Hot Night With CEO

The luxurious and glamorous white-silver themed decorations adorned the ballroom of a five-star hotel owned by the Putra Corporation. The concept, personally curated by Yasmin, Darian’s mother, and Alea, would make this year’s company anniversary celebration the grandest event, coinciding with the engagement of the company’s CEO, who is also a world-renowned supermodel, and the beautiful young model, Alea Maura Wijaya, daughter of the owner of Indo Drink canned beverage factory.

Media personnel had been buzzing around the venue for days, seeking news and capturing photos of the attending guests. It was guaranteed that the engagement of the world-famous supermodel and the CEO of the company would be the hottest news in print media this week.

Guests arrived one after another, awestruck by the stunning decorations throughout the ballroom. Darian was seen engaging in friendly conversations with his business colleagues, with Alea staying by his side, never letting go of his arm, which started to annoy him. They looked harmonious in matching outfits. Alea, with her slim figure, was dressed in a low-cut white dress that accentuated her beauty, admired by all, except for Darian. He appeared indifferent to Alea’s seductive and glamorous appearance.

The MC’s voice redirected the guests’ attention, prompting them to take their seats according to the invitation cards, which categorized them into VIP, Main, and General classes. VIP for investors and high-ranking company officials, Main for special guests, and General for the company’s employees.

“Darian, let’s take our seats!” Alea whispered into Darian’s ear, holding his arm possessively. Darian looked at her with annoyance. He felt like kicking Alea to Pluto right now. If it weren’t for his family’s reputation at stake, he would have done it long ago, erasing Alea from his life forever.

For a moment, Darian glanced towards the entrance, as if searching for someone. In the southern corner, he saw his four colleagues, including David.

“You fool, Darian, how could Fahira possibly come to your engagement with Alea!” Darian murmured to himself while letting out a heavy sigh.

Before Darian could take a step, someone he had eagerly awaited arrived, accompanied by a handsome man wearing glasses. Fahira’s smile instantly captivated Darian’s attention. She greeted her colleagues with warmth. Fahira was dressed in a black long dress with her blonde hair gracefully cascading. Her smooth, exposed back made Darian fume with jealousy. He couldn’t bear the thought of Fahira being admired by any other man but himself. Unconsciously, Darian moved towards Fahira, but Alea quickly stopped him. “Our seats are over there!” Alea snapped, noticing where Darian’s gaze was directed.

With a stern jaw, Darian stared back at Alea, choosing to remain silent and follow her lead. However, suddenly, a voice interrupted their movement.

“Congratulations, Darian!” Gavin greeted Darian alongside Fahira.

“Let me introduce you, Alea. I’m Gavin, Darian’s cousin. This is Fahira; I’m sure you two already know each other,” Gavin said politely to Alea.

“Thank you,” Darian replied briefly before Alea had the chance to respond.

Darian gazed flatly at Fahira, who smiled back at him. His eyes then shifted down to Fahira’s hand holding Gavin’s arm. A burning jealousy engulfed Darian, sending heat from his toes to the top of his head. Fahira, on the other hand, tried her best to maintain her natural smile while her heart raced rapidly. Gavin, sensing the tension, quickly diverted the attention.

“The event has begun, let’s take our seats!” Gavin suggested, holding Fahira’s hand that rested on his arm. He looked at Fahira with a gentle smile as he felt the coldness of her hand.

“Relax, Fahira,” Gavin whispered to her ear, successfully making Darian clench his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white.

Alea immediately dragged Darian away before something undesirable happened at her engagement party.

The long-awaited moment for Alea had finally arrived. With a happy smile on her lips, Alea held Darian’s hand affectionately as they climbed the stage beautifully adorned by the organizers.

Following the MC’s instructions, Darian and Alea now faced each other, with a black velvet box in Darian’s hand. Alea looked nervous and happy, while Darian maintained his signature expression – flat and emotionless.

“Perhaps we should leave now,” Gavin whispered, unknowingly observing Fahira. He had noticed Fahira wiping her tears at the corner of her eyes several times.

“No, Gavin, I’ll be fine,” Fahira replied with a trembling voice.

Slowly, Darian opened the velvet box in his hand. The shimmer of the diamond rings reflected in Darian’s brown eyes. He then took one ring to place it on Alea’s finger. Alea’s face lit up with happiness, spreading to all the guests present, as Darian’s hand touched her fingers. Yet, Darian remained silent as he gazed at Alea with an indecipherable expression.

“I’m sorry, Alea, I can’t continue with this engagement,” Darian whispered, placing the ring back into Alea’s hand.

Instantly, the whole ballroom was thrown into chaos. Darian no longer cared about any of it. In his eyes, Fahira was now his reason for living. He walked towards Fahira’s seat, forcefully grabbing her hand, and led her out of the hotel’s ballroom. Gavin merely smiled as Fahira looked at him with uncertainty. Gavin knew Fahira had asked him to stop Darian from taking her away, but he chose to stay silent. He believed Fahira would be happier with Darian than with him. Gavin wouldn’t force his love on Fahira; for him, seeing the woman he loved happy was enough.

Gavin got up from his seat and casually walked away, leaving behind the chaos he had successfully created. His plan had worked; he merely wanted to test the depth of Darian’s love for Fahira. If Darian had continued with the engagement with Alea, Gavin would have willingly competed for Fahira’s love.

***

“Perhaps you should go back inside, Darian. Look at the chaos you’ve created!” Fahira said as they stood in the hotel parking area.

“Why are you wearing such revealing clothes?” Darian protested, ignoring Fahira’s comment. He took off his jacket and draped it over Fahira to cover her.

“Only I get to see your body!” Darian added, pushing Fahira gently to get into his car.

“Where are we going? I don’t want to be seen as a homewrecker, stealing another woman’s fiancé!” Fahira retorted, trying to hide her hurt. She never expected Darian to do something so foolish for her sake.

“Pre-honeymoon, honey!” Darian replied briefly, looking at Fahira for a moment before starting his car and leaving the hotel’s courtyard with a triumphant smile.

“Preposterous! I’m not going on a runaway wedding!” Fahira retorted with a smile.

“You’re my everything!” Darian interlaced his fingers with Fahira’s and kissed them repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Alea felt shattered. After the failed engagement event with Darian, she immediately drove her car aimlessly, and luckily, David followed her. She stopped her car on the side of the road near Sarwana Beach, a relatively new and secluded beach in the Lebak Banten area. The beach was deserted, with only Alea and herself present.

“This girl is crazy, what is she doing alone on this deserted beach?” David grumbled as he unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. The sound of the roaring ocean indicated high tides.

From a distance, David saw Alea walking towards the beach without wearing any shoes. She seemed to struggle due to her long dress trailing behind her. Alea muttered in frustration, slightly squatting to lift the hem of her dress. David chuckled, following her path. However, David’s uneasiness grew when he heard Alea calling Darian’s name while wiping her tears. He quickened his pace when he saw Alea approaching the water.

“Shit!” David cursed under his breath, quickly running when Alea began to immerse herself.

“Alea!” David yelled and immediately swam towards her as she got carried away by the current.

With great difficulty, David managed to bring Alea back to the shoreline. “Damn it!” David cursed, checking Alea’s chest, which was not moving. He took a deep breath and administered CPR to Alea while pressing on her chest repeatedly.

Cough, cough, cough… Alea choked, her chest rising and falling again. David gently turned Alea’s head to help her expel the water that had entered her lungs.

“Why did you save me?” Alea retorted weakly.

“Thank God!” David exclaimed, hugging Alea tightly.

“I want to die; I have nothing to be proud of now. My fiancé ran off with another woman, and my purity is gone. I’m disgusted with myself!” Alea sobbed amid her tears.

David tightened his embrace. “I promise I’ll always be here for you, but please don’t do something crazy like this again!” David said, hugging her tightly while showering her head with kisses. Alea finally surrendered, crying her heart out in David’s arms.