6:30 a.m. local time.
The morning sun had just begun peeking out from behind Jakarta's skyscrapers, illuminating one corner of Aldo's minimalist apartment's living room. But the peaceful morning was instantly shattered by the screech of a bedroom door being forced open.
"Mr. Aldo! Wake up! Hey, North Pole CEO!" Kirana shouted from the doorway of the master bedroom, a wooden spatula in her right hand.
On the king-size bed with dark gray sheets, Aldo slowly blinked. The cold-faced man looked completely different from usual. His normally neat hair was now a mess, and he was still wearing plain navy pajamas.
Aldo stared at Kirana through half-narrowed eyes, trying to gather his wits. "What... are you doing in my bedroom?"
"Shopping," Kirana shot back irritably. "I'm waking you up, obviously! It's already six-thirty in the morning. You don't want to be late for work, do you? Your reputation as an exemplary CEO will be ruined because you overslept after sleeping too soundly on that soft mattress."
Aldo rubbed his temples, then glanced at the wall clock above the nightstand. "I'm never late, Kirana. My alarm goes off at seven."
"Your alarm goes off at seven, but the division coordination meeting is at a quarter to eight! It takes forty minutes to get from the apartment to the office if traffic is really bad. Not to mention your coffee ritual, which requires your full, solemn attention first!" Kirana rattled off, pointing repeatedly at her own watch.
Aldo fell silent for a moment. The man let out a long sigh, privately admitting that his new assistant was right about the schedule. "Fine. Get out first. I need to shower."
"Don't take forever! I'll be waiting in the kitchen. If you're not out in five minutes, I'll dump a cup of unsweetened tea on you!" Kirana threatened before slamming the bedroom door from the outside.
Inside the bedroom, Aldo slowly shook his head. It was only the second day, but he already felt like his marriage had become a miniature military camp.
Fifteen minutes later, Aldo was sitting at the small dining table in a white long-sleeved shirt rolled up to his elbows. In front of him were two plates of toast with strawberry jam and two steaming cups of black coffee. Kirana sat across from him, sipping her coffee while studying Aldo suspiciously.
"What?" Aldo asked flatly without looking at Kirana, his hands busy spreading jam on his toast.
"Nothing. Just thinking..." Kirana rested her chin on her hand. "...if the other employees found out that their big boss could be woken up with a wooden-spatula threat, your dignified image would crumble in three seconds."
"They won't know if you don't tell them," Aldo replied calmly. "And remember our contract: the secrets of this household stay between the two of us."
"Relax, my lips are sewn shut with wool thread," Kirana said with a grin. "Oh, right, about the second point in yesterday's contract... the one about privacy boundaries."
"What's wrong with that point?"
"We need to make the rules more detailed so there won't be any misunderstandings between us. To be fair, let's draft some secret clauses now while we have breakfast," Kirana suggested as she pulled a small notebook from her work bag.
Aldo set down his knife and gave Kirana a serious look. "Go ahead and present your proposed clauses, Miss Assistant."
"Okay, write this down!" Kirana uncapped her pen. "Clause One: The Forbidden Zone."
"Meaning?"
"The kitchen and living room are shared spaces. But each person's bedroom is an absolute sovereign territory. No entering without written permission or at least three knocks using a specific code."
"A code?" Aldo raised one eyebrow. "Are we secret agents now?"
"It's important! So we don't have a wrong-bedroom incident like in those epic TV dramas. The knock code is three knocks, a two-second pause, then one more knock. Write that down, Mr. CEO!" Kirana said firmly.
"Fine. Clause One approved," Aldo replied resignedly. "And Clause Two?"
"Clause Two: Public Conduct Rules." Kirana leaned forward, bringing their faces closer together. "When we're at the office or in front of your family, we have to act affectionate. Hold hands occasionally, and call each other something sweet—or honey if we're really desperate."
At the word honey, the corner of Aldo's mouth twitched as he held back an amused smile. "Terms of endearment? Are you sure you won't trip over your own tongue?"
"That's why we have to practice!" Kirana quickly objected, her cheeks turning slightly red. "For example... 'Honey, please hand me that file.' Like that!"
"All right... Honey, please pass me the sugar beside you," Aldo mimicked in his low baritone, deliberately softening his voice.
Kirana immediately shivered. She gulped down her water. "Cough! Okay, that's enough! Don't use that tone of voice, or I'll actually catch feelings!"
Aldo chuckled softly—a tiny laugh that was exceedingly rare. "Weren't you supposed to be immune to that?"
"Yes, but prevention is important, Sir!" Kirana protested defensively. "Moving on, Clause Three: Domestic Duties."
"What now?"
"Household chores are split evenly. You wash the dinner dishes, and I wash the breakfast dishes. Or vice versa. There's no gender discrimination in this apartment!"
"Deal. I'll wash the dinner dishes," Aldo said without protest. "Anything else?"
"There is. Clause Four: Mandatory Martabak Allowance. Every Friday night, you have to buy jumbo-sized sweet cheese-and-milk martabak as a mental-wellness benefit for your wife."
Aldo let out a long sigh while massaging the bridge of his nose. "Half your employment contract is legal clauses, and the other half is street-food provisions."
"Protesting? If you protest, I'll file a no-confidence motion and resign from my position as your contract wife!" Kirana threatened, glaring at him.
"Yes, yes... approved. Sweet martabak every Friday night," Aldo replied in surrender. "Now finish your breakfast. We need to leave for the office before we're trapped in completely gridlocked traffic."
8:15 a.m. local time.
The administration division floor was as busy as usual. Employees hurried back and forth carrying stacks of folders and reports. But the moment the elevator doors opened and Aldo Danendra stepped out with Kirana beside him, all activity in the room suddenly came to a complete halt.
Usually, Aldo walked alone with a firm, cold stride that made everyone choose to lower their heads. But today... something was very different.
Kirana walked directly to Aldo's left, and accidentally—or perhaps because she was getting into character—their elbows lightly brushed. Aldo even glanced at Kirana as he straightened her slightly crooked assistant's bag.
A chorus of whispers immediately rose from the corner cubicles.
"Hey, did you see that?" Siska whispered to the coworker beside her. "Mr. Aldo's walking with Kirana. Why does our boss look... I don't know, more relaxed?"
"Seriously, it's so weird. His face used to look like an ice wall. I think I just saw him give her a tiny smile when he talked to Kirana," her equally shocked coworker replied.
Kirana realized that dozens of eyes were aimed at them and quietly cleared her throat. She gently nudged Aldo's arm and whispered beside him.
"Sir, those finance-division employees are staring at us like they're about to pounce. Should we start acting now?" Kirana whispered.
Aldo briefly glanced around, then, without warning Kirana, casually draped an arm around her shoulders and guided her closer to his office.
Kirana gasped. Her eyes went wide.
"Wow, this guy's getting way too bold! Putting his arm around me and everything!" she screamed inwardly.
"Good morning, everyone," Aldo greeted the employees flatly as he passed their desks. "Kirana, have last quarter's financial audit report ready on my desk by ten."
"Y-Yes, Sir... I mean... yes, Honey—uh, I mean, Mr. Aldo!" Kirana blurted, nearly calling her boss a term of endearment in the middle of the office.
Siska nearly dropped the coffee cup in her hand when she heard it.
As soon as the two of them entered the executive elevator to the upper floor, Kirana immediately shrugged off Aldo's arm, looking annoyed and flustered at the same time.
"Hey! Who told you to put your arm around my shoulders like that?!" Kirana protested as she straightened her slightly wrinkled blazer. "There's no free-physical-contact clause in the contract!"
Aldo calmly straightened his suit and gave Kirana an irritating little smile. "You were the one who said we had to act affectionate in public so no one would get suspicious. I was merely following professional instructions."
"But you didn't have to put your arm around me! My heart nearly jumped out of my chest, you know!" Kirana grumbled, clutching her chest.
"Good. That means our acting was a tremendous success," Aldo replied casually, then stepped out of the elevator first when the doors opened on the upper floor.
Kirana stomped her foot in annoyance as she followed behind him. "Just you wait. If you're trying anything again, I'm adding a one-million-rupiah penalty clause!"
12:00 p.m. local time. Lunch break.
The office cafeteria was crowded and noisy with the employees' conversations. Kirana sat at a corner table with Siska and two other coworkers. In front of her was a bowl of hot chicken soto and a glass of sweet iced tea.
"Kir, be honest with me..." Siska leaned forward, narrowing her eyes inquisitively. "What exactly is going on between you and Mr. Aldo?"
Kirana, who was in the middle of taking a bite of rice, nearly choked. She hurriedly drank her sweet iced tea. "What kind of relationship, Sisk? The relationship between a boss and an employee. What else would it be?"
"Liar! I saw him put his arm around your shoulders when you entered the lower floor this morning!" Siska pressed, refusing to back down. "What kind of terrifying boss in the world would put his arm around his assistant if there was nothing going on? Don't tell me you're..." Siska lowered her voice. "...being courted?"
"Courted from Hong Kong!" Kirana shot back, trying to cover her nerves with a bright laugh. "It was just... a misunderstanding. My bag almost fell yesterday, and he reflexively caught it so it wouldn't hit the ground. That's all."
"How can a reflex look that romantic, like something out of a Korean drama?" Siska scoffed skeptically. "But if you think about it... even though Mr. Aldo is cold and intimidating, he's filthy rich, single, and looks kind of like a webtoon's male lead. If he really asked you out, would you say yes?"
Kirana fell silent for a moment. She pictured Aldo relaxing at the apartment that morning, when he had given her a faint smile and helped her prepare breakfast. It felt... dangerously capable of weakening the defenses around her heart.
"No way," Kirana answered quickly, trying to convince herself. "Dating a walking refrigerator like that would give me high blood pressure every day. All he does is boss people around."
"Come on, that's such a basic rejection. Plenty of marketing staff would gladly stand in a long line to date him," Siska said, shaking her head.
Suddenly, the cafeteria, which had been noisy moments ago, grew much quieter. Several employees near the entrance were whispering while staring in one direction.
Kirana and Siska turned toward the source of the commotion. At the cafeteria entrance stood an impeccably fashionable woman. Her long hair flowed beautifully down her back, and she wore an elegantly tailored red blazer, with a luxury handbag hanging from her arm. Her face was beautiful, sharp, and brimming with confidence.
Siska immediately whispered in shock beside Kirana. "Hey... isn't that... Karin?"
"Who?" Kirana asked, frowning.
"Karin Atmaja! Mr. Aldo's former fiancée—the one who caused a huge stir at the office last year when she suddenly called off the wedding and moved abroad!" Siska explained, her eyes widening. "Wow... this is bad. What brings her back here?"
Kirana watched the woman named Karin walk gracefully through the cafeteria, heading straight toward... the executive elevator.
Kirana's heart suddenly began pounding wildly. A bad feeling flashed through her mind.
2:00 p.m. local time. The CEO's office.
Kirana knocked on Aldo's office door three times at a normal rhythm—without the secret code—then pushed it open after hearing a response from inside.
"Sir, I've brought the financial audit report from last quarter—"
Kirana's sentence died in the air.
Aldo wasn't the only one in the room sitting behind his desk. The woman in the red blazer from earlier—Karin—stood beside Aldo's desk, smiling sweetly as she placed a box of pastries on the CEO's desk.
Aldo looked up at Kirana, while Karin turned to look her up and down.
"Come in, Kirana," Aldo said flatly. His voice sounded as ordinary as ever, but there was a slight tension in his jaw. "Put the report here."
Kirana approached stiffly and carefully placed the report folder on the desk. She felt like an intruder in the middle of an intensely cinematic reunion between former lovers.
"Hi, Aldo. I brought you your favorite pastries from back when we were in college," Karin said softly, completely ignoring Kirana's presence. "Oh, she's your new assistant? Not bad."
Aldo didn't immediately touch the box. He stared coldly at Karin, then shifted his gaze to Kirana.
"Kirana is my wife," Aldo said firmly, without the slightest hesitation.
Karin froze, her eyes widening in shock as she looked back and forth between Aldo and Kirana. "Your wife?! You... you're married?!"
Kirana herself nearly gaped at Aldo's direct confession in front of his ex. The atmosphere in the room suddenly felt frozen, leaving behind a tension ready to explode at any moment.