yeah.”
“It's near Mr. Dimitriv's office. Why don't you invite him?”
“If you don't want to, then forget it.”
“Of course I want to,” Harlette replied, linking arms with her affectionately.
She immediately turned sweet to balance out her sister's rather stiff personality. Once she said yes, she meant yes. Violette rarely smiled, as if she had no interest in being alive. Harlette understood, though. She knew the reason was the unwanted arranged match that had stolen Violette's freedom for so long.
Harlette, on the other hand, was as chill as someone who expected to die tomorrow and intended to enjoy every pleasure life offered today.
“Looks like you two really are meant for each other. Just look at that man's car,” Harlette remarked, drawing Violette's attention to a car parked in front of them when they arrived at La délicieux.
“Let's go somewhere else.”
“What do you mean? I'm already out of the car,” Harlette said as she threw the door open in a flash and stepped into the parking area. She flashed a delighted grin.
Violette let out a heavy sigh. Her two younger sisters could be crazy sometimes, but Julietta was even crazier. Violette couldn't escape the situation, so she followed Harlette's request and stayed to eat there despite Dimitriv's presence.
“You two had a fight, huh? It's understandable. Couples are like that sometimes.”
“That's a very wise thing to say for someone who's never even been in a relationship.”
Harlette shot her an irritated glance. She was mildly embarrassed at being teased like that.
Harlette's expression changed in an instant. She lowered her hand and waved with a smile at the man sitting alone at the table in the corner. Violette looked displeased, but Harlette immediately took her arm and led her toward Dimitriv.
“Are you here alone? Mind if we join you?”
“Go ahead.”
Dimitriv and Violette exchanged small smiles, though they looked extremely awkward.
“I'll be right back. I'm going to the restroom. Just order whatever you're having,” Violette said.
Harlette obediently nodded. A restaurant server approached them, carrying a menu and a small notepad with a slim black pen.
Harlette lowered her head, her hands busy flipping through the thick pages. Her eyes scanned the menu items, and she decided to order pâté and lemon tea when she spotted the drink listed among them.
“Thank you,” Harlette said to the woman, giving her a small smile.
The man across from her was silent as he enjoyed his meal. Harlette felt too shy to make small talk, but she was also nervous because of Dimitriv's message the night before.
Dimitriv kept shifting his gaze between his plate and the phone beside his silverware. Harlette grew curious about what he was waiting for on his phone.
“Are you waiting for a call from someone?” Harlette asked after working up the courage.
Dimitriv fell silent for a moment as he glanced at Harlette. Then he smiled faintly and said, “Not really.”
Dimitriv reached for the mojito mocktail he had ordered earlier. After finishing it, he wiped his mouth with a tissue that had been neatly placed on the dining table.
“What about the advice I gave you?” Once again, Dimitriv seemed to have lost control of himself by asking that. He was becoming absorbed in the game.
“Advice?” Harlette frowned, confused.
“Stealing the man you like.”
A small laugh escaped Harlette when she heard that. It was awkward, with a hint of disappointment. “I'm not that crazy.”
Dimitriv raised both eyebrows in response.
“By the way, I'm finished. Tell Violette I left first because I have some business at the office.”
“Okay. Take care, Mr. Dimitriv.”
Dimitriv had probably already reached the parking lot by the time Violette returned. Seeing that the table was empty, Violette didn't ask many questions. Instead, she was relieved that she wouldn't have to see Dimitriv. She called over one of the servers to clear away Dimitriv's used dishes.
Dimitriv wore a crooked smile, his thoughts known only to himself. He pressed down on the pedal, and the black car slowly pulled away from the restaurant parking lot.